TPCF 54

Chapter 54                                                                                                                                                                                                    When Anita spoke with a sigh, the two of them awkwardly avoided her gaze.

After that, silence fell. The two only stole glances at Anita without saying a word, and she was satisfied with the rare quiet. Dodging Rutger’s endless questions had been tiring, so it was nice that he finally kept his mouth shut.

Before long, just by steadily moving their feet, they found themselves at the dormitory entrance. Anita thanked the two for walking her there. She could have gone alone, but they had stubbornly insisted on escorting her anyway.

“Oh. Where’s my bag?”

Just as Anita was opening the dormitory door, she remembered he still had her belongings.

“I’m still studying it,” Rutger replied brazenly.

“And what are you going to do with that?”

“Artists study anatomy too.”

“…”

Anita opened her mouth to retort but shut it again. Come to think of it, he wasn’t exactly wrong.

“Are you planning to carry my bag again tomorrow?”

“Who said I was carrying it for you? I told you, I’m studying.”

“Oh, really? So what have you learned? Let’s hear it.”

Because she was standing on the stairs at the dorm entrance, Anita’s gaze fell from above. With her arms crossed, she simply stared down at Rutger.

A moment ago, he had been full of bravado, but now he fidgeted under her gaze, avoiding her eyes.

“I’m still learning.”

“Is that so? Then just give it back. You don’t even like reading books anyway.”

Anita felt burdened by his kindness. When she believed he didn’t know about her injury, she had dismissed his attitude as nothing more than teasing. But now, judging from his behavior, it seemed to be a form of consideration.

And Anita wasn’t brazen enough to accept such goodwill without knowing the motive behind it.

If he liked her as a woman, that she could at least understand. But judging by the way he constantly pushed her away whenever she came close, that didn’t seem to be the case.

And if asked whether he treated her like a friend, that wasn’t it either. Anita knew how Rutger behaved toward his friends. If one of them hurt their leg, Rutger was the type to laugh at them, not quietly help behind the scenes.

“I’m not a seven-year-old kid. I can take care of myself. Just give it back.”

Anita spoke firmly and held out her hand. While Rutger still hesitated, Edmund, who had been silently listening, interjected.

“Stealing on campus is grounds for disciplinary action, you know?”

His voice was clearly playful. Anita bit the inside of her cheek to suppress a laugh, but Rutger looked offended.

“You should just return it. She’s an adult. She should be able to handle her own affairs.”

“That just shows you don’t know her.”

The smile on Anita’s lips instantly vanished. If they were going to start fighting again, she wanted no part in it.

“Well then, I’ll be going in.”

Anita couldn’t think of any peaceful way to end the situation. So she quickly said her goodbyes and slipped inside the dormitory. The door slammed shut behind her, and their voices faded away.

Several days passed after that.

Anita carefully unwrapped the bandages around her leg. At a glance, it looked perfectly fine. She slowly stood up. She had only been walking with the bandage for a few days, but somehow she had already gotten used to leaning on her left leg. She found that oddly funny.

Cautiously, she shifted her weight onto her right leg. She had braced herself for pain, but it was nothing.

Her leg moved without pain, perfectly fine. Anita stared at it in surprise, then glanced at the clock.

It was already five o’clock.

Today was the freshman welcome party. If she didn’t want to be late, she needed to start getting ready now. Honestly, she wanted to skip the whole thing and rest.

But Anita had a reason she had to attend. Not long ago, at the shooting range, she had told Lilliana that she couldn’t make it—too busy, she’d said politely, apologizing. But Lilliana had been adamant.

In the end, they’d compromised that Anita would at least show her face.

She changed into clothes that weren’t too fancy but still appropriate enough, then left her room. She had always been careful about locking her door, but after the Charles Bennett incident, she had developed the habit of checking five times over.

Today was no different. After locking the door, she tested the doorknob again and again. Mid-check, she froze. She had forgotten to ask Edmund what had happened to him.

Even if he had a record of stalking, expelling someone without evidence would have been difficult.

She reminded herself to ask Edmund later and turned around—only to jump in fright.

“W-What, why are you… coming out of here…?”

Her heart pounding, Anita barely managed to speak. No wonder—right behind her stood Lilliana, so close their eyes met immediately. Anita hadn’t even heard her footsteps; she must have been standing there the whole time while Anita wrestled with her key.

“What do you mean, why am I coming out of here? Don’t be so cold. I live next door, remember?”

“…”

“I thought maybe you were trying to sneak out after putting your name on the attendance list, so I came to check. Hm.”

As Lilliana narrowed her eyes and stepped closer, Anita instinctively backed away, fumbling behind her.

“W-What is it?”

Her gaze was terrifying—like she was scrutinizing Anita too closely. Finally, after a long inspection, Lilliana stepped back.

“This much is acceptable.”

“Huh?”

“There’s no official dress code, but you should at least look presentable, right? Some people show up in outfits so ridiculous it’s embarrassing for the school.”

The sharp aura she had radiated just moments ago suddenly melted away.

“Alright then. Shall we go?”

And once again, before Anita could escape, her arm was seized.