Class was out for the day. Zeri had no reason to stay in the classroom once the bells rung and everyone cleared out, but he sat at his desk and stared out the window. Maybe he needed the alone time, lost in thought, where nobody would bother him for a bit.
"Noel here. It's been a while, Zeri!" He recognized the voice and turned to see her, who waved at him.
Noel Willoch. The heir to the Willoch fortune and a former belle of high society, she enrolled in Lanseal to get a clean break from her social life. An easygoing person, she's probably the most normal student in Class G.
Zeri let out a slight smile, the kind he rarely showed in public. Her upbeat and cheerful nature had that effect on him. "You as well, Noel, long time no see."
"Things treating you well?"
"As well as they could be. I take it your father didn't keep you from coming back to school?"
"You know it. Well, he was about to once again have the talk with me about inheriting the family business. Hubert caught word, came over to visit, and told him how well I'm doing at Lanseal."
"Hubert probably wished he got you placed into Class G from the very beginning."
"I didn't mind being around Class A, no hard feelings toward them, but I'm happy to be around you guys, thanks to you making it possible. You got such a great mind for things. I'm surprised you aren't the class chair."
"Thanks, Noel." Zeri was modest in handling flattery, though he seemed disappointed the opportunity slipped past him. "Things happen. Avan spoke up before I could, unfortunately, although he's taking to the position well."
"In that case, you should run for a seat on the student council."
"I only hesitate because I'd deal with Juliana more than I already do. Besides, I'm busy as it is already."
"Look at you go, Mr. Popular. I take it you two are still at each other."
"Just as ever. You were one of the few people back then who treated me like normal."
"You've always been a good pal. I heard about what happened at the ball. Wild stuff."
"If only you were there."
"You two have such an interesting relationship. I feel like she's the reason you stuck around the nobility for so long. If it wasn't for the beef you guys have with each other, you'd be such close friends."
Regardless of Zeri's feelings for Juliana, he appreciated Noel's positivity.
Author notes:
With this chapter done, the setup for the main story of this fic is complete. It took a while, but we are ready to go into full gear starting next chapter.