The mysterious girl wrapped her arms around me and happily uttered, "I am Edward's soulmate!"
Hearing her words, the plain boy smiled at her, although, it didn't reach his eyes that looked unusually cold.
Tons of familiar voice exclaimed, "HUH!?" from behind.
The crimson girl took a deep breath in and out, before shouting, "Y-you..! Pervert! Masochist! Scumbag! Trash!!"
"Can you not insult me without knowing my side of story?!"
As if he ignored my words, Gino patted my shoulder and uttered, "I get it…" with eyes looking at me pitiful.
"No, you don't!"
…
…
I've told them my side of story, so that they won't continue to spread their imaginations over a misunderstanding.
"So, you don't know her. But she insists that she's your soulmate" as usual, Forth easily took my words, which in turn made me sigh in relief.
I felt an intense glared beside, and turned over to see the crimson glare of the princess.
"There is a chance that "That" idiot is lying, you know" she grumbled and I retorted, "Why would I?!"
She crossed her arms and looked down, to think of an answer, but she soon looked up and away, before stating, "I don't know, Hmph!"
Then don't give off such statement, if you're not sure.
I swear, you've been on edge since earlier. Just what is wrong with you stubborn crimson princess?
"Elia-chan, right?"
The dandelion guy approached the mysterious girl, with his intent written all over his good-looking only face.
"Instead of Ed, wanna go out with me?" he grabbed the hands of Elia, who just smiled at him and said, "No thanks!"
Why the hell are you trying to hit on her, out of a sudden?
"How honest of you…" the dandelion guy touched his forehead and sighed. "But well, getting rejected at first is normal. After all, minus would eventually lead to a plus"
As usual, he cheers up fast…
"Soulmate, huh? Despite having two girls around him, he still finds a time to flirt with another girl. How admirable…"
Mumbling those words to himself, the lazy boy's mouth formed a knowing smirk, which made the four-eyed guy smack him, in my place.
Forth mumbled, "This seems like it would be annoying for a while" as he tilted his glasses up the bridge of his nose, and sighed.
…
Elia, that's the name she told us.
Other than that and the fact that she's claiming to be my soulmate, we don't know anything about her.
When she collapsed down, I managed to catch her, which proved my suspicion that she is a human.
I can prove that just by looking at her, though. After all, she wouldn't be able to cast a wind magic to protect herself, if she wasn't a human.
That is if ghosts can't use magic, though.
But, for what reason did she cast such magic? This place is very safe, so there is no need for her to protect herself.
Unless…
Was Kirt and Gino right? Someone saw her and spreaded the rumors, which made some guys went looking for her like how we did, and…
Hmm, seems like this need some investigations.
Plus, out of the million possibilities that I might know her, a half of it has something to do with these memories that I don't have any recollection of.
So, I might just be able to put a conclusion to this, in the midst of investigating things about her.
…
"Haah..!" a heavy breath left my mouth, as both Russell and I walked the hallway leading to our destination.
Russell spared a glimpse over me and mumbled, "You seem tired Ed"
"More than tired, I am lacking of water" whilst saying those words, I wiped the sweat off my forehead.
The plain boy chuckled beside me.
"Well, it is hot today, so that's given" he beamed his usual smile, that makes him look more cuter than any girl, at me.
Upon gasping, I gulped to clear my throat.
"Hot you say? With this weather, I can't even think that the spring break is just about to start now!"
I uttered a complain, whilst looking forward.
"Summer is close, so that's given" another chuckle left Russell's mouth, which made me sigh out of exhaustion.
Right, starting today it is our spring break. Yet, the weather was saying otherwise.
In this academy, students are only allowed to leave during autumn break, since in summer, there is a big festival that would make us all tired enough to not move for months.
Well, I can have the festival bother my mind another time.
Still, it really is inconvenient not having science. After all, there are no air conditioners or an electric fan, which is why summer here is a replica of hell.
Haah, it's hot…
*
"Do you think they managed to get permission?" the boy with dandelion hair, who tried to hit on me, uttered.
