Omnious feeling

After helping Johanna back to her feet, Rei brought her to Johanna's room. Johanna had fainted upon seeing a man so close, and her face had turned bright red. Rei knew she needed a moment to recover.

In Johanna's room, Rei sat on the desk while Johanna rested in the end, trying to regain her composure. They had always been close friends bonded during their time in the orphanage, and after that have a unoffical sibling bond

Rei's concern was evident in her expression as she gently inquired, "Johanna, are you feeling better now?"

Johanna, her cheeks still flushed, cast her gaze downward and admitted, "Y-yeah, I think so. That was so embarrassing. I can't believe I fainted like that."

Rei's voice was soft and reassuring as she tried to comfort her friend, saying, "Don't worry about it. That means you are at an age where you feel attracted to opposite. But seriously, Johanna, I've never seen you react like that way before. It's like he cast a spell on you."

Johanna, with her cheeks still tinged with a rosy hue, couldn't resist confiding in Rei, her voice carrying a dreamy quality, "I know... I'm usually not so... flustered. But he was just so close, and it caught me off guard. It felt like... like I was in the middle of a romantic novel, and he was the dashing hero, and I... I was the plain girl"

Rei couldn't resist a playful tease, her smile adding a hint of mischievousness to her words. "Maybe he has some kind of mysterious charm. I should check him too."

Rei's playful tease didn't go unnoticed by Johanna. Her face paled, and she stammered, "Rei, PLEASE NO. NEVER DO THAT. please, don't take him away from me. I... I want him." Her words quivered with a deep sense of insecurity, and she felt a sudden pang of fear that Rei might be a more appealing presence to Haruto.

Rei was genuinely surprised by Johanna's reaction but quickly realized the source of her friend's distress. She nodded understandingly and responded, "I get it, Johanna. Things have changed, and you're seeing me as a potential rival for Haruto's attention. But I don't have any romantic affections for this guy"

Rei's understanding words did little to soothe Johanna's unease. While she appreciated her friend's reassurance, a sense of foreboding lingered in the back of her mind. She couldn't shake the feeling that their friendship might face challenges in the near future due to Haruto's presence.

Johanna, her eyes filled with a mixture of desperation and insecurity, pleaded, "I don't believe it... Promise me that you won't fall in love with him... Because if you do that, I won't be able to get him."

Rei's gaze was sincere, and her voice held a deep sense of affection as she replied, "I promise, our friendship means the world to me. You're like a dear sister. No...You are the only 'real sister' of mine" 

Johanna, her eyes showing a mix of relief and vulnerability, admitted, "I know I'm being irrational, but I can't help how I feel. It's just... He's different, and I'm scared of losing him."

Johanna's face lit up with a giggle as she responded, "Rei, I am sorry. I got desparate that I finally get to have someone who I can be close to. So I got overprotective hehe~. Don't take it to the heart....Feel free to hit me if you are mad"

With warmth in her voice, Rei assured her friend, "No problem. That's what friends are for. And no I won't hit you. Let's get back to the club room now. And don't worry, I'll protect you from any more unexpected encounters."

Johanna, her sense of insecurity still lingering, replied with a slightly teasing tone, "Save the 'protecting' part for your boyfriend, Rei-chan." She tried to mask her earlier vulnerability with humor, knowing that Rei was always there to support her.

Rei chuckled, seeing through Johanna's attempt at light-heartedness. "Well, for now, let's just get back to the club room next day, I sleep on the couch for now" she said, steering Johanna away from their previous conversation.

The next day

Johanna, and Rei returned to the club room, an unsettling silence settled in, making the atmosphere feel strangely off-kilter. It was clear that something wasn't right. The absence of Akira, Yumi, and Kei left a noticeable void, and the feeling of unease grew.

Johanna exchanged a worried glance with Haruto, her voice trembling as she whispered, "This... this doesn't feel normal. Where could they have gone?"

Rei shared her concern, his gaze darting around the room, searching for any sign of their missing club members. "It's like they were here one day , and the next day... they vanished."

Haruto maintained his calm and nonchalant demeanor as he casually suggested, "They probably just skipped out the club since they are busy. Or maybe they went shopping, who knows?"

Rei's expression shifted from curiosity to concern. At first it didn't make sense for the diligent Yumi and Kei to skip club meetings....But after thinking for a while she realized...Maybe she did...

What makes Yumi and Kei to skip classes...

But as the moments passed, doubt crept in, and a troubling thought crossed her mind. Or perhaps... maybe they've discovered something, something they shouldn't have. Something that's put them in danger.

She bit her lip before finally saying, "About that, the thing is..." She hesitated for a moment, her voice taking on a somber tone. ".They probably'"

Rei's voice trailed off, leaving the statement hanging ominously in the air. The mystery deepened as her words remained incomplete, leaving Haruto and Johanna in suspense, wondering what she was about to reveal