It turned out that only the masked eccentric and the villainess had the pleasure of presenting today. Elinka and Augustus weren't called up, and neither were I and Bai Yul. 

Yohan and Milana had presented well, of course. So well that I was pretty sure that either one or both of them would be chosen as team leaders. Freyda hadn't interrupted much, dutifully taking down notes every few minutes. 

No one seemed to mind the black-haired boy's mask, the silver surface glimmering with every self-assured movement. His words flowed smoothly and calmly; they reminded me of a lean creak flowing steadily and noiselessly through a vibrant forest. The villainess was rather exceptional herself, although she hadn't only demonstrated her abilities - she also displayed her admirable fashion sense. She exchanged her necktie with a fancy bowtie, numerous curled satin layers cascading around an emerald gemstone. It was matched with a similar stone shining brightly between her onyx hair, as well as a delicate bracelet hanging off her wrist.

The uniform really is a tragedy. I wonder what she would have worn instead. 

"Are you worried?"

"Hm?" My ruminations were interrupted my Elinka's sudden question, forcing me to turn towards her as students around us loudly packed up their bags at the end of class. 

"About tomorrow's presentation!" The redhead showed off her dimples with a bright, questioning smile, briefcase in hand as she stood up. 

"Oh," I mirrored her actions, focusing on her inquiry as I straightened out my skirt, "Yes, well, somewhat. I won't be the one talking tomorrow."

She walked to my side as we slowly trodded out of the row, making our way to the crowded double doors. 

"Really? Then your partner must be anxious!"

I shrugged, ignoring the occasional shoulder bumps of passing students and stepping out into the hallway. "He's a good speaker." 

The heroine made a sound of understanding, speaking after looking up in thought.

"Although, during class I heard Augustus mumble something about the blessings of terrible partners." 

"What? Why?" My confusion was obvious. 

"Because," a clear monotone sounded behind us, my head half-turning only to see someone mildly unpleasant, "The worse your partner is, the better you appear in comparison. Not only would this boost your chances of becoming a team leader, but it increases the likelihood of other students choosing you to be on their team." 

Yohan looked down at the protagonist, his hand flitting up to lightly fix his mask as the girl seemed to consider his answer. 

"That sounds...sneaky," She finally commented. 

"Yes, but sneakiness is a useful trait that can be respected, in my eyes. Should I walk you to your next class?" 

My brows raised at his sudden suggestion. 

Brave! Although, your eagerness has been exposed. And...

An arm casually curled around Yohan's shoulders, the gesture accompanied by a confident laugh as the prince suddenly appeared. 

...You have bad luck with timing, Yohan. 

The blonde placed himself right between the eccentric and the heroine. 

"You don't have to do that, Yohan." The golden boy's blue eyes bore into his friend. "Elinka's next class is math, and yours is biology. That's in the complete opposite direction. I can walk her, since she and I both have the same class."

The competitive glint between their gazes was nearly tangible, love interest #1's perfect grin contrasting love interest #2's flat line of a mouth. 

Should I just leave now?

I grabbed my phone to swiftly check the time as Elinka quelled the subtle little fight.

"Sorry Yohan! I can't let you be late to class because of me! We'll see each other during lunch?" Her tone was full of remorse as I half-heartedly scanned our surroundings, distracting myself through the emptying corridor. 

When my attention finally returned to the melodramatic cliche, the scene had changed: the eccentric had stepped down with thinly-veiled disappointment, the heroine's apologetic smile now changing as she turned to me. 

"Where are you going? Same direction as math?" She tilted her head to the right.

"No," I gestured left, "Biology." 

"Hey, that's great!" A happy grin squinted her eyes as she looked between Yohan and me, "You two can walk together!" 

Ha!

I hoped my expression didn't reveal any of my emotions as I gave an agreeable hum, raising my hand into something of a half-wave. 

"Then, I think I'll be leaving now - class is starting soon." 