This in turn made the lazy-looking boy nod, "Maybe?"
"Ed said that he is childhood friends with the academy's student council president, so we have a chance"
The lazy boy added.
"That was a surprise, you know" the dandelion boy waved his fists up and down, "To think that he has such beautiful girl as a childhood friend… It's kinda unfair!"
A scoff left the lazy boy's mouth.
"Having a beautiful girl as a childhood friend can be a pain, you know" he stated, and took a card from the dandelion boy.
The dandelion boy tilted his head to the side and asked, "What? Do you have one?"
"Hmm, you can say so" the lazy-looking boy nodded with a bitter smile, as the dandelion boy took a card from me.
The dandelion boy gulped and stated, "Your smile is creepy…" before looking at the card he took.
"Not like Ed's" the lazy boy pointed out and the dandelion boy nodded, "That's true"
Slowly, the dandelion boy turned to me and called, "Elia-chan?" which made me gasp back and look at him.
"What is it?"
He moved his face closer to mine and uttered, "You seem to be spacing out. Is something the matter?"
I smiled.
After answering, "Nope, I'm fine" I took a card from the lazy-looking boy's hand and looked over it, before saying, "I'm done" and put down the cards.
The dandelion guy quickly looked over the lazy guy, who was about to take a card from him.
A smirk was seen from the lazy boy, as he saw the card he took from the dandelion guy, and put it down, which made the guy looked down with tears.
"I lost…" he uttered.
*
Taking a deep breath in and out, I whispered, "We're gonna go in, Russell" which he nodded in agreement.
I knocked.
"Come in" answered the student council president, and we followed her words and went inside.
Inside her office, the magenta haired student council waited for us.
"Ah, it is you two" upon seeing us, she gasped and Russell pointed at his self, and asked, "You know me?"
She smiled.
"Of course, it is only given that a student council president knows all the students of the academy"
I sighed, which made Alicia turn to me and ask, "Is something wrong?
"No, I was just relieved that you aren't ignoring me. After all, whenever we pass each other at the hallway, you always ignore me"
So, I was kinda scared that you might do the same, again.
That it might be your way of blaming me about the things that happened to you a few years ago, because I didn't give you any attention.
I raised my head up and found Alicia looking down, whilst hugging herself.
"You always had friends around, so it made it kinda hard to approach you" with those words, I felt my fears go away.
Slowly, I approached her desk.
"It has been a while, Alicia" I smiled at her, which she in turn replied, "It really has, Ed…" with a smile.
A lot of things happened and made her change, but I guess she still wear her emotions out on her sleeves.
"So, what is the reason for your visit today?"
With her words, I gasped and remembered the main reason why we came here, in the first place.
"We are here to ask permission for the custody of a mysterious girl we found at the school woods"
Alicia looked at the two of us, before asking, "Where will you be keeping her?" with a stern face.
"At our room" we answered.
She asked, "The room of you two?" and we nodded, which made her ask another question, "At the boys' dorm?" and we nodded again.
Alicia stared down, with a serious face for a minute.
"Isn't it fine?" we freezed still. "You two seem honest enough, so I think it is alright. As the student council president, I hereby give the two of you the permission"
We looked at each other, and found both our eyes and mouth wide, because of confusion and joy.
"Well, not just you two seem fine, but I am also interested with her"
With the following words she uttered, we turned to the student council president and mumbled, "Eh?'
"You can say that I am also interested with the rumors going around, especially when it doesn't seem to end"
So, she knew it was about the girl in the rumors..!
"Be sure to write a report about how you found her and things, alright?" she stated and we nodded, "Alright"
Upon leaving the student council room, the two of us let out a deep breath.
The plain boy spoke up, "Hey, Ed" and I asked, "What?"
"I was kinda happy to know that the student council president wasn't that scary as rumors say about her"
My lips formed a smile.
"I did told you, there are times when you should believe a rumor and times when you shouldn't, Russell"
…
"Ah, Ed! Ed!!"
The mysterious girl cheered, like a dog that met his owner after many years, and jumped on to hug me, as I entered our room.
