Alina took a quiet breath to steady herself. Is he really going to sit here all day? she thought, sneaking a quick glance toward the back where Dante sat like a carved statue—calm, unreadable, and very much there.
She quickly turned back to the board and erased the previous lesson, her fingers trembling ever so slightly as she wrote in big, clear letters: MATH CLASS.
The reaction was immediate.
Boo, who had just recovered from his earlier tragedy, suddenly swayed dramatically in midair as if struck by an invisible force. "Uhhh… Boo's vision… going dark…" he moaned, clutching his chest and spinning slowly like a dying leaf. He even stuck out his tongue for effect.
Normally, Alina would have laughed, but she could feel Dante's piercing crimson eyes on the back of her head. So she coughed, composing herself, and said sternly, "Boo, please stay conscious at least until the first problem."
