Arin had a frown on his face as he stared at Riya's retreating figure. 'Just play along? What does she mean by that?'
'First, I remember when she told me 'be careful, it won't be easy' outside The Area that day, and now, she's telling me to play along?' Arin wondered as he continued walking towards the main Academy building.
Suddenly, he heard footsteps rushing towards him, making him raise his head instantly.
"Arin!" Lina exclaimed as she rushed toward him with a bright smile on her face.
Before Arin could even do or say anything, Lina hugged him tightly.
'Why is she acting like she hasn't seen me in ages?' Arin thought as he wrapped his arms around her, hugging her back.
"I was so worried," she whispered.
Arin furrowed his brows as he broke the hug, staring at her. "Worried? Why?"
Lina frowned. "You're supposed to know. I have every right to be worried!"
At this point, Arin was genuinely confused. 'I think the both of us are on different pages here.'
Arin held her shoulder as he looked at her and smiled. "I still don't understand."
Lina let out a sigh as she placed her hands on her waist. "You were absent the whole of yesterday, and when I asked your teacher about it, she said you were sent out on a mission and wouldn't be back for the day."
'Mission?' Arin thought. 'What could she possibly be talking abo—'
Suddenly, Arin realized something as his eyes widened slightly.
'Absent the whole of yesterday.....?' he thought.
'Play along, huh? Everything is starting to make sense.'
Arin smiled as he looked at Lina again. "Oh, you're talking about that. Sorry I didn't tell you, I had to leave immediately because of the mission, and I returned late, so I couldn't meet you."
'What's with the sudden change of expression?' Lina thought as she frowned slightly.
"It's okay, I'm not angry," she said. "Anyways, what mission was that?"
"It was a mission to stop some bandits," Arin replied. "It took a lot of time."
"Oh, I'm just glad you're back," Lina said as the both of them continued walking.
Arin nodded his head as he smiled, though his thoughts were occupied.
'So, this means when I was in the Vampire Realm, a whole day passed here.....' Arin thought. 'I'm sure I didn't spend that much time there.'
But that aside, the biggest cause of concern was Riya.
'She gave Lina that excuse and even met me personally, telling me to play along,' Arin thought. 'This can only mean one thing... She knows something.'
'Who really is Riya? She was just a normal teacher in the novel..... So what's happening?'
"Arin," Lina called out. "You spaced out again."
"Oh," Arin smiled. "I was just remembering the mission...."
Lina nodded her head as the both of them entered the main building and reached the hallway where the classes were located.
"Okay," Lina said while waving her hand. "I'll see you later!"
Arin also waved at her before entering his class. Not many students were present yet since it was not yet time for the class to begin.
He quickly found his way to his usual seat at the back, his mind still occupied with thoughts about Riya.
The class was slowly getting filled up with students, and within minutes, it was completely filled.
Seconds after all the students entered the class, Riya came in, dropping her books on the table before facing the students.
Arin couldn't stop staring at her. 'What's with that indifferent expression?..... Definitely not the expression she had when she was talking to me.'
'Or should I confront her?' Arin thought. 'I have to make a decision fast.'
Apart from Riya, there was also someone else Arin was planning to confront today.
His eyes scanned the classroom before his gaze settled on Leon, who was staring at Riya weirdly.
'That character of his will just make my job easier,' Arin thought.
Suddenly, Arin felt eyes on him, making him look forward, and he was met with Riya's gaze.
Riya folded her arms as she tilted her head. "Not listening again, huh? You space out a lot, Arin Vale."
Before Arin could say anything, Riya spoke again.
"But I'll pardon you this time," she said as her gaze deepened, "after all, taking care of a mother isn't easy."
Riya gave him a cheeky grin before she looked away and continued teaching.
'Taking care of a mother...?' Arin thought. 'I might be wrong, but I think that's what she told the students in this class as the reason why I wasn't present yesterday.'
As Riya was teaching, she suddenly looked at the open door. "Oh, you've arrived, huh?"
Arin's eyes darted towards the door where a girl was standing, wearing the Academy's uniform.
The other students were also staring at the girl with confused expressions. After all, she was someone they had never seen before.
Riya escorted the girl inside before speaking. "She's a new student in this Academy. I know some of you are confused."
She glanced at all the students before she continued. "She was facing an issue with her family before, so she wasn't able to take the entrance exam."
"Though, after hearing about her situation, the Principal decided to give her a harder entrance exam to see if she would pass," Riya explained. "And well, she did exceptionally well."
"So, welcome this Academy's new student and your new classmate," Riya said.
"Long purple hair, with a fringe covering her right eye, beautiful purple eyes that seem to suck my soul out of me. A smooth skin that will make any man think twice before harming her, together with a graceful body that blesses anyone who lays their eyes on her. Oh! The gods have blessed me with a beauty!"
Leon exclaimed as he knelt down, making the chair move back with a loud creak.
Arin folded his arms. 'Did he just come up with that? Because those were some pretty good lines.'
"Oh, god, this humble servant has received your blessing!" Leon exclaimed once more.
The girl seated beside him frowned deeply. "Shut up, Leon! You're being awfully loud!"
"That's enough!" Riya said, her voice firm.
The girl who was standing beside Riya just stared at Leon with an amused expression.
"Now, introduce yourself, then you can sit," Riya said.
The girl nodded her head before walking forward.
"My name is Kiara Everhart," she said as she stared at Arin with a small smirk. "Nice to join you all."