6. I Have To Decide.

Why had I done it?

Even I couldn't say.

My body had simply moved, and my brain seemed to have briefly stopped functioning—leaving everything to instinct.

What I did know for certain came down to three things.

That the students in the hallway were watching us.

That Elline was beside me, holding my hand and walking along.

And that my heart was pounding like mad.

Just those three.

Climbing the stairs, the walk to the main building where she attended lectures felt impossibly long.

"…Was it real?"

"Apparently so."

Even students who'd only half-believed the rumors were left gaping the moment they saw it with their own eyes, or else too busy whispering to do much else.

Either way, it had made for excellent gossip.

I glanced sideways.

Elline was there, expression as neutral as ever, matching my stride.

…What was she thinking?

Now that I thought about it, I'd grabbed her hand without even asking.

And then there was Saturday at the dining hall, ordering food for her without checking.

In every way that counted, I was giving nothing but zero-point answers as a romantic partner.

Consideration for the other person was supposed to be the golden rule—so why did I keep making everything about myself?

*This won't do.*

"Rutess."

Her voice saying my name snapped me back.

"Hm?"

"We go up here."

"Oh."

I turned my head. A white staircase stood right in front of me.

Alpha Class specialty courses were held in separate rooms on the upper floors, so she had to go up.

"You can go now. You have class too."

Elline said it in a flat, matter-of-fact tone.

When I loosened my grip, she naturally began climbing the stairs.

What was the right thing to say at a moment like this?

*Take care. Have a good class. Good luck today.*

Plenty of words came to mind, but I couldn't decide which to reach for.

It should have been the most ordinary exchange in the world—yet for some reason, saying anything at all felt difficult in front of Elline.

Why was that?

But time doesn't wait.

Regardless of my deliberating, she was slowly moving further away.

Turning around and leaving without a word felt too cold.

Calling something out felt hollow when nothing came to mind.

So I settled on what I always said to friends.

Nothing too heavy.

"See you later."

A promise of *later*.

Then I turned to go.

*Good. Natural. No pressure.*

Maybe that hadn't been such a bad answer after all.

"When."

I stopped walking.

I turned around. Elline had one hand on the stair railing, her body turned to face me.

"Sorry?"

"When are we seeing each other?"

…

Right.

Usually when someone says *see you later*, the other person just says *yeah, sure* or *you too*—that's how it goes. I suppose I'd expected the same.

Her question caught me off guard.

"Uh…"

Elline stood motionless on the stairs, watching me, waiting for an answer as though she had no intention of moving until she got one.

*When…?*

Right, it was a weekday now—we'd have a hard time meeting for a while.

I had my own schedule, but she was almost certainly busier than I was.

If there was any window of time… today was probably the best option.

"What time does your lecture end?"

"Seven."

Seven in the evening.

Late, certainly—but the academy dining hall ran until nine, so…

Should I suggest dinner together?

No, I'd figure that out when the time came.

"Then let's meet today at seven."

"Today?"

"Yeah. I'll wander around and come back here when you're finishing up."

My class ended at five, which left about two hours—I figured I could just plant myself in the library.

"…"

She studied me quietly.

*Did I say something wrong?*

I noticed the faintest narrowing between her brows.

As always, so subtle it was barely visible—but did it mean she was displeased?

"Alright."

But she only said that one word and nothing more, then turned and climbed the stairs.

…

Only after she disappeared did my thoughts begin to settle.

We'd barely been talking for a few days, and yet… I was starting to see a pattern in the way Elline conversed, if I could call it that.

Never leave an ambiguous answer.

Always give a definite one.