Just Too Warm in Here!

T-That couldn't possibly be it!

How could I be disappointed to the point of being ashen?!

I-It's just that… I had begun to get used to her presence.

That's right!

But that doesn't make me enjoy her presence!

It just means I've gotten used to it!

That's all!

There's no deeper meaning!

So, Asura, you must enjoy this peace and quiet while you can! Forget about that damned Hall Brat!

Seeing the girl in front of me frown, I quickly steadied my restless heart and forced down the flush on my cheeks.

Lightly fanning myself, I flashed a sweet smile at her. "I am a bit sensitive to the temperature, you see. Previously, I felt cold. But now, it is just too warm in here."

When the student reluctantly sat back down after suffering from my glib tongue, I breathed out a sigh of relief.

Feeling some concerned looks directed towards me, including the professor's silvery eyes, I gently nodded in their directions with the corners of my lips slightly raised, silently telling them that everything is alright now.

Well, I imagine that many people, especially those from my fandom, will still come up to me after class to make sure that I'm feeling well enough.

Hmm… It would be quite a bother to repeat my explanation so many times...

Being too popular is a pain too, you know! Fu fu fu.

Oh! Well, it's still nice to receive attention.

My smile widened into a mischievous grin.

Maybe I should act like a sick person but is trying to cover up her pain to not worry others? That would be interesting.

I can almost picture the scene of all the other students and teachers whispering about how kind and pure my soul was. They would all be blinded by my angelic nature!

My eyes shone.

With this distraction, I no longer thought about the matter with Lancera.

This state of forgetting about her lasted for a couple more classes. Although I still had a tendency to look around for the violet-eyed girl's presence after each lesson, with the larger part of my self conscious forcefully suppressing my thoughts about her, I managed to make it past most of the day in peace.

It was only when lunch period came that something now truly felt off.

I could understand if Lancera didn't come to pick me up after each of my classes ended since many of her classes were very far from mine, and perhaps she stayed behind for something.

But.

She had never missed a meeting with me. Never.

Lancera was always the one that came before the designated time at the appointed meeting place.

I knew, because it is my style to arrive exactly on time, and whenever I arrived, she was always there waiting for me.

But it was different today.

As I approached the long bench under a tall coniferous tree that she always sat by, I couldn't see her long, silky black hair. Nor her bright purple eyes.