"Can you help me with something?" he asked seriously, setting the letter aside.
"Certainly, sir. What do you need assistance with?" Evan replied, thinking Jason was referring to the letter.
"Well, you see... um," the principal began, hesitating as Evan grew more puzzled by what could make the principal act so.
"Is the task unusual or difficult?" Evan inquired, attempting to clarify Rick's issues.
"Okay, here's the deal, junior. The stuff I spilled earlier. It's our little secret. If it leaks, you, your loaded aunt, and your swanky uncle might become a treasure map for bandits," he said, trying to mask his gossiping ways and dodge the shame of Rossy catching on.
"Oh, I see, sir. Don't worry, I won't tell a soul," Evan assured him, the young boy understanding the gravity of the situation and wishing to prevent any harm to his family.
"Okay, I will call someone to escort you to your class. Don't worry about a thing and remember not to tell anyone about this matter to ensure your safety," Rick said, offering encouragement with a hint of caution.
"Okay, sir, I promise I won't even tell my uncle and aunt," he replied, placing his hand over his heart, eyes sparkling with trust.
"Alright, take a seat on the sofa there until I call for someone," he instructed, gesturing to the sofa behind Evan.
Evan sat down and began to look around. A few minutes later, the door opened, and an elegant lady with brown hair and black eyes entered, bowing to the principal.
"Sir, did you call for me?" she inquired, noticing Evan seated on the sofa.
"Yes, Ms. Blake, thank you for coming. I've called you to introduce this young man as a new student in your section. His situation is quite unique, so please take good care of him," he explained, gesturing towards Evan, who wore a surprised expression.
'So, she's my homeroom teacher,' Evan thought, bowing respectfully to her as she acknowledged him with a nod.
"Understood, sir. I will take good care of him," she assured, bowing slightly and gesturing for him to follow her.
"Thank you, sir, I'll be going now," Evan said to the principal, who nodded and returned to his work.
"Hello ma'am, my name is Evan Windstone," he introduced himself to his teacher, who simply nodded and started walking towards the stairs.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Windstone, my name is Ms. Fiona Blake, and as you know that I am your new homeroom teacher." She introduced herself and without any pause said the thing hidden beneath her heart as she was known for telling the truth.
"Come, I'll show you the way to the classroom. And kid, I hope you won't disappoint Mr. Rick. I get the impression you're quite close to him in some way, and he's not one to show favoritism, so please study hard, okay?" She spoke, suspecting the boy had gained entry through the back door and was wealthy enough that even the Principal had to show some respect, recalling how she saw him seated so casually in the Principal's office.
She remembered an incident when the son of a wealthy businessman, also a student here, had to stand before the Principal, let alone sit in such a relaxed manner.
Rumors suggested that the Principal was quite the tough character in his earlier days, capable of handling anyone who irritated him. But rumors are just those lifeless birds that can soar without bounds, without any reason.
Without any more conversation they reached at the first floor and go toward a room on which the board of
Both could hear the chatter from inside, and Fiona sighed as if it were an everyday occurrence for her.
"Let's go inside before they get wilder," she said, sliding the door open and walking in with Evan following behind.
The students quickly took their seats and eyed the new kid with curiosity.
"Attention class, today we have a new student who has transferred here, and I hope you will help him become familiar with this place and treat him well," she announced, gesturing for him to introduce himself.
Evan nodded, stepped forward slightly, and scanned the classroom. He didn't recognize any faces, except for one—a boy grinning at him from the back bench.
'Found you,' the boy mouthed silently, a private mutter to himself.
"Hello, my name is Evan Windstone, and I'm a transfer student from Arcanis City. I hope we can be friends," he said. His gestures and hesitation, however, betrayed his introverted nature, and everyone lost interest in him except for one guy and some nerdy guys who thought they might make a new friend.
"Alright, Evan, you can take your seat. Ummm... Ah, you can sit with Rook. Rook, please help him with his studies if you can," she said, choosing a random student whose face fell at being selected for this tedious task, but he still nodded in agreement.
Evan took his place beside him and was about to say hello when he saw his face.
"Oi... nerd, don't talk to me, okay? And if you tell the teacher, be ready for a beating," he warned, trying to shake off the nuisance he'd been assigned to take care of.
"O... okay, I won't tell anyone," Evan replied, having anticipated this reaction due to his behavior and his simple, gloomy appearance.
"Then, let's begin today's class, and I hope you all will concentrate diligently. Evan, if you don't understand something, feel free to ask me after class," she said, aware that the boy was likely to have few or no friends because of his demeanor.
She confirmed it with the behavior displayed by Rook, who had just told him not to disturb him at the moment.
She sighed and began her class. Evan was having trouble but decided to ask Mr. Fiona later.
As the class ended, she started walking outside and stopped abruptly before leaving.
"Ah yes, Evan, if you want to ask something, come to the teacher's office," she said and then walked out.
No one approached him as they knew what type he was, but still, some students started moving towards him.
Indeed, it was the nerd gang, and they were approaching him to recruit, but before they could, a hand was placed on Evan's shoulder.
"Hey, you remember me, right?" someone said, and Evan instantly recognized who it was.
Evan looked back and said, "Oh, you...".
-- To be continued --