Chapter 64: A gaze
Eiden could feel it those subtle, crawling gazes digging into his back from all directions. It was faint, almost imperceptible, yet his body responded before his mind could rationalize. Goosebumps traced along his arms. A tight feeling bloomed in his chest, and a quiet alarm in his gut screamed get out. His intuition, for once, wasn’t being dramatic.
He made a casual excuse, something about forgetting an assignment or needing to take a call, and broke off from the group without raising much suspicion. He didn’t look back. He just walked briskly, purposefully away from the clump of students, away from the invisible net of attention that had begun to suffocate him. Sasha, still among the group, blinked in slight confusion at Eiden’s sudden departure. Her eyes flickered sideways to Lyra.
She couldn’t explain it just a strange, uncomfortable tug in her chest whenever she glanced at the two of them. Eiden and Lyra. There was something. Not obvious, not overt. Just... off. Like a sound just out of tune.
She remembered seeing Lyra around occasionally. Mostly with Crysty. Yes Crysty was Sasha’s friend, and through her, she had crossed paths with both Lyra and Linda. But truthfully, she had never grown particularly close to either of them. Linda was loud and overly confident, hard to ignore even in a crowd, while Lyra had always been the opposite. Quiet. Reserved. Almost like a shadow tagging along behind Crysty.
Sasha had actually interacted more with Linda than Lyra, despite the former’s brashness. Lyra rarely spoke, especially around guys. Sasha assumed it was shyness and that may still be true but now, as she eyed Lyra’s subtle glances toward Eiden, doubt crept in. Could Lyra know something? About Eiden’s secret? About his... body? It didn’t make sense. If she really were that shy, how come Sasha had seen her talking to Eiden in the cafeteria before seemingly comfortable?
Trying not to jump to conclusions, Sasha decided to make conversation. "So... Lyra, right?" Lyra glanced at her and gave a small, polite nod. "Yeah," she replied softly.
"I think we’ve met befor —back when Crysty dragged us all to that café opening?" Sasha smiled lightly, testing the waters.
Lyra nodded again, this time with a faint smile. "I remember." Her voice was calm but slightly stiff. Reserved, but not cold. Sasha studied her for a second longer, then relaxed a bit. Nothing suspicious... yet. But the thought lingered. There was more to Lyra than just a shy girl. She just couldn’t figure out what.
Meanwhile, Eiden arrived at the college gates faster than expected. His hurried pace had brought him here well ahead of the others. The chill he felt earlier was fading, but his instincts were still on high alert. He glanced over his shoulder and spotted Harry and Petter approaching from a distance. As he slowed down to maybe wait for them, another familiar face caught his eye Arin. She was standing further down the path, her arms crossed, her bag slung casually over one shoulder. Their eyes met for a brief moment. She gave him a subtle nod. Eiden raised his hand slightly to return the gesture, but just then, someone walked directly in front of him.
It was Eva Marvele. Their eyes locked for a moment hers holding an unreadable glint, something between amusement and recognition. Then she smiled. But it wasn’t a regular smile. It was that little smirk just a twitch at the corner of her lips like she remembered something... something specific.
Eiden froze, blinking. What the hell was that?
Before he could say anything, she was already past him, walking off like it was nothing. His brow furrowed. That look. That smile. What did she remember? He shook his head and sighed. "Too many girls acting strange lately. Is this what anime protagonists feel like every arc?" he muttered, trudging off toward class. Class passed without anything particularly unusual. For once, things stayed normal. No strange messages, no system quests, no mysterious glares or sudden drama. Just a regular lecture with half of the students zoning out and the other half pretending to take notes.