Just A "Very" Calming Day

Entering the apartment building, I was immediately greeted by Miss Olivia, her warm demeanor a stark contrast to the unsettling events of the day.

Earlier, I had borrowed Aerial's phone to make a call, seeking refuge in their home. Jack, the owner of the apartment, agreed almost immediately upon hearing my situation.

Aerial's surprise was palpable when she learned that I was practically homeless after running away from home. By the time I hung up and said my thanks, she immediately asked about what happened.

Since I have nothing to lose anyway, I decided to tell her the truth.... Not the regression part, of course.

Her reactions were somehow expected; she sympathize with me, and thus, diverted the topic back to our work.

Anyways—

"Vallen is finally here," Olivia informed Jack, who nonchalantly continued watching a horror movie, the flickering images casting an eerie glow across the room.

"You're here already?" he said, his attention briefly leaving the TV before returning to the gory scenes unfolding on the screen.

"Are you seriously not going to say something else?" Olivia paused her task, giving Jack a pointed look. His casual reaction didn't faze me; it was, after all, typical of him.

"We should just let him be... It must be hard since he got practically kicked out by his parents."

While not entirely accurate, I nodded appreciatively, acknowledging the unexpected solidarity.

His response prompted Olivia to glance at me, and I responded with a soft smile. She sighed and returned to her work. "You can just watch TV with him while I'm preparing for dinner," she suggested, a slight quiver in her voice as she readied a knife to cut vegetables.

Nodding, I approached Jack and settled onto the nearby couch.

He shot me a brief "side eye" before returning his focus to the television, and for some reason, that irked me.

Grabbing a pillow from beside me, I decided to break the silence.

"Jack."

"Hmm—hmph!?"

I launched the pillow at his face, mimicking the gesture from a previous regression. The unexpected impact seemed to catch him off guard, but his reaction was oddly reminiscent of our interactions before.

"What did you do that for!?" He asked, picking up the pillow that fell to the floor.

Shaking my shoulder, I responded as I turned my head towards the television, "I dunno... Your face looks ugly as hell that it pissed me off."

"You...!"

***

A day later.

While heading towards the school, I found myself intercepted by Alicia, who positioned herself squarely in my path.

...Now this is new, curiosity crept in as I mused, hands in my pockets, tilting my head slightly to hear what she had to say.

"You... Why are you ignoring me?" she demanded, fixing me with a glaring gaze.

Whoa, lady... I'm not doing anything to you. Why so upset just because I'm not engaging with you? Weren't you the one who asked me not to bother you last year? Aren't you supposed to be happy since you?

Blinking, I sighed and responded in a casual tone, "Didn't you ask me not to bother you last year? I'm just fulfilling your orders..."

"But...! Erm, nothing..." She seemed on the verge of saying something significant but opted for silence.

Alicia swiftly shifted the topic. "I'll be participating in the tournament happening this Friday... Will you be there to watch?" she asked, hesitantly.

The reminder struck me – I had caught a cold and missed watching her fight before the first regression occurred. Coincidentally, she had been noticeably upset for several weeks during that time.

Rolling my eyes, I withdrew my right hand from my pocket and scratched my nape. I replied, "Do you want me to?"

"What—? No!"

"Then why ask?"

Shaking my head, I continued walking past her without allowing room for a retort. She tried to grab my wrist, but I deftly evaded her grasp.

Glancing back, I regarded her with an emotionless gaze and stated, "I am already keeping my distance, just as you requested. So, why are you trying to bother me?"

Her attempts at speech failed, and as a result, I proceeded through the school gate without further engagement.

"Vallen~!"

Surprisingly, Kiyona materialized behind me and latched onto my shoulders. Ahh, there's a certain sensation... Wait, no. She's as flat as a board!

She released her grip and pondered, "Why do I feel like I'm being insulted for some reason?"

Walking up from behind, Kim was quietly amused... What's with that self-amusement? Did something amusing occur?

As we gathered, Kim effortlessly hoisted Kiyona by the back of her collar. He's surprisingly strong for such a slender—

"I work out," he interjected, disrupting my line of thought just as I was about to concoct a witty remark.

In any case, thanks to them, I managed to clear out some thoughts and clam down.

"Let's go, Let's go...!" Kiyona pulled both mine and Kim's arms as we entered the school.

For now, I'll just focus on class... Aerial and I still have a session to finish later.