The sound of the bell tower rang and echoed throughout the academy. The teachers who heard it stopped their long and boring lectures while the students' faces brighten. They hurriedly tidied their books, making boisterous noises in every classroom, not minding the teachers was standing still watching them.
Murmurs and laughter of the students shortly filled the previous quiet hallway and corridor along with the sound of their footsteps on the tile floors. Whether female or male students, their target was the same, cafeteria
All of these happened except for the classrooms taught by strict teachers, including Class 3.2 where Gendis settled. The students carefully put away their things, not emitting any loud noise. Their step also did not utter any sound, however, their pace was fast, wishing to leave the gloomy classroom sooner.
Gendis put the last book in her drawer while she glanced at the festive corridor. This time, she did not feel envy like usual as she already found friends.
Her eyes gleamed, she stood up from her seat and stretched her stiff neck and back. Just like other students, she also planned to step out of the classroom quietly. Yet before she could pass by the teacher's desk in the front class, the expressionless teacher, Teacher Kusno, abruptly tapped his palm on the desk.
The sound of his tap made Gendis's muscles go rigid and so did the students left in the classroom, including Kencana and Bhahran.
All of the students had long known the way every teacher and trainer when they got serious. Whereas Trainer Nehan would lose his easy-going face and Teacher Nandano would fold his arms with his eyes narrowed, Teacher Kusno would tap on the table, or clapped his hands once. In the next moment, he would look down on the students as if they had no sense of importance.
Ascertaining she had no way to avoid him, Gendis fluttery lifted her eyelids and met with a pair of cold eyes piercing straight at her.
"Miss Gendis. You did not attend my morning lesson today."
The students left in the classroom silently watched as Teacher Kusno lower his head slightly, looking down at her with pressure.
Bhahran was used to this scene as many students sometimes would be absent too from class. He was about to drag Kencana out of the classroom but he accidentally saw the sparkle in his girlfriend's eyes. He thought she want to watch the show thus, he decided to stay still.
Yet how mistaken his thought was. The girl beside him, Kencana, was actually overjoyed watching her plan beginning to proceed. She subconsciously squeezed her fists, looking forward to the result.
Gendis felt her palms were sweating. She fidgetted clutching her skirt and bowed her head, "I-I'm accompanying my friend who has a fever. I'm sorry, Teacher Kusno."
Teacher Kusno tilted his head to observe the girl in front of him, flustered at his question. A mocking flash in his eyes, "But it's a pity, Miss. Your score won't listen to your excuse."
He held his books and turned his body away, walking toward the door. Yet, his sharp eyes caught the group of students whispering anxiously in the back class, it made him stop his pace.
"What's wrong?"
The group of the students stiffly turned their heads toward the teacher. One of them encouraged herself to say, "T-teacher, we heard a rumor saying a student who come back from the wall yesterday is infected!"
Teacher Kusno's face instantly sank. He harshly stared at the students, "Where did such a rumor come from?!"
The student who told him the rumor flinched at his harsh tone, her back was wet by cold sweat said, "I-I-I heard from the black students, t-teacher!"
His intense eyes turned straight to the available students with black uniforms. Teacher Kusno pointed at them one by one, "If the baseless rumor comes from any of you, you'll receive the third level punishment right away."
Kencana swallowed her bitterness as she watched the teacher leave the classroom. She never thought the teacher would focus on punishing the student instead of investigating whether the infection was true or not. Then her plan to step on Arawinda could not be continued.
She moved her hand and grabbed Bhahran's hand, tugging him a bit, "... Let's go. I'm hungry."
Bhahran noticed the weirdness on her face then hold her hand directly, "If it's not you then you don't have to be afraid." He dragged her out of the classroom, "You're hungry then go to eat."
Besides them, the other students also had long left the classroom, not caring about the girl standing stiffly in the front class at all.
Once the class finally emptied, Gendis instantly squatted on the floor, feeling her knees were weak and shaking. She raised her hand tremblingly to wipe her forehead which flooded with cold sweat. Then she hugged her knees to calm her messy breathing and thumping heart in silence.
