My Seatmate is a Master (4) - The Heroine is Here!

Shira tapped her pen, waiting for the story's heroine to appear. 

'Will the heroine look prettier than the rest of the girls in this school? Books usually depict every main character like this, a jade beauty descending like a fairy lost in a mortal's world. It's just that I am writing someone else's story for real, and the characters aren't merely fictitious.'

Her thoughts were interrupted when the homeroom teacher arrived.

Kiba patted her on the back and motioned for her to listen to the class teacher.

"Today, we have a new student," the teacher began, glancing towards the classroom door before ushering the newcomer in. "I'd like you to meet your new classmate, Fina Stoneheart."

As the door opened to reveal Fina, Shira couldn't help but feel a slight sense of disappointment. The newcomer, while not unattractive, didn't quite match the preconceived image of the story's protagonist in her mind.

'Face reveal...' she mused, feeling somewhat let down.

Wanting reassurance and a touch of vanity, Shira playfully pinched Kiba, who was seated beside her, and whispered, "Who looks more beautiful? That girl or me?"

Without a moment's hesitation, Kiba turned to her with a genuine smile, his answer clear and heartfelt. "You." He didn't even spare a glance at the new girl, his gaze unwaveringly fixed on Shira's face, an unwritten promise that her beauty was unparalleled in his eyes.

[Ah! Milady, the Villain must be falling for you!]

Lemolemo screamed, which made Shira turn to face Kiba.

"He's not yet falling for me. You should just focus on binge-watching whatever drama you're watching."

Fina entered the classroom, her gaze quickly assessing the available seats. She spotted the only vacant desk, which happened to be the one next to Kiba, and headed in that direction.

Shira, who had been observing the situation with growing irritation, decided to take matters into her own hands. With decisiveness, she raised her hand and caught the teacher's attention. "Teacher," she spoke up, her voice carrying a tone of polite request, "I'd like to change seats with Kiba."

The teacher, ever accommodating, agreed with a nod. "Of course, Shira. Feel free to switch seats with Kiba."

'I cannot let them sit next to each other, or all of my hard work would go to waste.'

As Shira took her new seat in exchange for Kiba's, she couldn't resist a quick, subtle glance at Fina, who had now taken the seat next to her. The new girl seemed to disregard Shira's gaze entirely and instead turned her attention to Kiba.

Kiba, taken aback by Fina's greeting, was caught off guard by her friendly approach.

Shira, perhaps feeling a pang of jealousy or protectiveness, leaned in closer to Kiba and whispered, "Do you want to cheat on me?" Shira's voice was hushed, meant for only the three of them to hear. 

Kiba, confused by Shira's sudden question, was at a loss for words.

[Milady, do you really want to tease the Villain like this?]

"He won't get the joke anyway."

[Do you have other plans this afternoon, Milady?]

Lemolemo noticed that Shira's eyes meant something like a cunning fox wanting to play.

"Wait and see."

On the other side of the aisle, Fina couldn't help but be surprised by the exchange.

She observed the girl sitting opposite her with the fat guy and wondered about the nature of their relationship, finding it perplexing that someone who appeared so mismatched to the fat guy would be protective of him.

Fina thought, 'She's very gorgeous, but why would she be in a relationship with a fat guy?'

During break time, Fina decided to approach Kiba, driven by her earlier research into the school's top students. As she had been preparing to transfer, she had taken it upon herself to gather information about the brightest minds in the academic realm, and Kiba's name had come up prominently in her investigation.

With a friendly and inquisitive smile, Fina moved closer to Kiba. "Hey, I've heard a lot about you, Kiba. You're one of the top students here, right?"

Kiba, somewhat taken aback by the direct approach but pleasantly surprised by Fina's friendly demeanor, responded with a modest nod. "Well, I try my best."

Fina's eyes sparkled with genuine interest as she continued the conversation. "That's quite impressive. I'm new here, and I'm hoping to excel academically. Do you have any tips or advice for someone like me?"

