A new year at Nine Petal Academy means a new crop of students, including a boy who can't control his magic, a thief, an angel, and even a suit of armor? Adela, Lei, and their friends are tasked with welcoming the new class of first years and helping...
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We entered the forest and walked until we came upon a tiny cabin in the mountains. The girl opened the door and pushed me inside.
I stumbled but managed to balance my weight by moving my upper body back, avoiding falling face-first into the wood floor. It was surprisingly well made. The interior was very barebones, all things considered. It only had a single bed, a black chair, and a desk with a laptop.
"Is this your headquarters? Why is there only one bed?" I asked, glancing over my shoulder.
"Great observation. I made this place as a special getaway."
I jumped and spun around to face her. "You planned to betray your comrades from the start, didn't you? That's why you left them behind."
She chuckled and threw me into the bed. "Seems that you aren't only a pretty face."
I shut my eyes. A girl was flirting with me, but why did it have to be my kidnapper?
"Why aren't you resisting?" the girl asked. "I tied up your hands, but not your feet. Or are you only good with your fists?"
I opened my eyes. "Huh? You want me to fight back?"
She gave me a stern look. "Forget it." She plopped down on her seat and opened up her laptop.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"I'm going to look to see if there are any cheap tickets out of this country. Doubt that your friends won't send someone to look for you. I'll like to be as far from here as possible when they do."
I lowered my head. "You really think so? They went on without me."
"Trust me, if you saw the look on their faces as we walked away, you would've noticed. They might not save you directly, but they'll ensure that help comes."
I glanced up and smiled. "Hope you're right."
She clicked away on her computer. "Say, why you were in the first-class seats? The one who threw me into the dashboard, and you don't appear rich enough to afford first-class seats."
"We aren't. Koukyuu got us our tickets."
"The white-haired lady?" she asked, spinning her chair toward me.
I averted my gaze. It was easier to talk to the girl when she wasn't looking at me directly. "Y-yes."
She smirked. "Why are you stuttering again? Thought that you had finally gotten used to me."
"I-I can't talk to a girl when looking at them directly. Even when I'm not, I sometimes struggle."
She raised a hand to her chin and chuckled. "So, you're shy around girls, huh? You're not the first, but your case is certainly more severe than the others I've seen."
"I-Is it?"
She crossed her legs and nodded. "Yup. So, where were you going?"
Why is she talking to me now? She didn't like me talking earlier. Maybe she was just killing time. Or was she trying to bond with me so that I help her escape? Some people protected their kidnappers because they felt pity for them. Maybe it was a good thing that she didn't respond to my earlier question about why she was doing this.
