Chapter 103 -  Invite

Chapter 103 - Invite

...

Keeping Sis Lin's advice firmly in my mind, I caught a Bus and arrived at the College, although somewhat later than usual.

Since the lectures were already underway, I walked casually towards the College Cafeteria to spend away some time before the next scheduled lecture began.

"Ah, wait! Carene!"

Hmm? Who's that? Never heard her voice before.

A beauty with long blonde hair was running towards me while waving her arms repeatedly. Seeing the friendly intentions from her towards me, I stopped where I stood and waited for her to reach me.

"Haa... haaa... C-Carene... haaa... S-Sorry for surprising you so suddenly. I... had something important to tell you..."

Huh? Something important? But, how does she know my name? And who is she anyways??

"Uh, that's all fine, but... who are you again? I've never seen you before. And, how do you know my name??"

The girl became surprised for a bit, before she facepalmed herself and spoke to me,

"Oh, that huh. Actually, I am Bretty, a member of the Student Council and... an acquaintance of Celesta, our Council leader. You see, it hasn't been peaceful nowadays at the campus. There are many dark secrets hidden in the shadows of this place and... we Council members don't want Celesta to get involved in all those messy things." 

Messy things... I think being in my batch is already a messy affair. And I really don't plan on getting any more crap in my life.

"You... get what I am saying, right? Please be careful of your surroundings and stay occupied with your own stuff. Even if we have the power of the Council, it's of no use if something untoward has already happened to you. Celesta... she really wants you to have a peaceful and enjoyable time here. Please don't let her good intentions go to waste."

What? Why is she being a busybody?? I myself know that I am not here to mess around. But, if she really is Celesta's colleague... it won't be good to be so direct to her.

"Um, okay? But, I'm just here to study, not to poke my nose into messy stuff. You don't have to worry regarding those things. Still, thanks for the kind reminder. I will be more careful from now onward. Then... is there anything else?"

Maybe she caught my hint, as the lady backed off a few steps and spoke with an awkward smile on her face.

"Ah! No, there isn't. Umm, all of our Council members hope you two live happily together. Bye bye~!"

And just like the wind, she ran away.

And what she said at the end... d-did I make it too obvious to her to be noticed?? In any case, I have been too revealing of my own emotions, I guess. But, it's still embarrassing to have my feelings being suddenly talked about so openly in front of me!

God, I should just go to the Cafeteria already before that lady from before brings anyone else along with her.

...

By the time I finally reached the Cafeteria, many other students were rushing in to line up for their lunch. 

I had planned to spend sometime in silence by myself, but I guess that isn't really possible anymore...

After wasting a few minutes staring into the distance while sipping my coffee, a hand patted my shoulder along with a sweet and pleasant voice from next to me.

"Miss Carene. How have you been? I was waiting for your arrival earlier today, but you didn't come at all."

And who else could it be but my newest friend, Nihara. She looked a lot better than a few days ago. Her complexion was rosy again along with her hair and attire appearing neat and proper. Overall, her beauty was a lot more magnified when compared to before.

"Ah, Nihara! Come, sit right here. Um, I got tangled up with some of my stuff and arrived a bit late. Oh, is there a break between our lectures right now?"

The beautiful lady smiled sweetly and sat down next to me, as she took a bite of her sandwich and spoke to me,

"Yes. Only two lectures are left for today. There is still sometime before the next one, so I came here for lunch. Aren't you going to have some as well, Miss Carene?"

Looking closely, Nihara had carried her plate completely filled with food. Hard for me to understand where all that food goes to, considering her slim figure. 

As for me, I was already full after eating breakfast at home and a few other things with Sis Lin. I don't feel that hungry, so it's better to skip lunch today. Maybe?

"No, it's fine. I would have mine later. So... has everything been alright? Is there anyone who still gives you trouble?"

Nihara's expression didn't change much as she took another bite while shaking her head, as she spoke again,

"No, no. It's really peaceful now. Others are mostly avoiding me now, so... there hasn't been much happening lately."

Oh... I guess being an outcast in that group of maniacs is a blessing in disguise. Who the hell would want to be associated with that group of beasts.

"I see. And... what about your medicines? You are taking them on time, right?"

Finally, a smile bloomed on her face again, as Nihara replied to me,

"Yes, thank you for asking, Miss Carene. The doctors also told Mother something shocking."

"What?! Y-Your Mother found out?"

Oh, shit! Her Mom found out about it?! It must have been very heartbreaking for her to lean about all that. But, I guess it's better for her to know about it. At least Nihara won't be isolated at her home that way. That, and her Mom could perhaps be a better helper in her case than any of us combined.

