A lot happened in the last few minutes.

From being threatened by a pervert. To getting late to class.

To becoming a enemy of someone who should be dead, to becoming a apparent ally of the same person.

Now, I'm going to bring someone to a trap.

What does Arstria plan on doing? Beating a child due to being rejected is definitely something the Arstria I knew wouldn't do.

Wait, she totally would do that.

Atleast it should be simple.

If he rejected Arstria, then this means I'm already on his side, as the class thinks that I'm Arstria's enemy.

Wait, but I don't even know whether he is from the same class as me in the first place.

After climbing down the ramps, I'm finally back to the ground floor.

I will clearly walk far away from the Director's office.

From what they told me, he is currently on the underground floor.

The underground floor is the recess area. Where you can go to buy food from the restaurant, or just hang out in the park.

Near the park, a small garden can be found.

As classes already ended. Only a few students can be found in school.

Why he is there is a mystery, maybe he likes the nature around?

Oh, how can a garden exist underground? Simple, the ceiling there is made out of glass.

The architecture never ceases to surprise me.

Walking through the forest, I look around for him.

This place is actually bigger than I thought.

I actually have a secret that I don't tell to people.

Not even my family knows about it.

I have Empathic Sense.

In this world there are many different kinds of lifeforms.

From plants, to animals, to bacteria, to humans.

I'm able to sense their presence.

Bacteria are too small, so I mostly ignore them.

Same for plants, I know the general direction, but that is it.

Animals are close to my own species, so I feel their presence easily.

As for humans themselves, I'm also able to feel their life signature.

Or more accurately, their emotions.

When someone is feeling a emotion, I can almost feel it too.

So I know when someone is angry even if they are not showing it.

Maybe it is a super-power of some kind, or a divine gift.

Looking from a scientific sense, maybe I'm just reading their expressions.

As for detecting life, maybe I have better hearing or a better nose than regular humans.

Hm, where could a boy hide in this forest...

Found you.

He is sitting on a bench in the middle of the forest.

Almost in a hidden clearing amidst the trees.

Hair as black as the night.

And eyes as lifeless as the dead.

I don't think he is looking at anything.

If not for the slight movement of his breathings, I would think he is a doll.

If I plan on getting his trust, I must treat it similarly to how you approach a cat.

Make your presense smaller and harmless.

"Oh, I didn't expect to see someone here."

"..."

Almost like he didn't notice my presense.

Or he is ignoring me.

He isn't showing any emotion at all.

"What is your name?"

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"..."

He is kidding me, right?

Or he is deaf and Arstria is playing a prank on me.

"Are you able to hear me? Why are you alone?"

"..."

This sucks.

I approach slowly, he don't show any intention of moving.

Now I feel bad, someone like this getting beat up is not fair.

He doesn't seem bothered by my presence.

As he is ignoring me completely.

Am I invisible now?

I sit near him, swinging my hand on his face.

No reaction.

What the hell.

This is offensive.

This don't make sense.

Unless he is both deaf and blind, he should know that I'm here.

Maybe he is a deep state of meditation?

That makes sense, coming to a secluded place to meditate.

Now that I take a closer view, I've seen him before.

He IS from my class after all.

The boy that was focused on studying.

Which is why people expected him to oppose Arstria.

Let's see...

In the scenario, he would be a monk looking for enlightenment.

Then my role is the demon who shows him earthly pleasures.

Yeah, I'm sure that as a pretty girl I would be able to get him out of the meditation.

But there is no way that I'm going as far as kissing him.

He is not a frog or a sleeping princess.

What if I... Hugged him?

That could work.

Ok, here goes nothing.

It feels the same as hugging a sleeping person.

I squish him between my arms.

It is not even a proper hug in the first place, as his arms are downwards.

This feels weird-

Something flashes inside my head.

Something... A memory?

A dream? It is almost like I'm having a seizure.

I can't move my body, like sleep paralysis.

Snow, I see snow.

A monster, a giant lizard?

And someone being attacked by the monster.

I couldn't move my body, I could only watch it.

Before I know it, I'm back to the real world.

I'm still hugging him. I stop the hug for now and take a step back.

What was that? It felt like I was tripping.

Wait. Maybe he wasn't meditating, he could have sniffed a mushroom from around here.

And getting close to him made the spores get in my system?

What I'm even thinking, that was a allucination...

This is not normal.

Breathe in, breathe out.

Everything today isn't making any sense whatsoever.

Hm?

He is turned to me.

Almost like he saw a ghost.

"Hi."

I say while waving my hand. He is looking at me now.

Profit!

"What is your name?"

"Lignum Fraxinus."

He actually can speak.

Wow!

"What are you doing here?"

"..."

Please don't hide in your head again...

"Having people around is a pain.

Which is why I'm alone here."

"Don't think like that...

Having friends is a good thing.

They help you and the loneliness go away."

"I prefer being alone."

"That is fine too.

If you prefer the calmness and quietness of solitude.

People are free to like whatever they want."

"I see..."

"I like to talk with you.

If you want to talk more, come to the playground near school tomorrow.

I need to go home now. Bye!"

"Goodbye."

I leave him there as I walk away.

Getting his trust plan worked great I think.

There is no way he isn't coming tomorrow.

The nerve to ignore me for so long.

He definitely has depression, I feel just a little bad for tricking him.

But I will never understand him.

Being alone... Is the greatest curse someone can have.

Even if I feel all the amounts of everyone around me in class.

Even if it is almost like all of their voices are screaming inside of me.

I don't want to be alone again.

I will get closer to Arstria again, whatever the cost.

Talking about her, she is actually waiting for me at the school entrance.

She is alone this time.

"How did it go?"

We start to walk away from school, what if he leaves school right now and see us together.

Our plan would be done for.

I explain it to her, as we approach a small park near the school.

"I see... I think we should have told you that Saphria also told him to come to the same playground last week.

And he didn't come, even with her insisting...

There is no way he is coming."

"Then this means that I failed-"

"It was our bad, I guess.

What are you going to do now?"

"My parents should be expecting me to come home.

But there is no problem in staying late."

"Hm. Then let's begin your tutoring."