Regina blinked her eyes open, the bright sky swimming above her. She groaned softly,
feeling the cool blades of grass beneath her back. "Where... where am I?"
Hearing her voice, Allen immediately snapped his eyes open and sat up beside her.
"Regina! Are you alright?"
He scrambled to his feet and turned to the teacher, who was standing nearby,
clutching their retrieved school bags. "Teacher! Give me her bag, right now!"
The teacher quickly handed it over. Allen ripped the zipper open, frantically searching
for the medical kit. As he pulled out the emergency inhaler, a folded piece of paper
accidentally slipped out of the bag, fluttering onto the grass.
Allen didn't think twice about it. He immediately handed the inhaler to Regina, gently
helping her sit up so she could take a deep breath. Once her breathing finally
stabilized, he reached down, snatched the mysterious paper off the ground, and
shoved it deep into his pocket without looking at it.
"Teacher, give her some water," Allen commanded softly.
The teacher quickly handed over a bottle, and Allen helped Regina take a few slow
sips. He was completely focused on taking care of her, totally ignoring the fact that his
own clothes were charred, his arms were covered in scrapes, and a steady stream of
blood was trickling down his forehead.
The teacher looked at him, her face full of worry. "Allen, please sit down. You are much
more injured than she is! You look terrible."
Regina looked up at him, her eyes widening as she finally noticed the blood and
burns. "Allen... what in the world happened to you? Go sit in a chair!"
"I'm fine," Allen muttered bluntly, wiping the blood from his cheek.
Regina turned her gaze to the teacher. "Teacher... who saved us from the fire?"
"Who saved you?" the teacher repeated, pointing at Allen. "It was—"
Before the teacher could finish the word, Allen lunged forward. In a flash of pure
panic, he clamped his hand firmly over the teacher's mouth.
Regina stared at him, completely baffled. "Allen... what are you doing?"
"Nothing!" Allen laughed nervously, keeping his hand tightly over the teacher's lips.
"Just... playing around! Close your eyes, Regina!"
While Regina looked away suspiciously, Allen leaned in close to the teacher's ear, his
voice dropping to a fierce, angry whisper.
"Don't you dare tell Gina that I saved her," he threatened through his teeth. "Just say
that we were both stuck inside, and a random fireman broke in and rescued us."
The teacher blinked, thoroughly confused. She carefully pried his hand off her face.
"But... why?"
"Because I can't let my reputation go down in front of Gina!" Allen snapped.
The teacher raised an eyebrow. "'Gina'?"
Allen's face flushed. "Ah—slip of the tongue! Just don't tell her!"
Regina whipped her head back around, glaring at them. "What are you two
whispering about over there?"
The teacher and Allen instantly broke into forced, awkward laughter. "Hahaha!
Nothing! Nothing at all!"
"Ugh, whatever," Regina huffed. "So, tell me. Who saved us?"
In perfect unison, Allen and the teacher shouted, "A fireman!"
"Oh. Okay," Regina murmured, accepting the answer.
The teacher checked her watch and sighed. "Alright, both of you come with me. I'll
drop you off in my car."
Allen frowned. "But what about my motorcycle?"
"Don't worry about it," the teacher said. "Tomorrow, you can both just walk to school
and pick up your bike. It'll be safe here."
"Fine," Allen grumbled.
A few minutes later, they were sitting in the backseat of the teacher's car. The interior
was pitch black as the car glided down the dark streets.
Regina turned her head, staring out the window, before speaking quietly. "Thank you,
Aster... for saving me."
Allen stiffened, his heart skipping a beat. He looked over at her in shock. "You... you
knew?"
Regina turned to face him, a soft smile breaking through her exhaustion. "The teacher
whispered it to me while you were walking ahead. So... thanks, Aster. Today, you were
actually my hero."
Allen's face exploded into a burning, brilliant red. He quickly looked away, crossing his
arms aggressively to hide his sheer embarrassment.
"First of all, stop calling me by that weird flower name, Gina!" he yelled.
"Okay," Regina countered smoothly. "Then you stop calling me Gina."
Allen bit his lip, completely defeated and utterly embarrassed. "...Oh, okay. Fine. Deal."
Seeing his grumpy expression, Regina couldn't help but chuckle, and soon, Allen
found himself smiling and laughing along with her. The heavy tension from the fire
completely melted away.
From the front seat, the teacher glanced at them through the rearview mirror, a
teasing smirk on her face. "Alright, Romeo and Juliet. Tell me which house I should
drop you two off at."
"We are NOT Romeo and Juliet!" they both screamed in perfect synchronization.
The teacher burst out laughing. "My bad, my bad! Okay, so where to?"
Regina answered immediately. "Allen's house."
Allen blinked. "What? Why?"
"Because there is a zero percent chance I am going to my house tonight," Regina
explained, shuddering. "If my dad sees me covered in soot with a ruined uniform, he
will literally explode."
Allen sighed, realizing she was right. "Okay. I know the feeling."
The car pulled up to a massive, heavily guarded estate. They all got out, and the
teacher gave them a warm wave. "See you tomorrow, kids. Take care."
"Goodbye, Teacher," they replied as the car drove off.
Allen turned to Regina. Her ankle was heavily swollen and fractured from the fall in
the detention room, making it impossible for her to walk. Without asking, Allen
smoothly scooped her up into a secure bridal carry.
He marched up the front steps of his house and pressed the doorbell with his elbow.
A moment later, the heavy front door swung open. Standing on the threshold was
Allen's father—the notorious, terrifying head of the mafia. He looked down, expecting
to see his son back from a standard day of school.
Instead, he saw Allen covered in blood, his clothes burned to a crisp, holding a
completely soot-stained girl tightly in his arms.
The fearsome mafia boss froze. His tough facade instantly shattered, his eyes going
wide as he let out a high-pitched, hysterical shriek:
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"
[Chapter Ended -.
To Be Continued]..