TBBS 08

Chapter 08…

The first to come back to his senses after the tearful reunion was Liam.

He turned belatedly to Erik and gestured.

“Your internship partner was Vivi? She used to be my neighbor. We even went to the same elementary school.”

Erik knew about the story of how Liam’s father had been cast out of the family in his youth for playing in a band, and how they had struggled for quite some time. But he hadn’t known that Vivi had once lived close enough to be his neighbor.

As far as Erik knew, the area where Vivi lived was practically a rough neighborhood.

And they’d even gone to the same elementary school?

But it seemed Erik was the only one surprised. Vivi couldn’t stop smiling as she said:

“I suddenly moved away when I was in third grade. You said you’d write me, but you never did.”

“I did! I thought you’d forgotten me and weren’t replying.”

“Oh, liar.”

So that’s the face she makes when she teases.

Erik stared blankly down at Vivi’s expressions, so varied and new to him.

Liam flustered and tried to explain.

“I’m serious! When I finally found you and sent a follow request on Instagram, you rejected it!”

“I did?”

“Yes! I thought you really hated me for some reason.”

“No way! I usually reject follow requests from people I don’t know, but…”

“What, I was a stranger to you?”

Vivi waved her hands in panic.

“No, no! It’s just that Liam is such a common name, I didn’t realize it was you. Sorry.”

As Liam and Vivi cycled between joy and bickering in their own little world, the start of class drew closer.

By now, plenty of students were coming and going around them, and the unusual trio was enough to draw attention.

Not only Erik, but also Liam Gardie—the captain of the rowing team—was a well-known figure on campus.

Among the flustered two, only Erik remained calm.

“Guys, class time is really coming up.”

Only then did Vivi glance down at the book in her arms and frown in dismay.

“Oh no, English literature! I wanted to read it one more time!”

Liam quickly jumped in.

“The Sound and the Fury?” he asked. “Ah, that one’s tough. The fact that there are two Quentins is the worst part.”

“Exactly! And what’s with the narration? The first chapter is impossible!”

Liam immediately began summarizing the book at lightning speed. Strange—he usually pretended not to study.

Erik gave them a small nod and headed to the classroom first.

It was better for him to leave than for the three of them to walk together and draw even more attention.

And yet, why was it?

The two were only talking about a book he’d already read several times, but Erik found himself wanting to glance back again and again.

He frowned at the odd impulse, then realized why.

It was probably because his earlier conversation with Liam about the main lineup had ended unfinished. Perhaps Liam’s obsession with rowing was contagious.

After school, in the library.

I craned my neck up, staring at the top shelf.

Because I wasn’t as tall as the average student here, I couldn’t reach the books on the very top.

If the shelf had been sparsely filled, I might have slipped my fingers between the books to pull one out.

But like any school library, the shelves were packed so tightly there wasn’t room for even a slip of paper.

So the only option was to somehow wedge my fingertips against the spine and tug.

I sighed and rocked up and down on my tiptoes. That was when I remembered Liam from this morning—he stood a full head taller than me.

He had to be over 190 cm.

Next time we meet, I’ll have to ask him how the air feels up there.

The thought made me smile unconsciously.

Back when Liam’s family had suddenly moved away, the story my parents told me left me deeply shaken as a child.

My best friend Gardie’s name, it turned out, was the same as the “G” logo on our home TV—his grandfather was the head of Gardie Electronics. Liam had been called back to his family’s estate.

Of course, my parents meant well, telling me that Liam was simply returning to where he belonged and that we should wish him happiness.

But to my grieving little heart, it sounded like he’d abandoned us to choose his rich grandfather instead.

That feeling didn’t last long, though. Soon, I only missed the memories I’d shared with Liam.

And as it turns out, my parents were right all along. Liam was just Liam.

Now, reunited, he looked every bit the perfect representative of Brangel. But the face that greeted me was exactly the same as when we were kids.

Still, this wasn’t working.

I gave up my pointless stretching exercises. I’d have to go find a stool in the storage room.

Just then, a long arm reached over my head and pulled down the very book I’d been straining for.

“This one?”

It was Erik.

He must have just come back and spotted me.

“Yes, that’s the one. Thanks.”

I should have stopped there.

But since my mind had been full of Liam, I blurted something unnecessary.

“You guys are lucky. You never need a stool—you can reach anything.”

Which was why Erik’s question caught me off guard.

“…You guys?”

“Oh, sorry. I was just thinking of Liam. We met this morning, and when we were kids his height wasn’t so different from mine. Totally unfair.”

They had seemed close earlier. Was I wrong?

I thought I could keep the conversation going since we had Liam as a common subject, but Erik only gave a vague “Ah, I see.”

From what I’d seen of him as rowing captain, I thought Liam was thriving at school. Could there be an issue?

Concerned, I carefully asked:

“You and Liam… aren’t close? You’re on the same team.”

Suddenly, I felt those deep green eyes sweep over my face with a cool, piercing look.

Had I said something wrong, since they weren’t that close?

Or did he just not want to share something so personal with me?

After a moment’s thought, the answer was obvious.

Of course it was the latter.

Just like the Oxenstiernas, the Gardies were bound up with the Brangels. There was no room for me to meddle.

But before I could swallow back my words, Erik returned to his usual open tone, shrugging dramatically.

“That’s not my fault. If you knew how much the captain torments us, you’d get it. He’s so vicious I don’t even want to talk to him, but kindhearted me, I put up with it.”

His answer was perfectly ordinary, making my worry seem pointless.

Then what was that earlier moment?

I felt a little strange, but still relieved that Erik was back to normal. I smiled.

“True, Liam was always persistent. As a kid he was obsessed with insects…”

I told Erik about Liam’s antics, like building an ant farm, but he didn’t seem particularly amused.

Maybe to him, Liam was nothing more than a teammate—not someone he liked personally.

At dinner, Olivia pounced on me as soon as I sat down.

“Vivi, how do you know Liam?”

I felt several gazes suddenly turn on me, and asked back in surprise.

“What? How did you know I knew him?”

Olivia burst into laughter.

“How? He came looking for you at the end of literature class!”