Noah stared at the notice board, his mind a mess of confusion and disbelief. His name was listed in A-class. Not B, not C—A-class.
"...Is this real?" he whispered to himself, his eyes scanning the list again to make sure he wasn't imagining things. But no matter how many times he looked, there it was:
[A-class]
1.Noah Ashbourne
He took a step back, still trying to process what this meant. He had been in a coma for months, missing half of the semester.
How could he have ranked this high? While he knew he hadn't done terribly in the exams, making it to A-class was beyond anything he had expected.
As he stood there, stunned, students around him began to take notice. One by one, they saw his name on the list and started crowding around, pointing and murmuring.
"Hey, isn't that Noah Ashbourne?"
"Wait, he made it into A-class? How? Didn't he miss like half the semester?"
"This guy was suspended for a semester, wasn't he? And he still ranked above so many others..."
The whispers grew louder as more students began to gather, their curiosity piqued.
Noah could feel the weight of their eyes on him, their voices buzzing in his ears. Some were impressed, others were confused, and a few were clearly suspicious.
"Hey, Noah!" someone called out.
"How'd you manage that? Didn't think you were the studious type."
"Did you really ace the exams after everything? What's your secret?"
More questions followed, students pushing closer, their voices overlapping as they tried to get his attention.
Noah felt the pressure building, his heart racing. He didn't want this.
He wasn't someone who enjoyed the spotlight, especially after everything that had happened in the past few months.
His instinct was to flee—to avoid the attention, to avoid their prying eyes.
"I need some air," he muttered under his breath.
Without another word, he turned on his heel and pushed through the crowd, not bothering to answer their questions.
He could hear them calling after him, but he kept his head down and moved quickly, wanting nothing more than to escape the stifling atmosphere around the notice board.
In one corner of the room, leaning against a pillar and watching everything unfold, a figure stood silently, his gaze fixed on Noah with cold, burning eyes.
A noble with long, sleek brown hair that fell past his shoulders and an expression twisted in disgust.
He wasn't just watching Noah—he was glaring at him, his lips curled into a sneer. Caleb's hands clenched into fists at his sides, his knuckles turning white as he seethed inwardly.
Noah Ashbourne.
"That bastard."
He had ranked higher than him, a noble from the prestigious Drayton family.
Ariana, one of the top students in S-class, came into view, her eyes scanning the corridor in search of something—or rather, someone.
When she turned the corner and saw Noah standing there, leaning against the wall with her spirit in an ice cage, she stopped in her tracks, her eyes wide with surprise.
"Ariana," Noah said calmly, his gaze shifting from the sparrow to her.
"Why have you been following me?"
Ariana blinked, clearly caught off guard. She opened her mouth, then closed it again, fidgeting nervously.
She glanced at Augustus, who was flapping helplessly inside the cage, and then back at Noah.
The ice cage dissolved in an instant, releasing the green sparrow. Augustus chirped angrily and flew back to Ariana, landing on her shoulder with a huff.
Ariana stroked the bird's head gently, looking flustered but still unwilling to meet Noah's gaze.
"Are you going to answer my question?" Noah asked, his tone calm but a hint of irritation creeping in.
"I don't care much for being followed without my consent."
Ariana fidgeted some more, her fingers clutching Augustus tightly as the small spirit struggled in her grasp. She bit her lip, clearly debating whether to speak or not. After a few long seconds, she finally let out a small sigh.
"I... I had Augustus watch over you," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Ever since that night when you were attacked. I didn't want anything like that to happen again."
Noah blinked, taken aback by her confession.
"You've been spying on me?"
"No!" Ariana quickly corrected herself, shaking her head.
"Not spying. I just... I just wanted to make sure you were safe. Augustus is a low-ranking spirit, so I thought you wouldn't notice him, but I didn't realize your spirit detection skill was so sharp."
Noah stared at her for a moment, then let out a small sigh.
"It's not good to follow people around without their knowledge, Ariana. If you're concerned, you could've just... I don't know, asked?"
Ariana's face flushed slightly, and she clutched Augustus tighter, her spirit squawking in protest. She pouted, glancing away.
"Fine. I'll stop. I didn't mean to cause trouble."
Noah smiled faintly and reached out to pat her on the head. "Good. That's all I'm asking."
Ariana stood there, frozen for a moment as Noah's hand rested on her head. Her heart raced, her cheeks turning a deeper shade of pink as he ruffled her hair lightly.
When he finally pulled his hand away and turned to leave, Ariana found herself staring at his retreating figure, a strange warmth spreading through her chest.
As she watched Noah walk away, her thoughts drifted to the night she had seen him with Maya at the restaurant.
The memory of their closeness still stung, her chest tightening with an uncomfortable feeling she didn't quite understand.
"...He doesn't even realize..." she muttered softly to herself, clenching her fists tightly at her sides. Augustus chirped quietly on her shoulder, sensing her unease.
Ariana stood there, her gaze lingering on Noah's back as he disappeared around the corner, her emotions swirling inside her.
"Why does it feel like... I'm the one being left behind?"