Kiba, warmed by Fina's approach and her desire to succeed, offered a kind and encouraging smile. "Of course! I'd be happy to help. Why don't we grab a seat and discuss some study strategies during lunch?"

Fina nodded with gratitude, and as they sat down together, Shira observed the interaction with a watchful eye, her protective instincts still in play. It was clear that the introduction of Fina was changing the dynamic between the three of them.

'The heroine still has her halo,' Shira thought. 'It will be very troublesome if fate wants her to have everything.'

As the school bell rang for the afternoon classes, Kiba was engrossed in his role as a mentor, introducing various topics and helping Fina navigate her studies. The two of them were deep in conversation, so much so that Kiba lost track of time and the location of Shira, who should have been sitting between him and Fina.

Halfway through the afternoon class, a realization hit Kiba like a bolt of lightning. He turned to the empty desk that should have held Shira, his heart racing with a sudden sense of panic. His gaze darted around the classroom, searching for any sign of his friend, but she was nowhere to be found.

Frantic thoughts swirled in his mind. 'Where's Shira? Did something happen to her? Why isn't she here?'

Kiba's concern grew by the minute, and he was torn between his commitment to Fina and his fear for Shira's well-being. The class continued, but Kiba's attention remained divided, his thoughts consumed by the mystery of Shira's sudden disappearance.

[Milady, are we going to wait and let the Villain have a heart attack?"]

"He's so engrossed in being so kind to others. It's the first time that someone other than me approached him."

[But she approached him with the same reason you told him before. Won't he notice it?]

"He won't. He's never felt the same feeling before."

[Will he eventually help the heroine?]

"Just watch and grab a popcorn. Monitor his whereabouts for me."

[Milady, where are you going?]

"I need to get some luggage home and occupy Mother's cute villa close to the forest."

[But Milady, aren't you afraid of being late to school? That villa's location is very far from the academy. And won't you be scared of being alone in such a big place?]

"No. In fact, I would want a quiet time for myself."

[But, how about your studies? You promised that you would make the tables turn and become one of the school's top students. Are you going back on your promise?]

"I won't, don't worry."

Shira had requested leave from the teacher that day, explaining that her parents had hired tutors to help her build a stronger academic foundation. It was a decision that she implied she wanted to make, and her parents supported her choice.

When Kiba received this news, he hurriedly made his way home after the school day ended, his hope being to catch Shira and perhaps understand why she had left without any prior notice. However, he was met with disappointment when he arrived. The housekeeper informed him that Shira had departed early, and she had not disclosed her new place of residence.

'Why did she leave?' Kiba's thoughts were filled with worry and confusion as he lay on his bed, drained of energy and direction.

Suddenly, his phone rang, and for a fleeting moment, he thought it might be Shira.

He jumped out of bed with a spark of hope, but when he answered the call, he was met with Fina's voice.

"Are you free? Can I ask you to tutor me about..."

"I'm sorry," Kiba interrupted, his tone fraught with distress. "I have a lot of things to do. You can ask the class monitor to tutor you. He is one of the best tutors in school."

Fina accepted the response with a resigned fate, "Oh, okay."

After hanging up the phone, Kiba ran a hand through his disheveled hair, his mind preoccupied with Shira's sudden disappearance and the mystery of her whereabouts.

"Where could she be?" he wondered, a growing unease taking hold of him as if something was missing in his life.

A week had passed since Shira's sudden departure, and the once vibrant and cheerful Kiba had become a shadow of his former self. The constant gnawing worry and the void left by Shira's absence had taken a heavy toll on him.

One noticeable change was his loss of appetite. Food, once a source of comfort and pleasure, now seemed tasteless and unappetizing. His meals remained mostly untouched, the vibrant colors of dishes muted in his eyes. He knew he needed nourishment, but the emptiness inside him seemed to have sapped his desire to eat.

Kiba's weight had dropped slightly, his clothes hanging a bit looser on his frame. His classmates noticed the change, expressing concern about his well-being, but Kiba waved off their worries with weak smiles, unable to explain the heavy cloud of despair that had settled over him.

'Shira, where are you?'