The awkward silence between them stretched longer, broken only by the sound of their footsteps. Lina kept her eyes fixed straight ahead, her pace just a little quicker than usual. Every time she noticed Sensei catching up to her, she unconsciously sped up again.
Sensei, meanwhile, slowed down slightly, confused by her behavior. "Did I do something wrong?" he wondered, glancing at her from behind. He couldn't help but feel like he was somehow bothering her, even though she was the one who had insisted on helping him.
Lina gritted her teeth, her thoughts swirling. "Why does he keep trying to walk next to me? Doesn't he know how weird that looks? It's not like we're friends or anything!" She tightened her grip on her bat, her pace quickening again as if she could outrun her embarrassment.
Finally, Sensei cleared his throat and spoke, his voice calm but genuinely curious. "Lina, are you in a hurry for something?"
Lina flinched slightly, her face turning red. "N-No!" she snapped, not even turning around to look at him. "Why would you think that?!"
"Well," Sensei said slowly, "you keep speeding up every time I try to walk beside you. It's like you're trying to avoid me."
Lina stopped dead in her tracks, her shoulders stiffening. She turned around abruptly, glaring at him. "I'm not avoiding you! Don't get the wrong idea, okay?!"
Sensei raised an eyebrow, tilting his head slightly. "Then why do you keep walking faster?"
Lina opened her mouth to respond, but no words came out. She couldn't exactly admit that she was too embarrassed to walk beside him. Her face flushed, and she quickly looked away, crossing her arms. "I... I just don't like people walking next to me, that's all! It's weird!"
Sensei blinked in surprise. "It's weird... to walk next to someone?"
"Y-Yeah!" Lina said, nodding firmly as if trying to convince herself as much as him. "I mean, what if someone sees us and thinks we're, like... together or something? That'd be super awkward!"
Sensei couldn't help but smile faintly, though he quickly tried to hide it. "I see. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, Lina. I'll walk behind you if that's what you prefer."
Lina glanced at him, surprised by his calm and understanding response. She felt a pang of guilt but quickly shoved it aside. "Good! Just... stay back there, okay?"
Sensei nodded, falling a step or two behind her. Lina let out a quiet sigh of relief, her face still slightly red. But as they continued walking, she couldn't shake the feeling that she might have overreacted just a little.
"Why does he have to be so calm about everything?" she thought, glancing back at him briefly before quickly looking away again. "It's annoying!"
For his part, Sensei simply followed her, His lips curving into a small, amused smile.
As they both walked, an old robot grandma suddenly appeared from a nearby corner, her cheerful face lighting up as she spotted them.
"Oh, how cute!" the robot grandma exclaimed, her mechanical joints moving with surprising agility as she approached.
Before Lina could react, the robot grandma reached out and pinched her cheek. "Such an adorable young lady!"
Lina froze, her mouth slightly open as she tried to process what was happening. Her sharp golden eyes narrowed, glaring at the grandma as if trying to burn a hole through her. "Who the hell is this old robot, and why is she pinching my face?!"
The robot grandma, oblivious to Lina's death glare, turned her gaze toward Sensei. "Is this your daughter? She's so cute! Do you mind if I give her some candy?"
Sensei blinked, caught off guard by the question. "Oh, she—"
But before he could finish, he felt a burning, piercing gaze boring into him. He turned slightly to see Lina staring at him, her expression silently daring him to say the wrong thing.
Sensei coughed awkwardly. "No, no, she's not my daughter."
The grandma tilted her head, her robotic eyes gleaming as she chuckled softly. "Oh my, I didn't know young people were this bold these days!"
Both Sensei and Lina froze, their confusion mirrored perfectly as they exchanged a bewildered glance.
"Wha—what do you mean by that?!" Lina stammered, her cheeks starting to turn a deep shade of red.
The robot grandma pulled a small candy out of her basket and handed it to Lina with a wide, grandmotherly smile. "Here you go, dear. Couples these days are quite bold, but you need to grow a little more first before you start playing house."
Lina's face turned beet red, her eyes widening in shock as the words sank in. "What do you mean by that?! Who said anything about that?! Are you crazy?!"
The grandma robot chuckled at Lina's outburst, completely unfazed by her fiery reaction. "Oh my, such energy! You're just adorable," she said, patting Lina's head like she was a child.
Lina swatted the robot's hand away, her face still flushed. "I'm not adorable! And stop treating me like a kid!" she snapped, glaring up at the old robot with her yellow eyes blazing.
Sensei, meanwhile, was standing frozen, unsure whether to intervene or just stay out of it. He raised a hand as if to explain himself but quickly lowered it when Lina's sharp glare briefly flicked toward him. "Why do I feel like I'm in trouble, even though I didn't do anything?" he thought.
The grandma robot merely chuckled again and turned back to Sensei. "Young man, you've got your hands full with this one. But she's a keeper, I can tell. Feisty, but sweet on the inside. Treat her well, okay?"
Sensei's eyes widened in surprise. "Wait, no, it's not like that—"
But before he could finish, Lina cut him off, her face now a bright shade of crimson. "Stop jumping to weird conclusions, you rusty old bucket!" she yelled, clutching the candy in her hand like she was debating whether to throw it or not.
The grandma robot gave a hearty laugh, clearly enjoying Lina's flustered state. "Oh, youth these days. So shy, so awkward. It's good to see." She gave a little wave before tottering off down the street, her mechanical joints whirring softly. "Take care of each other!" she called over her shoulder.
Lina stood there, trembling slightly, her face buried in her hands.
Sensei scratched the back of his head awkwardly, still processing the interaction. He glanced at Lina, who was now fuming silently, and decided it was safer not to say anything.
