Van listened in on the class attentively. And for the first time ever, he was finally able to understand everything. Of course, there were still some that made him confused, like when the instructor started multiplying some numbers, but Van didn't really take it too much in mind. It was enough that he was able to follow naturally.
Harvey and Beatrice were also listening in class, they could only greet each other as Mr. Jacobs barged in early. Beatrice was still a bit worried about Harvey, as the last time they parted ways, he seemed to have taken the news about his big brother hard.
It was the end of the class, and Van was about to leave the classroom without even saying anything to the two, but before he could even take a single step outside the class, Harvey's words pierced his ears.
As a matter of fact, it pierced everyone's ears as his loud voice echoed even outside the hallways. "Wait for us!", he shouted.
"Hm?", Van could not help but blink his eyes a couple of times as he turned to look at Harvey. He also looked at Beatrice, who could only shrug her shoulders as she also approached Van. The two could only look at each other as they both thought that Harvey would need some time alone, but it would seem… that he was already fine?
"Why are you leaving alone, man!?", Harvey let out a loud breath as he clicked his tongue numerous times, "Are you escaping your lessons?"
"...About that--"
"Well, I guess we can't stop teaching you now when you are improving fast"
Van was about to say that he no longer needed literacy lessons, but before he could do so, Beatrice clapped her hands, her eyes filled with resolution.
And so, Van could only sigh as the three of them started to walk to Van's house. As they exited the gates of the Academy, Gerald and his group were on the corner of the street, looking at them from afar. Gerald's eyebrows were deeply lowered as he continued to stare at his brother's back.
Van and the others made their way to the neighborhood and Harvey has not shut his mouth since they left the Academy. But not once did he mention anything about his brother. Could he really be alright now, or was he just hiding his pain? Beatrice could not help but fix her glasses as she stared at Harvey.
And finally, after a few more minutes of listening to Harvey's endless yammering, they arrived in front of Van's house. Van was about to open the door, but then he turned his head towards Beatrice and Harvey.
"Right…", he whispered, "I forgot to inform you guys that--"
"Welcome home, Van!"
Before Van could even finish his words, a loud voice echoed throughout the house as the door was swung open from the inside. It was then followed by a series of claps, which instantly stopped as soon as the door fully opened.
"..."
"...Eh"
"There's someone else in the house", Van could only sigh as he looked at Andrea, who was completely frozen solid from the embarrassment.
"W… who!?", Harvey could not help but slightly back away, "Who is this!? Your girlfriend!?", Harvey suddenly grabbed Van's shoulders.
"No", Van almost choked from Harvey's statement. But still, Harvey's question was a valid one, was it not? What is Andrea to him?
Van could not help but squint his eyes. But after a few seconds, he opened his mouth as he looked at Andrea, "I guess you could say she's my sister".
"Y… you guys are?", after hearing Van's words, Andrea completely woke up from her stupor as she slowly approached Van.
"Hello", Beatrice quickly stretched her arm towards Andrea, "I am Beatrice, Van's friend"
"Oh my", Andrea muttered as she shook Beatrice's hand, "No need to be so formal", she said. Words that she would be regretting in just a few seconds because as soon as Harvey heard them, he quickly kneeled on the ground and proceeded to gently grab Andrea's free hand.
"I am Harvey", he said in a low tone. He then looked at Van while still holding Andrea's hand, "Van, you may have to call me brother-in-law soon"
"Oh?", Andrea could not help but slightly chuckle, "Sadly, not my type", she gently removed her hands.
"You sure do have some lively friends, Van", she then said as she looked towards Van, "It's a good thing I made a lot of dishes"
Hearing Andrea's words, Van quickly turned his head to look at the table. And to his surprise, the plates almost could not fit, "You… cooked? How?"
"Oh, Sarah dropped by here", Andrea said casually said as she gestured for Harvey and Beatrice to come inside, "We bought some stuff from the market"
"Look, this stove is powered by Crystals!", she proudly pointed towards the new… apparatus inside their house.
"S… Sarah--"
"The food will get cold, let's dig in first!"
Before Van could even inquire further, Andrea clapped her hand. Harvey then quickly pulled a seat for Andrea, "Let me", he slightly bowed.
"Oh my", Andrea once again chuckled as she sat down.
Miss Sarah was here? Van could not help but squint his eyes as he looked at Andrea suspiciously. Just what exactly is going on here?
Andrea, however, could not help but touch her cheek in glee as the food melted inside her mouth. Like Van, it has been ages since she last ate a proper meal, much less something this fancy.
Beatrice and Harvey started asking many questions about Van. Van didn't really want to share his life before the Academy that much. But alas, he was helpless as Andrea kept telling stories about him.
It was only after the food was all gone that their conversation died down and turned into a more serious tone.
"Do the two of you know any job I could do near here?", Andrea then asked as she sipped her coffee.
"Hmm", Beatrice placed her hand on her chin, "What kind of jobs have you done before?"
"Well…", Andrea hummed as she tilted her head, "All sorts of things", she then said as she smiled.
Beatrice was going to ask more specifics, but then she realized what Andrea meant by her words and shut her mouth.
Harvey was also quiet. But after a few seconds, he clapped his hand, "We own a lot of shops in the market nearby, maybe I can ask the managers there if they have a job for you?"
"Oh, really?", Andrea smiled, "Thank you in advance then"
"Anything for you, Miss Andrea", Harvey then suddenly stood up as he flexed his muscles, accidentally spilling a glass of water straight towards Beatrice's uniform.
"..."
"H… Harvey!"
And so, the group once again turned lively as Beatrice started chasing Harvey around the house. It wasn't until a few hours later that the two decided to leave since it was already getting too late, it would seem that with Andrea here, they now had more to talk about.
"You sure do have… some complicated friends", Andrea said as she watched the two wave goodbye.
Hearing Andrea's words, Van could not help but release a slight breath. It would seem nothing escapes Andrea's eyes.
"...You think so too?"
And so, days passed. In the end, Andrea easily adapted to the neighborhood and quickly got herself a job as a saleslady in the market. Since she lived in a known neighborhood, she didn't really have a hard time finding employment.
And for the first time ever since she was born...
...Her life was not about survival.