It looks like she was playing card with Gino and Kirt.
The dandelion guy stood up and asked, "How did it go? Did you get a permission from the president?"
"Here" I gave him the paper with Alicia's signature. "We did!"
The reason why we even thought of asking Alicia for a permission, was because Reina suggested that instead of hiding her, it might just be easier to tell them.
Well, we easily got a permission, so all is good!
"You told us that you used to play with the student council president, but how was she after many years, Ed?"
Gino's eyes were filled with curiosity, which made me let out a sigh-like sound, "Ah..!"
I turned to Russell, who in turn answered, "She wasn't scary like the rumors said, more or less, she was kind!"
The two of us smiled, as we looked at each other.
"Isn't it hot today?" a crimson girl mumbled, as she entered our room with her timid lavender friend.
She then turned around and gasp, upon seeing us. "Didn't notice you guys" the crimson girl mumbled.
Really, you know it can be called shameful, the fact that you two enter a boy's room, like it's nothing.
She cleared her throat and asked, "How was it?"
…
"I see, now we have nothing to be worried about anymore. Expect for one thing…" the crimson girl turned to Elia, and approached her.
Maybe it was because of the fact that her hair was red, that it looked like she was intimidating the mysterious girl.
"Just who the hell are you?" the crimson girl asked, as she stared at Elia's face closely, like how Gino does.
The mysterious girl tilted her head to the side and answered, "Elia..?"
Reina shook her head.
"Not that, what I mean is what you are? Are you a human? Ghost..? Or perhaps, you are an illusion? Just what the hell are you? Plus, why were you at the woods?"
I blankly stared over the two of them.
"And more of all…" the crimson girl took a glance at me. "How come you know Ed before one can even tell you about him?"
Amazing… She asked her everything I wanted to, as if she had read my mind.
Still, should you do such things so straightforwardly, Reina? Do you have any knowledge of the word roundabout?
Well…
Maybe it is just normal to be curious of such girl that suddenly appeared out of nowhere, with everything about her a mystery.
A smile was seen from Elia, who then answered, "I am a Human"
"The reason why I was in the woods is also unclear to me. When I woke up, I was already there. And…"
She took a glance at me and smiled again, before saying, "I simply know Ed, because I am his soulmate"
That again, huh..?
She clearly doesn't want to tell us the answer to our simple question, "Why does she know me?"
Even if I insisted, surely she wouldn't tell me.
Everything about her is still a mystery, yet… why do I feel satisfied and content with her answer?
Her words sound so right, but also wrong at the same time.
…
That night, no matter what I do, I couldn't sleep, so I went to the school's tower.
A familiar voice called from behind, "What are you doing here?" and I turned around, just to see a blurred image of blonde girl, standing in front of me with her hands crossed behind.
I rubbed my eyes, and such image was replaced with the sight of a mysterious girl, Elia, who appeared before us.
My head fell down and I answered, "I wanted to feel the air. No matter what I do, I couldn't sleep, you see"
She pressed her chin, whilst mumbling, "Air, huh..?" and I turned to ask, "How about you, Elia? Why are you here?"
"The same reason as yours!" she cheerfully answered, "To catch some air, as well"
Same, huh..?
Now I think of it, does she even need to sleep? Well, she said she was a human, so maybe she needs to.
She is just too mysterious…
"It's beautiful…" the mysterious girl mumbled, which in turn made me turn to look at her and gasp, "Eh?"
Elia turned to me and smiled, before saying, "The City at night is beautiful!"
"It is…" uttering those words, I slowly turned my head back to look at the view. "The lights seems so fleeting and bright"
Elia smiled, as she looked at me who was getting mesmerized by the scene brought in front of my eyes.
"Hey, Ed"
I turned to her, who called my name and a gust of wind blew her hair, as the moonlight lit her face brightly and clearly.
"What would you do…"
My lips slightly parted away, as my eyes remained looking at the girl, in front of me.
"If everything you see, feel and experience right now are all just a part of a dream, and everyone you've met didn't exist from the start?"
Eh?