Lina and I started walking while looking around. There were people, but no one seemed to really pay attention to anyone else; everyone was in their own world. There was a strange calmness in the air. Lina pointed ahead.
"Looks like there's something over there," she said.
I lifted my head and looked. It was a small café-like place.
"Finally," I muttered.
Just as I was about to keep walking, my hand felt lighter—but I didn't even notice. I took a few more steps.
"Hey, young lady."
When the voice came from behind me, I stopped. I slowly turned around. A boy was looking at me; he had my card in his hand. For a moment I didn't understand what was going on, then I realized.
"…Did I drop that?" I asked.
He raised one eyebrow slightly.
"Most likely."
I stepped closer. He handed the card back to me.
"Thank you," I said as I took it. "I guess I was a bit distracted."
"A bit," he said.
Just then Lina came up to us.
"What happened?" she asked.
I shook my head.
"No, it's fine. I just dropped my card and this—" I said, then paused, but he continued for me.
"I'm Leon. Let's say I returned your friend's card," he said.
Lina raised her eyebrows slightly.
"Good thing you did then," she said with a smile. "Otherwise she would've gotten lost on the very first day."
"Don't exaggerate," I said. "It only happened once."
"For now," Lina added.
I rolled my eyes.
Leon gave a faint smile.
"Are you new?" he asked.
"Is it obvious?" I said.
"Kind of," he replied. "Especially you."
"Great," I muttered. "So we're giving ourselves away before we even start."
He shrugged.
"You'll get used to it."
Lina jumped in.
"Are you also going to Virelion?"
There was a short pause.
"Yes, second year," Leon said.
I put my hand on his shoulder.
"Then you'll help us, right?" I said with a laugh.
Leon smiled back.
"There might be small exceptions."
"Well," Lina said. "We were going to get something."
"Good idea, I won't keep you then," Leon said.
Then he looked at me.
"Be careful this time."
I narrowed my eyes.
"Funny."
He smiled slightly.
Lina grabbed my arm.
"Come on."
We started walking toward the café. But after a few steps, I instinctively turned back. He was still looking at me. Our eyes met.
"Do you want to come?" I said.
The words came out without thinking.
Lina gave me a quick look.
Leon raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Are you sure?" he asked.
I shrugged.
"You saved my card after all."
"So I owe you a coffee?" he said with a light smile.
"Small exceptions."
Then he nodded slightly.
"Alright."
He walked toward us.
"You insisted so much I didn't want to refuse."
"Who insisted?" I said. "I just offered."
"Sure," he said.
There was a slight teasing tone in his voice. But it wasn't annoying.
We entered the café. It was calmer than outside, but not completely silent; the sound of cups and quiet conversations mixed together.
We found a table and sat down. Lina immediately started looking at the menu.
"I'm starving," she said.
"Me too," I said.
Leon leaned back in his chair.
"Makes sense after a long walk."
"Did you come here like us too?" I asked.
"No," he said shortly.
"I had something else to do."
"Nearby?" I asked.
"Yes, I had things to get for the second term," he said. Something felt like there was more to it, but I figured it was better not to push it.
Lina looked up from the menu.
"I've decided."
"What are you getting?" I asked.
"A surprise."
"You really don't inspire trust."
Leon chuckled slightly.
"She likes taking risks," he said.
"I definitely don't," I said.
"I'm just hungry."
"That's worse," Lina said.
There was a short silence.
It wasn't awkward.
Just… newly met people silence.
Leon was playing with a napkin on the table.
Lina leaned toward me.
"This guy is calm," she whispered.
"I can hear you," Leon said.
Lina flinched.
"I was whispering."
"Not really," he said.
I rolled my eyes.
"Great, we're embarrassed already."
Leon smiled faintly.
"It could've been worse."
"Like how?" I asked.
"You could've really embarrassed yourselves."
This time I laughed.
"Comforting."
Then our orders arrived. We forgot the topic and focused on eating.
For a while, only the sound of cutlery was heard.
"This is actually really good," Lina said with her mouth full.
"Eat without talking," I said.
"I'm being judged," she mumbled.
Leon chuckled.
"Pretty much."
"You two have teamed up against me," Lina said.
"Yes," I said.
"We just met but we progressed fast," she added.
Leon tilted his head slightly.
"I'm adapting."
I smiled.
"Where are you from?" I asked.
"From the city, sort of," he said.
"Not exactly the center."
"Same," Lina said.
"More like the outskirts."
"I grew up directly in the city," I said.
"You're lucky," Lina said.
"Not really," I said.
"It's too crowded."
"Then coming here is better," Leon said.
I shrugged.
"I don't know. We just got here."
Lina took another bite.
"I'm excited though," she said.
"They say it's scary but…"
"You're also curious," I said.
"Yes."
Leon listened quietly.
"How was it when you first came?" Lina asked.
He paused for a moment.
"It was strange," he said.
"It took time to get used to."
"Was it hard?" I asked.
He shrugged.
"At first."
Then he gave a small smile.
"Then… you get used to it."
His answer was short but clear.
I didn't push further.
"What are you going to study?" I asked.
"Not sure yet," he said.
"You choose your department later."
"Nice," I said.
"So there's no risk of choosing wrong."
Lina laughed.
"I would definitely choose wrong."
"I wouldn't be surprised," I said.
"Hey."
Leon chuckled softly.
The atmosphere had softened.
Strangely…
It felt like we had known each other for a long time.
But still…
There was a lot I didn't know about Leon.
