Chapter 39: Spying

That pair of eyes seemed to calmly trace the pages of the book in front of them. At a glance, anyone would think they were reading with complete focus, absorbed in rows of letters and sentences. But if observed more closely, something felt off.

That gaze was not truly focused on the book.

I realized it. Too clearly, in fact.

Others might be fooled by the calm demeanor, but not me. I knew them well enough to tell when they were pretending and when they were genuinely serious.

From the corner of their eyes, it was obvious they were watching something. The movement of their pupils was subtle, almost imperceptible, yet it did not escape my attention. Their gaze shifted occasionally, then returned to the book, as if checking on something without wanting to be noticed.

I followed the direction of that gaze. It turned out they were watching a girl sitting on the bench to the left, near the wall facing north. Reflexively, I looked in the same direction. From where I was standing, my view was limited. I could only see the side of the girl’s face, partly hidden by her hair.

A sudden sense of familiarity surfaced. I frowned, trying to recall it.

Had I seen her before?

Still uncertain, I slowly shifted my body to the left, until I reached the edge of the glass window facing south. From this position, my view was much clearer.

So as not to be noticed, I tilted my head slightly. Half of my face peeked out from behind the glass window, while the other half was concealed by the outer wall of the library. My heart beat faster, whether from curiosity or from fear of being caught, I did not know.

I studied the girl’s face more carefully.

And when my awareness finally registered what I was seeing, my eyes widened completely. Without realizing it, my hand flew up to cover my mouth.

That girl.

The girl with twin braids and glasses.

The girl who had earlier been the only person in the library who remained calm and not even slightly disturbed by the commotion I caused.

Wait a second.

That memory suddenly surfaced. Back during school orientation, Dara had once told a story about a nerdy girl who was almost slapped by Farah, but was stopped by someone.

My chest tightened.

Could it be….

Could it be that the girl Dara meant back then was this girl?

Alternately, I looked at the arrogant guy who now seemed to be turning to the next page of his book, then shifted my gaze back to the bespectacled girl.

Wooah. Turns out there really is someone who secretly becomes a silent admirer.

The corner of my lips lifted uncontrollably. My smile turned into a grin full of satisfaction. My chest felt light, as if I had just won a small match no one else knew about.

Satisfied. Truly satisfied.

Serves you right, Kenn.

The girl with glasses finally closed her book. She tidied it calmly, then stood up as if preparing to leave the library.

Trouble.

I reflexively turned around and pretended to be calm. I made my steps casual, as if nothing had happened. I walked away from the library entrance, heading down the school corridor. Still, I stayed alert. From time to time, I tilted my head slightly to the right, making sure out of the corner of my eye that the girl was still behind me.

Thank goodness, the distance between us was still safe.

I kept walking while counting silently, how many more steps before I could turn. Honestly, I still got lost often in this school. Even though during orientation and on the first day we had been taken around, I still needed more time to memorize every corner of the building.

This school was too vast. Too grand. Too many corridors and turns that all looked almost the same.

Up ahead, I finally saw a corner. I immediately glanced to the right and pretended to be busy pulling out weeds growing around the flowers in a pot. My hands moved aimlessly while I slightly lowered my head.

Slowly, I lifted my gaze. The girl with glasses stopped. She lowered her head to look at her phone, her fingers moving quickly as she typed something.

Safe.

Maybe this was the moment.

With a quick movement, I hurried forward and turned left. My body leaned against the wall, my breath held slightly. A few seconds later, the girl with glasses passed in front of me, walking straight ahead without even glancing in my direction.

A small instinct in my head immediately kicked in. After this, it had to be Kenn.

Without waiting any longer, I stepped backward a few paces and hid behind a nearby wall. My body pressed against it, leaving only a small gap to peek through.

And sure enough.

Kenn appeared a few seconds later. He walked casually, following the direction of the girl with glasses. His tall, well-built figure was easy to recognize, even from a distance.

I held myself back from reacting too much.

Kenn passed right by me without realizing I was there. I stayed still until his silhouette grew farther away. A few minutes passed, then I came out of my hiding place.

I followed him.

Maybe this sounded silly. Extremely silly, even. But my curiosity had already taken control of me. I had no intention of backing out now.

With slow but steady steps, I kept my distance. Close enough to see them, but far enough that Kenn wouldn’t realize he was being followed.

Come to think of it, this situation was kind of funny. Just imagine it. Kenn was secretly following the girl with glasses, while I, with full seriousness, was following Kenn from behind.

I laughed silently to myself.

It seemed I really was suited to switch careers and become an amateur detective.

Suddenly, Kenn turned left, following the girl with glasses toward the garden behind the teachers’ building. I reflexively quickened my pace. Not quite running, but fast enough so I wouldn’t lose track of them.

I stopped behind a wall and peeked out slightly.

There, Kenn leaned casually against the wall. His left leg was bent backward, the tip of his shoe resting against the wall, while both hands were tucked into his pockets. His posture looked lazy, but his eyes were anything but. His gaze was fixed straight ahead.

The girl with glasses was now sitting on a park bench, her back to us. Her body was slightly hunched, focused on the book resting on her lap, as if the world around her didn’t exist.

Kenn remained silent. His stare was so intense, almost unblinking. From where I stood, I could clearly see that he hadn’t looked away even once.

But I started to feel uncertain.

What was Kenn actually staring at? Was he watching the back of the girl with glasses, or the tall palm tree standing directly across from the park bench?

His gaze was sharp, yet empty. If observed more closely, there was something different about it. Like someone who wasn’t fully present. As if his body was in the garden, but his mind was drifting somewhere else.

He looked lost in thought.

I snorted softly. To hell with Kenn. I had no intention of trying to understand what was going on inside his head. It was exhausting and completely unimportant to me.

I thought this was as far as I needed to follow the two of them. I could continue this little investigation another time, if a more interesting opportunity came along.

What mattered most now was that I already held Kenn’s trump card.

The corner of my lips curved into a satisfied smile.

This trump card, someday, would definitely come in handy.

.......................................