Thud.
The soft sound of the door closing echoed behind Lina as she leaned her back against it.
Her gaze fell to the floor, her expression clouded with uncertainty. A heavy thought pressed on her chest.
"What if they kick me out of here?"
Her fingers curled slightly against her palm. After all, she was never meant to be here in the first place—just an uninvited guest living in someone else's building. If they told her to leave, she would understand.
But…
Her teeth pressed into her bottom lip.
"Where would I go?"
The thought of returning to the Millennium Academy dorm flashed through her mind—
And immediately, she felt her stomach twist.
She could already picture it.
A certain person, with that ever-so-innocent smile, would surely come bounding toward her—
"Nihahaha! Lina-senpai! You're back! I thought you didn't like me, so you left…!"
Ughhhh.
Just imagining it made her stomach sink further.
The guilt would be unbearable. No way. She couldn't—wouldn't—go back to Millennium.
A sigh slipped from her lips, the weight of her worries dragging her forward.
Slowly, Lina pushed herself off the door, her footsteps soft against the floor as she made her way to the bed.
She kicked off her shoes with a soft thump, then sank down to the edge of the mattress.
Her hands rested on her knees, her shoulders slumping.
"...Oh, right."
Her tired eyes flicked toward the door, her brows knitting in frustration.
Yuuka was here too.
That girl would definitely drag her back to Millennium if she got the chance.
Lina rubbed her temples.
"...Should I just run away?"
Her voice was barely a whisper, the thought slipping out before she could stop it.
A bitter laugh escaped her throat.
Live somewhere else. Start over. Away from all of this.
But…
Her gaze drifted to the ceiling, her lips tightening into a thin line.
Would that really be any better…?
"Oh yeah..." Lina muttered to herself, her brow furrowing slightly.
"Wasn't there some shady guy who offered me something before…?"
Her eyes narrowed, trying to recall the memory.
"Join his organization, was it? Hah… that guy was way too suspicious."
Her lips pressed into a thin line.
"First of all, how did he even know who I was? And seriously—Black Suit? What kind of name is that?!"
She rolled her eyes, the absurdity of it still bothering her.
"Like, aren't there better names out there? Why name yourself after the suit you're wearing? What's next, his friend Gray Tie? Tch, weirdo."
She sighed, shaking her head.
"Not that I'm judging... but… yeah, actually, I am judging."
Shrugging off the strange memory, Lina pulled out her phone from her pocket. The screen lit up, casting a soft glow on her face as she opened her banking app.
Her eyes scanned the numbers.
7 digits.
Lina's lips curled into a small, satisfied smile.
"Hah. More than enough to rent an apartment out there."
With that kind of money, finding a place to live wouldn't be an issue.
Her fingers tapped idly on her phone as she thought:
"Alright. Let's stick to this plan first… If Sensei decides to kick me out of Schale..."
Her eyes flicked up toward the ceiling, determination flashing in them.
"...Then I'll just escape and live somewhere else."
But then—
She paused.
A sly smirk tugged at her lips as a new, slightly mischievous thought crept in.
"...Nahhh, he wouldn't do that, right?"
Her voice was light, almost teasing the air itself.
"I mean, I'm cool, I'm cute, I'm beautiful—"
She lazily flipped her hair over her shoulder, posing dramatically for her imaginary audience.
"—and besides…"
Her grin grew wider as her eyes sparkled with playful arrogance.
"He's a guy, after all. There's no way he'd throw out a stunning beauty like me, right?"
Suddenly—
Her whole body froze.
Her eyes widened slightly, her lips parting as a stray, uninvited thought barged into her brain.
"...Wait. Does that mean he's a lolicon?"
A long silence filled the room.
Lina blinked.
Once.
Twice.
And then—
"Pffft—" She quickly slapped her hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh, her shoulders shaking.
She collapsed backward on her bed, clutching her stomach, tears almost forming from the sheer absurdity.
"Without even knowing it— I already accused him of being a lolicon!"
Her laughter echoed through the room, carefree and full of amusement.
She wiped the corner of her eye.
Lina glanced at the digital clock beside her bed.
[8:45PM]
Her brows furrowed.
"What's taking them so long?" she muttered, tapping her fingers on her knee.
The acting president of the General Student Council said there was something Sensei needed here at Schale—so why were they still not back yet?
