Supporting a Hopeless Dreamer

At that very moment, Anastasia finds herself slowly getting numb as that realization sinks in her head.

Watching Zen beam oh so lusciously from the opposite side of the table really reminds her of Lucien's trademark sunshine smile. Their hair colors may not be the same, but their crimson red irises - they closely resemble each other, especially with their bright and bubbly luster.

Anastasia is struck mystified on her seat, unsure of what to think anymore. For some reason, she can't quite decipher her exact reaction here. She's being bombarded with different kinds of rioting emotions, messing up her thoughts and turning them into a huge clutter. 

She couldn't get her feelings or any of this situation at all. 

That's until a certain buried memory rose up all of a sudden, passing through her mind as she remained unmoving and speechless.

---

Back at the year 2020.

It was a week before the Holy Trinity Private Academy conduct its annual science fair.

Flyers and banners of the event are posted on bulletin boards. Anyone can join in as long as they can submit their application form. While it may not pique the interest of some students, others are already preparing for it. 

That includes a certain blonde model.

Lucien is all by himself inside the science laboratory at the moment. With an eager look on his face, he's sitting on a stool and making some sort of device that has an intricate and complicated design.

"Oh, so... You're here after all!" 

At someone's uncalled-for entrance, he jolts in surprise before turning to look at the door. That's when he finds his ever effervescent friend striding inside the room with a curious look on her face.

"Oh, hi there, Anastasia..." Lucien greeted with a smile, relieved that it's her who found him and not the others.

"I thought you already went home after classes dismissed."

"Well, ummm... I kinda noticed you sneaking in the lab earlier and was curious about what you're up to. Turned out that you were doing this..." Anastasia replied while poring over the odd-looking device and laboratory tools that were scattered on his table. 

"Say, Lucien... You actually want to join the science fair, don't you?"

"H-Huh? N-No, I'm not... Besides, I'm not going to be-"

"Don't lie. By chance, I saw you staring at the event poster on the bulletin board earlier. You seemed like you're really interested."

"Y-You... saw?"

Lucien reacts a little embarrassed from getting caught. His cheeks flush the faintest shade of pink, which Anastasia can't help but mirror. He looks really endearing right now, especially when he averts his gaze and starts rubbing his neck nervously.

In all actuality, she lied about merely seeing him by chance.

After all, Anastasia was staring at Lucien the entire time. Her gaze would often trail after him whenever he's around. It's a hidden habit that she developed thanks to her growing crush on him. 

Up until now, she's putting him into some kind of a pedestal. It just happened that she couldn't get rid of her feelings for him any time soon even though he already rejected her - without him really realizing it, that is. No matter what she did, her heart would still keep shouting out to him, telling her that there's no longer any way to silence these feelings.

For now, though, Anastasia chose to settle with friendship. She understands that at this point, Lucien is still too occupied with making new friends, realizing his dreams, and tasting his much-awaited freedom after being locked up inside his home ever since he's younger.

She understands that he has no time for any romance at the moment. 

With that said, she decided to simply support him from behind. She won't hope too much anymore, though. Just by being one of the closest friends of this amazing person is already more than an honor to her.

Besides, Anastasia thinks that it's mainly her fault for falling for Lucien, considering that she's the one who chose to obssess herself with him.

"Please don't tell this to anyone, Anastasia," he chimed in again all of the sudden, taking her aback for a bit.

"Eh? Why?" she asked with her head tilted quizzically.

"I-It's just... It's embarrassing. I have a thing for this kind of nerdy stuff, and I do want to join the science fair. But Dave and the others told me that it's boring and everything."

"Don't mind what that guy said! He's just bitter since he failed our last quiz in Physics. You, on the other hand, got a perfect score! Even now, I'm still amazed by it."

"O-Oh, thanks. I-It really is nothing... Though I do wish that my father thinks the same."

"Your father...? What did he say about your score?"

With a baffled expression, Anastasia just continues staring at Lucien while he evades her gaze, looking like he's not comfortable to engage in a conversation about his father. Now, he appears somewhat sullen as he remains silent and musters a downcast smile. He's the one who suddenly brought that up, though.

"At any rate, don't give up on what you want just because people don't care or like it, Lucien..." Anastasia then continued out of nowhere, choosing to smile at him encouragingly instead of asking more about his father. 

"I'll be here to support you no matter what. Just do your best, okay?"