Eirin opened the shower drapes and the faucet to prepare a warm bath in the tub for her to soak her exhausted body into. Her hums echoed through the four corners of the bathroom as she removed her grubby clothes and threw them onto the laundry rack near the sink. She took a quick shower to get rid of all the dirt first. The bathtub and shower were separated by a transparent glass wall.
"Eek! That's cold."
Eirin jumped after accidentally opening the shower with the freezing cold temperature. She continued moving her body to heat herself up as she took deep breaths before adjusting the temperature of the water. Soon after finding the right temperature, Eirin washed all the dirt off her body. Her hums continued while she scrubbed her hair after putting on shampoo.
"Ouch!"
She grimaced and instantly shut her eyes after a tiny bit of shampoo got in them. However, as soon as she saw the darkness, it reminded her of what had almost happened earlier, making the teenage girl flustered and her foot slip.
Eirin cussed out loud as she grabbed onto the drapes and slipped, thus accidentally opening the cold shower once again, making her scream. The memory that flashed into her head was Shade's close-up appearance. She wondered why it must be that young man's face when, usually, you should see a scary face whenever you close your eyes in the shower.
She endured the cold and turned off the water. Her ankle started throbbing, and she knew it had been sprained with her fall. "Great. Shade Cromwell causes me trouble even when he's not around," she muttered as she sauntered towards the tub. Even though it hurt, Eirin could not ignore the warm bath waiting for her. The lavender scent of Coleen's air freshener somehow caused Eirin to feel more relaxed as she dipped her foot into the warm bathwater.
Eirin heaved a sigh as she slowly soaked her body in the tub. She closed her eyes, and her exhausted body relaxed as she leaned on the other end of the tub. She continued humming the same song that kept repeating inside her head, echoing repeatedly.
It was the first time Eirin could keep singing in the bathroom without worrying if it would make her roommate, Coleen, angry or annoyed.
"I hope Coleen's feeling fine now," she said as she stared at her palms scooping the rose water.
The past few days have been quiet for Eirin as she was the only person in their room. There was nothing else for her to do but stare at her notes and study. She thought that if she knew something like this would happen, she should have brought her cell phone at least to deal with the immense boredom.
After soaking and wiping her body with a clean towel, Eirin stared at her reflection in the mirror while brushing her now silky, clean brown hair.
"It's too long now. Maybe I should cut it soon," Eirin said to herself while staring at the split ends of her hair, almost reaching to her buttocks. She yawned; the tiredness finally caught up to her, making her sleepy.
The teenage girl could not even dry her hair properly because she immediately drifted into dreamland when she sat on the bed.
.....
The sun was high in the sky, but the temperature stayed low, like at night. It was the perfect time to walk outside wearing a cardigan and a scarf. Eirin woke up from her slumber, feeling all fresh and neat. She still had her eyes half closed as she could feel the sunlight kissing her face from the window. It is another beautiful day alone in the room with nothing else to do.
"When will this plague come to an end?"
Eirin started her daily routine by tidying her bed and looking around the room. It feels completely empty without Coleen being there. She went to the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth. Forgetting about how she sprained her ankle, she dragged her left foot. Her eyes looked puffy despite feeling refreshed. Since she was confirmed to be healthy, Eirin could eat in the cafeteria starting today. She cannot expect someone to deliver food to her room.
After tying her hair into a ponytail, Eirin wore her favorite sky-blue hoodie and didn't bother changing her pajamas, thinking there would be only a few people anyway.
"You're looking comfy."
Eirin smiled after bumping into a familiar face on her way to the cafeteria. "Your pajamas look great too, Sapphire."
Sapphire's round and plumpy face reddened as she fixed her thick glasses. "A-Are you planning to eat now? I'm allowed to eat in the cafeteria from now on," she said, avoiding meeting Eirin's eyes.
Looking at how adorable the petite girl in front of her unconsciously reminded Eirin of her best friend. "Do you want to eat together?"
"A-Are you sure you want to eat with a plain-looking person like me?"
Eirin tilted her head. "You don't look plain though. And I do want to eat with you."
