"What grade are you," questioned the blonde girl, still beaming a smile at Callisto.
Before she could answer, Hinata took that chance and explained the EPT to everyone. He also added that she was currently on a short break, hence they have to make their way to the cafeteria right now before her break was over.
The girls were left speechless, especially Mina. Why was Hinata the one answering for the silver-haired girl?
Hinata grabbed Callisto by the arm, the girls' and Mina's gaze followed his hand like homing missiles.
"Since it's Callisto's first time here, I'm helping her get around the school until she gets familiar with it. Let's go, Calli, the cafeteria's this way."
Callisto let the young man drag her away from the girls. Before disappearing from the area, she turned to the girls one last time, apologizing to everyone for leaving them so soon.
"Excuse us," she added respectfully, her and Hinata's silhouette disappearing from the girls' view.
Once they were alone, the girls turned to one another. Except for Mina, who remained faced toward the direction Hinata and Callisto disappeared to.
"He turned us down," said the girl who offered dinner to Hinata earlier, a disappointed expression on her face. "The plan failed."
The other girl next to her sighed in defeat. "That's Hinata Sarino for you, all right. He's kind to everyone. That's one of the reasons he's popular."
The third girl seemed nonchalant about everything that went down. "Well, at the very least, we learned that he's only with that girl because she needed help and nothing else. Our plan failed, but we got what we wanted in the end."
A mischievous smirk spread across the faces of the two girls.
"Hinata did say he's not interested in a romantic relationship. That Callisto or whatever might be cute, but there's no way he'd be in a relationship with her."
"And what's with the wig anyway? Is she cosplaying or something? What a weirdo. Right, Mina? Mina?"
All three girls looked at Mina's back, confused.
She stood there in silence. At least that was what it seemed like on the outside, from her friends' view.
However, inside her mind, she was bombarding herself with questions.
"Mandjet? I feel like I've heard that name before. Hinata said she's a co-worker. For how long? He's the one who answered the question when I was asking her instead. Why? Was it really just out of kindness? Is that girl just too shy to open her mouth? He didn't have to grab her arm and leave, but he did anyway. Are they that close? You said you're not interested in dating someone, but what's your relationship with that girl?"
Mina had a cold, sharp look in her eyes, almost as if she intended to kill someone with her own gaze even though she herself knew it would be impossible.
This entire time she was so deep into her thought that Mina did not realize the malicious expression she was making.
"Mina," The nonchalant girl called, but received no answer. "Hey, Mina! You there?"
Finally, Mina came out of her thoughts thanks to her friend.
"Sorry," she answered. "I didn't catch what you said earlier."
"I said our plan failed, but we got what we needed in the end," the nonchalant girl reiterated.
A soft smile played on Mina's lips, the gesture belied the malice she was feeling toward Callisto just now.
"Ah, right," she replied. "It doesn't seem like she'll be a problem. Although, she wouldn't be the first person to mistake Hinata's kindness as a chance to be with him."
The two girls next to the nonchalant one smirked mischievously.
"If she does..."
"We'll just have to help her realize her mistake."
The nonchalant girl did not say anything. But the fact that she was there listening meant that she was in agreement with everyone.
"For now though," Mina added, going into thought for a second. "I'm thinking I could take advantage of her friendship with Hinata. She might be able to help me win him over."
* * *
While Mina and her lackeys were formulating plans, Callisto and Hinata finally reached the cafeteria.
Before going in, Hinata finally released Callisto's arm from his hold.
"Sorry," he uttered, catching the young lady off guard. "For butting in and pulling you out of there. I figured once they started questioning you, they won't stop with just one."
"Oh."
Callisto immediately recalled Mina asking her what her grade was, only for Hinata to step in and answer for her instead.
In all honesty, Callisto did not think too much about it.
"It's fine," she replied, a small smile tugging the corners of her lips. "If anything, I should thank you. It's like you said, they won't stop with just one."
Relief washed over Hinata's features. He was glad to know the silver-haired girl understood his actions.
"But also," Callisto continued to speak, leaving Hinata puzzled as he listened. "Something's telling me I should be careful about Mina Minana. But she seemed friendly when we greeted each other, so maybe it's just a hunch."
Hinata's eyes widened. Then, his expression turned serious with a hint of concern.
"I see. Maybe it is just a hunch, but I wouldn't hold it against you if you want to trust your hunch."
"Huh?"
Hinata's words left a confusing impression on Callisto. To her, the conversation between Mina and Hinata seemed like one made by two friends.
Though again, Mina mentioned that she was messaging Hinata and he simply told her that he was busy so he couldn't find the time to respond. While it was true that he was busy because of his work in the convenience store and helping Callisto study for the EPT, surely Hinata would have find the time to answer the messages even at a later date.
It was not as though they were studying until evening, so Callisto believed she wasn't taking too much of Hinata time.
"Could it be that they had a conflict," Callisto thought to herself. "No, that doesn't seem right. You wouldn't be sending messages to someone you had a fight with and get ignored."
Callisto thought about it some more and figured that perhaps Mina and Hinata had a friendly rivalry.
Hinata was smart for sure. Although it was just an impression Callisto had of Mina, the blonde seemed intelligent as well.
Perhaps they had a wager about who would get the highest average grade at the end of the school year and Hinata lost. That would explain why the young man refused to respond to the messages Mina sent him despite the friendly atmosphere between them.
Because he felt bitter about the loss.
If Callisto's theory were the truth, that would also explain why Hinata made such a remark about Callisto's hunch.
It was only natural to be wary of a formidable person. And that person was Mina Minana.