The redhead gasped. "You're right! We should hurry! Bye, Shion, Yohan!" She glanced up at the golden boy at her side, who gave love interest #2 a quick goodbye and me a polite smile. It didn't take long for them to rush off down the hall, the protagonist leaving another shout behind her. "See you two later!"

My shoulders eventually relaxed as I watched their backs, my eyes shifting to the sad-looking back a few feet away from me. 

He was still staring off at the distant duo when I quietly turned around and went to class. 

***

I tilted my head up and to the side, eyeing the edgemost balcony on the highest floor as it peaked out around a corner. The distance between it and the ground made it look small from where I stood, making me squint as I scrutinized it.

No one there. And squinting won't help. 

I pursed my lips and relaxed my eyes, slowly losing hope in satisfying my lingering curiosity. 

I had visited my lunch balcony after classes today, and the scent of smoke hadn't disappeared. At this point I was questioning my sense of smell, since I had never seen anyone frequent the balcony other than me. 

My head slightly tilted to accompany my internal shrug as I casually resumed my walk towards the bike rack. The orange sun peeked through the trees, bright rays glinting off the far gates and lighting up the bricked avenue. The warm air only seemed to add to the mood, and the busy, dynamic, chattering end-of-the-day atmosphere inspired a fulfilling sense of contentment in my heart. 

I took a deep breath, enjoying the fresh scent of blooming flowers as two laughing guys ran past me. 

It wasn't a traditional adjective for this kind of scene, but, after a couple of lazy blinks, only one thing came to mind: 

Life is...sublime. 

"Shion!"

Of course.

Fast footsteps ricochetted off the ground, shoes scraping against the floor as a wave of red flew past my face and stumblingly stopped a few feet in front of me, the girl leaning against her knees and panting. She lifted her head towards me, using a hand to move the long hair out of her grinning countenance. 

"Shion, I caught you!" 

I examined the breathless protagonist, noting her pink cheeks and frazzled necktie as she straightened out. Maybe the day had mellowed me out, the image looking particularly funny and causing my lips to quirk up. 

"Yes, Elinka, you did."

There was nothing else I could say. 

"Are you going home?" She unhesitatingly stepped right beside me, both of us leisurely making our way to the end of the avenue.

"Yep. I still haven't studied for a quiz this Wednesday." I paused, giving her a glance, "What about you? Going home too?" 

"Home?" She prodded at the knot on her tie, her hands descending to smooth it down, "No, I have work soon. I'll be going home at seven-thirty." 

Work after classes. The heroine was diligent in the game too, though - that's what made her so likable. 

"Where do you work?" 

"At a cafe downtown. 'Milky Stars'; have you heard of it?"

"Oh," I stifled a grin as I remembered Saturday, "Yeah, I saw it once. It seemed popular."

Elinka nodded, blinking as we stepped out of a tree's shade. "It's been busy lately. You should stop by sometime - I'll give you a discount!" 

"Will you?" I echoed dumbly, a bit surprised at her eager expression, "I'll hold you to that, then."

Similar small talk smoothly continued for the next couple of minutes, up until we reached our bikes. I inspected the familiar black bike parked nearby before crouching down to undo the lock. 

Did she purposefully park her bike next to mine each day? Why?

"Shion."

My gaze flickered over to Elinka, peeking between the seat and the crossbar to get a clear view of her green eyes. 

"Tomorrow...," she glanced away, her dimples deepening and taking on a hint of shyness, "Would you like to celebrate after the day is over?"

"Celebrate?" I repeated, "It's a Tuesday, though." My briefcase shortly joined the lock in the bike basket before I made eye contact with the heroine again. 

"Yes, but we'll be done with the presentations. That's something to celebrate, isn't it? Just-," As if anticipating my rejection, she stopped me before I could respond, speedily seating herself onto the bike and backing out, "Just think about it and tell me tomorrow. Well, bye! See you then, Shion!"

"Yeah, see you then...," I murmured, seeing her fleeing figure avoid a pedestrian and pedal out through the metal gates. 

Somehow, this situation feels a little familiar. 

A/N: Thanks for reading! And commenting! Shion experiencing karma ahah!