Finally, after almost an hour of training, the torture was over. With a satisfied sigh, Regina ordered everyone to stretch and get ready to call it a night.

“Okay, everyone, time for a break! You did well, but no one is leaving here without stretching!”

declared the teacher, with a brief smile that still carried the weight of her authority.

While the other students began to disperse to rest, I remained in the stands, in no hurry to get down.

[Astrid's POV]

I was getting ready to go back to the classroom when, to my surprise, the cutest thing in the world, also known as Carlotta, approached me.

“Astrid, Carlotta isn't seeing Brent and Carlotta. Do you know where they are?”

Camellya asked with that innocent look on her face, but the slightly worried tone in her voice left me a little confused for a few seconds.

It took me a moment to realize their absence. Brent and Carlotta weren't on the court, which was strange in a way. But then I remembered something.

“I saw them heading for the restroom about three minutes ago.”

I gave a short, direct answer to Camellya's question and then headed back to the living room.

When I arrived in the living room, with Camellya by my side, I caught a glimpse of Brent with his back to the door, talking about something with Carlotta. I found their closeness a little strange, but decided not to pry. After all, it was none of my business.

When he noticed us, Brent turned around with a surprised expression, as if trying to disguise something. His usually carefree smile now looked a little forced, and he quickly put his backpack on his back, as if he was getting ready to leave.

“See you guys, I've got something to do at home. See you tomorrow.”

Brent, with the same carefree tone as always, tried his best to get out of the situation. However, before he could make a move, Roccia, determined to make a statement, stopped him from leaving the room.

“Brent, wait!”

Roccia, on impulse, ended up shouting when she realized that Brent was leaving.

Because of that shout, all attention turned to Roccia. Embarrassed, she cringed slightly, but didn't let it shake her. With a heavy sigh, she ran over to her desk and picked up the bag underneath it.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

“I...”

Roccia's voice began to falter, but I saw her take a deep breath and continue.

“I just wanted...”

As the minutes passed, I noticed that Roccia became more and more apprehensive. She rummaged through her bag desperately, as if looking for something, but the words seemed to be stuck in her mouth. It was as if she wanted to say something, but simply couldn't express herself.

“What?”

Roccia asked, almost shouting, as she threw her materials from her backpack onto the floor.

It took me by surprise and left me confused for a few seconds, but a few seconds later, it finally hit me.

“The cuttlefish...”

I began, trying to say something. But before I had a chance, Carlotta jumped in and interrupted me.

“Roccia, is everything all, right? Did something happen?”

Carlotta asked, approaching with a look that was clearly confused and slightly worried.

Roccia paused for a moment, her eyes meeting Carlotta's, as if she was about to collapse. The room was completely silent, except for the sound of papers and objects from Roccia's backpack scattered across the floor.

“The chocolate I prepared yesterday... is gone.”

Roccia replied, her eyes already brimming with tears.

“What do you mean... it's gone? The chocolate you made was huge, that's why you needed such a big bag to store it.”

I said, slightly indignant, not wanting to accept that something so big could just disappear, just like that.

Sensing the angry tone in my voice, Suzana, Roccia's sister, tried to calm both my and Roccia's nerves.

“Relax, people, it's not that big a deal, it was just a chocolate...”

However, Roccia, realizing what her sister was about to say, interrupted her with a cry full of frustration and sadness.

“IT'S NOT JUST A CHOCOLATE, SUZANA!”

Roccia's response was a high-pitched scream, which startled everyone in the room. It was the first time they had seen her nervous side.

With tears still streaming down her face, I noticed Roccia walking towards Sid.

Sid, who until then had been sitting at the back of the room, looked up when he saw Roccia approaching.

“Sid, help me... what do I do?”

Roccia begged, desperation clearly evident on her face.

“I'll do anything you say, just tell me what I need to do to find my chocolate and I'll do it.”

As soon as Roccia said those words, I saw Sid let out a soft sigh and close his eyes, as if pondering the situation.

“Roccia, do you remember our conversation we had that day?”

Sid asked, slowly opening his eyes and looking at her with a serious look.

After Sid's question, I noticed Roccia looking at him with tears still streaming down her face, but with a visibly confused look on her face. However, a few moments later, I realized that she seemed to have remembered something. Confirmation came with a slight nod.

“As I told you, it's okay to be the weak person you are. When you can't stand it any longer, go home and cry it all out.”

Sid continued, but this time looking at Roccia with a slightly empathetic gaze.

If Roccia hadn't explained everything Sid had told her yesterday, I would certainly have found her words extremely cold and lacking in empathy. However, after that explanation, I began to understand her intentions. Still, to anyone looking in from the outside, it could have seemed extremely insensitive.

Roccia's reaction was almost spontaneous. As soon as Sid said those words, she picked up her bag from the floor and ran out of the room, still crying. While I was still confused, trying to understand how such a large chocolate could disappear so easily, I ended up not noticing what Carlotta had done to Sid's face.

At a dry sound, everyone in the room turned to see what had happened and found Carlotta with her hand still outstretched, while Sid's face was completely red and marked by her fingers.