The following days leading up to the school festival became a complete logistical nightmare for Charlotte.
Since their Haunted House concept required black curtains covering the entire room and complicated lighting arrangements, Charlotte was forced to personally take charge of almost everything.
Even after finishing her responsibilities as part of the school festival committee, she still had to stay late at school with her classmates, painting styrofoam decorations and setting up black fabric around the room.
Ryuu, who usually went straight home or hid in some corner while playing on his phone, strangely started going home later than usual during those days.
From outside the Biology Lab window, Ryuu quietly watched Charlotte.
The girl was standing on top of a chair, struggling to attach black fabric to the ceiling.
Her hands were visibly trembling from exhaustion.
Ryuu could see it clearly.
Charlotte’s movements were becoming slower.
Her breathing was getting heavier.
And the makeup on her face was no longer enough to hide the pale complexion caused by countless sleepless nights.
Ryuu watched as Charlotte nearly lost her balance on the chair before another female classmate quickly caught her.
He knew exactly what was happening.
Charlotte was pushing herself beyond her limits just to maintain the image of the “Perfect Goddess” in front of everyone.
And it was that observation during the preparation period that made Ryuu decide not to immediately leave when the festival day finally arrived.
Instead, he chose to stay.
Hidden among the crowd, away from everyone’s attention, he watched closely to see how long the “Goddess” could keep pretending she was fine. Read this novel at novelping dot com for the best experience.
When the long-awaited day finally arrived, the entire school was immediately swept away by the excitement of the celebration.
The smell of takoyaki, the smoke rising from food stalls, and the lively music coming from the main stage filled the entire campus.
The annual high school festival was always the most anticipated event for everyone.
Everyone except Charlotte.
As one of the main festival committee members, the long-haired black-haired girl had already been standing since six in the morning.
Checking the safety of the logistics.
Greeting teachers with a warm smile.
And handling dozens of admiring eyes that constantly looked at her with fascination.
The perfect mask of the “School Goddess” remained firmly attached to her face.
However, by four in the afternoon, her body finally began to rebel.
Charlotte’s vision suddenly became blurry.
The loud noises around her slowly turned into distant ringing.
Her legs weakened, and her head spun violently.
The anemia and accumulated stress she had been hiding for days had finally reached their limit.
As her body lost balance near a quiet outdoor hallway, Charlotte closed her eyes, preparing to hit the ground.
Swoosh.
A strong hand suddenly grabbed her arm, preventing her from falling.
Without saying much, the figure wearing a black hoodie supported Charlotte’s unstable steps and guided her away from the crowd, taking her to a quiet corner of the school garden. The source of this chapter is novelping.com.
“Sit.”
Ryuu’s voice was flat and emotionless.
Charlotte collapsed onto a wooden bench in the garden, massaging her throbbing temples.
Not long after, Ryuu returned and immediately pressed a cold bottle of mineral water against Charlotte’s pale cheek.
The sudden cold sensation made her flinch slightly before she accepted it.
Charlotte tried to force a weak, awkward smile.
“Thanks, Ryuu… Sorry, I’m just causing trouble for you.”
Ryuu sat beside Charlotte, looking straight ahead while holding the bottle of water in one hand.
“Don’t smile.”
His expression remained calm.
“You look like a corpse when you force yourself to smile while you’re dizzy. Drink.”
Charlotte froze.
She stared at the bottle in her hand before slowly drinking from it.
In this quiet corner of the garden, beneath the shade of falling leaves, Charlotte finally felt something she had forgotten for a long time.
She didn’t need to be the strong “Goddess.”
She didn’t need to maintain that perfect image.
For once, she could simply be an ordinary girl who was vulnerable in front of someone named Ryuu.
To be continued.