Sarah's words weren't exactly surprising at this point.
Honestly, nothing about today surprised me anymore.
By now, I was convinced some higher being, angel, demon, storyteller, whatever had decided that my suffering was its favourite form of entertainment.
Because if I'd known just how much emotional torment I'd have to endure on this one random school day...
I would've stayed home.
No.
No, I wouldn't have.
But that's beside the point.
Sarah continued.
"Ehhh, we're really short on hands right now, and because of that, nobody's willing to sort out the costumes we need for the play."
She spun her pen between her fingers.
And as the pen twirled, so did my thoughts.
Knowing my luck, I was already expecting the next few minutes to follow some painfully generic plotline where fate found yet another way to make my life miserable.
I'd probably end up doing something embarrassing, get yelled at by Sarah, and somehow become the laughingstock of the entire school.
A perfectly reasonable prediction, if you asked me.
But contrary to my expectations, Sarah let out a sigh.
"Actually, forget it. I don't want you two dealing with all that on your first day."
Her eyes drifted towards me.
For a brief moment, I felt as though she were sizing me up. Looking past the smile. Past the act.
As if she were trying to figure out what kind of person I really was.
Then, just as quickly, she clapped her hands together.
"Alright, off you go! And don't take inspiration from that brat Zayden, or you'll end up running away from me just like he does."
A mischievous smile spread across her face.
"It's a pity he can never outrun my grasp."
A primal shiver ran down my spine.
Some deeply buried instinct was screaming at me that the creature known as Sarah was not to be trifled with.
I opened my mouth to give her a proper farewell.
I even rehearsed the words in my head.
See you.
...
Fuck.
Whatever.
I turned to leave, hoping to escape before she could assign me another task.
Fortunately, I made it out without any further casualties.
Unfortunately, the universe wasn't done with me yet.
Because what I hadn't accounted for was Kazuma following me home.
And Lilith, apparently, took the same route.
You've got to be kidding me.
Was there some sort of conspiracy going on here? Had the universe collectively decided that I wasn't allowed a moment of peace?
The three of us made our way through Theia, following one of the walking paths alongside the Nahibara River.
Summer was nearing its end, and autumn had begun making itself comfortable.
The afternoon air had grown cooler, carrying just enough of a breeze to make the walk pleasant. The trees lining the streets were beginning to trade their summer greens for shades of yellow and amber, while fallen leaves gathered along the pavements. Shopkeepers were preparing for the evening rush, and the occasional cyclist weaved between pedestrians heading home.
Beyond the stone embankments, the river caught the afternoon sunlight, its surface shimmering between the shadows of the buildings.
It was a familiar sight. The sort of place you could walk past every day without giving it much thought.
Which was probably why I'd never really paid attention to it before.
Either way, the walk was... refreshing.
And that was a rather uncomfortable realisation.
I'd always thought I preferred being alone.
No awkward conversations. No expectations. No need to measure every word or adjust my expressions to suit whoever happened to be around.
Just me and my thoughts.
Simple.
Convenient.
And yet, here I was, walking home with two people I barely knew, and I wasn't particularly eager for the walk to end.
I didn't know what they liked, what annoyed them, or what they did when they got home. Hell, I wasn't even sure I'd voluntarily chosen to spend time with them.
But their presence wasn't bothering me as much as I'd expected.
Huh.
Maybe I didn't hate company as much as I thought I did.
Or maybe the weather was just nice.
Yeah. Let's go with that.
I was perfectly happy with that explanation.
Unfortunately, my moment of peace was about to be executed in broad daylight.
"Yo, Arin!"
Kazuma's voice jolted me out of my thoughts.
There went my peace.
"That girl looks so cute," he whispered, although his idea of whispering could probably be heard from the other side of the city. "And I swear she's been looking at you this whole time!"
I glanced at him, then at Lilith.
She was walking a short distance away, her hands tucked into her pockets, seemingly occupied with her own thoughts.
Then I looked back at Kazuma.
"Kazuma, I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm pretty sure her eyes are less looking at me and more two guns pointed directly at my temples."
"That's a bit dramatic, don't you think?"
"Coming from you, that's practically a compliment."
"Hey, I have a refined eye for romance!"
"You have a refined eye for getting us both killed."
"You know I can hear you two, right?"
Lilith's voice slipped into the conversation with an air of complete nonchalance.
I turned towards her.
Of course she could hear us.
Why wouldn't she?
Apparently, the universe had decided that even my private conversations with myself were no longer safe. Now I had to worry about the ones I had with other people, too.
Kazuma, meanwhile, seemed entirely unbothered.
"Oh, really? Then I suppose there's no point in hiding it!"
He flashed her a grin.
"Anyway, Lilith, I was just telling Arin how cute you are!"
I stopped walking.
This idiot.
This absolute, irredeemable idiot.
I could practically hear the sound of my carefully constructed social life crumbling into dust.
Lilith turned her head towards us.
For a moment, she simply stared.
Then she sighed.
"I see..."
Her gaze moved from Kazuma to me, lingering just long enough to make me question every decision that had led me to this moment.
"I really shouldn't have expected anything better from a pair of losers like you."
...
What the hell?
Losers?
And why was I being lumped in with this idiot?!
I hadn't done anything!
Well, technically, I'd participated in the conversation. But that was hardly a crime deserving of public humiliation.
I looked at Kazuma, hoping he'd at least have the decency to look offended on my behalf.
Instead, he grinned.
"Aw, come on, Lilith! You don't have to be so mean. I was complimenting you!"
"And I was expressing my disappointment."
"See? We're already having such a lively conversation!"
I stared at him.
Was this guy physically incapable of feeling shame?
Lilith rolled her eyes and continued walking, apparently deciding that we weren't worth any more of her time.
Honestly, fair enough.
And yet, for some inexplicable reason, I felt as though we'd both just signed our own death warrants.
I really needed to stop associating with people like Kazuma.
Or perhaps I needed to stop associating with people altogether.
Honestly, the latter was beginning to sound like a much more practical solution.
And it feels like we're only just getting started..