Reina's hair was pulled back into a small ponytail, and loose strands escaping her tie framed her face. Her expression did not change, and her clothes clung to her curves in all the right places.
A lot of people were ogling her, but her expression did not change.
"Rin, are you here to talk to me? My break just ended, so you'll have to wait—"
"It's fine, Reina. I can take care of things here. You go enjoy your time with your…friend…"
The unnamed friend spoke in a suggestive tone, and Rin understood exactly what she meant..
He did not mind getting misunderstood, but he wondered if it bothered Reina. However, her lack of response told Rin that she couldn't care less. It also made sense why the rumors weren't dying down.
Both of them did nothing to either confirm or deny what people thought. Under everyone's watchful eyes, they left together.
"Do you need something from me?"
Reina asked as soon as they were alone, and Rin felt slightly irritated by her tone.
"Can't I come to see you? Why does there always have to be a reason for me to seek you out?"
"So, are you here just to see me?"
Reina asked, making Rin look away.
"Well, I came here because I was chasing someone and saw them heading this way. Have you seen someone with pink hair running around?"
"Pink hair? Ah, I might have. Why? Is it someone you know?"
Reina's voice had a hint of irritation mixed with curiosity. Even she was surprised by her reaction.
Logically, she had no reason to feel jealous of some girl Rin had come here to find. She already knew that Shelly was Rin's childhood friend, and it made sense he'd look for her.
But Reina still felt her mood souring as soon as Rin told her that he was not here for her. And due to her pettiness, she decided not to tell him about Shelly.
Knowing Shelly's possessive nature, she wouldn't stay hidden for long anyway, so it wasn't like any harm was done.
"Reina, are you done yet? Our customers are increasing, and I might need your help now."
Things were getting awkward when her classmate called for her. Reina gave Rin one last look before she left to join her stallmates.
Rin found her behavior unusual. The Reina he knew was a straightforward person. She was not one to act this way.
But he had no time to worry about her at the moment. Whatever was wrong with Reina would have to wait. For now, his priority was Shelly's potential appearance at his school.
He was about to head out to check for Shelly when he sensed someone behind him.
Rin had honed his instincts enough to sense danger. And currently, they were screaming at him to run away.
Before he could react, a soft hand touched his wrist, and Shelly's familiar voice spoke.
"Rin, what were you doing here with that person? Did you know her? Is she your best friend now? What about me? Have you decided to abandon me?"
Shelly's voice sounded like she might cry, and Rin suddenly felt the urge to turn around and reassure her that everything was alright. Shelly might have grown up, but Rin still felt responsible for her well-being.
Thankfully, Shelly's eyes were dry when he turned around. But her mood was darker than usual when he had seen her.
Instead of answering her question, Rin decided to ask some of his own.
"Shelly, what are you doing here? What about school? Do other people know you are here?"
Rin shook Shelly's hand off his wrist and turned her face toward him.
Thankfully, she did not look injured, but he only felt satisfied once he had looked her over carefully.
Shelly remained calm in his arms, and her gloom started to fade away. But it didn't fully disappear.
"I came here because I saw in an online post that your school was having a festival. Should I…have not come…?"
Shelly looked nervous, twisting her hands nervously to hide her unease. Rin felt torn between comforting her and questioning her about how she even knew his school.
After all, he was sure he had not told Shelly anything.
'Wait a minute! How did she know?'
"I asked your butler about your school, and he told me. Don't scold him too much, alright? I had to beg so many times."
Almost as if she could read his mind, Shelly answered his unasked question. Something about this situation did not sit well with Rin.
His butler was not someone who would give out sensitive information like this. But maybe he had made an exception because the person asking was Shelly?
But no! His butler was not that kind of person…
"Rin, can you show me around your new school? You won't send me back without letting me enjoy it, right?"
Shelly tugged at his sleeve, her eyes silently asking him to give in.
He knew that the right thing to do was to deny Shelly's request and have her go back. But he did not want to disappoint her.
What if she remembered this as a negative memory during the apocalypse and decided she did not want to associate with him? It would be a disaster for him.
"Fine. We can spend this festival together. But this will be the last time you come here like this, alright? It's dangerous for you to head out alone. If you want to visit me, then tell me beforehand."
Rin's scolding was gentle, but Shelly seemed to take it seriously. Resolve sparkled in her eyes as she nodded at his every word.
"I will message you before coming over next time. I will also make sure to visit you a lot so that you don't feel lonely. After all, we are each other's only friends, so we need to make sure we stick together."
Rin had not expected Shelly to say those words. He had expected her to at least make another friend after moving away. Her personality wasn't bad enough to scare everyone away, and she also did not have Rin around…
'But am I really one to say this? It's not like I have a lot of friends to be able to lecture Shelly about friendships.'
So he let it go for now and walked around with Shelly. It did not take long for someone to notice him walking around with her, and unfortunately, it was the class president.
She gasped as she pointed at him and blurted out.
"Y-You—! You are here with another girl? Then what about Senior Reina? Don't tell me…! Is this a trick? What are you trying to do?"