---
Fred returned to his bed in his small room.
He was staring at the wooden ceiling with a flushed face,
not just from the fever,
but from Lavinia's words that kept echoing in his head with an annoying yet delightful persistence.
"Yes… school is boring without you."
He covered his face with his hand and muttered nervously in a low voice: "Idiot… I think my temperature went up again because of her."
He slowly turned onto his side, feeling a strange heaviness in his limbs.
That heaviness that always accompanied his frequent use of magic.
He whispered as he gazed at the ceiling with half-closed eyes: "My magic drains me a lot these days…"
He raised his hand upward as if trying to reach something far away.
Then he said with a sincerity he couldn't hold back: "I want… to spend more time with you, Lavinia."
---
Outside…
Lavinia was returning to her home.
Her steps were calm, but her mind was occupied with only one thing…
that scene that happened in Fred's room.
When the old book fell from the shelf,
the book opened to one of its pages, and written on it in a trembling handwriting:
"If I can't protect you from death… then I will sacrifice myself in your place."
She stood there for a few seconds, unable to move.
And now, as she walked through the dark street, the words returned to stab her mind.
"Damn it… whose diary is that? And why would someone write something like this?"
She bit her lip nervously.
"You old man… why are you hiding all these secrets from me?"
She reached a small sports court near her house,
surrounded by iron bars.
The sunset light was reflecting off the court's floor.
And there… she saw him.
Micheal.
He was training alone.
He sent the basketball toward the hoop with a sharp motion,
and with every jump, his wet brown hair swung behind him, the damp strands sticking to his neck as he breathed deeply.
His chest rose and fell steadily.
Lavinia stopped,
feeling an odd attraction to the scene.
She watched him from behind the bars, gripping them with her hands, her eyes moving between his quick steps and the features of his face that grew sharper under the falling sweat.
Suddenly,
Micheal turned and saw her.
A wide smile appeared on his face, and he walked toward her with steps heavy from exhaustion, yet filled with confidence.
He approached until only the iron bars separated them.
Lavinia said mockingly, trying to hide her embarrassment: "Ah… the smell of sweat again."
Micheal laughed and wiped his forehead with his palm: "Yeah, it's better than the smell of someone who only knows how to sleep, isn't it!?"
She crossed her arms with fake anger: "For real… how long are you going to keep playing basketball?"
He replied confidently while resting the ball on his shoulder: "Forever."
She sighed: "And what about your studies, you idiot?"
He raised his eyebrow with delicious sarcasm: "Wow, look who's talking about studying. Don't forget, Lavinia, I'm always in second place… and you? You usually end up second to last."
He burst into laughter while she started cursing him, calling him stupid and arrogant.
Then she suddenly stopped,
remembering something she had always ignored…
Despite Micheal spending countless hours training, he was always one of the top students in his class.
While she… her grades were a disaster.
She lifted her head with fake confidence and said: "Don't worry, this time I'll work hard… I'll be one of the top students!"
He smirked sideways: "Haaah… I hope so, Bluey."
Her cheeks flushed with anger, while he continued smiling before returning to his game.
-----
The next day…
The school was bustling with activity.
With the department festival approaching, chaos had become the official theme of the place.
And before Lavinia could enter her classroom…
Four hands grabbed her arms at once.
"Laviniaaa! Come quickly, we need your opinion on the costume test!"
"Hurry! Our department must win this year!"
She was dragged into the room where a long table was covered with dozens of clothes, ribbons, crowns, and charms.
The girls were arguing, screaming, waving outfits in the air as if the fate of the world depended on them.
"No! This one is prettier!"
"No, that one!"
"I'm the one who decides!"
"Move! That dress is mine!"
Lavinia placed her hand on her head, trying to process the chaos, before something specific caught her eye…
A short white dress, embroidered with fine white threads, bearing a clear theme from ancient Greek culture.
She lifted it slowly, stared at it with admiration, then said: "Girls… what do you think of this?"
Seconds of silence passed…
Then opinions flew everywhere.
"Beautiful!"
"No… it looks too simple!"
"I love it!"
"I don't like it!"
But when Carla, the head of the department, stepped forward,
a smile of admiration on her face, the debate was over.
She said while touching the fabric: "A wonderful idea, Lavinia… we'll add a crown made of mixed-colored flowers… and we'll look like princesses."
Joyful screams erupted; they exchanged hugs and jumped in excitement.
"Oh my God! We'll look amazing!"
"I bet our department will win this year!"
"I can't wait to wear it!"
"We'll look like real queens!"
And while the girls were in the middle of their laughter…
Rocky entered the classroom.
He stopped at the door, his eyes widening in astonishment, for he saw the girls gathered and ecstatic in a way he wasn't used to…
And at their center…
Lavinia.
Standing there holding the white dress that looked as if it had been made specifically for her.
----