Chapter 364: Elena Black [4]
Elena’s gaze shifted toward me again.
For the third time since she had entered the room.
Seriously, what was her problem?
Everyone else was sitting right there, yet she kept looking at me as if I were some kind of puzzle she couldn’t solve.
Then she smiled.
A perfectly measured smile.
The kind of smile that made people instinctively lower their guard.
"So," she said, folding her hands behind her back, "would you mind answering a few questions?"
"No."
The answer came out immediately.
Without hesitation.
Without even pretending to think about it.
The room froze.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Ryan slowly turned toward me.
Leo blinked.
Leona looked between me and Elena.
Even Nora seemed surprised.
Only Lena continued clinging to my waist as if none of this concerned her.
For the first time, Elena genuinely looked caught off guard.
Not offended.
Not angry.
Just surprised.
As though she had expected many possible answers and somehow missed the simplest one.
"...No?" she repeated.
"No."
"Not even one question?"
"No."
The silence somehow became even more awkward.
Then Elena laughed softly.
A small, polite laugh.
"You’re quite a prickly junior, aren’t you?"
My eye twitched.
See?
This was exactly what annoyed me.
That smile.
That response.
That perfectly controlled demeanor.
Everything about her felt manufactured.
Calculated.
Like she was constantly choosing the most socially optimal answer.
Maybe nobody else noticed.
Maybe nobody else cared.
But I knew.
Or at least, I thought I knew.
And because of that, every smile she showed somehow irritated me more.
"Hey."
Ryan looked completely baffled.
"What is wrong with you?"
"Nothing."
"Something is obviously wrong with you."
Leo nodded.
"She’s literally the person who saved our lives."
"That’s true."
"Then why are you acting like this?"
The others seemed equally confused.
Leona was staring at me suspiciously.
Nora looked curious.
Even Kiera appeared torn between confusion and concern.
I understood their reaction.
From their perspective, I was being unreasonable.
Objectively speaking, I probably was.
The problem was—
I couldn’t exactly explain that I disliked Elena because of events from a story nobody else remembered.
"Sniff."
My thoughts immediately derailed.
Because Professor Lena had decided to move again.
My entire body stiffened.
Seriously.
Why now?
Why was she rubbing her face against my stomach again?
Did she have some kind of addiction?
Could nobody else see this?
Could nobody else understand how difficult it was to maintain a serious expression while this was happening?
Apparently not.
Everyone had become strangely accustomed to it.
Traitors.
Meanwhile, Elena watched the scene quietly.
Then a faint smile appeared on her face.
"Well."
She shrugged lightly.
"Perhaps this isn’t the best environment for an interview."
"Excellent observation."
"However..."
Her silver eyes met mine again.
"...would you smile if we formally invited you to the student council later?"
"No."
"What if we asked nicely?"
"No."
"What if I personally came to recruit you?"
"Absolutely not."
Ryan burst out laughing.
Leo looked like he was struggling to hold it in.
Even Leona’s shoulders were shaking.
Elena tilted her head.
"That’s unfortunate."
"Not for me."
"It is for me."
Why?
Why was she still talking?
She continued as if she hadn’t heard my answer.
"It’s a shame."
"A shame?"
"You have a nice face."
The room immediately became silent.
"..."
"..."
"..."
I stared at her.
She stared back.
Completely serious.
Ryan looked ready to explode.
Leo had already given up pretending.
Leona covered her mouth.
Nora was staring at Elena with wide eyes.
Kiera looked as though she had just witnessed something shocking.
Meanwhile, Lena slowly raised her head.
Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
Elena continued speaking.
"It seems wasteful to spend all your time looking annoyed."
"I can smile right now."
"Oh?"
I forced the most artificial smile imaginable onto my face.
"There."
The smile probably looked more threatening than friendly.
Ryan immediately lost control.
"Hahahahah! Ohh God’s! This is so much funny!"
Yeah, laugh while you can basterd because you will be asking for me mercy when I’m done with you.
Enjoy the show for now.
Leo wasn’t far behind.
Even Elena blinked.
Then she laughed.
A genuine laugh this time.
Short.
Unexpected.
Human.
Unfortunately, that only made me more suspicious.
"See?" I said. "You got your smile. Please don’t invite me."
"No."
"No?"
"I still have questions."
I immediately felt tired.
"Why?"
"Because I’m curious."
Curious.
Right.
Sure.
That was definitely a normal thing for someone like Elena Black to say.
I narrowed my eyes.
"About what?"
"You."
Nope.
Didn’t like that answer.
Not one bit.
Ryan immediately leaned forward.
"Oh?"
Leo looked interested.
Leona looked interested.
Everyone suddenly looked interested.
Wonderful.
Exactly what I needed.
Elena didn’t seem to notice.
Or perhaps she simply didn’t care.
"You’ve become the center of several unusual incidents."
"That’s not my fault."
"I didn’t say it was."
"You implied it."
"I didn’t."
"You did."
"I didn’t."
"..."
"..."
For a moment, we simply stared at each other.
The room watched in fascinated silence.
Eventually, Elena smiled again.
That same infuriatingly gentle smile.
"I think we’ll get along."
"No."
"You’re rejecting the idea rather quickly."
"Because I know myself."
"And?"
"And I don’t think we’ll get along at all."
Ryan nearly fell off his chair laughing.
Even Leo looked amused now.
The worst part?
Elena didn’t seem offended.
Not even slightly.
If anything, she looked more interested than before.
Which was a horrifying realization.
Eventually, she glanced at the clock hanging on the wall.
"I should leave."
Thank goodness.
The greatest sentence I’d heard all day.
"I’ll visit again."
Never mind.
The worst sentence I’d heard all day.
Before anyone could respond, Elena turned toward the door.
Then paused.
Just briefly.
Her gaze shifted back to me one last time.
The curiosity in her eyes hadn’t disappeared.
If anything, it had grown stronger.
"Until next time, Rin."
Then she left.
Click.
The door closed.
Silence filled the room.
I continued staring at the door.
A long moment passed.
Then Ryan spoke.
"...She totally likes you."
I grabbed the nearest pillow and threw it directly at his face.