Of course, things never go the way we plan right?

Right after class ended, I quickly gathered my belongings to leave with Marie.

“H-h-hi,” a stuttering male voice.

I turned to see a clean-shaven young man standing by my table. One of my classmates, I suppose.

A group of guys were behind him. His friends? They were sniggering as they looked in our direction.

“Hi,” I replied quietly, “Can I help you?”

Marie already kept her belongings, standing impatiently by my side.

“Um, can I have your number?” the boy’s face was flushed.

I frowned, he doesn’t even know my name, and he’s asking for my number? Are college boys these days so impolite?

Noticing my expression, Marie pulled me over to stand behind her, “No, you can’t!” she said in a rather loud voice.

Her protective stance startled the boy, “I-I wasn’t even asking you!” he sounded embarrassed.

“We’re busy!” Marie pulled me out of the room with a huff.

I was rather shocked by Marie’s behaviour.

“Those inconsiderate jerks! Don’t they know the proper procedure of trying to get to know a girl?” Marie muttered as she held onto my arm.

We quickly walked out of the building, and she finally stopped.

“Sorry for pulling you along,” she let of my arm, “Are you okay?”

I nodded. I was actually surprised by her actions.

It’s the first time someone stood up for me like that. In my previous life, no one really bothered helping me, because, well, I didn’t really need help. With my family background, cold image and physical prowess, there wasn’t really anyone who would think I needed help.

Lilia has a pretty similar family background but in terms of image and physical abilities… I guess it’s still rather far off, right? Plus, I don’t think the people in college knew of my current family background yet.

“Thank you,” I smiled at Marie.

She sighed and reached over to pat my head, “Don’t give out your number to guys like that! I’m telling you, they’re all trash.”

“Okay, I got it,” I laughed at her disgusted expression.

“I’ll protect you if you ever meet weirdos like that again, so don’t be scared!”

A warm feeling spread in my chest.

“Thank you,” I said again, quietly. I was honestly grateful. I never had a friend who would protect me. Even if I didn’t really need the protection. It’s nice to know someone cares and would think about your safety.

I took out my phone from my pocket, “Shall we exchange numbers?”

Marie beamed at me, “Of course! Let’s follow each other on Instabram too!!”

“Oh, I don’t have instabram,” I replied. I didn’t see the app on Lilia’s phone. I didn’t use it in my past life either, so I didn’t think to download it.

“What!?!?” Marie was shocked, “I’ve never met someone under 25 who doesn’t have Instabram!?”

Well… sorry for having a soul that’s above 25…

I exchanged numbers with Marie and we headed to the dessert shop she mentioned earlier.

I didn’t understand why we would go to a dessert shop in the morning, before lunch, but apparently, that’s what college students do?

The line took a while, but the wait was enjoyable with Marie chattering about all sorts of things.

Listening to her talk about mundane, little things gave me a sense of warmth. Interacting with someone like this made me feel the reality of my situation – I’m Lilia now.

--

After ordering, we sat down in a corner of the shop. I choose a rather secluded area so we didn’t draw too much attention. I’m considering getting a wide-brim hat to cover my face, to avoid people from approaching me again. But a hat might be even more conspicuous…

I sighed.  I just want a peaceful college life.

Most of the students had takeaway orders, so the shop itself wasn’t too crowded.

“Oh, it’s our order!” Marie stood up, “I’ll get it, just wait here, Lilia!” She walked to the counter to get our tray of food.

I nodded, fiddling with my light blue hair. It’s long and fluffy. It’s probably my favourite thing about Lilia.

“Why do you always do this to me?” a loud voice resounded from the table behind me.

I was startled.

It was a female voice, getting louder by the minute.

“Do you even know why I chose this place to meet? Do you even remember what’s special about this place?”

…well, that certainly wasn’t what I was expecting to overhear in a dessert shop. I couldn’t see who’s speaking from my position, but it sounds like a couple fight?

Because we were sitting in a corner, my seat was the only one near enough to hear the conversation. Marie was chatting with the boy at the counter, so it looks like she would take a while.

“Haven’t I done enough for you? All this time I’ve been waiting for you! How old do you think I am now!?”

there was sorrow and anger in the female’s voice.

I guess there’s always trashy guys, whether it’s in this world or my past life.

My bet is that the guy is delaying their marriage and the girl is getting impatient.

I wonder if I should switch spots for a bit, so that they would have some privacy? But if I move away now, they’ll probably realise I’m here and it’d be awkward…

“Do you even understand what I want?”

“I don’t.” A deep male voice.

The next thing I heard was the clinking sound of a glass, and the sound of water splashing.

I froze in my spot. This probably isn’t the best time to move away…

The lady slammed the table and stood up. As she walked away, I could finally see what she looked like. She didn’t look like a college student though, more like a young working adult. She was wearing heels and a bright red dress, her long blond hair swishing as she walked away furiously. I didn’t get a good look at her face, but she had a strong aura. She’s probably quite pretty, just looking at her from behind.

Welp, that was pretty bad conversation. Marie would be disappointed that she missed this event. Though looking at how happy she is chatting with the boy at the counter, I wonder if she still remembered my existence.

I waited a moment or two, but I didn’t hear anything from the table behind. Did the guy leave already, without me noticing?

Curiosity got the better of me and I turned my head to peek.

A dark gaze met mine, and I froze.

The man was just sitting at the table, dripping wet. The water sloshing sound I heard, was probably the lady throwing a glass of water at him.

Even with water dripping from him, his face and hair all wet… this guy is really good-looking.

A strong, muscular build, with jet black hair to match his dark eyes. He wore a dark blue shirt that was now utterly wet. Just scanning his clothes, he had pretty good fashion sense to match his good looks. He looked rather old to be a college student though? He’s probably around the same age as the woman before.

The man opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say anything, I quickly apologized.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to.”

Didn’t mean to peek, or overhear the conversation, or stare at him.

His dark eyes were boring a hole into my soul. I couldn’t tell if he was annoyed or not, but he had a dangerous aura about him.

I suppose after being ditched like that, he wouldn’t feel too good, right? But from the sound of the conversation, he’s probably a jerk.

I quickly stood up and walked towards him.

In my 28 years of experience (albeit in a different world), in such an awkward situation, it’s best to pretend everything is normal and nothing weird has happened.

“Here you go,” I handed him my handkerchief, “You should quickly dry yourself before you catch a cold.”

He looked at the handkerchief for a moment before taking it from me.

“This is my apology for accidentally overhearing the conversation. Have a good day!” the moment he took the handkerchief, I turned and ran off to Marie.

“The weather is good, let’s eat outside!” I stopped the conversation between my friend and the boy at the counter.

Marie looked startled for a moment, and then rather ashamed for ditching me for such a long time. “Y-yes, let’s,” she grabbed the dessert we ordered. Thank goodness the food we ordered were packed so we could just have it as a takeaway.

“I’ll see you another time,” the boy gave Marie a warm smile.

I dragged Marie out of the dessert shop as she waved goodbye to the boy.