Nihara gave a troubled look as she squirmed at her seat and spoke in a low tone.

"Ah, it wasn't possible to hide things anymore, so I opened up my issues with Mother. She... was very angry at me. But, it's fine now."

I guess that it was pretty hectic at her home, judging from her expression that is. I kind of feel sorry for her to go through all of that.

"Oh... um, I guess it's okay then. Wait! What was the shocking thing??"

Nihara became somewhat reluctant to speak, as she looked around us for a bit and whispered,

"T-Those people from before... they had used some strange drug on my body... to make me addicted. I wasn't able to detect it, but the medical reports came out, and..."

Uh? Are those people crazy?! No, they were already really crazy to do something so cruel to the others. They just went a level below in terms of being humans... no, animals.

Still, there was a question troubling me a lot, so, in the end, I decided to ask her about it.

"So, that's why... Then, is the problem over now? You don't fell those... um, urges anymore?"

Nihara's cheeks became pink all of a sudden, as she looked really shy and embarrassed talking about it.

"That... I won't lie to you, Miss Carene. I have become too used to the euphoric feelings from sex. No matter how hard I tried, my mind quickly diverts to those things again. I am handling them with my own hands and sex toys for now. The reason behind it is... Mother hated me being involved in all of those things in the past."

Ah? That sounds pretty troublesome... but, what kind of toys??

"She... has made me promise that the only other person I do it with next time should be my life partner. I have to have the resolve if I do it. Otherwise... she would force that person to be with me for lifetime. I even have to honestly report to her if I ever do it with someone again." 

Phhh!! W-What?! A shotgun marriage?? No, she won't even wait for pregnancy! What a crazy... I mean, strict mother she is...

"Casually doing it has become really problematic now... especially since I wish to stop doing those things myself. Sorry, it's too complicated, isn't it?"

Yeah, it's way more complicated than I ever imagined it to be. Still, I can't spray salt over my friend's wounds, can I?

"O-Oh. She's furious about that, huh. Still, it's better to conquer those troublesome urges slowly. You can do it, Nihara! I believe in you!"

Nihara looked really happy at my encouragement as she nodded in agreement and spoke with confidence,

"Ehehe, thank you very much, Miss Carene. And, don't forget to visit my house this Sunday. Mother said that she especially wants to meet you."

W-What?!! I have to meet that Demon Lord Mother of hers?? No way in hell would I agree to that!

Well, normally I won't... but, with Nihara being the way she is right now...

"E-Eh?! But, won't she scold me? I don't think that I have the courage to face your Mother's wrath."

Nihara probably noticed my inner panic as she tried her best to reassure me in her own way,

"No, no. She isn't angry at you at all, Miss Carene. Would you please come?"

Well... I did promise to support her, so...

"Ah... okay then. But, only for a while, alright?'

Nihara became super happy suddenly as she suddenly hugged my arm and spoke loudly, 

"Sure! Thanks a lot, Miss Carene."

I could only give out a hollow laugh, imagining my future... being interrogated by her Mom... being asked all kinds of embarrassing questions...

"No, it;s no big deal."

Get yourself together, Carene! No meaning in losing hope already. Who knows how difficult challenges I might have to face in the future. It's better to get whipped by Nihara's Mom on Sunday... just for practice...

Let's hope that she won't be too hard on me.

...

After Nihara finished her lunch, we went around the Campus, walking through the flower gardens, visiting the different faculty buildings, just killing time till the next lecture.

The students from other departments didn't show any weird reaction towards Nihara, which made me realise how difficult staying in our batch would have been for Nihara.

Not wanting for her to face the troubles alone, I made up my mind to tag along with her to lectures from now on. I even secured the seat next to her and gossiped with her secretly from time to time.

Surprisingly, it was so easy and natural for me to interact and converse with Nihara that I was surprised myself. I couldn't imagine myself having conversations this frequently with anyone else in the College.

Hell, even that Council member was no good. Maybe Nihara is a really special person. At least to me she is. A rare good friend.

Adopting Sis Lin's advice, I ignored the weird stares or the reactions from those around myself and focused on my studies instead, which turned out to be a lot of fun too, courtesy of the cute and friendly creature next to me.

And just like that, my first good day at College soon came to an end, with Nihara and me going our own ways. Thankfully, I caught a departing bus on time.

Hehehehe... Sis Lin, I am coming~!! Let's learn how to drive at last!!

Who knows if something interesting might happen too, right~?

...