Starting From The Sight & The Night

Chapter 17: Laughter

"Long time no see, Miss Arjera." He grinned.

"Ahahah... It's kind of refreshing here..."

Cracking a smile, I recalled how he apologized to my parents. It might be tough for me to bring up that topic, so I tried to wait for my chance to thank him.

To be honest, my palms were sweating from nervousness. First, a strict-looking teacher summoned me to the faculty, so I started thinking that I probably made a mistake. Then arriving there, I spotted Kyou which was unexpected.

Er... It was nice to see him though.

"Wait, what am I thinking?!" I asked myself, slapping both sides of my cheeks.

"Miss Arjera..?!"

"Oh, don't mind me. I'm just a little sleepy."

His squinted eyes told me that he was doubting my excuse. I guessed that his worries about me might be doubled since he promised not to peek at my thoughts anymore.

It started when we discussed our deal two weeks ago...

★

"Listen, I'll still leave it to you if you want to continue our deal. No matter what your decision is, I'll do what I can even from shadows."

"Miss Arjera, why are you helping us to that extent..?"

Showing a smile, I answered, "Who knows? As I said, every people has a secret or two."

"I see... Then, I've already decided," he said and took a deep breath. "We won't keep our friendship a secret anymore."

"Er . . . Hah?! Why?!"

"Who knows? Every people has a secret or two," he copied my statement with a teasing smile.

I just leaned on the bench, slowly slipping down, like my energy was being drained. "What about the danger..?"

"It's alright. I have a plan."

"No!!! You'll probably use your precious Miss Arjera as bait!" I purposely overreacted so he would tense up, being teased.

"I won't use my precious Miss Arjera as bait!"

We just stared at each other. Realizing what he said, we turned our heads away, hiding our red faces.

Thinking if his decision was right, I surrendered, "I-I guess I'll trust you then..."

"T-Thanks, Miss Arjera..."

Breathing at the same time, we looked at each other again. "By the way, I think we should change our deal because my habit must have bothered you."

"Whatever do you mean?" I asked.

"I'll stop reading your thoughts without permission. It's indeed an invasion of privacy after all. In exchange, you'll let me stick with you until the end."

"Ahahahah! Don't you have some originality?" I laughed it off to ignore my heart's loud beat. "A-Anyway, it's a deal!"

"Yes." This soft smile of his had prevented me from forgetting my feelings. It felt like I was tortured.

Looking at the sky, I sighed.
This is too much...

And that's how our conversation ended.

★

Going back to the present, Kyou mumbled, "This is too much..."

That familiar phrase made me remember his lack of originality. He was always stealing my teases and satisfying words. A full counter, indeed!

A-Anyway, he continued, "I couldn't guess your thoughts..."

"You don't have to! Plus, it's for the sake of your eyes, you idiot!"

"Well, you always keep problems to yourself. Now that we have a deal, it's hard to think of ways to help you."

"I'm already fine. Even without your ability, you can notice that I'm troubled and that's more than enough."

Dad was right, he's a nice guy. No one in this generation would care that much for a friend, so I figured it was because I became his first trusted friend.

"I guess I'll need to practice observing you."

"You mean 'people."

"I have no interest in anyone but you," he insisted.

Preventing myself from being dazed, I laughed it off again. I only believed that laughter was the only way to save me from the distraction called love.

"Ahahahah! I think it's time for us to make more friends. Like what people say, the more, the merrier!"

"Exactly, Ms. Myle Arjera!" Out of nowhere, the strict-looking teacher interrupted. "For that reason, I am encouraging both of you to join our club!"

"Club..?" we asked at the same time.

"I'll explain the details later. Here's Mr. Lev Vande, he will guide you to our meeting place."

Kyou and I looked at each other, wondering if we misheard it... until he entered the faculty.

"Myle? Also..." He paused for a second and his expression became sour. "... Kyou Zeyern."

"Yoohoo~?" he waved his hand, copying my greeting.

"Ahahahah, Kyou. To be original, you can at least say 'Hello." I smiled- albeit deadly.

"Hello~"

I sighed, wondering how far he was gonna tease me. Glancing at Lev, I asked, "By the way Lev, where's the meeting place?"

"Hm? Oh! It's just nearby."

Kyou gazed at the ceiling, probably preparing a question. "Lev Vande, the meeting place... Is it your home?"

"Nope," he answered.

Of course, it was not his home, but where did Kyou get that idea?

"Not our home," he continued after a few seconds, "but our restaurant."