"Where's Ace?" Helena asked, noticing his absence in the corridor and his failure to meet Aria as usual.
"He traveled," Aria replied lazily, missing him terribly. She wished she could call him, but she didn't have her phone.
Hearing Aria's response, Helena raised an eyebrow but didn't ask where he had gone. Instead, she nodded and hummed.
"You're missing him, right?" Helena asked, observing Aria's sad expression.
"Yes, I'm terribly missing him. You know, I just can't see him," Aria said, her eyes fixed on the ground.
Helena smiled sympathetically and walked over to Aria. "Care to hug me?" she asked in a comforting tone.
Aria nodded, and the two friends shared a warm hug. Aria rested her head on Helena's shoulder. "I really miss him. It's just been hours, but it feels like years have passed."
Meanwhile, Manson watched the scene unfold with a smile. He approached the girls, saying, "Hey, ladies. Should I join in the hug?"
Aria and Helena loosened their grip on each other, looked at Manson, and burst out laughing.
"You want to hug? Go look for Ace, but I'm sure he'll send you flying before you can even hug him," Helena teased, chuckling.
Manson laughed. "Indeed, you're right."
Noticing Aria's gloomy mood, Manson asked, "Are you missing him?"
Aria nodded slowly, her voice lacking its usual cheerfulness. "Yeah."
Manson attempted to comfort her. "He'll be back this evening, you know."
Aria's eyes lit up, and she raised her head to look at Manson. However, her expression quickly turned skeptical. "Are you serious?"
Manson reassured her, "Yes, of course, I'm serious. I talked to him this morning, and he said so himself."
Aria's face radiated joy, and she exclaimed, "Oh my!" as she started jumping up and down. Her eyes sparkled with an indescribable happiness.
Manson and Helena were taken aback by Aria's reaction before they burst out laughing.
"Manson, you and I should try this love and dating stuff since she's jumping with joy because Ace is coming back," Helena said, her expression serious, which left Manson and Aria stunned.
Manson raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Why are you looking at me like that?" Helena asked, oblivious to the shock she had caused.
Aria thought to herself, 'God, is Helena doing what I think she's doing? Is she asking Manson to date her, or is she in love with him?' Her eyes widened as she looked at her friend.
Manson's eyes grew wide as he wondered, 'Is she asking me out, or does she have feelings for me too?' He smiled, intrigued by the possibility.
"I have a girlfriend," Ace said softly, thinking of Aria.
Carrel's eyes widened slightly, taken aback by his statement. She nodded slowly, her expression thoughtful. "Ohhhh," she said, waiting for him to continue.
Ace smiled slightly. "And I want to ask you for some advice."
Carrel's face lit up with a smile. "Okay, what kind of advice?"
Ace looked at her sincerely. "Any kind of advice about relationships. You're married, and I'm sure you loved Grandpa, and he loved you back."
Carrel chuckled, her eyes twinkling. "Why do you want advice from me, an old married woman? You're not getting married, are you?"
Ace smiled back at her. "No, I just love her. I don't know how it started or how I began having feelings for her, but I'm serious about her, Grandma. I seriously love her and want to be with her forever."
Carrel's smile faltered, and she looked at Ace with newfound seriousness. "I'm speechless, Ace."
Ace interrupted her, his voice filled with emotion. "You are still young, Ace, but I'm already in love, and I'm not quitting. Beautiful Carrel, you can't believe how much I love Aria."
Carrel smiled, her eyes shining with warmth. "I would like to see her. I want to know who my Ace fell in love with so hard."
Ace laughed. "I'll show you her picture later."
Carrel's expression turned serious once more. "Now, back to your advice. I can see you're serious about her and want to marry her if possible in the future, right?"
Ace's face was solemn. "Yes, I'm serious."
Carrel nodded. "Fine, then let me give you some advice."
Ace leaned in, his eyes locked on hers, ready to listen to her words. He trusted Carrel implicitly, knowing she would keep his secret and offer valuable guidance.