The feeling of familiarity Liam had been getting had turned into a strange sense of certainty. He definitely knew this girl from somewhere.
That fact was obvious.
The question that realization left behind, however, was...
Who exactly is she?
Soon, the two reached the door to their classroom.
It was simple: a sleek, silver, handleless door with the number 1 boldly embossed across its surface.
The moment the girl stepped forward, the door slid open, revealing the classroom beyond. Liam noticed the sharp, minty smell that drifted out of the room as she walked in.
He followed, taking in the space around him quickly.
Then he froze as his eyes took in one very conspicuous detail.
The room had peach-coloured walls and large windows on either side, a smart board, and a raised teacher's platform with a podium in front of it.
Twenty-four desks, arranged in three rows of eight.
Liam took all of that in almost instantly.
What actually stopped him was the fact that the supposedly empty classroom was occupied by seven other people.
And, almost instinctively, he studied every one of them.
These guys were all at the entrance exam...
Standing beside a desk near the front was a tall, rugged-looking blond with inky-black eyes that made his amber irises stand out sharply. His mouth was set in a quiet frown.
Liam met his gaze for a brief moment, and immediately looked away from the dark gaze. Liam gulped, trying not to think about the strange, disdainful look he had received.
Sitting on the desk beside the scary guy was a slightly shorter, raven-haired boy.
Slim rectangular shades rested across his face, further enhancing his near-perfect looks. He seemed to radiate confidence, his lean body clearly trained to its physical peak.
I'm getting a bad feeling... Liam thought as his eyes shifted off the handsome boy.
Further inside the classroom sat a group of three boys, and all three could not be more different.
Two sat on desktops, while the third actually used the chair like a normal person.
All three were strikingly good-looking, and from the ease with which they sat around one another, Liam assumed they already shared some kind of bond.
One had coal-black hair streaked with crimson. His eyes were a striking gold, and as hard as tempered steel.
Combined with his sun-tanned skin and the mysterious air surrounding him, they made his already impressive appearance even harder to ignore.
Those eyes of his had already scanned the newcomers, and they dismissed both just as quickly.
The guy beside him though... Liam pursed his lips. He's like an exact opposite.
The other boy was smiling in Liam's direction.
His teal-blue hair stood wildly on end, making his head resemble some kind of blue hedgehog. Even his grin seemed to spark with life.
And if Liam decided to look closely...
The sparks didn't seem entirely metaphorical.
The final boy was the one sitting in the chair. He gave off a much more timid air than the other two.
His shoulder-length hair was soft brown and tied into a short ponytail, though a single rogue strand of green hung in front of his left eye.
His skin was milky white, contrasting sharply with his black-haired companion.
He was smiling.
But his smile didn't reach his eyes. They were quiet, a little guarded.
The final two students sat near the windows opposite the entrance.
One was a beautiful dark-skinned girl with long black dreadlocks that reached her waist, decorated with golden beads.
Three bracelets covered each wrist, and she was currently rummaging through a small bag hanging from her hip.
Beside her sat a shorter, pale-skinned girl with short green hair, several strands falling across her face.
She held her hands tightly against her chest, and Liam was surprised at how small she seemed.
All seven had looked towards the entrance when the door opened, and most kept their eyes on the newcomers for a moment longer than necessary.
To Liam, though, those momentary gazes burned into him like searing irons.
Stop looking at me stop looking at me stop looking at me... oh. Thank lord they stopped looking at me.
His reaction was, to be honest, a bit excessive.
After all, he wasn't the only one they were looking at.
Liam simply wasn't used to attracting much attention from anyone outside his family.
Add his immense self-consciousness to the equation, and at that moment, he felt like a deer trapped in headlights.
One that was seconds away from being run over.
Smack!
"Loosen up, will ya?"
Liam stumbled slightly after the girl hit him across the back.
She shook her head, then turned towards the others with an easy smile.
"Hi."
She gave a small wave.
"Hey! Nice to meet ya," the teal-haired boy replied with a grin.
Then he turned towards Liam with the exact same energy.
"Hey, man. How's it going?"
Liam's body froze from the recognition.
And his mind accelerated so fast it entered Mach territory.
Okay.
Response.
Need a response.
...Am I overthinking this?
Nah.
Thinking is the easiest way to solve a problem!
Two full seconds of intense calculation later, Liam raised a hand.
He nodded.
"Hey."
A simple response that gives neither too much nor too little familiarity.
His eyes narrowed slightly in satisfaction.
It's foolproof! Perfect!
