BP4L's Collection of Toaru Works

ToaruXBA. 3.

I can now take requests. But the publishing would be pretty sporadic, as I'll be focusing much on working the main fic.

^8^

She had noticed how exhausted he appeared to be for quite some time now. His head bobbing, stifled yawns, and heavy movements were all evidence of it. The dark circles under his eyes were the most significant signs yet.

She didn't realize this until they'd reached the third floor of the main building. She felt rather guilty, knowing that he must have had to put up with her ignorance for nearly half an hour.

She walked him around the campus grounds while they waited for the arrival of the headmistress. Her presence had been summoned by the city administrator, a sentient artificial intelligence that was already decades old before she herself reached the womb.

It is said that the AI used to be a human herself, but her brain was kept in storage to preserve her life; her existence was pivotal for the city to continue functioning. She had never met her personally, but she had received a direct command from her through the headmistress.

Now, where are we again? Oh, yes, right. While she was guiding him around, Suzushina had been mostly unresponsive, only grumbling words that she couldn't quite catch. She'd also caught him looking at her. At first, she thought that she hadn't cleaned herself right after the fight, feeling rather embarrassed by it, but turns out, he was just looking at other people's halos. Including her own.

And then there's this thing about him lacking one. Someone without a halo was unheard of in Kivotos. At least, someone who wasn't an adult. But as time passed, more and more adults died and were replaced by the younger generations. Most of the current adults now have halos, and the number of those without them is slowly diminishing over time. And there he was, a boy who didn't have one for reasons she couldn't understand.

At some point, she had brought the subject up in one of her questions. His exact words were...

"It wouldn't suit me."

An outright falsehood.

She could tell.

Maybe it has something to do with his past. Maybe he was just born without it. Whatever it is, it's pressing him enough to bring him out of his comfort zone and make him reply with something other than a grunt.

She dropped the subject quickly enough.

They were currently sitting side by side in the waiting area outside of the headmistress's office.

Even with their age gap virtually nonexistent, Hina's smaller frame made it seem as if she were a literal child. Her slightly chubby cheeks didn't help. And the fact that her legs barely reached the floor only amplified this fact.

Both of them were quiet; there wasn't anything in that room that really interested either of them. The only sound they could hear was the people outside. Mostly, it was just the footsteps of people walking.

Earlier, they had encountered people who recognized him from the battle back downtown. they'd initiate a small convo with him, so she wasn't entirely alone then. Now, they were in a secluded room, just the two of them. The silence allowed her to hear the rhythmic pattern of their breathing. Only now did she notice how tense the atmosphere was.

'I am alone... with a stranger.'

At the moment, all she wanted to do was pull out her phone and pretend that she was busy. However, that would be rude, wouldn't it? After all, she had just met him, and as the Head of the Prefects, it is only natural that she should make a good first impression.