Velvet Reflection

“Enhancing…Learning…Abilities!”

That's when Kira struck an unmistakably goofy pose, pointing both fingers at us.

“...”

“...”

Kira slowly straightened herself up before silently coughing, probably to hide her expression more than anything.

“Get it? Our next class is ELA. Enhancing Learning Abilities... ELA. Motivating us to do better.” A defeated look settled on her face as she finished speaking.”

Cloey simply walked over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder and offering a smile.

“Pooie,” Kira muttered.

We had a little time before the next class started, and we were already seated, making small talk to pass the time. That was until the silence grew, and I finally spoke up.

“Are we going to talk about it?”

Both seemed to understand what I meant, but they both looked away, clearly dejected.

“I know we didn’t have much time to talk in the previous class, but I thought it would be best to ask while I had the chance.”

“They're just a group of bullies,” Kira muttered, her gaze dropping to the ground. “They're not exactly hardcore, but it starts to get to you when they do it all the time. They usually target me and others who rank high in school, though, so maybe I’m not the best judge of character.”

Kira more or less indicated towards Cloey via a side eye.

“I-I…I’d rather not.”

“Were you one of them?” I asked.

“O-of course not! I’d never do that. That’s why I distance myself from them.”

So, it’s more or less like that...

“I never really saw them together, except at the beginning of the school year,” Kira added.

“Well, I know how to read the room, so I won’t ask any more questions. I just wanted some clarification on everything that happened before class.”

“That's fair. We should've given you more information since you're new. At least nothing happened to get you in trouble,” Kira said, a sigh of relief crossing her face as she thought back on it.

If something had really happened this morning, I probably would’ve been kicked out in a matter of minutes.

“Thankfully, they just talked to us. Maybe they're all bark and no bite.”

“I'm more disappointed in them than actually angry,” Cloey added, speaking her mind as the situation lingered a bit longer.

As if by some twist of fate, the ELA teacher walked into the classroom, greeting everyone and setting up her area. Her arrival silenced our conversation as we shifted our focus to the lesson. The tension from this morning, though still lingering a bit, finally began to ease.

As everyone settled down, the teacher began his lesson. It was the same routine as the previous class, with one minor difference, Cloey propped up one of her textbooks to block the teacher’s view. We were sitting in the same spots as before, so, in true main character style, Cloey sat in the upper right corner. Thanks to her little move, I had a perfect view of her every action, seeing as I was seated right next to her.

Cloey went about her business before quietly handing me a note. She silently signaled for me to open it, which I did.

‘This class is super easy. I don’t pay much attention, but the teacher has really sharp hearing.’

She quickly took back the note, scribbled something on the back, and after a few seconds, handed it back to me.

‘Wanna swap contact info?’

I looked up to see her holding her phone behind the textbook, smiling and waving it around, leaving me with little choice. Sighing, I started to take out my phone. I had to be extra careful, though, since I was sitting between Kira and Cloey’s desks, meaning I stuck out more than I’d like. If the teacher was in the far corner or facing the other way, I wouldn’t have been as obvious.

Is this really the best choice?

I took out my phone as the teacher looked away, continuing to write on the whiteboard.

I don't even think I can use the internet here, unless my phone works the same way it did back in my own universe.

I extended my hand, sliding the phone behind Cloey's textbook as well.

It’s all for nothing at the end of the day.

We placed the phones close together, triggering the ‘NameDrop’ feature. Both contacts appeared on the other person's phone.

After changing the name to Cloey, I finished what I needed to do to add her to my contacts.

This is the first time I’ve had anyone in my contacts other than family.

As I thought about how lonely my contact list was, my phone vibrated. I checked it quickly and saw that Cloey had sent an image. My gaze shifted to her as she wore an innocent, playful smile. Unsure whether to take that as a good sign or not, I opened the message to find a photo of Cloey wearing glasses, facing the camera while adjusting them.

She looks like a librarian.

The dot symbols appeared, followed by another message.

