The classroom was filled with the sounds of students chatting and joking with each other.
The morning classes had just finished and it was noon, which meant it was time for the long-awaited break.
Some students went to the cafeteria while others decided to stay in the classroom, one of whom was Ayu.
She sat in the back corner, right next to the window overlooking the schoolyard.
The girl with lime green hair took a lunch box and a spoon out of her bag. Simple fried rice with an omelet and a few slices of cucumber. That was Ayu's lunch today.
In that class, Ayu was the only one who brought a lunch box every day, while the other students chose to eat in the cafeteria.
Some male students glanced at her, wondering if Ayu always cooked her own lunch every day. However, some female students looked at her cynically because Ayu was attracting the attention of other male students with her habit, including Agnes, who was in the same class.
Agnes did not think that Ayu cooked her own lunch, but rather that Ayu had her maid make it so that Ayu could act like a feminine girl who was good at cooking and get attention from other male students.
But of course, none of their assumptions were correct because every day, Adam, Ayu's uncle, cooked lunch for her.
Why?
Of course, because it was cheaper and also because Adam, who had retired, didn't have much work to do.
But details like that or the reactions of other students were not what Ayu wanted to think about. She could eat and help her uncle at the same time, that was all that mattered to Ayu because there was something else on her mind right now.
Namely, her meeting with Arya. She was still thinking about what had happened in the morning, even as she chewed her food.
The 30-minute break was almost over and Ayu tidied up her lunch box.
The students who were outside the classroom now walked in and sat down at their respective desks. Some students talked about the new teacher who would be teaching the next class, which was economics.
Some female students talked as if they admired the new teacher because he was quite young and handsome. He was also quite muscular for a regular teacher.
The clock showed that it was time for the next class, and the teacher entered. Of course, that teacher was Arya.
"Good afternoon, I am the substitute teacher replacing Mr. Xavier. My name is Arya Tara, and I will be your economics teacher," said Arya, writing his name on the whiteboard with a black marker.
"What happened to Mr. Xavier?" asked a student who raised his hand.
"Unfortunately, I don't know anything about that. You can ask the principal directly," Arya replied casually.
A female student raised her hand. "You look so young, sir. Are you married?"
Arya just chuckled and forced a smile. "Actually, I got divorced almost a year ago and—"
The female students squeal and scream in excitement followed by overlapping chattering, cutting off Arya before he could finish his sentence.
"Calm down, everyone, don't think anything weird. Enough about my personal problems, let's start the lesson," replied Arya, trying to control the atmosphere in the classroom.
While the female students admired Arya, the male students whispered about Xavier, their economics teacher who had been missing for two weeks without any news. Some brought up the issue of criminal gangs, but others linked it to the void beast.
Ayu, who overheard the conversation, could only remain silent and refocus on the lesson at hand.
Arya, who now realized that Ayu was in the classroom, became alert. He continued teaching as usual, but occasionally glanced in Ayu's direction.
Ayu, who realized this, did not want to overreact and just acted like a normal student.
The two watched each other but both remained in their respective roles.
'If he's bloodborn and in the same situation, why doesn't he just admit it? He should realize that I'm also bloodborn. Is he stupid or just too cautious?' thought Ayu as she listened to Arya teaching.
'She's in this class, apparently. We're both in the same situation, so just watching her should be enough. At least for now,' thought Arya as he explained the lesson.
'Maybe I'm overthinking this. The most important thing now is that if the void beast attacks again, I have to make sure to follow him to where he sells the void core,' thought Ayu.
'That girl could be a problem in the future, but she can wait. For now, I have a problem that needs to be prioritized immediately. I need to find a place to stay in this city right away,' Arya thought.
Their meeting as teacher and student was anticlimactic. They acted like ordinary teachers and students, and nothing specific happened.
Just like that, the school day is over like usual.
It was a day like any other. Even when school officially ended at 4 p.m., the two didn't say a word to each other.
Ayu walked past the soccer club practicing and continued walking until she arrived at the school gate. The girl ordered a taxi through an app on her phone and waited as she did every day.
Arya, on the other hand, was still in the teachers' room, busy talking to someone on the phone.
"Yes, of course. I want to see the apartment now, if possible," said Arya, who was on the phone.
----------------------------------------------------
A two-story apartment made of wood. Iron pillars and iron stairs that were slightly rusty. A slightly bent iron fence without a gate. Some bushes grow wildly and quite thickly. Several stray cats ran across the yard, which was hard ground.
That's right, just hard ground. The apartment had no mechanism to descend into the ground when the void beasts attacked.
Just an ordinary apartment standing on the ground.
Arya narrowed his eyes as he looked at the place called an apartment. "300 Narat per month, does that include water and electricity?"
Standing next to Arya was a thin man with a broad smile and a face covered in sweat.
"O... Of course, it includes water and electricity. The apartment isn't connected to the power grid, but don't worry, this apartment uses a battery that will be recharged once every few days, so don't worry. And as for water, this apartment uses underground water, so don't worry," said the thin man.
Arya observed carefully. The apartment had no mechanism to defend against void beast attacks, its electricity and water sources were isolated from the city's systems, and its appearance was highly questionable.
But 300 Narat per month?
Arya could only smirk. "Deal, I'll stay here."