After a long pause, Lina finally dropped her hands and glared at him. "You! Don't even think about saying anything!"
"I wasn't going to—"
"Good!" she interrupted, crossing her arms and stomping off ahead of him. "Let's just forget this ever happened!"
Sensei sighed and followed her, wondering if his day could get any weirder. "Why do I feel like I'm going to get blamed for this somehow?" he thought, shaking his head.
As they continued walking, Lina kept muttering under her breath, still red-faced but clutching the candy tightly in her hand.
------------------------------------
Sensei tilted his head slightly, still looking puzzled. "The police station?"
"Yes!" Lina nodded firmly, trying to sound confident. "I mean, you clearly don't remember much, right? The police can handle stuff like this. You don't have an ID or anything, do you?"
Sensei checked his pockets instinctively, finding nothing except lint. He gave a small shrug. "Nope. Nothing."
"Exactly!" Lina said, as if she'd just won an argument. "So, the police are your best bet. They'll figure it out. And once they do, I won't have to drag you around anymore!"
Sensei raised an eyebrow at her. "Drag me around? I'm the one following you, remember?"
Lina's face twitched slightly. "Details! It's just easier this way, okay?" She crossed her arms and looked away, her cheeks faintly red. "Besides, I'm... busy. I can't have some clueless guy slowing me down."
Sensei chuckled softly at her awkward attempt to justify herself. "Alright. Lead the way."
Lina shot him a suspicious glance, her eyes narrowing. "What's with that tone? Are you mocking me?"
"Not at all," Sensei replied, raising his hands defensively. "I think it's a good plan. Really."
"Hmph. You'd better think so," Lina muttered, turning on her heel and stomping ahead. "Come on. The police station isn't far from here."
As they walked, Sensei followed a step behind, still smiling faintly. Lina kept glancing over her shoulder every so often to make sure he was still there, though she pretended not to care.
"Why are you smiling like that?" she asked after a while, unable to hold back her curiosity.
Sensei shrugged. "Just thinking that you're kinder than you let on."
Lina froze mid-step, her face instantly turning red. "Wha—! I'm not kind! I'm just—! Ugh, shut up!" She stomped ahead, trying to shake off her embarrassment. "You're lucky I'm even helping you!"
Suddenly a low growl broke the silence between them. Lina stopped in her tracks and turned to look at Sensei, who was awkwardly touching his stomach.
"Ahem," Sensei coughed lightly, trying to play it off, but the look on Lina's face told him she wasn't buying it.
Lina narrowed her eyes at him and snorted. "Seriously? You're hungry?"
Sensei chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head. "Uh, I guess so."
"Stay here," Lina ordered with a huff. "I'll get you some food." She turned and started walking toward a small restaurant not far from where they were.
After a few steps, she stopped and looked back at him. "Hey, Sensei... What do you want to eat?"
Sensei blinked, surprised by the question. "Uh... I don't need anything fancy. Just some cheap bread will do. I'll pay you back later—"
"No need," Lina interrupted sharply, cutting off his sentence. "I'm not buying you bread. I'll get you a proper bento." She crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow. "Oh, and what do you want to drink? Tea or mineral water?"
"Uh, I—" Sensei started to reply, but Lina quickly made the decision for him.
"Tea. Got it," she said confidently before he could finish.
Sensei sighed, giving up. "Alright then."
"Good. Stay here and don't move," Lina added firmly before marching toward the restaurant, her small figure determined.
Sensei stood there, watching Lina walk away with a determined pace. He scratched his head again, his expression a mix of confusion and amusement. "She really doesn't give me much of a choice, does she?" he muttered to himself.
As Lina disappeared into the nearby restaurant, Sensei took a moment to glance around at his surroundings. It was a busy street, though the mix of robots, humanoids, and eccentric characters gave it a surreal edge. His stomach growled again, louder this time, and he sighed. "I really owe her for this…"
Meanwhile, inside the restaurant, Lina approached the counter. She scanned the menu quickly, her eyes narrowing as she calculated the prices.
"One bento and a tea," she said to the cashier. "Something filling but not too expensive."
The cashier, a cheerful humanoid robot with glowing eyes, nodded. "Coming right up!"
Lina tapped her foot impatiently as she waited, muttering under her breath. "Why am I even doing this? I don't even know this guy. He's just some random adult wandering around like an idiot. Ugh, what am I, a babysitter now?"
The robot handed her the bento and tea. "Here you go, miss! Enjoy!"
"Yeah, yeah, thanks," Lina replied, grabbing the bag and after paying with her card she heading back out.
When she returned, she saw Sensei leaning against a pole, looking a little lost in thought. "Hey, sensei!" she called out, snapping him out of it.
Sensei looked up and smiled. "You're back."
"Obviously," Lina huffed, shoving the bag into his hands. "Here. Eat up."
"Thanks," Sensei said, genuinely grateful. He opened the bento and took a bite, his expression softening as the flavors hit. "This is really good."
Lina crossed her arms, trying to look indifferent. "Of course it is. I picked it."
Sensei chuckled, taking a sip of the tea. "You know, for someone who claims not to care, you're pretty thoughtful."
Lina's face turned red instantly. "I—I'm not thoughtful! Don't get the wrong idea! I just… didn't want you passing out from hunger and becoming my problem, that's all!"
"Right," Sensei said, smiling knowingly as he continued eating.
Lina turned away, her arms still crossed, muttering to herself. "Stupid adult… making me look like a softie…"
(A/n: I just realize i using teacher word not sensei in chapter 4..... but meh let past stay past)
Fun facts about Lina : Did you know that before Lina considered finding a job, she was actually planning to rob a bank? But later on, she brushed it off and decided to find some thugs to get her pocket money instead.