"It can't be that hard to find, right?"
With a sigh, Lina sat up from her bed and glanced toward the door.
The silence beyond it felt... off.
Slipping on her slippers, she padded across the floor and opened the door. The hallway was dim, illuminated only by the soft glow of the linear lights embedded along the walls.
Lina started walking—slowly, cautiously—heading in the direction she felt they might be.
Her footsteps echoed lightly against the floor.
Then—
A sudden, sharp scream pierced the quiet air.
"SENSEI!!"
Lina's heart dropped.
What—?!
Without thinking, she sprinted toward the sound, her slippers slapping against the cold floor.
Turning the corner, her eyes widened at the sight before her—
Sensei, collapsed on the floor.
Beside him—some weird tablet device, the screen flickering erratically.
Yuuka was kneeling beside Sensei, her face tight with shock and confusion.
Lina's voice rushed out, laced with alarm:
"What happened to Sensei?!"
Yuuka shook her head, her fists clenched, voice frustrated and uncertain.
"We don't know! He was using that... thing—" She shot a glare at the tablet, "—and then he just collapsed!"
Chinatsu, who was already checking Sensei's pulse, lifted her head and looked directly at Lina.
"Lina," Chinatsu said urgently, her calm voice holding an edge of tension, "Do you know any room with a bed? We need to lay him down"
Lina's lips parted, and she hesitated for a fraction of a second—
Before her voice came out, a little awkward and unsure—
"Ummm... There's no bed other than—"
"Other than?"
Lina's face flushed slightly, her fingers twitching by her side.
With a deep breath, she grumbled:
"...Other than my room."
The room fell silent for a second—only the soft hum of the tablet and Sensei's faint breathing filling the air.
--------------------------------------------------
Inside Lina's room—
Sensei lay unconscious on her bed, his expression calm but unnervingly still.
Hasumi, who had been standing guard by the bedside, immediately spoke up when she saw Yuuka re-enter the room:
"Yuuka, what did the acting president say?"
Yuuka, brushing a strand of her blue hair aside, sighed and shook her head.
"She only knows that the previous president instructed her to bring Sensei to Schale and hand over that... thing to him," she said, casting a sharp glance toward the culprit—the tablet.
The device, which had been buzzing with life moments ago, now lay lifeless on the table, its screen dark and silent.
Yuuka's lips pressed into a thin line.
"But..." she continued, her voice low, "The acting president doesn't know what would happen after that."
Hasumi's slender brows furrowed deeply, her hand tightening slightly.
The evasive, perfunctory attitude from the president made something cold flare within her chest—anger.
But before she could let that anger spark into words, Yuuka quickly added:
"She's on her way here."
Yuuka glanced at her with a look that said, Not now.
"So... whether it's to help Sensei or hold her accountable," Yuuka finished firmly, "We'll settle it once acting president arrives."
Hasumi's fingers relaxed slightly, her gaze lingering on the tablet for a second longer before turning back to Chinatsu.
"Chinatsu," she asked, her voice softening but still urgent, "How is Sensei?"
Chinatsu, who was carefully monitoring Sensei, pulled her fingers back from his wrist and pressed her palm against his forehead. A small crease appeared on her brow.
"It's... still the same." She lowered her hand, her lips pressing into a thoughtful line. "His heartbeat, body temperature, and pulse... all normal."
Her voice dropped slightly, puzzled and tense:
"But he's completely unresponsive... like he's... locked away somewhere."
At that moment, a soft voice chimed in—
"Chinatsu, I found the blanket you asked for."
Suzumi entered from the corner, balancing a neat pile of soft blankets in her arms.
Chinatsu turned her head, her expression relaxing slightly.
"Thank you, Suzumi-san." She took the blankets and added quickly, "Can I trouble you to get some water too?"
Suzumi nodded, "Of course." Without another word, she turned to leave.
Meanwhile, on the edge of the room—
Lina stood.
She had been standing there the whole time. Watching. Silent.
Her bed was occupied.
Her blankets were in use.
Her room, filled with uninvited guests.
But Lina... closed her eyes and simply—
Accepted it.
She breathed out slowly through her nose.
...Sure. Use her bed. Use her stuff.
She didn't care.
...Probably.
As if sensing her mood, Yuuka—without a word—sat down beside her on the floor.
