Under the glow of the setting sun, Chen Mian and Loviki arrived outside her old classroom. By this point, she had already climbed down from his back.
“This is the classroom.” Loviki pointed to the classroom in front of them, turning her head to look at Chen Mian. “There's no one inside. Want to go take a look?”
“Sure.”
Loviki pushed open the classroom door, walked briskly to the back row near the window, and sat down. Then, she patted the empty seat next to her.
Chen Mian walked over and sat down beside her.
The classroom was very quiet, with only the gentle sound of the breeze blowing through the window.
“The sky is so beautiful today.”
Chen Mian followed her gaze. The setting sun was sinking between the distant towers, and the horizon was painted with orange-red clouds.
The classroom fell silent for a few seconds.
Loviki turned her head and said with a light chuckle, “No one used to sit in the seat next to mine.”
“So I'm your very first deskmate?”
“Mhm.” Loviki looked back out the window. “How does it feel to sit in a classroom, classmate Chen Mian?”
Chen Mian turned his head, his gaze falling on her profile. Under the residual glow of the setting sun, Loviki's face was bathed in a soft, orange-red light.
“Not bad.”
“...‘Not bad’ means ‘good’ then.”
“That rule only applies to you.”
Loviki was taken aback for a moment, then she let out a soft huff, pretending to be displeased, though her voice still carried a hint of a smile. “Why does it only apply to me?”
“Because you say one thing but mean another.”
Loviki's fingers gently tapped the windowsill. After a long silence, she murmured, “You're quite the observant one.”
“Of course. After all, I'm your first deskmate.”
She finally turned her head slowly, the corners of her lips curving up slightly. “Then you're doing a pretty decent job as a deskmate.”
“Is there a reward?”
“A reward?” Loviki tilted her head, and after a moment, she pointed out the window. “I'll reward you with a view of the tallest tower in the academy. It used to be my favorite place.”
“Whenever I was in a bad mood, I would climb to the top of the tower, sit there to catch the breeze, and look over the entire academy.”
“Shall we go?”
“No.” She shook her head with a gentle smile, speaking easily, “Your deskmate is in a very good mood right now, so there's no need to go there.”
“By the way, doesn't your magic academy turn on the magic lamps at night?”
“They do, but the students are probably heading off to dinner right now.”
The classroom remained quiet for a while.
Suddenly, a flurry of footsteps echoed from the hallway, drawing closer, accompanied by intermittent chatter and laughter.
Loviki's expression froze slightly, and her eyes quickly scanned the classroom. “...Someone's coming.”
“Should we leave?” Chen Mian stood up.
“Too late.” Almost instinctively, she grabbed his wrist and pulled him toward the row of storage lockers lined against the wall near the podium.
Pulling open a locker door, she pushed him inside and squeezed in right after him.
The moment the locker door shut, the classroom door was pushed open.
The sound of students laughing and chatting filled the classroom, drawing closer and closer, and then the lights flickered on.
The space inside the locker was extremely cramped. Their bodies were pressed so close together that they could clearly feel each other's breath. Loviki's back was pressed against the locker wall, her body almost entirely flushed against Chen Mian's.
“...Are you silly?” Chen Mian said, a bit helpless.
Hearing this, Loviki nervously made a shushing gesture. She lifted her head and moved her lips, but made no sound. She was clearly telling him to shut up, or they would be heard.
“They can't see us,” Chen Mian mouthed back, copying her.
She blinked, seemingly just realizing what she had done, and her ears slowly began to burn.
Chen Mian lowered his head, keeping his voice extremely quiet. “And why are we hiding?”
“It was an instinctive reaction!” Her voice was also barely a whisper, but she spoke much faster than usual. “If we're seen together in an empty classroom, how are we supposed to explain it...”
“Explain what?”
Loviki opened her mouth, only to find herself completely speechless.
Indeed, what was there to explain?
She looked up, blinking her eyes, her ears turning even redder.
“...Anyway, we're already in here.” Her voice was tiny, carrying a sense of resignation. “It'll look even weirder if we go out now.”
“So we wait for them to leave?”
“Mhm.”
Silence fell inside the locker.
The students outside seemed to have sat down in the classroom and begun talking in low voices. Most of their conversation was about tomorrow's magic exam, with occasional chatter about which female classmate was good-looking.
With her body pressed against Chen Mian, Loviki could feel his steady breathing and her own still-racing heartbeat. The atmosphere suddenly became somewhat delicate.
She looked up slightly, her gaze falling on Chen Mian's face. It was very dark inside the locker, but through the faint light filtering in from the crack, she could still see the amusement on his face.
“...What are you smiling at?” she whispered.
“Nothing.”
“You are clearly smiling.”
“That's just what you think.” Chen Mian looked down at her. The distance between them was so close that they could feel the warmth of each other's breath.
Loviki's eyes darted away, her heart beating a little faster. She lowered her voice and said, “...You were smiling... Stop lying.”
“Alright. Your reaction is very cute.”
“I...”
Just then, someone outside stood up and suddenly approached the locker.
Loviki's breath caught in her throat, and her fingers clutching Chen Mian's sleeve tightened involuntarily.
She listened closely. The footsteps were indeed drawing nearer; someone was walking toward their locker.
Loviki's heart hammered wildly. Almost instinctively, she took a step forward, burying herself completely in Chen Mian's chest.
The light filtering through the crack in the locker door was blocked by a shadow for a brief moment before returning to its original brightness. The sound of someone rummaging through things echoed from outside.
Loviki held her breath, her shoulders tensing up.
Then, she felt a hand gently rest on her waist. The movement was incredibly light, as if trying to soothe her.
Loviki's body stiffened for a split second, and then she slowly relaxed. Her heartbeat was so loud... she began to worry the students outside would hear it.
“I thought I left my book next to the locker... Did I put it inside?” A murmur came from outside the door, and the next moment, the light from the crack was blocked once again.
Loviki stopped speaking entirely, burying her face tightly against Chen Mian's chest.
In the next instant, the locker door was swung open. The student stared at the empty locker and scratched his head.
“Kate, what are you looking for?”
“My elective book on basic fire magic.”
“Didn't you lend that to me?”
...
On the tower of the magic academy, Loviki's eyes were tightly shut, her fingers still clutching his clothes without letting go, her ears turning excessively red.
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