The girls of Class 2-C weren't paying attention to the second-period lesson at all. Their focus wasn't on the material, but entirely on the teacher standing in front of them. To them, watching Kieron give an explanation was like watching an idol perform at a concert. Some even let out unclear squeals of excitement, annoying the male students around them.
The chaotic classroom atmosphere didn't affect the girl with two buns at all. Kieron voice — calm, low, and strangely soothing — worked like a lullaby to Leci. She fought desperately to stay awake, but the heavy pull of drowsiness slowly swallowed her whole.
"The growth of apical meristem causes an increase in plant height… bla… bla…"
Despite her efforts, Leci eventually lost the battle. Her head dropped onto the table, her biology textbook acting as her pillow. For a moment, all the classroom noise faded into nothingness.
"If you've actually read your textbook, you'd know there are two theories that explain the growth point."
"Leciara Maclean!"
Leci jolted awake so violently that her 'pillow' thudded onto the floor. Her eyes squinted, vision still blurry from sleep. "W-what is it, Sir…?"
"State the growth-point theory proposed by Hanstein."
Of course, Leci froze. She hadn't studied anything — not after staying up late because she was scolded by Norris. She glanced toward her cousin, who was glaring at her before quickly looking away as if he didn't know her. The entire class's attention fell onto Leci at once, making her chest tighten with nervous. Her sleepiness vanished instantly, replaced by an uncomfortable tension.
And Kieron was merciless. He obviously knew why she'd fallen asleep — because she'd been exterminating Lost Spirit until dawn — yet he still questioned her like this. Almost as if he was doing it on purpose… just to get her attention.
Did he think; How could Leci possibly fall asleep when there's a ridiculously handsome and sexy creature standing at the front of the class?
Leci swept her gaze across the room, meeting dozens of sharp eyes aimed at her. She groaned internally. Without her textbook — now lying on the floor — she couldn't even cheat.
Still, she caught a faint whisper — someone commenting on her situation. Then:
"Psst…"
She glanced at the boy sitting in front of her — Jayden Troy. Without making a sound, he mouthed something. Leci immediately read his lips.
"It's the histogen theory, Sir."
Kieron paused for a moment, then nodded before continuing his explanation. Leci gave Jayden a thumbs-up, which he returned with an 'OK' gesture. At the same time, Leci secretly flipped off Norris, who responded with a loud click of annoyance.
Time passed, and after ninety torturous minutes, the bell finally rang. The girls groaned in disappointment, while the boys cheered in relief. Leci packed her books, found a piece of candy in her bag, and handed it to Jayden as thanks. Then she hurried toward the cafeteria to meet Taryn.
Unfortunately, Kieron's voice halted her steps.
"Leciara Maclean. Meet me in the teacher's office after school."
The command threw the entire class into chaos. In an instant, Leci became the prime target of hatred for the girls of Class 2-C. But Leci didn't care. They'd probably forget she existed by tomorrow anyway.
…What she did want, at that moment, was to shove Kieron's face into boiling noodle soup. Just wait, she thought darkly.
⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄⋅⋆⋄⋅⋆⋄
Leci should've been attending club activities that day, but thanks to Kieron, she had to skip them. When the school finally grew quiet, she made her way toward the teacher's office — sneaking, peeking around corners, moving suspiciously like a burglar.
After making sure no one was there, she knocked.
Tok —
Before she could knock a second time, someone's hand clamped over her mouth. Leci was dragged into the dark, empty infirmary. A sharp click sounded — someone had locked the door. She was shoved against the wall. And in front of her stood three girls from her class, grinning wickedly.
It didn't take Leci long to understand. She was being bullied because of what happened in class earlier — because of Kieron. These girls, whose names weren't worth mentioning, probably thought Leci was a shameless attention seeker.
Silently, Leci blamed Kieron for messing with her… and also blamed whoever designed the school layout, putting the teacher's office, library, and infirmary right next to each other.
"Don't act like you're so pretty!" one of the girls yelled, shoving Leci's forehead backward until it hit the wall.
