SOTUS: First Weeks and Friends

Chapter 15

The class collectively groans when the professor asks them to complete a field study by the end of the week. All of the third years, especially Bright, were looking forward to the Thank You Party this coming weekend, but now, they need to visit small out-of-town factories, unsure if they can come to the party on time.

"How will I claim the chocolates my lovely juniors would give me?" Bright whines while leaving the classroom.

~

I will be in Amphawa today. i don't think i will be there at the party.

Kongpob reads the message with a serious face. A few more days have passed, but he and Arthit still don't have a proper talk. But still, out of duty, Arthit texted him that he'll be out of town.

Now, Kongpob's unsure if he still wants to go to the party. The party is supposed to celebrate and thank the seniors who helped them during their freshman year, and Kongpob sees no point of going if the senior that he's most thankful for won't be there.

~

"Bright, I'll drive on our way to Amphawa, but going back, you'll drive," Knot says.

Bright can't say no. He has already done so much ruining these past days that he can't decline anything that Knot tells him to do just to appease him.

"He's here," Prem uses his lips to point at Arthit, who's moving slowly down the stairs, face expectedly frowning.

Knot shakes his head. He doesn't want to see his friend like this. Prem squeezes Arthit's shoulder, offering moral support. While Prem doesn't understand the full extent of Arthit's emotions, he understands the difficulty of hiding a relationship. Arthit gives him a questioning look.

"Where's Tutah?" Arthit asks.

"He's a part of the party's planning committee, and he'll also host it," Knot answers, "so I allowed him to skip the trip. He gave our group funds anyway."

"How much?" Bright asks.

"Shut up."

And Bright does so.

"How about you, Arthit? Do you really wanna go?" Knot asks.

"Why wouldn't I wanna go?"

Knot, Prem, and Bright look at each other. "Nothing," Knot says. "I just thought you may want to go to the party or something. Maybe... talk to someone."

"Huh? No. I really wanna go. We are less one person, so I want to help," Arthit says sincerely.

With the other three reluctantly nodding, the friends ride the car and go on to their long trip.

With Bright restraining himself from angering Knot, Arthit not in a good mood, and Knot and Prem worrying about Arthit, the ride is uncharacteristically quiet. After an hour and a half of driving, they reach their destination, and they immediately get to work. To get the job done faster, they decided to split, Prem and Bright will take two factories, and Knot and Arthit will take another two. With this plan, they hope they can finish in time so that they can have a chance to attend the party in the evening.