Chapter 43 : Her thoughts
Eiden was startled by the quest Linda had just thrown at him, but he didn’t let it show completely. With a quick breath and a mental command, he activated Face Master, controlling his expression into one of mild surprise and confusion just in case Linda, like Airin, also happened to be good at reading faces.
He frowned slightly and asked, "What? Dating? No, we aren’t dating. Who told you that?" Linda raised an eyebrow, scrutinizing him. "So you guys aren’t?"
"No," Eiden replied firmly. It wasn’t a lie. He and Lyra weren’t dating. It was just that Lyra was in love with him a detail he had no reason to reveal, especially since he technically wasn’t supposed to know it. Nor did Linda need to know it. That would only complicate things.
Linda lightly touched her chin, her head tilting as she seemed to be thinking something over. Her brows furrowed slightly.
Was it not him she was looking at in the cafeteria? she wondered inwardly.
Then, she looked up at Eiden again and said, "Ohh... I think I mistook something. Sorry."
"It’s fine," Eiden replied. But Linda had already turned and was walking away, seemingly lost in thought. Eiden watched her go, the lingering tension in his shoulders easing just slightly. She sure is sharp... he thought, a shiver crawling down his spine. Are all girls’ intuitions like this? How dangerous... these creatures called females are , he might have been seen through if not for the skill face master which he used to control his expression and kept it at minimum.
Shaking the thought off, he remembered what he had been doing before Linda intercepted him. Oh right, I was about to tail Airie... but got interrupted. He sighed. "Oh well. I’ll do it next time," he murmured to himself, then made his way toward the cafeteria.
Upon arrival, he scanned the room briefly but didn’t find his usual group of friends seated at their regular spot. Guessing they’d left already or relocated, he decided to eat alone.
After purchasing some sweet bread, he sat down at one of the empty tables. The moment he took a bite, he noticed someone approaching Lyra. She was walking toward him alone, her face unreadable from a distance.
Eiden didn’t pause or flinch. He calmly continued chewing, his eyes lazily following her. I’m not the kind of guy in manga or anime who stops eating just because I don’t know why someone’s approaching me, he thought with a dry smirk.
Lyra came to a halt in front of him, concern written all over her expression. "Eiden... are you okay?" she asked softly. Eiden chuckled, tilting his head slightly as he replied, "Do I not look okay?" She gave him a once-over, her eyes scanning him from head to toe.
"That’s good then," she muttered with a breath of relief. He raised a brow, brushing crumbs off his hands. "Why are you asking me that though?"Do you not want me to be okay ? Or were you expecting me to get hurt ?"