Chapter 12 - A little love story

"Come here, slowpoke... she meant it..."

I commented in her ear what Astrid was saying between the lines.

Roccia's expression followed by her action was one of the cutest things I've ever seen in my life.

As soon as she understood what Astrid was saying, the first thing she did was blush violently. Then, unable to bear the embarrassment, she hid her face in the book she was holding. That scene was the cutest thing I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot.

But if that action had already been cute, what she said turned out to be even more so, as it was the first time she had opened up like that around a stranger.

"It wouldn't work..."

Roccia commented, holding the book up to her face, showing just a little of her eyes.

As soon as Roccia had made that comment, Carlotta, who had heard everything in silence until then, decided to speak up for the first time.

"Why wouldn't it work?"

Carlotta asked, with a curious look on her face.

"The problem wouldn't be him; it would be me... I wouldn't be able to concentrate in class."

Roccia replied, hiding her face in her book again in shame.

"Roccia, I'll give you a piece of advice: if I were you, I'd be smart and take some initiative. Otherwise, your sister might end up stealing him away from you."

I commented, playing a little with Roccia's face, I really liked the expressions she made.

In response to my comment, she gave me a confident look, as if to say: "She wouldn't do something like that."

"It's impossible for her to do something like that. After all, she's already had a boyfriend for four months."

Roccia's response surprised me a little, both because of the revelation about her sister and because of her absurd trust in her sister.

"She's just playing with you, silly..."

Astrid commented, trying to calm Roccia down a little, who, even if she didn't want to admit it, had been a little apprehensive about my comment.

Before I could say anything, Camellya, who had been quiet since the beginning of the conversation, touched my shoulder and, whispering, asked:

"Does Roccia-san like Brant?"

Camellya's voice came out so low that I almost didn't hear what she was asking. But I had to admit, she was very cute in that quiet way of hers. And the way she spoke in third person completed the cuteness combo.

"Yes, but I think 'like' is a bit of a weak word to describe how she feels about him. The right thing to say would be that she loves him very much. And everyone knows that, just those two morons who haven't realized it yet."

I replied, letting out a short sigh and then pointing my finger at Brant and Suzana, who were sitting in the front row of the room.

While we were talking, the only person who was still quiet and keeping his head down, but certainly paying attention to everything, was Sid. Even with his head down, he listened to everything we said, but didn't interfere.

(What is he thinking?)

I thought to myself, glancing at Sid. But, as always, he didn't seem to care at all. His posture, with his head down and his eyes half-closed, was that of someone who was simply... observing, without wanting to be part of it.

He was someone who, for some reason, I couldn't "read" with my ability. And this frustration only increased my desire to understand what was going on inside his head.

Because he was someone so... how can I put it, neutral, I couldn't use my Gift on him to find out what he was really thinking. Do you want to know? I'll ask.

"Si..."

Before I could finish saying those words, I was interrupted by Astrid's comment.

"Looks like the professor has arrived..."

When Astrid said those words, a certain desperation washed over me.

"Wait, what's the first class again?"

With a touch of desperation in my voice, I asked, hoping it wasn't the subject I'd always struggled with. But, as expected, bad luck accompanied me, and it was precisely the subject I had been dreading.

"Mathematics."

Astrid replied, looking at me with a small smile on her face. After all, she knew how much I hated that subject. And even though she was my best friend and knew that I had forgotten, she didn't do anything. She just waited peacefully until that moment to see my expression of despair.

"With a friend like that, who needs enemies, right, Astrid?"

I commented with a slight tone of sarcasm in my voice, as I stared at her. She looked back at me with the same sleepy smile on her face. And, not to brag, but I was the master of this technique... but, unfortunately, the spell turned against the sorcerer.

Astrid looked at me, still with that same smile on her face. She was having fun, of course. She wouldn't do anything to help me, would she? That's what I thought as I watched her with a mixed expression of frustration and resignation. After all, a good friend doesn't let the other go through this kind of suffering alone, right?

It was a habit I knew all too well: she loved to see the look of despair on my face. And it wasn't just out of spite. Astrid liked to tease, and when she knew she was touching on one of my weaknesses, she never missed a chance to make fun. I couldn't complain too much. After all, I did it with her all the time.

With a slight sigh, I leaned back in my chair, staring at the ceiling as if it was going to give me some kind of answer.

"How could I have forgotten that? How could I have been such an idiot?"

I whispered to myself, still frustrated at my lack of responsibility.

After the teacher entered the room and began his lesson, the rest of the day passed without anything very relevant happening.

***

[Astrid's POV]

In the two months since we started talking to Sid, many things have happened. Firstly, Sid, who most of the time preferred to stay in his quiet corner and not talk to anyone, would start making fun of Mira whenever he got the chance. And, incredible as it may seem, Mira began to open up to Sid more and more. And that in itself was a big step forward, not least because it was the first time I'd seen Mira open up to a boy since we were 8 years old.