"You are here to meet with Mr. Sinclair?" Airi felt at a loss of words hearing Clara.
"Yeah. Remember the mess Maria has on her report card? Apparently, she never came to meet me with any of her parents. And when I called Mr. Sinclair myself, he was like, totally surprised hearing it. He had no idea about it! Guess she never told him anything, that brat! So, he asked me if I could meet him at his office…"
"But why?" Airi shouted out so loud that both Clara and Samuel were surprised. Even Airi immediately regretted shouting out so loud, so she hurriedly explained, "I mean, Miss Celestine, you are the teacher, why would you go personally meet up with someone who's daughter has no minimum seriousness in her?"
"Right? I have told her countless times, this doesn't look cool, or very much teacher-like. Yet, she has to be the ideal one here. See? Even a little girl gets it, but you don't, " Samuel grumbled, agreeing with Airi.
"Oh please, Samuel. Stop nagging already. And we have already talked it out, haven't we?" Clara pinched her forehead in annoyance. "Why don't you very well tell her also that you are opposed to this idea more because your morning date is ruined?" She turned to Airi, and put a reassuring hand on her head. "Well, at least I have to do my duties as a homeroom teacher, if no one does, right? Would you like the idea of it if I also neglected mine?"
Honestly, Airi liked Clara because she wasn't anyone like those sloppy teachers. Clara was always dutiful and energetic to her job, faithful to her morals, and helpful to her students. So, if she hadn't been like that, there wouldn't be such a respect for her in Airi's heart like she has right now. So she shared her head, denying it. "No, I wouldn't."
"See, it's so simple. You are a lot mature, unlike some 27 years oldie, who still acts like a child, " Clara gave an annoyed look at Samuel, and in response, he pursed his lips, puffing his cheeks. "Yeah, yeah, I am the kiddie here, hand me candies now."
Airi laughed out seeing Samuel acting like a little kid. "Sam, I wonder how you manage to act so refined in school, when you are like this in real life."
Samuel bent down to meet Airi's eyes, "That's a special service for my one and only lovely fiancee, master Airi, " with that saying, he gave a wink, which made him look like a complete flirty guy.
"Okay, enough talking. Samuel, you go and walk Airi to her home. I better do the work I am here for. I will let you know when I am done with it."
Just then, Airi grabbed Clara's hands lightly. "Miss Celestine, I heard he is a bit rude and weird. And the fact that he is the biggest donor of our school… Please, be careful, okay?" Airi recalled the gossip she heard of her classmates, about Maria getting easy marks and privileges for her father, and the meeting she had just now with Mr. Sinclair, the way he behaved, the way he threatened her, everything was giving off a bad feeling to her.
And somehow, Clara seemed to understand what was bothering her favorite student. She looked at her affectionately while saying, "It's okay, Airi. I'll be careful. And do you think I am the P.E. teacher just like that? My kicks were famous when I was in high school. Ask your Sam if you have any doubt in that, haha." Samuel bobbed his head up and down to affirm the fact. "So just relax and go home. I'll see you tomorrow, and then we will talk about it, okay?"
Clara walked into the office building, and Airi reluctantly walked to the opposite direction with Samuel.
------
"Worried about Celestine?" Airi broke from her daze when Samuel suddenly spoke up. And after a while, she slowly nodded.
"You seem to worry so much… Have you always been this worrywart? Or this is new?"
"Actually, I have never been so bothered by anything this much until now. You see, Sam, my father directly works under him. And he has told us a lot of stories about him, " Airi chose to hide the fact that she met him for the first time today, so she cooked up this lie. "And definitely, those weren't any good. He has always been ill-tempered, and you know how things are like with the teachers and his family. That... kind of... worries me…" Airi kept walking slowly ahead, and Samuel was walking just behind her. Hearing Airi's words, he strode forward to come in front of her. "I know where you are coming from. Honestly, this might be a bit of a problem. But who knows, maybe he really wanted to talk about her daughter's future, that's why he called? Then wouldn't it be an over anxiousness from your side?" Samuel tilted his head aside to have a nice look at her.
"Maybe it is. Maybe I am worrying too much." Airi replied in a low voice, still in a daze. Then all of a sudden, it clicked to her mind that she had been walking towards home, and Samuel was walking with her all along.
"Oh my God Sam. I didn't notice you for a second there. How silly of me! You don't need to drop me at my home. I can go just fine."
"But that's a duty my lady has entrusted to me. There is no way I can be negligent to mine, right? Otherwise, no one's going to make me their favorite, " he pretended to wipe off a drop of tear on his eyes.
"Oh, God! How much of a drama queen you can be! Fine! Just walk me home. And spare me with those tears, " Airi laughed out seeing her teacher acting weird.
And Samuel sighed in relief, finally seeing a genuine smile on her face.
Both of them kept walking quietly when suddenly Airi threw another question at him, "Now that I think, I want to ask something. Miss Celestine said to ask you about her high school… What about it? You two have known each other since school?"
Samuel shrugged his shoulders, "Who knows? Didn't your favorite teacher already tell you?"
"Okay, stop pouting already. Of all people, you should know that your fiancee is shy. That's why I asked you! Tell me already."
Airi nudged until he gave in. "Fine! Yeah, we were schoolmates. We were even in the same class. She was always the sporty type, and the strongest among us. Say it at a school sports event, or going hiking as an annual trip, she was always there in the front, glowing brightly."
"And you?"
"Me? Don't ask, I am the most fragile species on the planet…"
Airi cut him off in the middle, "No way! You look so healthy, surely you work out a lot…"
"All that credit goes to Celestine. She is such a bright person, even enlightens everything around her. She is celestial, just like her name. Mainly her name and her nature dragged me to her. So I asked her out in our sophomore year."
"So you have been a couple since then!" Airi was so into the story that the excitement started to show on her face.
"No! I was turned down… and a lot more times after that." Samuel scratched his head in embarrassment. "But I couldn't give up on her, and finally she took pity on me and accepted me when we were freshmen in University."
"God! You were together in University too! And you never gave up… You do love her a lot right?"
Samuel looked at Airi with a peaceful gaze, "Seems like I do."
------
"So then, here it is. The magnificent mansion of Airi Arne." Airi stood before her home, showing it to Samuel. Samuel chuckled lightly to see her mood finally lifted up entirely. "Yeah, sure it is, Your Highness."
"So let's go and have a chance to visit this mansion." Airi enthusiastically ushered him to come into her house. But Samuel rejected her politely. "I would need to go back to my lady. She must be sulking somewhere otherwise."
"Like hell she would." Airi scoffed at Samuel.
"Then I better get going. Have a proper rest, and don't worry about things too much. Oh right! Hand me your cell number, if that's okay with you."
"Why wouldn't that be! Let me write it down." Airi took his cell phone, and after typing her number in it, she smiled back at him warmly. "Thanks, Sam. For walking me home, and also cheering me up. You are also my favorite!"
Samuel patted her head affectionately, "I know that, Airi. And you are mine, too." After that, he took his leave.
And Airi entered her home after waving back to him.
------
She should be fine, right?
She said she was good with putting up a fight.
Come to think of it, she sure is strong whenever we see her in action on the field during P.E.
She can handle it if anything goes wrong.
She will be able to protect herself if anything happens.
Right?
Airi decided to convince herself with the assurance Clara gave. 'She must be fine', this was the only thought she was having for the entire time. She decided to ignore the bad feeling she was having in her mind.
But the bad feeling turned itself into a filthy reality, when she got a call from an unknown number in the evening.