Heading straight from the library to the dorm, I could feel curious gazes from other students, but I ignored them. If any of them spoke to me, I'd respond, but I didn't have the energy to react just because they were watching me.
When I entered the dorm room, I was greeted by Alisa's usual gratitude.
"Welcome back, Master Lilia."
"I'm home… Have you been in my room the whole time?"
"Yes, I have."
"You could have gone somewhere else…"
"I didn't have permission…"
What an inconvenient one, I thought, as I slightly frowned. Sakura, noticing this, grinned.
– It's my first day back, and I guess Lilia was in her room so she could come back whenever she wanted. Well, some people didn't get permission, but even if they had, I think they would have stayed here all day anyway.
– Don't I rely on her too much?
– Yeah. You're not more convincing than you've been the last two weeks.
– Mm…
I can't argue, as I think Sakura is right. After all, I've had a history of skipping class, so it would be natural for Alisa to worry.
– Plus, you're not actually in class!
– That's… No, right...
– No, no, no, no.
– Shut up.
I returned my gaze to Alisa, who was still staring at me with concern.
"Alisa, I'm fine. You can go out tomorrow."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Then I'll study in my room, so call me if you need anything."
"I understand!"
Alisa responded with a thankful smile, and I went into my bedroom. After closing the door, I headed to the desk in the corner of the room. On the bookshelf by the desk, Alisa had already sorted out my textbooks and other books, neatly arranged by type.
– Sakura. Nice to see you again today.
– Yes. Paper out, pen out… Let's go!
I couldn't help but let out a slight grin at Sakura's cheerful voice as I placed the paper and pen on my desk, following her instructions.
Sakura's words were written on paper. "What I'm teaching you now is arithmetic. Specifically, this is called the Abacus. When I say a number, you should calculate the sum in your head. I can't prepare the tools, so I'll be doing all the calculations in my mind."
Lilia was busy with her work when she heard Sakura's voice. She looked up, turned the paper with various numbers upside down, and glanced toward the door. She was startled by a knock.
"Lilia, someone's here," Sakura said.
Lilia furrowed her brow in surprise. "Who?"
"It's Master Tina."
Lilia blinked in surprise. She had just seen him earlier that morning and didn't expect him to visit again. What could be the reason?
"No way… What's this about?"
– No, Lilia, don't overthink it. We're friends, right?
– But… But this is a place where senior aristocrats reside. It's not common to visit friends casually here.
– Well, did you argue with him? That would be so embarrassing!
– What are you talking about?
Lilia took a seat, feeling slightly confused, and stood up to meet Alisa at the entrance. As she opened the door, she found Tina standing there, looking a bit nervous.
"Lilia... Lilia. Good evening."
Lilia had thought about making a point of it, but she decided to hold back when she saw Tina's demeanor.
"Good evening, Tina. What can I do for you?"
"It's not a big deal… I was wondering, would you like to join us for dinner?"
"I don't mind, but are you sure?"
"Yeah, of course. You don't need permission to have dinner with your friends, right?"
Lilia couldn't help but think that she could understand why the prince liked Tina. While it was impossible to get along with a bunch of aristocrats right away, Tina's down-to-earth nature made it easy to connect with her.
"Okay, then. Shall we go? But wait, isn't there something going on here? What's the real reason?"
"Huh? What do you mean? What are you talking about?"
Lilia's cheek twitched when she saw Tina tilt her head cutely. From behind, she could hear Alisa laughing softly. Lilia felt her cheeks flush slightly, not sure why she felt embarrassed.
– Huh. I was right. I win.
– What?
– Hey, I'm joking, Lilia! Don't be scared!
Lilia sighed and shook her head, while inside, Sakura couldn't help but chuckle at the situation. Lilia smiled, trying to brush off her discomfort.
"It's okay. Don't worry about it. Shall we go?"
Tina sighed in relief and nodded eagerly. "Yes, let's go."