Chapter 15 - Darug Village (1)

After the previous chaotic debacle, I was left alone with Renata in the classroom. "You never change, do you, sis?" I sighed exasperatedly. "Sorry, sorry. It's just…. That's a perfect chance to tease both the little girl and my baby brother," Renata grinned widely while pinching both of my cheeks. "O-ouch," I rubbed my now red cheeks, "You knew Dorothy?" I asked. "I do. She's an acquaintance from work. What? You like her?" Renata grinned, placing her hand in front of her lips. "Hah, you always go that way…. You know it's not like that," I shook my head. "Why not? She's pretty and busty," Renata said with the biggest smirk I had seen. "Besides, she's a Gifted. A good addition to the family," Renata nodded. "You know what? I'm not going to ask anymore," I pursed my lips.

As I was about to leave, I stopped in my tracks, "It's good to talk to you again, sis." Renata smiled as she lowered her head, "Likewise, little brother."

===

"Are you all ready?" Stephanie asked with a megaphone in her hand.

"Yes"

"Yup"

"Ready as I ever will be," my classmates replied one after the other.

"Alright. Let us depart toward our first excur— I mean field study. Mister Bus Driver, hit it!" Stephanie pumped her fist forward. "Aye-aye, captain," the bus driver replied enthusiastically as he pushed the pedal slowly. The bus driver skillfully drove the big bus around the academy's ground and slope toward the city. I turned my head left and right, enjoying the view of the city in the afternoon. It was quite the contrast from when I first arrived here in the morning. I looked at some of my classmates and found them quite used to the scenery. "Enjoying the view, Vaan?" a familiar, brown-haired girl asked as she sat next to me. "Yeah. I just realized that I haven't got to enjoy the city after enrolling here," I said.

"Maybe that's because you're always training?"

"True. Maybe I should tour the city after the field study," I said.

"You should. It's the biggest city in Terra Australis, after all," Dorothy said.

"Hmm," There was an awkward silence between us for a while until I decided to turn my head toward Dorothy, "Hey, if you don't mind me asking…. How did you know my sister?" I stared at the brown-haired girl's eyes. "Oh," startled by my sudden movement, Dorothy flinched back a little with a bit of blush on her cheeks, "Oh, that…. Let's just say she saved me from something," Dorothy replied. "Oh, okay," I swung my head the other way. 'Maybe something happened between her and Renata,' I thought while rubbing my chin. Then, I looked around the bus and found Renata grinning widely at me. I squinted my eyes while Renata made a heart with her fingers. I sighed silently before looking back at Dorothy.

"By the way, why did you sit here?" I asked. "No reasons. It's cause all the others are pairing up and talking. I felt left out," Dorothy's shoulders drop. "Oh. It's not because of my sister, right?" I slightly raised my eyebrows. "Wha—? No, no. It's not about that. Your sister totally did not ask me to sit with you or anything," Dorothy looked away with a tinge of red on her cheeks. "Yeah, yeah, totally. That wouldn't be weird or anything, right?" I sighed as my eyes glared at Renata hatefully. Noticing my gaze, Renata raised her eyebrows, her lips curled up into a sly smile, and she formed a heart with her fingers again. "Can this thing get any faster?" I mumbled.