Chapter 31 || Operation: Impress Grumpy Aria!

Chapter 31: 31 || Operation: Impress Grumpy Aria!

During recess, Aria quietly rose from her seat and left the classroom. Her chair scraped softly against the floor as she pushed it back.

Code rested his head on his desk, closed his eyes, and settled in for a nap.

He barely had a few seconds of peace before three familiar figures approached his desk.

Caden dropped into Aria’s seat as if it belonged to him, Ken took the one in front of hers, and Torin settled into the seat in front of Code.

Code opened his eyes.

"Code!" Caden greeted him with a grin that stretched from ear to ear. "We got paid yesterday! We each received two thousand five hundred Bronze Coins! Can you believe it?"

Code blinked slowly. "Yes. I can."

He lifted his head from the desk.

Torin leaned forward, resting his arms on the tabletop. "Still, I can’t help being jealous of Riven, Ivy, and Juro. Those three received five thousand coins each. Add their academy allowance, and they’re sitting on ten thousand."

A composed voice came from beside Caden.

"It’s only to be expected," Juro remarked, adjusting his glasses with the air of a professor delivering a lecture.

Everyone turned toward him.

Riven stood beside Juro, wearing a small, apologetic smile.

"Sorry to interrupt your conversation," he said casually.

"It’s fine," Code replied.

Ken folded his arms and gave Juro a pointed look. "Listen to you, talking big already. Don’t let the money get to your head."

"Of course not." Juro straightened his tie. "I know what I’m doing."

Torin rolled his eyes. "Then what are you doing here? Did you come to show off your esteemed self?"

Juro sighed through his nose. "I’ll ignore that and get to the point."

He cleared his throat before continuing.

"As usual, we’ll each need to deposit a portion of our earnings into the class account. I’m sure you haven’t forgotten."

Riven nodded. "I’ve already spoken to the others. We’ll decide how much everyone needs to contribute after class, so don’t leave before then."

Caden’s grin vanished.

"Wait, what?! Why didn’t you tell me earlier? I already spent some of my money."

He sighed. "I completely forgot we were supposed to contribute part of our salaries."

Torin gave him a sideways glance. "No point regretting it now."

Juro adjusted his glasses again. "You all have seven thousand five hundred Bronze Coins in your accounts. It shouldn’t be that big a deal."

"Says the guy with ten thousand coins," Caden muttered under his breath.

Juro’s expression tightened.

Ken turned toward Riven. "Don’t worry. We’ll stay here and wait until it’s time to make our contributions."

Riven nodded in satisfaction. "All right, then."

He turned and walked away, with Juro following close behind.

Once the two were gone, Caden, Torin, and Ken slowly turned toward Code.

An awkward silence settled over the group.

Code raised his eyes to them. "What is it?"

They spoke at the same time.

"How much was your salary?"

"One thousand," Code answered calmly.

The three stared at him.

"One thousand?" Ken repeated, leaning forward.

"Yes."

Torin let out a low whistle. "Man, that’s really low."

Ken shook his head in disbelief. "Your master really did you dirty."

"I think you’re all forgetting about the academy allowance—"

Before Code could finish, Caden pressed a hand dramatically against his chest.

"Code, my friend..." His voice trembled with exaggerated sorrow. "I can’t believe you’ll have to starve for the rest of the month. And alone, too!"

He reached across the desk as though offering a solemn farewell.

"Don’t worry. As your friend, I’ll share my money with you. And when we run out, we’ll starve together! Perhaps the academy will collect our remains and bury us outside our masters’ rooms. Then our spirits can haunt them for giving us such terrible ratings!"

Ken stared at him in disbelief.

"Shut up, Caden. Nobody’s starving."

"But how is he supposed to survive on just one thousand coins?" Caden protested, throwing his free hand into the air.

Ken ignored him and leaned toward Code.

"Seriously, do you need help?"

"It’s fine," Code replied, his expression unchanged. "I’ll manage."

Caden sagged against the backrest, shaking his head mournfully.

"Such selflessness! I’m getting emotional just thinking about it." He wiped at the corner of his eye, though there were no tears. "And to think I was jealous of you for having such a cute girl as your master. Who knew cute girls were just pawns of the devil? She didn’t even hesitate before giving you a terrible rating!"

Ken nodded solemnly. "True. Very true. Never trust cute girls."

Torin shrugged. "Code isn’t the only one who got a low rating. Huegene and Ashir received the same score."

The three glanced around the classroom.

Ashir’s seat was empty, while Huegene had his leg propped up on his desk and his arms folded across his chest. His eyes were closed, and he appeared to be asleep.

Caden shook his head. "Nah. Those two deserved their ratings."

"Absolutely," Ken agreed.

"Poor Code, though," Caden added, lowering his voice.

SMACK!

Torin hit him on the head.

"Don’t start crying now."

Caden rubbed the spot, glaring at him in betrayal.

Ken turned back to Code, his expression growing more serious.

