Chapter 51: Incident in the Silent Corridor

I ran as fast as I could, breaking the silence of the very quiet school corridor. My stomach truly refused to compromise. I had told myself to wait until break time, but the stomachache kept pressing anyway. This had to be the result of breakfast earlier, I had eaten too much of my grandmother’s spicy chili sauce.

Now my stomach twisted again. Completely impatient. I quickened my steps, just one more turn left to reach my destination. However, before I could turn the corner, the sound of crying and shouting suddenly came from the direction of the restroom. I stopped instinctively and sharpened my hearing.

Slowly, I poked my head out slightly from behind the wall. A girl was facing three boys. A very unbalanced comparison.

“Heh, weakling! Told you to hurry, and you’re crying instead. You’re already a crybaby, weak, nerdy, and ugly too!” The three of them laughed loudly, as if mocking her.

“Yes,” the girl replied softly.

I froze. Was my vision mistaken? Why would the girl willingly obey the order to wipe the shoes of that tall, irritating boy?

“Still not clean enough, Boss,” one of his friends chimed in, the one whose hair stuck straight up, just like someone who had been electrocuted.

“That’s right, Boss. Don’t show mercy to this nerd. Who told her to spill your drink!” the other boy added.

That scruffy boy even helped heat up the situation.

The tall, stocky boy glared angrily downward, at the girl who was still busy scrubbing his shoes with a handkerchief.

“Did you hear me or not? Clean it properly!”

“Yes. I’m—”

“Oh, are you trying to argue back? You want to fight me, huh!” The boy then grabbed the girl’s hair roughly.

I immediately covered my mouth in disbelief, while holding back the stomachache that was growing more painful.

“Fight me now. Fight. Come on, fight!” the boy challenged.

“Ow, it hurts. Please forgive me.”

This incident truly could not be left alone. Their behavior had crossed the line.

“What did you say? I can’t hear you. Say it again.”

“Hey, a teacher’s coming!” I shouted from behind the wall while running in place, making it sound like someone was panicking.

The three boys panicked as well. They immediately ran off to save themselves. I laughed to myself at their panic. Serves them right.

“Are you okay?” I asked worriedly after seeing her pale face.

“I … I’m fine. Thank you so much,” she replied softly.

I smiled kindly. “You’re welcome. Oh, by the way, what’s your name?”

Strangely, instead of answering, she looked startled.

“Why? Is there something on my face?”

“No. I’m just surprised. It turns out there are still people who want to introduce themselves to me,” she said quietly.

I just gave a small smile. My right hand reflexively scratched my cheek, confused about what to say, while my left hand held my waist to suppress the increasingly painful stomachache.

“Well then, how about we become friends from now on? What’s your name?”

“My name is … Gita Felicia,” she answered while accepting my outstretched hand.

Oh, so this bespectacled girl was named Gita Felicia. A beautiful name.

I nodded firmly. “Call me Frel. Relax, you don’t need to be so nervous,” I said with a light chuckle after noticing that she had been wringing her hands in front of me the whole time.

As if she felt uncomfortable and nervous.

Unexpectedly, Kenn suddenly walked past us without glancing at us even once. I knew he was only pretending not to see.

Annoying guy.

Now my stomach truly refused to cooperate anymore. I squirmed restlessly because the stomachache had reached its peak. It was excruciating.

Gita frowned when she saw my strange behavior. “What’s wrong, Frel?”

I smiled happily, hearing that Gita was no longer awkward when talking to me. Actually, I wanted to chat with her at length, but that was impossible given my current condition.

I shook my head quickly. “It’s nothing. Listen, I think I need to go to the toilet right away. My stomach really hurts and I have a bad stomachache. You understand what I mean, right?”

Gita nodded while holding back a smile.

“I can’t hold it anymore. See you later, Gita,” I said while waving and running off frantically, leaving her behind.

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