‘You can use that as my contact picture.’

My mind started to overreact to this, and I couldn’t find the strength to face the person causing the chaos.

‘Your face is turning red’

‘(~￣³￣)~’

I quickly put my phone away after seeing the additional messages she sent, my face growing even more flushed.

It’s not like I’m saving the image for myself! I’ll only save it to use as her contact picture…m-maybe I’ll send an image of myself too, if I have one. o-only to make it fair.

I had no idea why I was stuttering in my mind, but it only made me more flustered. At least, I was…until I realized a contradiction in everything that had just happened.

How did I even receive messages from Cloey?

I glanced back at my phone to see a few more random messages from Cloey, filled with emoticons. Ignoring those, I looked at the upper right corner and saw both the Wi-Fi and signal bars, both at full strength.

I slowly put my phone away, only to realize another contradiction!

Why isn’t my phone wet?! Or even destroyed, for that matter?!

I didn’t really mention my belongings when I fell into the pond, but I was definitely soaked, including my phone. I just set it aside with my wet clothes and only brought it up once with Amy.

The pond definitely soaked both me and Cloey, but my phone wasn’t wet? That doesn’t add up. Could it have been Amy?

After thinking it over for a bit longer, I finally reached the most decisive conclusion about the situation.

I decided I just won’t worry about it!

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

I really don’t want this to end!

Focusing my attention on both the teacher and the lovebirds, I watched as they casually passed notes and exchanged contact information.

Dear goddess of love, if you truly exist, please grant some miracle to keep these two together.

Internally praying to the only god I could think of who’d be most fitting for this situation, I silently waited for the ship to sail.

Ship…? No, it’s more than that! A full luxury cruise featuring a tall girl and a shorter boy with mysterious origins. Shadow…Origins. Wait, no. That’s not right.

[Kira is a huge fan of romance and a total game nerd.]

I’m doing it again! There’s no time to dwell on the reference right now.

Slightly shaking my head, I refocused on the teacher, then noticed the ticking clock near the teacher's desk.

Ah…it’s almost 11:00.

Class was almost over. Maybe everything felt like it was moving faster because I was learning and enjoying watching those two. I thought that, but my drowsiness hit me again, causing me to yawn.

I could really go for some apple juice right now.

The teacher turned around, interrupting my train of thought, and pointed in my general direction. My heart skipped a beat, but then I realized she wasn’t pointing at me specifically.

“Cloey, since you’ve so kindly opened your textbook beyond belief, please insert the question.”

“Oh, uh…”

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

I pushed myself up when I heard the teacher address me. Grabbing my textbook, I glanced at the question he had asked.

“...”

Yeah…I have no idea. I wasn’t paying attention throughout class.

I glanced to the side for any kind of help, only to find Anon avoiding eye contact and Kira scribbling something down.

It’s enough to make a grown man cry.

Just as I was about to take a shot in the dark, a small piece of paper landed on my desk. My eyes followed its path to see Kira giving me a thumbs up.

I almost felt the urge to drop to my knees and cup my mouth in exaggerated gratitude.

Is she a goddess?

“Well…insert answer.”

“Looks like someone was paying attention for the right reasons,” the teacher said, tossing the whiteboard eraser toward the door. “Isn’t that right, Oberon?”

The classroom door swung open to reveal a boy of similar height to Kira, his hair strikingly reminiscent of hers. While Kira's hair was predominantly black with fiery red highlights, Oberon sported a mane of vibrant red adorned with darker black streaks.

I glanced over at Anon, who simply shrugged in response. Kira, however, seemed noticeably delighted to see him.

“Yo, Teach, how’d you know it was me?”

“That’s Ms. Kobayashi to you.”

[Ms. Kobayashi was not part of the plan.]

Taking a seat as they spoke, I leaned over towards Kira.

“Are you friends with him?” I asked, glancing at the boy across the room.

“Pretty much,” she said, her tone laced with a hint of delight. “He’s my brother.”