TNKBP~04

Chapter 4

The morning arrived in the blink of an eye, just as she’d hoped.

Like every other day, I put on my academy uniform, endured Lucas and the maids’ affectionate nagging, and climbed into Bill’s carriage.

By the time we’d finished our brief conversation and I had watched the scenery drift past the window, we had already arrived at the academy.

“Bill, I might be a little late today. I have a report to finish. But I won’t be as late as I was yesterday.”

“Take your time, Miss. I’ll be waiting in the usual place at the usual hour.”

“Thanks. Have a wonderful day!”

Bill gave me his familiar warm smile and waved as I stepped out.

My heart fluttered with anticipation as I walked through the academy gates, wondering what kind of day awaited me.

That was when I heard it.

Clank. Rattle. Screech.

A vehicle behind me was making an awful racket, belching clouds of exhaust into the air.

The grating sound of metal scraping against metal made everyone nearby wince as the car finally lurched to a stop.

Students quickly steered clear of it.

Who is that?

All the academy cars were black, making them nearly impossible to tell apart.

For some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to look away.

I stood there, watching as the driver stepped out and hurried around to open the rear door.

Then a familiar figure emerged.

Golden hair caught the morning sunlight.

Martin?

Among the crowd of students, that brilliant blond hair seemed to shine brighter than anything else.

I stared.

Something felt strange.

Was his car in that condition yesterday too? Maybe I just didn’t notice because it wasn’t moving.

Frowning, I glanced at the battered black vehicle as it noisily rolled away through the gates.

Just as I was about to approach Martin—

“Hey, idiot! Ever heard of fixing your car? My throat hurts every time that thing shows up!”

“Seriously, where the hell did this guy come from? His last name isn’t even on the attendance sheet. The teachers say they don’t know anything either. What are you, some commoner who slipped in by accident?”

“Though if he’s got drivers picking him up, maybe he’s not poor. But then again, look at that junk heap. Can’t be anyone important.”

A group of boys surrounded Martin as he quietly crossed the courtyard.

They looked influential enough that everyone else hurried away, careful not to get involved.

And conveniently, there wasn’t a teacher in sight.

Martin lowered his head, clearly unsure what to do.

The sight made something hot and furious rise inside me.

Those bastards…!

How dare they bully my friend!

Well… my one-sided friend, anyway.

I rolled up my sleeves and started marching toward them.

Then, before I could reach them, the boys grabbed Martin and dragged him away.

“W-What?”

Panic surged through me.

Without hesitation, I ran after them.

Part of me knew I should find a teacher first.

But what if something happened to Martin before I got back?

That fear pushed me forward.

The farther I chased them, the more secluded the area became.

My breathing grew ragged.

Those jerks.

The way they handled him made it obvious this wasn’t the first time.

Grinding my teeth, I sprinted after them.

At last they stopped.

One of the boys shoved Martin to the ground.

Another raised a fist.

And that was when I charged.

“YOU BASTARDS!!! GET AWAY FROM HIM!! MOVE!!!”

“W-What the—?! Who’s that?!”

A red-haired boy stared at me in shock.

I didn’t slow down.

Like an enraged bull, I slammed straight into him with a shoulder tackle and grabbed Martin by the wrist.

“Get up! Hurry!”

“H-Huh? W-What?”

“Run, Martin! MOVE YOUR LEGS!”

Usually, I liked how calm and composed Martin was.

Right now?

Not so much.

I practically dragged him to his feet.

Behind us, the boys finally recovered from their shock.

“Hey! What are you idiots doing?! Catch them!”

At the redhead’s shout, the others immediately gave chase.

The moment I heard pounding footsteps behind us, Martin and I bolted.

“Huff… Huff… Martin! Are you okay?! We can’t let them catch us! Run faster!”

For a moment he hesitated.

Then suddenly—

He accelerated.

One second I was pulling him along.

The next, Martin had shifted his grip around my hand and was dragging me behind him.

“Quick, Lindsay! There’s a place up ahead where we can hide! Just a little farther!”

At his words, I forced strength back into my trembling legs and followed.

But…

Since when was Martin this talkative?

My breathing was completely out of control.

My chest rose and fell with every desperate gasp.

And above my head, I could feel someone else’s breath.

“Huff… huff…”

“…Haah…”

We had managed to escape the red-haired boy and his gang.

Unfortunately, our hiding place turned out to be a narrow gap between two walls.

A very narrow gap.

There wasn’t enough room to avoid touching each other.

We were pressed together whether we liked it or not.

“L-Lindsay…”

“Hm?”

Martin’s face was bright red.

From the base of his neck all the way to his ears.

He lifted his head slightly and whispered,

“C-Could you maybe… stop moving…?”

“Sorry. I’m really out of breath right now. I’m not doing it on purpose!”

At that, Martin merely let out a long sigh.

Is he really that uncomfortable?

Honestly, it was a little ridiculous.

He was telling me not to move while he was twisting and squirming far more than I was.

“Martin, aren’t you moving more than me?”

“S-Sorry… I thought… you might be uncomfortable…”

“I’m not uncomfortable at all. If it’s bothering you that much, I’ll just move over a little.”

The two of us awkwardly shifted around, trying to create even the slightest bit of space.

Then—

“Hey, did you find that girl and the loser?”

“Damn it. They definitely disappeared around here.”

“Nope. Thomas, why are you so obsessed with that nerd today anyway? We always end up doing all the work.”

“When I find them, they’re dead.”

The voices came from directly outside our hiding spot.

Oh no…

If I stayed where I was, they might see my shoulder.

I should’ve just stayed still.

Now I was frozen, not knowing what to do.

Then Martin quietly spoke.

“…Lindsay. Just come back over here. You’ll be seen if you stay there.”

Before I could react, he reached out and wrapped an arm around my shoulder, gently pulling me back against him.

I found myself looking up at him.

Martin was staring down at me.

Or at least, I thought he was.

His bangs hid his eyes, making it impossible to tell where he was actually looking.

But his head was tilted toward me.

Oh.

So that’s why…

Maybe this was why he’d been so uncomfortable.

A strange embarrassment crept over me.

I hurriedly lowered my gaze.

And desperately tried to think about something else.

I counted the bricks in the wall.

Then somehow noticed how broad Martin’s shoulders were.

I admired how neatly the bricks had been stacked.

Then remembered how large the hand on my shoulder had felt.

So much for thinking about something else.

Heat kept spreading through my body.

Finally, I whispered,

“Um, Martin… I think they’ve gone now. Can we come out?”

Martin nodded so hard it was almost violent.

“Y-Yeah… I think… we can…”

Together, we awkwardly twisted and squeezed our way out of the narrow gap.

I brushed dirt from my uniform and tried to calm the frantic pounding of my heart.

Meanwhile, Martin remained standing there.

Staring.

At the narrow space where we’d been hiding together.

For a very long time.