Without waiting to see how the other boy reacted, Liam turned towards the smart board.
His eyes swept over it, and he slowed as he realized that there was actual important stuff to read.
Then he stopped, his eyes widening.
There, displayed across the screen in semi-holographic lettering, was the answer to the question that had been bothering him since entering Dawn.
[HUNTER CLASS ORDER OF MERIT]
Saare, Kazumi
Paxton J. Liam
Lieren, Lee
Daniels, Hannah
Raidou, Lloyd
Raidou, Rex
Ares, Jay
Quansah, Duke
Glacier, Elsie
Manabe, Lisa
Quansah, Eris
Cristal, Jane
Mohsion, Kofi
Morgan, Faust
Demeter, Jade
Wolfe, Tiffany
Osgood, Ruby
Herb, Zoe
Point, Nelly
Caesar, Augustus
Kirin, Nanami
Hagan, Steve
Wing, Jason
Axel, Jeremy
Liam's eyes had stopped at the second position.
...Second?
His eyebrows rose, and a small, disbelieving smile pulled at his mouth.
I... I was second?! That's insane! This is amazing! Mom's gonna be over the moon!
Then his gaze moved further down.
And froze again.
How...?
10. Manabe, Lisa
Lisa...
Liam's eyes shook. He raised a hand to his hair.
Everything that had happened since meeting the girl suddenly rearranged itself inside his head.
The strange familiarity.
The way she had followed him around.
The nagging feeling that he'd seen her before.
The fact that she already knew his name.
It...
It...
It all makes sense now.
Liam slowly glanced back at her, dropping his hand.
"...I'll talk to you later, then," Lisa Manabe said to the spiky-haired boy.
"Alright!" He grinned before returning to his friends.
Lisa turned towards Liam with a small smile, then she paused.
She looked into his eyes, and when she saw the shock and recognition in them, her smile turned into a wide smirk.
"Took you long enough."
She chuckled and shook her head.
"For someone so smart, not remembering an old friend like me is shocking."
Liam remained silent, his head spinning from all the memories of the past.
A short-haired little menace.
She was brash, rowdy, and unrealistically confident.
A tomboyish tornado who somehow managed to drag him into trouble on a regular basis, someone he hadn't met in years.
Lisa.
The girl who had been his closest friend since elementary school.
And that same Lisa frowned and folded her arms.
"Hey, hey. Why're you spacing out? What's with that look on your face?"
Liam's face had gone slack, and he had bent forward slightly.
Slowly, his expression changed from tense and uncertain to complete, unadulterated relief.
Then he straightened and looked at everyone present.
...Yeah, no. I'd rather not have a room full of strangers watch me be emotional. That stuff belongs on reality TV shows.
He chuckled, then met Lisa's eyes and motioned for them to leave.
After exiting the classroom, Liam gave a deep sigh, and a small smile appeared on his face. He then turned to look at Lisa and flinched at the unimpressed look she was giving him.
"What?" she said as she waved her hands. "You finally recognize me, and you're staying silent?"
Liam blinked in surprise. Then a small smile spread out on his face. He chuckled, then took a deep breath.
"I'm just..."
He exhaled quietly.
"...relieved that I know someone here."
His smile softened as he looked her in the eye. "It's nice to see you again, Lisa. Even though it's been a few years."
Lisa raised an eyebrow but still mirrored his smile. "Four, if I'm not mistaken."
Then they fell silent.
For several moments, something awkward settled between them.
It really has been four years, huh?
Liam glanced at her.
Time really does change a person.
He smiled faintly.
I'm really happy a friend of mine is here, though.
Even if whatever friendship they'd once shared had weakened over the years, simply having a familiar face around was enough to make Liam feel a lot more comfortable.
If there was anything he appreciated, it was the presence of something he already kne—
"Hey."
Liam blinked.
He turned his head to the side.
Lisa was scowling at him.
"What's... up?" he asked.
Lisa palmed her face in exasperation and stared at him through the gap between her middle and index fingers.
"How did you change your attitude towards me so quickly?"
She let her hand fall, then immediately stabbed her index finger at him.
"One minute you're a stammering mess, the next you're perfectly calm."
She blinked, then narrowed her eyes.
"...Wipe that look off your face."
Liam's mouth had curled into a half-smirk, and obviously he knew what expression his face was making.
So of course, his response was to ask—in a completely genuine and confused tone:
"What expression?"
Lisa's eyes narrowed further, and she sighed.
"That one."
Liam shrugged, his smirk widening. "How would I know what's on my face?"
Lisa rolled her eyes and withdrew her finger. "Woooow. So~ smart."
