"Sorry, Professor, for lashing out at her like this," Aria's friend bowed and apologized to Professor Aven, who had just clarified that she should not have acted that way and slapped Amrita, who was just standing beside her with her head down.
Right now, including Avendial, Aria's friend, and Amrita, all three were standing outside the room, while five people were currently inside the room, including two of Aria's friends: Aria, who was being treated by a doctor, and Lin, who was seated on another bed.
"It's fine, but be calmer next time," Avendial instructed Aria's friend while looking at her with a narrowed gaze, although his focus was solely on Amrita, who was looking downward with one hand clasping the other, clearly in deep anxiety. Noticing this further, he said to Aria's friend, "Go check on Aria; she needs her friends."
"Yes, I understand, Professor," Aria's friend nodded. Even though she was still angry at Amrita, who was responsible for all this, she did not want to offend the professor, who seemed much different and calmer than others. Therefore, she decided to enter the room, leaving both the professor and Amrita standing alone.
"P-professor, I-I..." Amrita wanted to say something, but her voice did not make its way out of her mouth. Given her condition and her mindset, which had been mostly damaged due to what happened here, she wasn't confident enough to say anything.
"You did well, Amrita. You are really a strong woman," Avendial said, stretching his hand and placing it on Amrita's shoulder to console her before he entered the room.
Inside, Lin was looking in his direction, clearly flinching, as his eyes showed the same anger reaction that Avendial anticipated.
Even though his priority right now should have been to avoid creating more misunderstandings, Lin was giving glares in distress.
"Sorry?" Amrita, hearing the professor's words, didn't understand what he meant but inquired clearly, feeling relieved by his gesture.
"I mean, even though both Lin and you are in a relationship, you supported Truth and did not take his side. I definitely appreciate it," Avendial said, his eyes slightly closed as he nodded. Although he was aware of the situation, he still wanted to confirm Amrita's thoughts about Lin or whether they were in some kind of relationship.
"Wh-what? Professor, we are not in something like that," Amrita lifted her hand and shook hastly, clearly distressed, trying to convey how there wasn't anything going on between her and Lin, as the professor had mentioned. She was clearly confused by his words, at which Professor Avendial showed a surprised expression.
"Oh, my bad," Avendial feigned surprise as he looked in Lin's direction, who trembled upon hearing those words.
Not that he wanted to play some childish game with Lin, but it was more that Lin was not just a protagonist whom Avendial needed to save Aria from, but he was also the heir of the Ravan family.
"Y-yes, that's how it is..." Amrita slightly felt embarrassed and angry at the same time, knowing that the reason this misunderstanding from the professor was formed due to Lin's behavior yesterday, where he acted childish and blamed the professor for helping her in sculpture class.
Although both of them had nothing but a small friendship relationship from the start.
'How pitiful,' Avendial thought, looking towards Amrita with eyes slightly closed and holding a smile.
Given that she couldn't hear anyone except the professor, it was likely that he had left, not that she expected anything from him.
And with most everyone having left, she was alone right now. Her eyes blinked, feeling the aftermath of the sensation still lingering in her mind.
The sheer memories she had were haunting and painful, enough to make her fall into this state and develop a fever.
"I see....I will take my leave then," Avendial said, glancing at her as her eyes remained fixed on the ceiling. Your journey continues on mvl
He had already thought to ask her about the title indirectly, giving him a good way to approach this situation without raising any suspicion regarding the foundation he had already laid between Aria and Lin.
To be honest, there wasn't any bridge to begin with between the two of them. So breaking it, where only one side was Aria holding on, was much easier.
Though he still needed time to create a new bridge between himself and her.
"....Aven, what was our relationship in the past?" Aria inquired in a weak tone, her eyes still glued to the ceiling while her mind seemed in turmoil.
It was more like the aftermath of a disaster or an earthquake, leaving everything barren and broken.
She seemed lost and defeated, wanting to hear some semblance of memories that might provide her with good recollections.
"It was..... complicated," Avendial replied in the same tone as her, trying to match her frequency to provide a positive impression.
He halted and turned towards her, looking down into her eyes. Hearing his words, she shifted, looking at him with a squint.
"Complicated?" Aria asked, feeling confused as she didn't understand what he meant by complicated.
"I was not able to reciprocate my feelings to you," Avendial added, laying the bricks with caution, not wanting to let everything fall due to some loophole or errors she might find. He further added, "I just listened to what you said and nodded, not even trying to tell you that you were being foolish."
"...I see," Aria said. Hearing him express things in such a way, she didn't know how to react, but it felt hollow.
It was slightly awkward to hear him call her foolish, but she indeed had never thought of anything else except Lin in her life.