A couple weeks have passed since that day. Jeshan has taken all the necessary training necessary to be my bodyguard and our lives have gone back to the way they used to be. Well, not entirely how they used to be. In fact, the only thing that's really the same is my payments to Jeshan and the way he continues to not react to any of it.
I no longer put up any kind of facade at school, and that's gotten several students to apologize for their behavior toward me and some others to actually reach out and try to be my friend for real, a select few even trying to talk to Jeshan himself to show just how much they've changed. After school, Jeshan's come to my home to have dinner and speak with my parents numerous times, and my parents have spent time with me inside and outside the mansion. Not to mention, my parents haven't mentioned a thing about my "training" for quite a while and have gotten some of the maids and butlers to help them with their work so they can have time to spend with me.
On top of hiring a few more maids and butlers, I've also gotten closer with several of the maids that have been working here for quite a while, and found out one of them actually has a relationship with one of the butlers. I had always wanted girl friends to gossip and have fun with, but I never realized how close those friends actually were until I actually started trying to talk to them. Jeshan's still the same as always, but I can sense that he's happier, knowing of all the people around him that are slowly starting to accept him, and that, in turn, makes me happier than words can say.
What I'm rather excited for however is the graduation festival coming up in our school. It's a special festival my school holds to show appreciation and congratulate the seniors who are graduating in a few months via food stands, various shows in the auditorium, and anything else the students can come up with in their home rooms and/or clubs, as long as it's school appropriate. The first week is when we set everything up, and the next week is when the festival is held. It's also a way to relieve the seniors from stress, but we still have to help set everything up for our respective homeroom classes and clubs.
Thankfully I only have my homeroom class and no club, or else I might crash from the workload I'd have. So, we're sitting in class right now, all shooting out various ideas for what our class should do for the festival, but as usual, a certain someone is silent and simply staring forward. Curious about something, I form an idea in my mind, hoping the few friends I've made in this class will catch on. "Jeshan, what do you think we should do?" I ask, turning back to him.
He looks back at me blankly. "Hm..? Well, whatever you all wanna do-"
"No! No! No! I wanna hear what you think would be a good idea for us to do for the festival. No avoiding the subject, something straight from you." I say assertively with a smile on my face.
"Yeah Jeshan, I agree. I'm really curious what you'll pick."
"I'm pretty curious too actually..."
"Even I'm curious about that!" The students all say one after another, just like I had hoped.
Jeshan stares back at me, slowly averting his eyes awkwardly. "Well...alright then..."
I gasp with joy and immediately light up happily. "Alright!" I jump up and hold up my fist with a smile on my face.
"Settle down now." Mrs. Patterson says with a giggle and I giggle nervously in return as I sit back down.
"...I have...one idea..." Jeshan mutters and I quickly turn to face him fully, as do a couple other students and others just glance over, but everyone's eyes are on Jeshan. "Why don't we..."
One full week passes after this day, and our class did decide to go with Jeshan's idea without any hesitation because of how good it was. As we're putting on the final touches of our class project, I can't be more excited to open up. I take my place at the head of the classroom to greet people as they enter, and soon enough, several start piling inside. "Hello, welcome to the Northride Adventurer's Guild! Take a seat and relax, enjoy some food and/or drink, and feel free to take up a quest where you will be suitably rewarded upon completion." I say with a smile on my face.
All the girls in the class are servers and the boys are split half and half between cooks and cosplaying as adventurers to fit the part. We have various quests, from scavenger hunts, to finding and capturing "ferocious beasts", and even a special bandit quest that the boys will also dress up for when that becomes available in the day.
Dozens of people come in to enjoy our guild all throughout the week, and it honestly makes me want to start my own guild in the future. When you're surrounded by so many happy faces and so much joy, it's hard to pass up. I know it's not always fun and games in a real adventurer's guild, but I still think it'd be fun to run one someday. "What'd really seal the deal is if Jeshan were to run the guild by my side..." I blush at the thought, shaking my head rapidly as the two of us are walking home together like usual.
"Is something wrong, Sara?" He turns his head toward me.
"No no no, I'm just glad the workload is finally ending for a couple days. Can't help but love the weekend, right?" I giggle nervously to avoid suspicion, though knowing Jeshan, he probably saw right through it.
However, he didn't say anything to prove my theory. "I agree. But you had fun, right?"
"Yeah, I had loads of fun!" I smile brightly just remembering it all. Though, the memory of my many continued failed attempts to get a reaction out of Jeshan throughout the festival makes me a little bit sour. "Did you have fun..?" I ask nervously.
"Yeah. I know I'm still struggling to show emotion but...I'll keep trying my best, for you. That's what friends do, right?" He tilts his head, wearing the same blank expression as always, and anyone else who heard those words from Jeshan without knowing him would think nothing of it, but I know those words have true meaning behind them.
That is why I always give Jeshan the best smile I can wear, always. "Yeah. That's what friends are for." I reach for his hand, but pause as I smell smoke. I look forward to see a large stream of smoke flying into the sky. "Oh dear... I wonder what could have happened..." I mutter.
"That's the direction of the mansion, isn't it..?" Jeshan asks with just a hint of nervousness in his voice. My eyes widen as I realize he's right, and I take off into a mad dash for home. "W-Wait..!" Jeshan yells for me, but I don't stop. I don't even know if he's following me. The memories of the past couple of weeks begin flashing through my mind, the way things have slowly begun to change and how my family and I have finally started to become a true family. That journey has only just begun, so it can't end here. My mother and father are fine, I know they are. So why is it that I can't stop this aching feeling in my chest from spreading? My beliefs are instantly shattered upon returning to my mansion. Despite all the progress I've made with my family and everything that's happened to finally turn my situation around, it all shatters right in front of me.