Liam chuckled as she punched him lightly in the shoulder. "Glad to see that part of you didn't change. Come on, let's go."
They both began to walk towards the exit of the classroom block, but Liam remained slower than her and much more quiet.
He scratched the back of his head, unsure of what to say. Then he paused.
"How'd you recognize me?" he asked, genuinely curious. "I'm pretty sure I've changed a fair amount since then."
Lisa slowed down to walk beside him, then glanced up through her long eyelashes and sighed.
"Apart from getting taller and becoming way more solid, your vibe is almost exactly the same."
She pointed towards his face.
"Also, how many people do you think are walking around with near-perfect rainbow eyes?"
Liam shrugged.
"People with shapeshifting Venma, I guess."
Lisa pursed her lips in exasperation, then shook her head and looked away.
"You didn't recognize me, though," she muttered.
"Ah..."
Liam coughed into a fist while looking around wildly.
"That's because, um..."
He looked her over briefly.
"...you've changed a lot more than I expected."
"Oh, really?"
Lisa gave him a doubtful side-eye.
Gulp.
"Y-yeah! Your hair's longer, for one, and you're way less..."
He searched desperately for a safe word to use.
"...rowdy?"
Lisa's eyebrow rose.
Wrong! Clearly wrong!
Liam had started getting cross-eyed with how hard he was searching for an answer.
"You're more..."
His brain screamed.
"...elegant?"
He paused.
"Yeah. That's it."
Lisa remained silent.
Sweat trickled down the back of his neck, and as his pulse picked up, Liam suddenly paused.
Wait. Why am I acting so nervous?
His thoughts were stopped by Lisa's sudden laughter.
She pretended to wipe a tear from her eye as she shook her head. "Elegant? Really?! Of all the things you could have come up with, it was that?"
She burst out laughing again. Liam scratched his cheek, feeling awkward.
She eventually calmed down, then smiled. "Looks like someone's trying to be a smooth talker. Flattery will get you nowhere, though."
Liam sighed internally.
Survived.
He felt a strange sense of accomplishment despite knowing full well that nothing about that situation deserved one.
They continued walking in silence, neither one ready to address the obvious problem.
Then Lisa's pace slowed slightly.
"Hey, Liam..."
He turned to her. "Hm?"
"How..."
Her voice faltered, and she looked down.
"...how've you been?"
Liam paused. Then, for the first time since recognizing her, he properly noticed the uncertainty on her face.
And suddenly, the reality of their reunion sank in.
They weren't really childhood best friends anymore.
Not in the way they used to be.
Four years of separation had dulled whatever bond they'd once shared until, in many ways, they were practically strangers.
Liam faced forward as a complicated feeling settled in his chest.
Do I even want us to go back to how things were?
...Was I nervous earlier because I still... I wanted to deny how long it's been?
His brow furrowed into a frown.
Would it be easier to just... stay acquaintances?
His frown deepened for a moment, then he shook his head.
I'm overthinking this.
She's still an old friend, no matter how much time has passed.
"You have a bad habit of staring into space whenever someone asks you something, Liam."
He jumped as Lisa's voice pulled him back. He turned, and she was staring at him.
"It makes the air feel awkward."
Liam flinched.
They both stopped, as if coming to a silent decision.
Lisa smiled faintly, as if the situation wasn't as heavy as it was.
But underneath that smile, Liam could see the uncertainty.
And something else. Something he couldn't quite identify.
He opened his mouth...
"I... um..."
...Then shut it. Once again, his stammer betrayed him.
Lisa scratched the back of her head, avoiding his eyes.
"Well..."
She nodded awkwardly.
"I'll... I'll be going, then."
She turned away with a small wave.
"See you tomorrow."
She started walking.
Liam raised a hand, as if trying to stop her.
Wait a minute. Please, wait!
His mouth opened.
Nothing came out.
He closed his eyes.
I really suck, don't I?
His hand slowly lowered.
Am I seriously just going to let an old friend walk off disappointed?... Am I really going to let go of our past?
Immediately, his mind went into overdrive.
Should he apologize?
Make a joke?
Explain himself?
Say something profound?
He went through countless possibilities in the span of a few seconds.
Then opened his eyes, finally deciding on what to say.
But before his brain could take charge, some strange instinct took control of his tongue.
"Hey, Lisa."
The girl stopped a few metres away, then turned. Her expression was expectant, but beneath it was resignation.
Liam swallowed, still nervous. Then he blurted out:
"Wanna come to my dorm so we can catch up?"