The coldness of the infirmary room seemed to climb straight up her spine. Yet she still didn't look scared. Not even a little. Her expression was flat — almost bored — as if the ones blocking her weren't three girls ready to bully her, but just homework assignments she didn't want to do.
"I've never thought of myself as pretty," she said plainly, like she was answering a roll call instead of responding to an insult.
"Shut up! Don't talk back!" the leader barked, grabbing the scissors used for cutting bandages. The metal glinted sharply as she pointed it toward Leci. "A girl like you dares to seek attention in front of Mr. Kieron?! Know your place!"
Leci blinked. Wow... terrifying. Truly, she thought sarcastically.
The leader jabbed the scissors closer to Leci's face. But Leci simply stared at it for a moment, let out a tiny sigh, then looked away like she'd just gotten bored of the whole scene.
Her mind was already calculating — not how to survive, but how to get out of this ridiculous situation without having to interact with the three of them any longer.
And then, slowly, a small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.
"Woman… crying…" she murmured softly.
"What?" the leader stepped closer, pressing the sharp tip of the scissors toward Leci's neck. "Speak clearly!"
Leci tilted her chin slightly and pointed at the corner of the infirmary room. "There's a woman crying there."
All three girls snapped their heads toward where she pointed.
"There's nothing there!" one of them squealed.
Leci shook her head, pretending to tremble. "D-don't… don't come any closer… uwaaa…" She scooted back, covering her eyes with her hand like she was witnessing something horrifying.
And right at that moment —
Wuuuushh...
A gust of wind rushed in from the ventilation above the window, whipping the curtains violently. The sudden movement made the atmosphere shift; the room felt colder.
The three girls stiffened. Color drained from their faces.
"A… a ghost?" one whispered.
Leci stayed silent, fighting the urge to smirk.
Tok! Tok! Tok!
A loud knocking echoed through the room.
"KYAAAAAA!!"
The girls shrieked, scrambling over each other to reach the door. They fumbled with the handle, almost tripping, then bolted out of the infirmary in pure panic.
Silence returned.
Leci remained standing there, expression as flat as ever, twirling a hairstick she'd used to hit the chair and create the knocking sound. "Why act tough when you're scared of ghosts?" she muttered with a sigh.
She walked toward the infirmary desk — and of course, she found someone sitting cross-legged behind it.
Kieron.
Naturally.
"I knew it," Leci exhaled.
Kieron looked up. The lingering breeze in the room was clearly his doing. Somehow, he managed to show up in the most impossible places, moving like someone who didn't follow human rules.
Seeing Leci approach, he stood up, brushing off dust from his shirt. "Do you often experience disturbances like that?" he asked gently, eyes quietly observing her.
Leci didn't hold back. "No. The only creature who bothers me is you."
Kieron paused — then smiled, the corner of his lips lifting slightly. "Oh? How exactly do I disturb you?"
Leci stubbornly stared at the blue-white stripes of his shirt instead of his face. "You always do things that make me uncomfortable."
"What kind of things?"
"Things that are… annoying," she snapped, wanting to end the conversation.
But before she could step away, Kieron caught her shoulders and guided her to sit in the empty nurse's chair. One of his hands held both of hers, while the other gently brushed the side of her cheek — the one still covered with a bandage.
His touch was soft. Too soft.
It made her flinch.
His fingers then traced down to her neck, light as a whisper. "You don't like things like this?" he asked innocently.
"Let go!"
Kieron pouted but complied halfway — only to suddenly pull her hands again, pressing their palms together. He interlaced their fingers, locking them effortlessly.
"You don't like this either?"
Leci's heart jumped in irritation — and something else. "What are you planning? Why did you call me here?" she demanded, trying to divert attention.
Kieron's obsidian eyes locked onto hers, unreadable and calm. He released her hands… only to kneel down in front of her.
Leci froze.
Something about it felt wrong — too intimate, too unexpected — especially when his head gently lowered and rested on her lap.
"I just wanted to spend time with you," he whispered.
The words settled in the room like a weight. Warm. Dangerous. And confusing.