The class came to an end. Manipulation was unethical to begin with, and a college class wouldn't really teach you much, but the professor was vivid with his examples, giving Alicarde some strange ideas.
The lecture had been full of hypothetical scenarios that bordered on the morally dubious, yet it sparked a curiosity in him about the extents of human influence and control. He walked out of the class with Anne by his side. Elizalina had been taken away by her clique, giving Alicarde some breathing room for the first time in a month.
'Elly is really popular, so being around her gets me a lot of unneeded attention,' he thought to himself. By contrast, walking with Anne made him blend into the crowd.
All the guys who hated him didn't even seem to notice his existence. It was almost as if the main highlight of who he was, was being Elizalina Crimson's boyfriend. Without her, nobody would even notice.
'Beautiful women are so much trouble,' he mused.
