Next morning, in the cafeteria, everything was quiet—only a few soft conversations here and there.
Sofia was sitting alone, not because no one wanted to sit with her, but because she didn't know how to approach anyone. So she sat there, having her breakfast quietly. No one came to her. No one asked why she was sitting alone.
No one in the cafeteria was talking much anyway. Ming, Luca, Ash, and Kenzo were sitting at the table behind her, while Hikari, Daisuke, Fubuki, Rin, Amaya, and Akiko were sitting at the table beside her. The place felt calm, silent, almost heavy.
Then Soru arrived.
Sofia looked up at him, her heart beating so hard it almost hurt. Soru also looked at her, but he only gave a polite nod before sitting down next to Akiko.
Seeing that, Sofia lowered her head. She bit her lower lip and clenched her fist—not out of anger or jealousy, but because her heart was hurting for some reason she didn't understand. She didn't know what to feel. Quietly, she continued eating her breakfast.
Suddenly, someone sat across from her.
She thought it might be Akiko or Amaya, but when she looked up from her plate, she saw Ash—around fourteen or fifteen years old. That didn't surprise her. What surprised her was that Kenzo was sitting there too, beside Ash.
That was unexpected. Before this, he had never sat with her, and they had barely spoken to each other. But she didn't comment. She just kept eating in silence.
Then Kenzo broke the quiet.
"So you like him."
It wasn't a question. It was a statement.
Sofia choked on her food and looked at him in shock.
"Huh?"
Kenzo lifted his eyes from his plate, his expression calm, and repeated in a low voice meant only for her,
"I said… you like Soru, right?"
Sofia went completely still. Then she quickly shook her head.
"No—no, no, no, I don't. I don't. I mean… yes, but not in that way."
As she spoke, her face turned red, and her hands and feet began to tremble.
Kenzo didn't push her. He simply watched her as she avoided eye contact, then sighed and continued eating his breakfast.
Beside him, Ash looked between them, confused, but chose not to interfere.
Meanwhile, Sofia kept avoiding Kenzo's gaze… while Kenzo kept stealing glances at her.
[Thirty minutes later]
After breakfast, everyone moved from the cafeteria toward the training ground. As Sofia got up, she suddenly remembered that she had forgotten her sword in her room. She looked at Amaya, who wasn't far away, and said,
"Lady Amaya, I forgot my sword in my room. I'll get it and meet everyone at the training ground."
Amaya nodded with a warm smile.
With that, Sofia rushed back to her room. Kenzo and Ash noticed but continued toward the training ground. When Sofia reached her room, she picked up her sword and turned back.
As she walked through the hall, she saw Soru and Akiko walking together toward the training ground. Soru noticed her but kept walking. Sofia followed them quietly, keeping her distance.
Suddenly, a sharp pain struck her heart—not from emotions, but a real, physical pain. She dropped to one knee, one hand on the ground and the other clutching her chest.
Still, she looked up at Soru—not at Akiko. Strangely, she hoped he would turn around, to see if she was okay, to check if she was keeping up. She waited… she didn't know why.
But he didn't turn.
And somehow, it didn't hurt her. She just watched them walking away.
She stayed there for a few minutes until her heart slowly returned to normal. Then she stood up.
And she realized—maybe, just maybe… she really liked him.
This time, the thought didn't make her sad. It made her feel strangely happy.
She smiled, finally understanding her feelings.
From somewhere in the distance, Kenzo was quietly observing everything.