Ch 3: You are trouble [pt1]

"Look, there she is."

"I heard that she tried to kill herself again. Why does she even come to class if she has no contention to live anyway?"

"She's not only dumb but ignorant as well. Does she not realize that no one here likes her? We leave her alone because the teachers want us to. But that does not mean we like her."

Lea sat in the middle of the classroom and watched her classmates gossip about her. It was the second day of school, and all her classmates could talk about was her.

And it was not their fault. It was Lea's for giving them an exciting topic to talk about. And it all started with Lea's attempt to kill herself.

"Class, sit down. Why are you all making so much noise…. Ah, I see why. Lea, did you try anything funny again? I told you that I do not like your jokes in my class."

Lea looked up at her class teacher with innocent eyes. She had not even done anything, and she was being discriminated against.

Just because she had once tried to kill herself in this teacher's class  did not mean she was troubled. That had been a lapse in judgment.

"I did not do anything, including my homework. Am I still in trouble?"

Everyone paused and looked at Lea in disbelief. They all were seriously worried for her, and Lea was cracking jokes. 

"You! Shut up. It's only the second day of the class, and you are causing trouble for me already? Hurry up and stand out in the hallway."

Lea walked out of class without arguing with the teacher. The best way to deal with an arrogant person is to let them do what they want. Once the teacher had calmed down, she would call Lea back inside.

Until then, Lea would hand around outside.

"Ah, this sucks. I did nothing, yet I must stand out here and wait to be called back. I should file a complaint against my teacher and get her in trouble."

Lea doubted her complaint would be taken seriously, but there was no harm in trying. Lea tried to relax, but it was impossible.

She felt someone looking at her, and she instantly looked up. The face looking back at her was familiar, and it surprised Lea.

'Oh! Isn't that the Forger family's princess and precious Sentinel? The information I had said that she would not attend the academy this year due to her volatile nature. It seems like my information source was wrong.'

Lea was fascinated by the Forger family's princess, mainly because she had not expected to see her while Lea was still attending school.

And from the look on her face, Emily Forger was also unhappy to be at school. She was also cutting class and roaming the hallways.

"You! What is your problem? If you have anything to say to me, then say it. Do not hold your tongue and act like you are constipated."

Lea flinched at the cold voice. She could feel the wave of power emitting from Emily's body and contradicting her own. 

Emily was a Sentinel who was about to go berserk at any moment. She needed to get her power under control before she hurt anyone.

"Should you be the one asking me why I was looking at you? Your body's condition is not stable right now. If you continue like this, you will cause a huge problem for everyone."

Lea offered her advice infrequently. She mainly was content to sit back and enjoy the chaos. But she felt invested this time and ended up speaking to Emily.

The presence of the rift was strong in this female, and Lea wanted to help.

[Dear host. Can you help this foolish human out? The rift consumes her soul from the inside, but she refuses to go out and ask for help. See, humans are genuinely irrational creatures, right?]

The rift asked this question again and tightened its presence around Lea's mind. But she quickly ignored its existence and pretended like everything was right.

Once Lea snapped out of her thoughts, she realized one significant fact - she was currently being held in the air, and her feet did not touch the ground.

"You fucker. What do you think you are doing? Are you too high and mighty to answer me now?"

Emily was getting emotional now. The angrier Emily became, the more her aura was contaminated. This was not a good look for her.

"First, let me go. Holding me up by my collar will not help you. And second, I am not the one causing trouble here; you are. Do you get angry at anyone who looks at you, or am I a special case?"

Lea asked, causing Emily to flush and push her back. 

The red flush covered Emily's features, making her look pretty. She opened her mouth and closed it, trying to gather her thoughts.

She had never met someone as frank as Lea. And no one challenged her words after she finished speaking. 

Emily had been at the top of the food chain for as long as she could remember. No one dared to oppose her or go against her words. And it made Emily feel…things.

Things she was supposed to feel for anyone. And especially not for a stupid guide who could not care for themselves.

"I asked you to let me go. How long are you going to hold my hand for?"

Lea asked in a straight voice. The cheer from her tone had drained away, and her real emotions finally showed themselves.

Emily's body felt hot, and sweat covered her face. She could feel her opponent's energy clashing with her own, trying to overpower her and calm her down.

The sensation made Lea feel warm and fuzzy inside. Her body had betrayed her and had gotten wet and hard.

'Fuck this. This is so humiliating for me. Why is my body behaving like this? What kind of guide is this girl to make my instincts betray me?'

"What did you do to me? Why is my body behaving like this?"

Emily's legs had lost control, and she fell to the ground. She looked up at Lea's face and felt her own heat up.

"I did not do anything to you. You are experiencing a breakdown because your body cannot hold your powers back. You should take your pills if you do not want to go crazy."

Lea looked at Emily, waiting for her to answer or be aware of her situation. Emily was not in a dire situation for now. But she would be soon if nothing was done.

And she only had two options - take the restraint pills or go to a guide. Guides were rare and usually lacked much power. That was why the public opinion on them was mixed.

'Not that it has anything to with me. I gave Emily a chance, but she decided not to take it. It had nothing to do with me now.'

Lea pulled her hand back, but Emily immediately grabbed her hand back. Emily looked surprised by her actions. She had not meant to do that.

But the power and warmth of the person before her was bewitching. It caused Emily to reach out and touch the guide before her. She hated it, but her instincts demanded it of her.

"You troublesome kid, you can come back to class now. Hey, what is going on here? What are the two of you doing?"

The teacher finally came out to check up on Lea. The class was over, and she had a responsibility toward her students. She also wanted to warn Lea to be careful in the future.

But once she opened the door, she found the scene in front of her unfamiliar.

"Lea, what did you do? Miss Forger, are you alright? Lea, stop standing around and find someone to help us."

The teacher panicked and ordered Lea. But Lea couldn't leave her position.

"Yeah, about that…I want to go out and ask for help as well. Unfortunately, I am being held captive, and Miss Forger refuses to let me go. If you have an idea that can help me out, then do let me know."

Lea pointed toward her hand and tried to pull out. Emily pulled her back and tightened her hold.

The teacher looked disappointed to see this. Ultimately, the teacher had to be the one to get up and call for help. Lea was not physically capable of getting up and calling for help.

"You are causing me unnecessary trouble. Oh well! I was in trouble with my teacher already, so it does not matter what I do now. My name has been tainted already."

Emily moaned and tightened her grip on Lea's hand. Her stubbornness finally ended when the school nurse forcefully separated Emily's hand from Lea's arm. 

But the frown on the nurse's face told Lea that this topic was far from over. And she was proven right when she was called into the nurse's office during the third period.

And this time, Lea had not even done anything.