The eerie silence had Tenji on his toes, suspicious about their strange acceptance to go silent.
Instead of facing the problem, he hoped to go around it. "If that is all, I would be taking my leave. Have a great evening everyone!"
"Professor Tenji, who can you consider the best student?" Ara challenged, hoping to gauge and ascertain her potential competitor.
The classroom immediately turned lively at the comment with all hope of getting to the basic truth.
"I have not seen any who I can recommend, but I see potential in a few to become one, one day," Tenji said with a smile.
Ara bit down on her bottom lip, unsatisfied by his answer, yet unable to ask more questions due to how impatient Tenji was to leave.
"Professor Tenji..."
Shaking his head to the call of another student, he wouldn't waste any time in sparing another answer. "See you all after the weekend."
Not speaking another word, he waved, took long strides out the door and down the hallway.
'First stop, the infirmary.' He whistled with a smile.
*****
At the infirmary,
He had planned on knocking on the door, but was unsure if he would be welcomed.
Exhaling, he had decided to pull on the door handle instead but was beaten to it.
Click!
"Professor Tenji?" Asahi jumped back in shock, quickly composing himself and masking his nervousness with a chuckle.
Tenji observed him for a while, "did you use your ability?"
'Shoot!' Asahi sweatdropped at being found out so easily.
"No." He lied and tried to lock the door behind him.
Stopping him from doing so, Tenji placed his hand on his shoulder and gently pushed him in.
"Professor Tenji, the bell has been rung, there is no need to be here." Asahi tried to protest and obstruct his entry further in with a blue opaque curtain separating from the inner room where patients are admitted.
It looked as though Tenji had given up on his suspicions when he stopped and focused on Asahi instead.
"We still have twenty minutes before the school is shut down, we got a few minutes to spare in thanking the healer, don't you think?" He cast a demeaning glare with a forced smile.
Asahi could feel the grip on his shoulder tighten which only made him gulp and comply to his detriment.
Pushing the curtain aside, he let out a sigh of disappointment–both his students had used their training for a cause he couldn't condone.
The healer was placed on the bed, out cold and sleeping peacefully. Her chest heaved lightly, with little snores escaping her lips.
'At least she's alive.' Tenji exhaled and looked to his side and at Asahi.
"Did you use the temporal increase in your grade score to manipulate her mana?" He accused with a tone of disgust.
For a second he regretted the whole day and the events that sprung from it.
Looking down with guilt, his silence only confirmed Tenji's suspicion. "Why were you trying to sneak out?"
"She had tried to call on my parents to get me even though I had affirmed I was doing fine." Asahi defended, his body trembling in fear at the thought of facing his father.
'I can't go through the gruesome punishment if he knew I had skipped class, let alone get sent to the infirmary.' His eyes darted toward the healer with guilt and panic reflecting from his eyes.
Tousling Asahi's hair, he nodded with a genuine smile. "If you were having trouble with your family, you could have confided in me sooner, I wouldn't have been reckless in making you two skip school."
Even though his actions were not to be condoned, he could rightly understand what could have prompted such drastic actions.
With the back of his palm at the corner of his lips to whisper. "Next time, try to wipe out her memory and keep her conscious without her realizing a thing."
Asahi did a double take at his professor's suggestion but soon came over it with a wicked grin and a nod of his head.
"What do I do now?" His attention was divided between fleeing while he had the chance and making sure the healer was okay.
Taking three steps to the bedside, Tenji placed his hand over the forehead of the healer.
Sssst!
Blue steam escaped from her body and she jerked awake and squinted her eyes to the bright light that attacked her vision.
"Professor Tenji?" The lady muttered with a lovesick gaze.
'Here we go again!' Tenji deadpanned and pulled away before she could hold his arm in a form of thanking him personally.
Although he knew the healer's name–Gia, he chose to block out any familiarity and false hope he might cause by blurting out that tiny detail he had done on most of the staff that had worked in the academy for more than a year.
"You were down with a fever..." He looked at Asahi who scratched the back of his head and tried to avoid the gaze directed at him for being the cause of his cover-up.
"... I was called by this student to help out, you're fine and that's what matters."
"Thank you." Gia gave an eye-shut smile at Asahi which only made his guilty heart tug all the more.
Frantically waving his hands in front of him, he tried to convince her all the thanks should be directed at Tenji.
Readily taking the suggestion, Gia batted her lashes and pushed back a strand of her blonde bangs behind her ear.
Pushing Asahi out, he wasn't going to stay and watch the healer get comfortable with him.
"It would be best if you prepare to leave before the shutdown," Tenji spoke and waved his hand as he parted ways.
As soon as he was out, he left no room for Asahi to recover from what had just happened, he pulled him by the ear.
'Yet another failed attempt at meeting up with Maiyu.' Tenji shook his head and his lips drew into a thin line.
Consoling himself that he would have the opportunity to see her the next day to discuss his progress with the journal, he forced a weak smile and focused on getting his belongings in the staffroom.
"Since we have little time left, I would get my things instead, but you would be coming with me!"
"Ow! Ow! Ow!" Asahi hissed and was forced to follow in tow with his ears pulled.
*****
Patting his bag, Tenji smiled at his success in getting his belongings with three minutes to spare.
Asahi had his hands massaging his throbbing ear and had a pout on his lips.
"If I were you, I'd step out of the doors right about now." He nodded to the door.
Doing as he was told, he pushed out and inhaled. "Finally a free day tomorrow!"
There was something that still puzzled Tenji and keeping Asahi by his side was the major reason he had done so.
As they walked towards the gate, he whispered to Asahi. "Tell me, are you attracted to Rumi?"
*****
A/N
I would really appreciate your comments and support of this novel with your power stones on Webnovel. Your active comments would motivate me to write more chapters.
Discord server link which has the character reference of all main descriptions of my characters ┐
https://discord.gg/NhMzNqgzwn
¶ How do you think Asahi would respond to the question?