"Ah, so he's still unconscious..."
Serena let out a long sigh, a hint of disappointment in her breath after hearing that Tom had yet to wake up. Two days had passed, and she had hoped that today she could at least see him open his eyes.
"Alright, sir. Thank you for the information," Serena said before ending the call.
She stared at the now-dark screen of her phone and slipped it into her bag. Whether she liked it or not, she had to wait. If she wanted to see Tom, the only option was to be patient until he regained consciousness. For now, that was all she could do.
She then began walking slowly toward the campus cafeteria, remembering her lunch promise with Iril. But after only a few steps, she was forced to stop, blocked by three girls.
"Are you Serena Shine?"
asked one of them with an unfriendly tone. Her hair was tied up high, and her face held a visible anger.
"Yes,"
Serena replied briefly. She recognized them. They had caused her trouble in a past life.
"Do you know who I am?"
the girl challenged, folding her arms and glaring at Serena.
"No."
"I'm—"
"Doesn't matter who you are," Serena cut in, not in the mood to deal with someone insignificant. "If you're here to confront me about some guy, my advice is: go talk to him directly."
The three girls looked shocked. Serena had guessed their reason perfectly.
"You..."
"I'm not interested in immature boys!" Serena interrupted again, even sharper. "He might be super attractive to you, but to me? Just ordinary. And most importantly, I'm not even remotely interested. So... if your plan was to bully me, you've picked the wrong girl."
Serena's gaze locked onto theirs, cold and pressuring. An intimidating aura filled the air, and instinctively, the trio took a half-step back, a wave of discomfort hitting them.
Still, the girl with the ponytail tried to stand her ground. Despite her fear, she wasn't ready to back down.
"Who are you calling not attractive?!"
"Dean," Serena replied calmly.
"W-what..."
"I'm not interested in Dean. To me, his face is average. So you can relax. I'm not trying to steal him. Dean is just someone who happens to be in the same class as me."
The girls fell silent. They hadn't even done anything yet, but they were already completely defeated.
"And one more thing…"
Serena looked at them one by one.
"If you like Dean, tell him directly. Not me."
With that, Serena walked away, leaving the three girls staring at each other with mixed emotions. They hadn't even started anything, but Serena's words had already caused cracks in their unity.
A few steps away, Serena heard someone shout from behind. She smiled—satisfied, even a little wickedly.
___________
"What's making you smile like that?" asked Iril, already waiting at the cafeteria table with their lunch.
"Huh?"
"That smile... it's full of satisfaction. Who did you just mess with?"
Iril squinted suspiciously.
"Oh, just some unimportant people,"
Serena answered nonchalantly and began eating.
Iril rolled her eyes. She was used to vague responses from her best friend. But then, her face changed. Something was clearly bothering her. Serena noticed and grew curious.
"What is it? Something happened?"
she asked, setting her spoon down.
Iril opened her mouth but said nothing. She looked genuinely conflicted.
"What is it?"
Serena pressed, now watching her seriously.
She knew Iril well. Her best friend was simple, drama-free, preferring to binge K-dramas or hunt for good food. If Iril was this anxious, it had to be something big.
"Umm... what do you think... uh..."
Iril hesitated.
"Go on?"
"What do you think of Frau as a person?"
Serena raised an eyebrow. So Iril had realized Frau's feelings for her.
WAIT...!
It had been nearly a month since Iril stopped inviting her to hang out. Could it be that during that time, Iril had been spending time with Frau?
"Ah... so while I was away, Frau became her new hangout buddy," Serena thought.
No wonder Iril had become sensitive about Frau's feelings.
"S?"
Iril called, noticing Serena hadn't answered.
Serena snapped out of her thoughts and studied Iril. Nervous face, clenched left fist, lip-biting, a bead of sweat on her forehead.
"She's nervous," Serena thought.
"Why are you suddenly asking about Frau?" Serena asked, deciding not to answer right away. She wanted to test Iril's feelings.
"Huh? Oh... just curious,"
Iril replied, even more flustered.
Serena almost laughed but held it in. She didn't want Iril to know she was being teased.
"Frau is, in my opinion, kind, gentlemanly, and trustworthy,"
Serena finally answered.
"Really??"
Iril's eyes sparkled instantly. Her wide smile was so sweet that even a few passing students couldn't help but glance her way.
"I complimented Frau, but you're the one who looks thrilled,"
teased Serena.
Iril pouted, realizing she had just been played.
"S!" she protested.
Serena laughed freely, enjoying the chance to tease her best friend. But the laughter faded when she noticed how many guys were now glancing at Iril.
Iril's pretty face, paired with her current pouting expression, made her glow.
Serena quickly pulled out her phone and snapped a photo of her friend.
"Hey, why are you taking my picture?"
Iril asked suspiciously. "You're not planning to turn me into a meme or sticker, are you?! Delete it!"
"I'm not the type to make memes,"
Serena replied, not taking her eyes off the screen.
"Then what?"
"Hmm… to make someone jealous,"
Serena answered with a sly smile as she sent the photo to someone.
"Jealous? Who?" Iril looked completely lost.
Suddenly, Serena's phone rang. She turned the screen toward Iril—clearly displaying the caller's name:
Frau Knight
"Him," Serena said simply, with full meaning.
---