The mattress dipped softly under her light weight.
Yuuka glanced at Lina from the corner of her eye—
Suddenly—
A voice.
"Can I ask... what's in that syringe?"
The sudden, groggy question made everyone freeze.
The voice belonged to—
Sensei.
His eyes fluttered open, their usual sharpness softened by lingering confusion. He stared at the pointed syringe in Chinatsu's hand with a cold sweat forming on his forehead.
His gaze flicked nervously between the glinting needle and Chinatsu's face.
Chinatsu, startled by his sudden awakening, nearly jumped—
Her hand slipped—
And the syringe almost stabbed directly into Sensei's forehead.
"Hey! Sensei, you're awake?!" she gasped, quickly steadying her grip before disaster struck.
Her eyes immediately scanned him with concern.
"Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere? Headache? Dizziness? Nausea?" She fired off questions, her voice brisk and professional.
Sensei blinked, still trying to catch up with what was happening.
"Me?" he muttered, shifting slightly under the blanket. "I feel... fine, I guess. A little hot though—this blanket is thick..."
He paused and sniffed.
"...And it kinda smells... sweet?"
His brows furrowed in mild confusion. He pulled the blanket down slightly from his shoulders, his eyes snapping immediately back to the real threat—
The needle.
Which was now... drifting closer.
With every inch Chinatsu leaned forward in concern, the sharp tip approached his skin.
His instincts screamed, and his body obeyed.
Sensei leaned back, pressing his head against the bedframe in an effort to escape the incoming pointy menace.
"Uhh, if you could just... move that needle away from me, I think I'd feel a lot better."
Chinatsu blinked—then gasped.
"Oh! Sorry, sorry!"
Realizing what he was looking at, she quickly snapped the plastic cover back onto the syringe and tucked it into her medical kit.
"This?" she explained calmly, turning to him, "It's a catecholamine agonist. I adjusted it to try and stimulate your central nervous system and wake you up."
She paused, offering a soft, reassuring smile.
"But now that you're awake, there's no need. Don't worry."
Sensei let out a breath of relief.
But just as he was about to respond—
A heated voice cut through the room.
"YOU..."
Sensei froze.
His eyes flicked to the corner—
And there—
Stood Lina.
Her face—
Bright. Burning. Red.
Her voice—
Low. Accusatory.
Her expression—
Deadly.
Her hand pointed—
Straight at him.
"You... You..."
Her eyes narrowed dangerously, and her voice rose:
"DID YOU JUST SNIFF. MY. BLANKET?!?"
The room stopped.
Sensei's face stiffened.
Oh no.
A second passed—
Then two—
Then—
"You BIG PERVERT!!!" Lina shouted, her voice cracking from sheer mortification.
Her fists clenched.
Her whole body radiated energy.
Was she going to punch him back into unconsciousness???
Probably.
Definitely.
Absolutely.
Sensei's hands shot up in surrender, his voice rising in defense:
"Whoa, whoa, Lina—wait! It's not what it looks like!"
Lina's eyes blazed.
"THEN WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE, HUH?!"
Sensei, sweating bullets:
"I didn't know it was your blanket, I swear! I just—I'm sorry!"
Her blush—
Intensified.
Her fist—
Quivered.
A tense silence.
Then—
"Tch—"
She whipped around, crossing her arms and turning her back to the bed.
Her ears, practically glowing red, betrayed her outrage and embarrassment.
"You better be sorry, you idiot," she muttered, her voice still hot and flustered.
Then, under her breath, almost too quiet to catch—
"...Stupid Sensei... making it weird..."
Yuuka, watching from the side, suddenly—
snorted.
Her lips twitched into a smirk, and she shot Sensei a teasing glance:
"Pffft—You sure got a knack for making girls mad, Sensei. Should I start preparing your funeral arrangements?"
Hasumi, crossing her arms, added dryly
"You have a real talent for digging your own grave."
Suzumi, returning with water, simply look confuse what just happen here
Meanwhile—
Sensei—
Was still lying there—
Completely—
Defeated.
"...I literally just woke up."
----------------
(A/n: I'm currently reading a Blue Archive fanfiction, and it's quite interesting... I mean, the main character is a white hair 50 000 year grandpa a.k.a Kevin. Lmao, Kevin in Blue Archive is so weird that it made me want to read it.....)