Chapter 97 - Not... A Date Invitation
As Amukelo, Bral, and Idin stepped out of their rooms. But as they started down the corridor, Bral's eyes landed on Bao and Pao, standing together near their room, clearly waiting for something.
Bral raised an eyebrow. "You're waiting here? I thought you'd be outside already."
Then, spotting Pao, his grin widened. "Oh, hey, Pao. What's up?"
Bao crossed her arms, her tone sharper than usual. "Go outside for a moment. Pao has something to ask Amukelo."
Amukelo blinked, caught off guard. "Me?"
Bral's grin stretched even further, his curiosity immediate and relentless. "An ask? For Amukelo? What is it? Come on, I want to know."
Without hesitation, Bao kicked him in the shin.
"Ouch—dammit, Bao!" Bral hopped slightly, rubbing his leg. "Why do you always resort to violence?"
Bao ignored his whining, turning to Idin instead. "Take him out. We want to talk without you here."
Idin sighed, clearly not thrilled to be involved. "Why do both of you have to make everything weird?" He shook his head, already grabbing Bral by the shoulder and steering him away. "Whatever. I'm starving. Let's go before it takes any longer."
Bral, half protesting, let himself be dragged away, his voice echoing down the hall. "You're all being so secretive! I swear if this is something fun and you don't tell me—"
"Shut up." Bao shouted. And then, finally, they were gone.
A silence settled between Amukelo, Bao, and Pao.
Amukelo shifted uncomfortably, standing there awkwardly as he glanced at Pao, who was now avoiding his gaze. Bao sighed, rolling her shoulders. "Okay, let it out."
Pao hesitated for a moment, then, without looking up, mumbled, "Hey, Amukelo..."
Amukelo tilted his head, his brows furrowing slightly. "Hey..?"
There was a small pause, then Pao forced herself to continue, her voice barely above a whisper. "Are you doing something this evening?"
Bao immediately facepalmed, letting out a dramatic exhale.
Amukelo blinked. That's what this was about?
He shrugged. "I was planning to train at the facility, but what's the matter?"
Pao raised her hands quickly, waving them dismissively, her words rushing out in a nervous blur. "Ahh—it's nothing, I just wanted to talk about something, but if you're busy, that's fine!"
Talk about something? Amukelo narrowed his eyes slightly. Something was definitely off. He had noticed Pao acting strangely over the last few days—avoiding eye contact, keeping her distance, barely talking to him.
He sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "Pao, I mean... you've been acting weird lately. Avoiding me. If something's bothering you and talking helps, then sure. I'll go. It's not like I have a class or anything, so it's no issue."
Pao stiffened, then, as if bracing herself, shot out her next words in a single breath. "Okay, then let's meet up in the magic shop this evening. Bye!"
And before Amukelo could even process what she had just said, she spun on her heel and rushed back into her room, shutting the door behind her in an instant.
Amukelo just stood there, completely dumbfounded. He reached a hand out belatedly. "Wai—t..."
Slowly, he turned to Bao, who had been watching the entire scene with a slow shake of her head, her expression somewhere between exasperation and amusement.
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Amukelo pointed at the now-closed door. "What... just happened?"
Bao simply sighed again, crossing her arms. "You'll find out this evening. Hopefully."
Then they stepped outside of the inn.
Idin, who had been leaning against the inn's wooden post, pushed himself up straight the moment he saw them. "Finally. Can we go eat now? I'm starving."
Bral, however, had his priorities elsewhere. His sharp eyes immediately honed in on their expressions. His grin curved as he stepped closer. "Alright, what were you two talking about? Come on, spill it."
Bao immediately shot him a sharp glare, her tone clipped. "It's none of your business."
Bral put his hands up defensively, but his grin didn't fade. "Geez, alright."
Bao sighed heavily, rubbing her temples. After a moment of consideration, she muttered, "Whatever. Hopefully, it's resolved by today. I might just as well tell you two."
She suddenly grabbed both Bral and Idin by the collars and dragged them a few steps away, just far enough that Amukelo couldn't hear.
"Stay here." She said over her shoulder to Amukelo.
Amukelo blinked in surprise, throwing up his hands. "What did I do now?!"
Bao ignored him. She turned back to Bral and Idin, her voice dropping to a low, urgent whisper. "So, here's the thing..."
Both men leaned in slightly, sensing something interesting was coming.
Bao sighed again, rubbing her forehead as if this whole situation was giving her a headache. "Pao saw Amukelo a few days ago with another girl. It was back when we took a day off, and he went out questing alone."
Idin's brows raised slightly, while Bral's grin widened immediately.
Bao continued, lowering her voice even more. "Pao thinks that Amukelo's meeting up with this girl again. I tried to convince her that it's most likely not the case, but she wouldn't listen. And ever since... she's been distracted."
Idin nodded slowly, starting to piece it together. "So that's why she's been acting weird?"
Bao nodded firmly. "She hasn't even been able to focus on studying magic. That alone should tell you how much this is bothering her."
Bral, however, was grinning like a fool.
He clapped a hand over his mouth, as if trying to hold back a laugh, but his shoulders shook with amusement. Then, in a completely flat yet obviously teasing voice, he said: "Yeah... sounds like a real crisis."
Bao shot him an immediate glare. "Don't start."
Bral cleared his throat, his grin never fading. "So, what did you tell her to do?"
Bao crossed her arms, glancing back at Amukelo, who was still standing awkwardly in the distance, clearly impatiently waiting for answers. "I told her to just talk to him about it."
Bral nodded, but then his grin turned downright mischievous. "And let me guess... she couldn't do it."
Bao sighed deeply, shaking her head. "No. She froze up every time she tried. So I figured... if they spent some time together, she might get comfortable enough to bring it up."
Bral's grin widened even more as he leaned in, waggling his eyebrows. "Sooo... what I'm hearing is... you basically arranged a date for them."
Bao froze for a second, before immediately groaning. "What?! No!" She ran a hand through her hair, exasperated. "Of course that's how you'd interpret it."
Bral chuckled, nudging Idin, who smirked slightly. "Come on, Idin, back me up here. That's what this sounds like, right?"
Idin shrugged, his smirk growing. "I mean, it's not... not a date."
Bao pinched the bridge of her nose, exhaling heavily. "You two are insufferable."
Bral, still grinning, raised a finger. "But—"
Bao immediately held up a hand to cut him off. "No. Stop. We are not children anymore, Bral. Not everything is a joke about romance."
But Bral wasn't backing down.
"Oh, but it's remarkable, and you know it." He leaned in slightly, his voice lowering conspiratorially. "Think about it, Bao. Pao has been obsessed with magic for as long as we've known her. She never once showed interest in any guy. And now? She can't even focus on her studies because of Amukelo. If that's not something... then I don't know what is."
Bao paused, her expression flickering between resistance and realization.
She exhaled slowly, rubbing her arms. "I guess... there's something in that."