.....
Class 3.6
"Geez! I don't want to! I don't want to!"
Sun laid his head on the table not facing his two friends and raised his hands to cover his ears.
Adam hardened his face, "Sun, you're the one who can balance with Trainer Nehan's stubbornness."
"Why don't you just go by yourself?! Aren't you a smart one?!" Sun lifted his head and scowled at him.
"No. You go." Adam said as if he was ordering.
Arthur coughed at the tense atmosphere, "Well, actually, why don't we just go together?"
Adam shook his head, "I can't. Have you forgotten I still have to fill my training record? I have to go now." Shortly after he said it, he dash out of the classroom without a trace.
"Wha--?" Arthur gaped at his fleeing figure before realizing the heated gaze on him. He turned his head away awkwardly, not wishing to meet his gaze, and said, "Uh... I-I need to go the bathroom??"
Sun twitched his mouth at his stupid excuse and gave up. He stood up and slam the table to vent his unwillingness, "Fine! I'll do it, cowards!"
Smirking, Arthur patted his shoulder and gave him a thumb up, "When you come back, your drawer will be filled with your favorite foods, I promise."
"Geez! Don't you dare to take back your words!"
Arthur strode out of the classroom while yelling, "No worries, I'll go buy it now!"
After collecting his will, Sun walked to the teacher's desk and carried the pile of homework gathered by the whole class, and walked out of the classroom with a bad mood face.
Why did he always get to deliver the assignments to Trainer Nehan? Simple, because he once trained personally under Trainer Nehan for three months and those students regarded him as having a good relationship with this grumpy trainer.
Huh, what good? In the past, all they did was bicker all day long if they meet. Perhaps, Trainer Nehan could not stand with him anymore, thus he cut the training from six months to three months instead.
At first, he thought it was such a pity, but actually, he was also unable to endure the old man's nagging. Hence, he won't pursue the chance training under him.
Sun used the shortest path leading to the teacher's office and soon reached it quickly. He pushed open the door and walked in.
Tens of seconds passed before the door opened again and this time Sun ran away fastly with wide eyes and a tight jaw. At the same time, a shout was heard from the teacher's office.
"Monkey boy! I'll decrease your score!!"
Sun dashed along the corridor and stopped once his breath was disordered. He leaned against the wall and took a deep breath.
"Geez..." The old man would surely reduce his training score. Wasn't he just asking about the well-being of his granddaughter? What was wrong with that? What a protective old man...
His breath was promptly stable again and he paced his legs toward his class. Guessing the blonde had yet come back with his snacks, he took another route to his class, the long one.
Walking unhurriedly, he would peer his eyes to another class one by one to see the situation. Most of them were empty, and the last one he saw a girl with frizzy hair squatting motionlessly...
He halted his steps and rubbed his eyes roughly before blinking again at the girl. Instantly, he forgot about his favorite snacks and strode toward her, entering the class.
Sun stared at her up dan down before nudging her shoe with his, "Kinky hair? What are you doing there? Are you a ghost who can't poo?"
A fair hand pushed his leg powerlessly and a small and powerless voice sounded, "... What ghost poo? You're ghost poo..."
Sun was soon aware her reaction was a bit unusual. Thus he squatted in front of her and reached to play with her kinky hair which had risen his desire to touch since the first time he saw it.
"Since you want me to be a ghost who can't poo too then I'll join you."
Gendis felt his hand fiddling her hair and slapped the naughty hand away then went to cover her hair, "... Don't mess my hair!"
Sun smirked and took her hands away, "I won't, okay~ I have a little sister at home, and I can braid. I can braid your hair well!"
"Liar!" Gendis jerked up and squinted her eyes at him, guarding her hair again.
Sun was stunned a moment when he saw her pale lips. Did she got hurt? Dizzy? Or was she in her period that was why she squatted here?
He did not ask directly and grinned, kept on reaching her hair, "Come on, your hair is pretty cute~"
"No-no! Keep your hand away!" Gendis pushed his annoying hands away, not aware of his thought at all.