And he didn't seem very willing to talk about it.
We finished eating, paid separately, and left the café.
I turned to Leon.
"Are you also going to Virelion? Are we maybe on the same metrobus?" I asked.
Grinning, he said, "Do you really want us to be together that much?"
Rolling my eyes, I said, "It just seemed like it would be good to have someone older with us."
Leon stepped closer and put his arm around my shoulder.
"Yes, your big brother is on the same metrobus," he said, then removed his arm.
We started walking toward the metrobus.
The area was more crowded than it should have been.
I turned to Lina.
"It was calmer when we got off," I said.
Leon jumped in.
"The metrobus departure time has arrived. Next one is tomorrow. You wouldn't want to miss it."
"We definitely wouldn't," I said.
We merged into the crowd. People were rushing; suitcases, bags, voices… The calmness from before was gone.
"What is this," Lina said.
"It suddenly got full."
"It feels like we're late," I said.
"Don't run," Leon said.
"We'll make it."
But our steps still sped up.
At the entrance, there was already a queue. People were almost pushing each other to pass through the turnstiles.
I took out my card.
Just as I was about to move forward, someone bumped into my shoulder.
"Watch where you're going," I said reflexively.
The boy in front of me stopped.
He slowly turned toward me.
He looked familiar.
Then I remembered.
The boy who had taken my seat on the metrobus.
"You again," he said.
Same tone.
Careless.
I narrowed my eyes.
"Yes, me again."
"Not surprised."
"I am," I said.
"One coincidence is normal, two is too much."
He shrugged.
"Guess I'm lucky."
"You call this luck?"
Just then someone called from behind him.
"Draco, are you coming?"
I slightly lifted my head.
Draco.
The name settled in my mind.
He didn't take his eyes off me.
"I'm coming," he replied.
Then he looked back at me.
"This time I didn't take your seat," he said.
"What kindness," I said.
Leon jumped in.
"The crowd is getting worse, should we go?"
Draco's eyes shifted to Leon.
He paused briefly, as if evaluating him.
Then he smiled slightly.
"Go ahead."
But that smile…
Wasn't sincere.
I passed the turnstile.
Lina followed, then Leon.
But my mind stayed there.
Draco Ashford.
The name… suited him perfectly.
We moved further inside. The crowd was even denser. People were rushing, trying to reach their places.
"How do so many people even fit in here?" Lina said.
"Don't know," I said.
Leon was walking ahead, turning back occasionally to make sure we didn't get lost.
"This way," he said.
We followed him.
The metrobus was already at the stop. The doors had just opened, but it was already full.
"We'll make it, right?" Lina asked.
"We will," Leon said.
But there was a slight urgency in his voice.
We sped up.
When we got inside, finding a seat was almost impossible. We held onto whatever we could.
The doors started closing.
Just then someone jumped in at the last moment.
I looked up instinctively.
It was him.
Draco.
He walked in as if he wasn't in a hurry at all. He moved through the crowd, and people seemed to naturally make space for him.
My eyes followed him without meaning to.
Then he stopped for a moment.
Turned his head slightly and looked at me.
Our eyes met.
He didn't look away.
Neither did I.
It felt like the earlier conversation hadn't ended.
"Again," I muttered.
Lina looked at me.
"What happened?"
"Nothing," I said.
But it wasn't nothing.
As he passed by, he stopped briefly. His eyes first went to me, then to Leon.
A short moment.
But long enough.
Leon noticed too.
They looked at each other for a few seconds.
No one spoke.
But that silence… wasn't normal.
Draco's gaze stayed on Leon.
As if measuring him.
Then he looked at me.
"Luck," he said.
I rolled my eyes.
"Coincidence."
"Is it?" he said.
But his eyes shifted back to Leon.
Leon raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Is there a problem?" he said calmly.
Draco gave a faint smile.
"No."
He paused.
"Should there be?"
"I think there shouldn't," I said.
Lina leaned slightly toward me.
"I smell tension," she whispered.
"Me too," I said.
Draco looked a bit longer.
Then, as if losing interest, he shrugged.
"Have a good trip," he said.
And walked away through the crowd.
Leon kept looking in the direction he left for a while.
Then slowly turned to me.
He didn't say anything.
The metrobus started moving.
The crowd slowly settled. I held the pole tighter. Lina was right next to me, and Leon was across from me.
For a while, no one spoke.
The sounds inside returned to normal.
Lina was talking about something, but I wasn't really listening. My mind was elsewhere.
Then the crowd slowly began to thin out.
As people got off at stops, the space inside expanded.
"Some space opened up," Lina said.
"Good," I said.
Leon gestured slightly.
"You can sit," he said.
"Standing like this is harder."
I nodded and sat in the empty seat.
Lina immediately sat next to me.
"Finally," she said. "My legs are gone."
Leon was still standing but had moved to a more comfortable spot.
"Long trip," he said.
Something was on my mind.
"Isn't this metrobus for long-distance travel?" I asked.
Leon said, "It has three special stops for long travel. After the third, it doesn't pick up or drop off passengers anymore. It goes directly to Virelion."
That made more sense.
The city began to fall behind, and we entered a large forest.
After the last stop, Leon also sat down.
Looking out the window, I felt a bit calmer.
Strangely…
Everything became quiet.
Lina rested her head against the seat.
"I'm going to sleep a bit," she said. "You should sleep too."
"Maybe," I said, and closed my eyes.
I just wanted to rest a little.
A one-day journey was starting to feel too long.