July Boy nonchalantly said, "Hey! Sup?"
Everyone was surprised by his unexpected arrival, though for different reasons.
Toping's group was shocked to see their old mate, July Boy, after three years.
Tsunami's group, on the other hand, was stunned to see him actively searching for them instead of sleeping, which was his usual behavior.
They were all surprised to see July Boy—well, everyone except for one. Liabilities was shocked to see Shon instead.
The moment Liabilities laid eyes on Shon, he felt a spark in his heart, as if something unspoken had been ignited.
Hori then spoke up, surprising everyone, "What are you doing here, July Boy?"
This single sentence was enough to catch everyone off guard again.
Tsunami's group asked, "You guys know him?"
Meanwhile, Toping's group was surprised that Hori had spoken up first, given her usual silence.
Shon answered, "He was also one of our old mate, just like Sam."
Toping glanced at Hori, checking if she was okay after speaking up.
Shon then added, "Come down from there," and, following the route, July Boy casually joined them.
Tsunami turned to July Boy and said, "You never mentioned you and Sam were actually old mates from previous school."
July Boy replied, "I didn't think it was important to mention, so I didn't."
Tsunami added, "It might not be important, but it's still shocking to know that the loud Sam and silent you were actually mates from before."
Toping then made another fire for everyone to sit around and offered them a chance to stay a bit longer.
The others thought it would be rude to walk away after being invited so kindly, so they decided to sit and chat.
Soon, they all sat in two large circles and began introducing themselves.
Toping's group went first they introduced one by one and when Shon introduced herself, Liabilities felt that spark again upon hearing her name.
Next, Tsunami's group introduced themselves, and when Liabilities introduced himself, he claimed, "I'm the most responsible one among us, the class father, so to say."
Toping laughed, "Then in that case, Shon will be our mother."
He added with a grin, "You guys got a father in your group, and we've got a mother. I guess that makes us all their children."
Liabilities started blushing hard, nearly turning red from the comment. Seeing this, Shon, with her caring side showing, said, "Are you alright? You're turning red—do you have a fever?"
Roslin then teased, "You and Liabilities don't seem like father and mother... but more like mother and son, at this point."
Shon laughed, "Yeah, you guys are all my juniors, so I guess that naturally makes you all my sons and daughters."
Shon then turned to July Boy, her eyes narrowing slightly as she asked, "How did you end up being classmates with Sam again?"
July Boy shrugged nonchalantly, his tone calm and almost too casual. "It was pure coincidence. It just happened."
He continued, "After failing to appear my finals, I moved to a new place, hoping to start fresh—somewhere no one knew me. But... unexpectedly, I ran into Sam there."
Toping blinked, his brow furrowed in disbelief. "That's one strange coincidence to happen."
Roslin, clearly puzzled, leaned forward, her curiosity getting the better of her. "If you changed schools because you didn't take your finals, then why did Sam change schools?
It's not like he's bad at studying... though, he can be an idiot in other ways." She let out a small laugh.
At that moment, the atmosphere shifted. The group fell silent, their faces almost saying not to got that topic.
The weight of the unspoken truth seemed to hang in the air like a storm cloud, thick and heavy. Half of Toping's group and including Jangla, Chingla and July boy, exchanged uncertain glances, their eyes avoiding each other.
Roslin, oblivious to the sudden tension, raised an eyebrow. "What happened? Why is everyone so quiet all of a sudden?"
Her words cut through the silence, but instead of drawing answers, they only seemed to deepen the unease that hung in the air.