It was the next day.
The young Defender Apprentices had finished lunch and now they were in maths class.
“Now, when X is 2... you see, it’s on this point of the graph. Because 2 times 2 is 4. And when X is 3, you see that it’s here at 9, because 3 times 3 is 9.”
Sophia desperately tried to explain the new topic, quadratic functions, to Toby, who nervously chewed the end of his pen.
“Mehh…” Toby sighed. “Yeah… it makes sense I guess… Damn, I will fail the test so haaard.”
“No no, don’t worry, we still have plenty of time to learn.” Sophia smiled lightly.
Toby looked sceptical. “Mh… I can’t even focus on the topic…”
“Do you have anything else on your mind or why is that?”
“Noo… That’s always been a problem of mine.” Toby’s expression sunk. “I can never focus well on stuff that isn’t fun.”
“I think maths can be a lot of fun. Once you figure out how it works, and you see your strategy work through, it’s a very satisfying feeling.”
“Can’t relate…” Toby looked at Sophia. “I was wondering… did you bring Strapholynne with you today? I haven’t seen her at all.”
“Well- I did. But her face was swollen, so I brought her to the infirmary to have her checked. I think it’s just a minor thing though. She will be fine.”
“I see…”
“I want to be the best partner I can be for her. Which means I will take care of even minor things…” Sophia gulped. “I want us to be friends, after all.
“Well, Memis is my best friend.” Toby smiled. “He’s always there when I feel bad… and always knows the right thing to say.”
“That sounds wonderful…” Sophia laid her hands on the desk. “One day, I hope my friendship with Straph will go that deep as well.”
~~~~
After classes were over, Sophia headed back to the infirmary.
“Excuse me-” Sophia spoke to the head nurse Darcian Griffith. “Can I pick up Strapholynne yet?”
“Eh?” He looked at her with annoyance at his face. “Sure. She’s in bed 9. She only had a slight swelling on her face from a heavy impact. We cooled it and now she’s fine.”
“Okay… Thank you.” Sophia entered the infirmary room and went to bed 9.
Strapholynne was in her Prior Form, sitting up, looking at her.
“Hey Straph.” Sophia smiled lightly. “Ready to go home?”
Strapholynne nodded, and Sophia lifted her up and carefully placed her in her bag. She left the infirmary, saying goodbye to Darcian on her way out.
“Sophia…” Straph spoke quietly. “I’m sorry I was dishonest to you. Yesterday… After I left, I was hit by a car. That’s why my face was swollen. I should’ve told you earlier.”
“Ah… I see. It’s okay- I’m just glad you’re okay now.”
“Miss Smith.”
Sophia turned around after being called, only to be in a short moment of shock after seeing it was Roy who called her. “Ah--!”
“S-Sorry- I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“W-Why are you here? You didn’t have classes today…”
“... Is Toby still here?”
“Uhm- I don’t know- Maybe?”
“... I’ll go to the lab. See you tomorrow.” Roy went past her, leaving Sophia behind looking confused.
“... That Morpho Mon…. on his shoulders...” Straphylonne’s eyes narrowed. “What’s his name?”
“Mh? Do you mean Famfay?”
“Famfay… sounds familiar. I think he’s my cousin.”
“R-Really?!”
“Yeah. My sister and I had two cousins. Famfay and Scorpio. We never knew our parents, but one of their mothers recognized us as the children of her younger sister. When we were children the four of us would sometimes play together…” Strapholynne closed her eyes. “That was a long time ago…”
“... Thank you, Strapholynne.” Sophia smiled. “I feel very honored you finally trust me enough to tell me more about you.”
“Mh…” Straphylonne crawled back inside Sophia’s bag. “Yeah… right.”
“You don’t have to talk anymore if you don’t want to. Let’s just head home, I will make us some tea.”
Comments (0)
See all