[Pinnacle Academy, Aetherium Nexus]
BDUMP...BDUMP...
"Haah...That was too close." She leaned back against the wall, letting out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding.
"Uwaaah!" she screamed internally and her face flushed. "What am I even doing?"
Valencia wondered why she was hiding like a scared rabbit.
It wasn't like they were friends or anything.
They barely spoke. He was just... there. A classmate. Someone she occasionally exchanged a few words with during group projects. Nothing more.
And yet, her heart was still pounding like a drum.
"This is ridiculous," she muttered, trying to regain her composure. "I just want to train. But..." she hesitated, "...if he's watching, I won't be able to focus."
The image of him, drenched in sweat, his muscles flexing with every swing of the wooden sword, flashed through her mind.
