Some showed expressions of fear, while others appeared nervous and panicked, hurriedly looking for excuses to leave.
The bad rumors about Haruto apparently still spread widely, even after all his contributions to the academy. Lilyana noticed this with a furrowed brow.
"Is Haruto really so scary that these people are afraid just to hear his name?" Lilyana whispered softly.
"I think it's more about his reputation... and his personality," Natsuki replied with a shrug, although Natsuki herself couldn't help but feel curious.
In the end, the four of them stood awkwardly in the academy garden. The evening breeze blew gently, bringing a slight chill amidst their confusion. Their initial intention to meet and invite Haruto to hang out seemed to have ended in vain.
"Ah! Why don't we just try calling Haruto?" Patrick finally said, his eyes sparkling as if he had a brilliant idea.
"That's a good idea! Why didn't we think of that from the start?" Lilyana agreed, her expression showing relief.
However, their smiles quickly faded when Bellina raised a more important question. "But... does anyone have Haruto's phone number?"
An awkward silence fell over them. Patrick, Lilyana, Natsuki, and Bellina exchanged glances, trying to remember if anyone had ever asked for or received Haruto's phone number.
"..."
"I guess... no one does," Lilyana finally admitted with a resigned tone.
"Seriously? We searched high and low for that guy, and none of us thought to ask for his number before?" Natsuki rubbed her temples, feeling foolish.
"I guess that guy is the type who's hard to reach. Maybe we should just invite him next time," Natsuki finally said, trying to offer a solution.
Patrick nodded hesitantly. "Yeah... maybe Haruto is busy. We can try again another time."
Lilyana gave a faint smile, although disappointment was still evident on her face. "Alright, then let's call it a day for this search. See you all tomorrow!"
"See you!" Natsuki waved her hand before walking away.
"I'm going now too," said Bellina, swinging her small bag and stepping away.
"Then, see you!" Patrick raised his hand to say goodbye, leaving Lilyana, who eventually left as well.
The evening breeze carried them back to their respective routines, with a little hope that next time, they would be more fortunate in finding Haruto.
"Good job, everyone, you've all done well. Now, I want you to rest. Remember, overtraining can have negative effects. So, take good care of your bodies," Haruto said in a calm tone, his voice firm yet warm, providing a sense of relief to the first-year students.
After giving his final instructions, Haruto turned, picked up some scattered training equipment in the arena, and began to tidy up. Haruto's movements were measured, as usual, as if he was accustomed to doing everything himself.
However, it wasn't long before Haruto noticed small footsteps approaching him. When he turned, Haruto saw his seven students, with guilty yet determined expressions, coming closer to help him.
"Why are you helping? I said to just rest," Haruto asked with raised eyebrows, slightly confused but not entirely opposed.
Annie, who usually was the first to speak, quickly replied, "We can't let our senior do all this alone. Besides, we've been lucky enough to use this private training space."
Haruto paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping over their faces one by one. There was sincerity in their demeanor, and although Haruto knew this was just a small task, he didn't want to dampen their spirits. In a lazy tone, Haruto finally said, "...Whatever. If you want to help, make sure all the training equipment goes back to where it belongs."
Hearing that, the seven first-year students immediately sprang into action, picking up the scattered training equipment.
________________________
[Note: 351+ latest chapters have been added! For Just 3$ You Get Access To Chapters Way Ahead,
Now you can access the chapters before Webnovel And Scribblehub by following,
Just become a patron on Patreon:
Patreon.com/Alex_Fabianoki]