"If you ever need anything, you can count on us. We’ll help you."

Code remained silent.

Caden’s eyes widened.

"He’s so moved that he can’t even speak!"

Torin pushed his chair back and stood. "Come on. Let’s give Code some time to himself. He probably wants to sleep."

Caden stayed firmly planted in Aria’s seat.

"I’m not leaving. Someone has to provide the emotional support he needs to survive the month."

Ken walked around the desk, grabbed Caden by the collar, and hauled him to his feet.

"That’s enough. It’s not like your comforting words will feed him."

"Hey! At least let me finish!"

"Move."

Ken dragged him toward the door while Torin followed, leaving Code to enjoy the silence he’d wanted from the beginning.

He lowered his head toward the desk again.

Only to find Ivy standing directly in front of him.

Her hands were tucked behind her back, and she wore a sweet smile.

"Such good friends you have," she remarked. "You really are lucky, Code."

Code looked up at her and sighed.

"What do you want, Ivy?"

Her smile faltered into a small pout. "Why do you always assume I want something?"

"Do you want to talk, or—"

"Fine, fine." She waved a hand dismissively before he could finish. "I’ll get straight to it."

Her expression softened.

"I felt really bad about the misunderstanding between you and Aria yesterday. I want to make things right."

"You don’t need to," Code replied. "Aria won’t listen to you."

"Even so, I have to try." Ivy placed a hand against her chest, her voice turning sweet again. "I can’t just let her keep that awful misunderstanding about us."

Code regarded her for a moment.

"What exactly do you intend to do?"

Ivy’s eyes lit up.

"Good! You’re on board. Come with me!"

She spun around and headed for the door, a playful bounce in her step.

Code remained seated.

Ivy made it several steps before noticing that he wasn’t following. She turned, planted a hand on her hip, and looked back at him.

"Let’s go."

Code stared at her for another moment before finally pushing his chair back.

He rose and walked toward the door.

A sly, foxlike smile spread across Ivy’s face.

"It’s time for Operation: Impress Grumpy Aria!"

Code followed her out, his hands slipping into his pockets.

"Let’s hope this confrontation works out well..."

The door slid shut behind them.

...

At the Café

The rich aroma of roasted coffee beans filled the café, mingling with the soft hum of conversation and the occasional clink of cups against saucers.

Aria sat alone beside the window, a cup of coffee resting near her book. Warm sunlight fell across her hair as she quietly turned a page, seemingly absorbed in her own little world.

The door opened automatically.

Two figures stepped inside and headed straight for her table.

"Hi, Aria!"

The familiar voice made her pause.

She slowly lifted her gaze from the page.

Ivy stood before her, waving with a bright smile as though nothing had happened between them. Beside her stood Code, his expression as unreadable as ever.

Aria closed her book.

"Sorry to interrupt your reading schedule," Code said politely, though his tone remained distant.

"Can we sit with you?" Ivy asked, clasping her hands in front of her.

Aria crossed her arms.

"What do you both want? I don’t have time to waste on either of you."

Before she could say anything more, Ivy reached across the table and took her hand.

"Please," she pleaded, looking at Aria with wide, imploring eyes. "Just give us a chance to talk. I promise we haven’t come here to waste your time."

Aria stared at their joined hands before looking back at Ivy.

"Your pleading with me now won’t change my mind, and it certainly won’t change my opinion of either of you."

Code let out a quiet sigh.

’This is a complete waste of time. I can’t believe I had to walk all the way here when I could’ve been doing something better.’

Ivy tightened her grip on Aria’s hand slightly.

"I only need a minute. That’s all."

"You—"

"If I were you," Code interrupted in a low voice, "I’d grant Ivy’s request."

Aria turned toward him, her eyes narrowing.

"And why should I do that?"

"I’m saying this for your own good."

"What do you mean by that?"

Code tilted his head toward the rest of the café.

"Look around, Aria. Everyone’s watching."

She hesitated before glancing around the room.

He was right.

Several students had turned toward their table. Some whispered to one another, while others pretended to be engrossed in their conversations, sneaking glances whenever they thought no one was looking.

Aria’s jaw tightened.

Code continued in the same calm tone.

"You’re starting to look like the villain here."

Her gaze snapped back to him.

"Did you plan this?"

Ivy gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

"Can we please talk, Aria?"

For a moment, Aria said nothing. Her eyes moved from Ivy to Code, taking in their expectant expressions.

Finally, she withdrew her hand and leaned back in her chair.

"Fine. I’ll hear you out."

Ivy’s face brightened instantly.

"Thank you!"

She quickly slid into the chair and sat down, then gestured for Code to seat beside her.

He complied without a word.

Around them, the other students gradually lost interest. Conversations resumed, chairs shifted, and the café returned to its usual bustle.

Aria rested one hand on the closed book in front of her and looked at the two across the table.

"Well?" she asked flatly. "What do you want to talk about?"