Chapter 106- Newcomer (Part 3)

The boy didn’t know what to do when asked such a thing by this girl. He felt overwhelmed by that strong look, and it was as if his body urged him to accept that request without asking any questions.

"..."

"Come on. There is a seat over there." Brianna said as she pointed at the empty seat on the other side of the classroom. Looking at it, he nodded and stood up with a stunned look on his face.

"Hm, hm, hm." Brianna then sat down with a wide smile on her face. Everyone looked at her as if she were some kind of alien. Nobody truly understood what this girl even was. She was so quirky and yet so beautiful that they could only stare in silence. Even Elio could only do that.

"Well, ehem, with that being said, let’s start our class." The teacher said, trying to break the awkward silence happening around him. ’Why does my class only get the weirdest people in the world?’ He cursed inwardly. He wasn’t being paid enough to deal with all of this.

With that, the class started, and everyone pulled their books out to start. However, Brianna seemed a bit lost as she looked left and right and then looked at Elio.

"Can I read from your book?" She asked Elio.

"... Sure," Elio replied. So, Brianna immediately dragged a table to slide it next to him. She then pulled her chair closer, where their shoulders were touching without any problem.

Elio instinctively pulled away and then tried to focus on class. Meanwhile, he felt strong eyes watching him from the front. He didn’t even need to look up to know who was looking at him.

’I don’t know, Fiona! I genuinely don’t know what’s even happening!’ He yelled in his head. He could tell she was mad, but he couldn’t really speak to her until lunch.

***

The next few hours were the longest in Elio’s life. He felt like every second took ten seconds to pass. He was eager for the bell to ring so he could go talk to Fiona and also to get away from this girl who was sitting next to him.

She kept trying to talk to him during class, only for the teacher to ask her to remain silent, and she ended up pouting. Elio didn’t know how she was behaving this way without a care in the world.

Eventually, the bell rang, and Elio sprang out of his chair and left the classroom in a hurry. Reaching their usual spot, Elio waited patiently for Fiona. He didn’t even pick up lunch, as this was an emergency.

A few nervous minutes passed before he finally saw her approaching him ahead... Or so he thought.

"Why did you leave so quickly, Elio?! I wanted to ask you out for lunch." Brianna said as she came close from him. "So this is your spot, huh? It looks so nice. Do you eat lunch here often?"

"... Yes."

"Great. I actually brought a big portion with me today. Do you want to share it?" Brianna asked as she opened the lid to her lunchbox, revealing a big meal. A plethora of chicken, fish, rice, and all kinds of snacks. The lunchbox was several layers thick, and the smell was heavenly.

Elio’s stomach almost grumbled even though he wasn’t that hungry. Gulping, he shook his head.

"No, it’s fine. I’m not hungry..."

"Eh, if you say... Sit down, why are you standing so nervously?" She asked. "Did you really forget how we used to play together and talk about all kinds of things?"

"..."

"You have changed a lot, too, Elio. You look so handsome."

"Thanks... But you said that you moved schools just because of me? Surely not."

’How did you even know I was here to begin with?!’ He yelled in his head.

"Eh, I’m saying the truth. I have been looking for you for years now."

"..."

"After I moved out all those years ago without being able to say goodbye, you never left my mind one second. I missed you so much, and I was determined to find you, sooner or later."

"Why?" Elio asked.

"Because you were the only person who understood me," Brianna said. "You were my very first friend and the only person around whom I truly felt at peace. I looked forward to our time together every day, even though it was brief and didn’t last long, it became the sole thing I waited patiently for every single day."

"You..."

Staring up with a warm, loving smile on her face, Brianna continued. "You were my very first love, and you still are. I’m truly glad I finally found you. I’m trying to contain myself, haha, but it is very hard."

The boy was speechless. First love... She had said that he was her first love. It felt like a bombshell had been dropped on his head out of nowhere. Never did he expect a person from way back in his life would come back in such a fashion.

"L-Love?"

"Yes, I love you very much, and my love for you only grew with every passing day. You never left my mind for a single second all these years, and I dreamt of our meeting countless times. Even now, I’m barely stopping myself from shaking. Haha, look at my hand." She said as she pointed the hand holding a spoon, it was subtly fidgeting and shaking.

"I..." Elio wanted to find something to say, but what could he even say? It didn’t even feel like a confession what she said. It sounded more like a statement, a fact that can’t be refuted or changed. She wasn’t asking him out; she was simply stating the obvious, something Elio’s mind wasn’t ready to understand yet.

"I didn’t know you two were that close."

Out of nowhere, Elio felt a presence appear behind him. Turning back, he saw Fiona standing there, staring at him with a cold look on her face. "Care to explain that to me, Elio?"

"It’s... We barely knew each other back in primary school. We were kids." Elio said.

"Hm." Fiona squinted. "It seems you aren’t aware of it, are you, Elio?"

"Huh? What?"

"That girl over there. She isn’t who you think it is." She said as she pointed at Brianna. "She’s a Vampire Hunter."

"..."

"The daughter of the Luthor Corps. She’s a prominent Vampire Hunter and a very strong talent. Now, how did you meet such a person is the question."

"Eh, you’re really flattering me with that introduction, Fiona. I didn’t think I would see you here, of all places." Brianna laughed jovially. "And to think my Elio also knows you. What an interesting situation this is."

"You two... What? Huh? What is going on here?" Elio was slowly losing his mind as he looked back and forth between the two. Vampire Hunter? SHE WAS A VAMPIRE HUNTER?!!

This was ludicrous. Even the joke is not a joke anymore.

"To think my Elio is also a Vampire Hunter, as expecte-"

"Drop the acting." Fiona cut her off. "You knew this before coming here. You knew very well that Elio had that talent, didn’t you? From the moment when he was a kid."

The two girls stared at one another as a strong spark ignited between them. The situation went from calm to extremely tense within moments.