Sapphire's face turned even redder, reaching to her ears. "S-Sure, let's do that." It was the first time Eirin had seen such a blushing appearance, which was adorable.
Even though Eirin wanted to start a conversation with Sapphire, she just didn't know what to talk about, and Sapphire was still red to her ears.
"You're dragging your feet," Sapphire said upon witnessing Eirin struggle to walk. "Do you want me to heal it for you? I know how to use healing magic."
"Oh, I—"
"My sister!"
As soon as the two entered the cafeteria, Pierre, sitting not far from the entrance, waved his hand and called their attention. Eirin's forehead creased upon noticing that it was not the usual Pierre she often bumped into. He was wearing glasses.
"You must be wondering why he's wearing glasses," Sapphire said. "We both have poor eyesight. Maybe it's in our genes."
The already good-looking man gave a more sophisticated vibe wearing those rectangle glasses.
"He looks good," Eirin unconsciously said.
"I know. My brother is like a humanoid with his beautiful features. If he says he's a God, I will believe it."
Eirin stared at Sapphire after what she said. She thought that it was adorable for her to see her brother in that kind of light. The two walked towards Pierre, with Sapphire trying to help Eirin. There were only 8 students in the cafeteria, including Pierre, Sapphire, and Eirin.
The usually crowded and messy cafeteria was enveloped with silence, and the three could feel the emptiness around them as they got their food.
"What happened? Did you hurt your feet?" Pierre asked with a worried tone upon seeing Eirin.
"Just sprained it a little. I was being clumsy."
Without even asking, Pierre healed Eirin's sprained ankle as if it was the most normal thing to do. "Isn't it weird that this place is too quiet?" He said after helping Eirin.
'That was sudden,' Eirin thought as she agreed.
Even though Eirin hasn't been in the academy for a long time, she has been used to eating with many students talking all around her. It has been a part of her daily life, and it is quite odd for it to suddenly change.
"I noticed you've been studying history lessons with Coleen, right?" Pierre initiated a conversation after being enveloped with silence.
Eirin nodded. "That is correct," she said, staring at her food and not eating it.
"Why are you suddenly so formal with me?"
Eirin looked up and could not answer. It was just then that she realized what she had been doing. There's been a question lingering inside her head, distracting her and losing focus on what's in front of her.
"I didn't mean to," she chuckled while having that sheepish expression.
"You look distracted," Sapphire said. She's been munching on her favorite caramel pudding that she took from the counter. "Is there something on your mind?"
Eirin stared at Pierre, trying to communicate with him through her eyes. She didn't want to tell Sapphire about the incident yesterday as it was confidential, and Shade Cromwell might not take it lightly if he learned that two of his classmates knew about his messed-up appearance.
"I... I just remembered something from last night."
Eirin blinked her eyes three times while looking at the clueless Pierre Blouin, who was also eating his share of the caramel pudding. This makes Eirin wonder if he does not understand what she is trying to say. She could not push it further as she only sighed.
The cold air had vanished as the sun rose to the sky. Eirin could feel iffy with her hoodie, but she managed to endure it as they exited the cafeteria. She saw this as a chance to talk with the young man.
"Pierre, may we have a talk for a minute?"
Sapphire blinked adorably while exchanging glances between the two. A grin slowly formed on her face as she nudged her brother. "What's this? Will my brother finally get a pretty girlfriend?"
Pierre's ears turned red. "Stop that," he said as he hid his embarrassment. "Let's go to the garden. We'll go first. You must return to your room and not wander around, okay?" He reminded his younger sister before they left.
They went their separate ways. Eirin and Pierre walked towards the east garden where they last met.
"He's doing good."
Eirin flinched after they entered the white-gated arbor. "W-What?"
"Shade Cromwell. His injuries heal faster than expected, and Mr. Arthur's helping him have a private room in the Æredale City hospital. You may stop worrying now."
Eirin's face turned bright red as she panicked. "I-It's not like I'm worried or something. I'm just curious because I saw him in that appearance," she let out an awkward chuckle, but Pierre only leaned his handsome face towards Eirin.
"How adorable."