A Liar's Truth [UNDER FINAL REVISION]

Ch 49: Top campus gossip

Third-person point of view

The hallway buzzed with the familiar chaos that always came before exams.

Students hurried past, clutching transparent pencil cases and review sheets. Indoor shoes squeaked across the polished floor while pages rustled in hurried hands. Someone nearby had opened a fresh mechanical pencil refill, the faint scent of graphite mixing with the clean smell of floor wax.

"I swear, if they ask quadratic equations again..."

"They're going to ask quadratic equations."

"...I'm doomed."

Groans echoed from one end of the corridor to the other.

A teacher carrying a stack of answer booklets walked past, immediately scattering a cluster of chatting students before they quietly drifted back together the moment she disappeared around the corner.

Ginka smiled to herself as she adjusted the strap of her bag. Just another normal morning.

"Sei-chan!"

Her eyes widened, "Oh—" She barely managed to turn before a familiar figure barreled straight into her, "Hashi—" Strong arms wrapped around her waist, lifting her clear off the ground. "W-Wait!"

The hallway became a dizzy blur. Windows. Ceiling. Students.

Sunlight flashed between each spin while startled students hopped aside to avoid becoming collateral damage, "I'm gonna—" Another turn, "—throw up..."

A first-year yelped and hugged the wall as Kakeru spun past him. "Hashizume-senpai's at it again."

"Oi!" Another called from farther down the hall. "Don't launch her through the windows!"

Kayano doubled over laughing, "Hashizume-kun, stop! She's actually changing colors!"

Only then did Kakeru finally stop spinning, "...Ah." He blinked. "...Still alive?"

Ginka's knees immediately gave out. She caught Kayano's shoulder before she could collapse completely. "The world is spinning..." She squeezed one eye shut.

"...Oops."

"You think?"

Kakeru rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I always forget normal people get dizzy."

"What was that supposed to mean?!" 

A quiet sigh escaped Kanzaki. Without interrupting the conversation, she calmly opened her bag and held out a peppermint nasal stick. "...Here."