Chapter 10 - Side by Sidecar

8.22.1204 - Sunday (Free Day)

When Towa agreed to take part in Angelica and George's request to ride in Angelica's orbal bike's sidecar she had expected Angelica to be the driver. It wouldn't be the first time Angelica took her for a ride. That was how they got to Heimdallr for the festival after all. She knew Angelica took her for rides on her orbal bike so frequently because it was one of the few ways to get her out of the Student Council room. She wasn't complaining though. There was nothing more relaxing than the sounds of the orbal bike's engine mixed with the sounds of nature. So she was a little surprised to see Rean in the driver's seat when she arrived at the meet up spot outside of Trista.

Not that she questioned Rean's driving abilities, she knew Angelica and George had requested Rean to test drive the orbal bike for them before. It was just odd that Angelica and George didn't bring him up when they made the request to her. Oh well, it wasn't as if the ride would be any less relaxing because Rean was driving her.


So off they went. The sounds of Trista getting more and more quieter the further they went. While the ride wasn't as smooth as usual, it was still relaxing for Towa. She could tell that Rean was still unfamiliar with driving Angelica's orbal bike, but he was still doing a remarkable job in her opinion. They both got to talking, mainly about how nice the scenery was.

Soon they stopped when Rean decided they were far enough. His initial plan was to drive back as soon as possible, but Towa decided that they should take a quick break first.

"Whenever Angie takes me this far we usually sit on the grass for a while, maybe we should do that right now. Don't worry, I'm sure we'll make it back before your class has to start exploring the old schoolhouse." Towa informed Rean as she got out of the sidecar.

"If you say so President Towa." Rean said in response as he turned off Angelica's orbal bike before getting off.

"That hill looks like a good spot. The small tree looks like it could provide some nice shade, come on we should sit over there." Towa told Rean as she made her way up the short hill.

"Alright, I'm coming." Rean said in agreement as he followed Towa up the hill.

Once both were at the top they sat down next to each other by the tree. Not only did they enjoy the opportunity to stretch their legs, but also the shade the tree provided for them.

They sat there for a few minutes silently both taking in the tranquil scenery. All they could hear was water from a nearby river flowing and several birds chirping. It was a very peaceful place.

Towa was starting to feel herself fall asleep. She did have multiple all-nighters recently. While she never got a fever from it like Crow had told Rean, it was clear her sleeping schedule had been wrecked.

After her involvement with leading the evacuation process during the incident she was sent a request from both Chancellor Osborne and Prince Olivert to be their secretary for the upcoming West Zemuria Trade Conference. It was an opportunity she couldn't reject, so she agreed to their request. To prepare she began to study up on the current situations of each country taking part in the conference. She didn't mean to stay up multiple days, but there was so much she needed to know. It didn't help that she didn't tell any of the Student Council members or anyone else for that matter that she was going to take part in the West Zemuria Trade Conference, although she planned to tell Angelica, George, and Crow before leaving. So on top of research she continued to look over the preparations for the upcoming School Festival. She remembered that Class VII was the only class that hasn't submitted any ideas for their booth, so maybe she should ask Rean about that.

Rean wasn't sure what to do. On one hand, he'd finally gotten Towa to rest outside of the Student Council room. He knew that must've been Angelica and George's goal when they asked him to test drive the orbal bike again. It was clear that Towa was hiding something from everyone. It wasn't their place to pry into her personal life so they've all turned a blind eye. However, it was clear that her all-nighters were becoming more frequent. He was especially concerned for her health. Thankfully her fever had seemingly disappeared, but if she continued with her all-nighters she could get sick again. So to see her finally get some rest, Rean couldn't be happier.

On the other hand Towa had fallen asleep while leaning on his arm, and said arm was starting to feel numb. If he moved even slightly he feared he'd wake her up. He would just have to accept his position and stay still if he wanted Towa to rest.

After a few minutes Towa finally woke up. It took her a few seconds to try to remember where she was and remember what she was doing.

"Oh right, Rean and I sat here to rest for a bit before heading back to Trista." Towa told herself.

"Someone looks well rested. Ready to head back President Towa?" Rean asked.

Towa quickly agreed. Rean was the first to get up and offered his hand to help her get up as well. Once both of them got on Angelica's orbal bike, Rean started up the engine and off they went.


The trip back started off silent.

Towa was the first to speak up. "Um… Rean, would it be okay if you don't mention that I fell asleep to the others?"

"Sure President Towa. I won't tell a soul, but only on one condition." Rean answered.

"What in the world would Rean want from me?" Towa wondered to herself.

"Sure, but you better not want my notes." Towa teased.

"President Towa, please stop with all your all-nighters. I understand that whatever it is that's keeping you up is probably something private, but I can't just sit around and constantly see a friend harm their health night after night. Even if you're just going to ignore my plea once you get back to your dorm room, please just promise me here and now you'll at least try to get some more rest." Rean begged Towa.

Towa froze in her seat. She had no idea that her all-nighters were causing her friends to worry about her. Especially Rean, she was his senior. It was her job to worry about him, yet there he was worrying about her.

As much as she wanted to tell him that she would put a stop to her all-nighters and get some rest to calm him down, she knew he would be able to tell she was lying.

All Towa could do was sit silently, not giving Rean an answer.

Towa could hear Rean sigh to himself before speaking up. "I understand President Towa. As a sign of good faith though, I'll make sure not to tell anyone what happened while we took a break."

Towa could tell that her silence wasn't the answer Rean wanted. She had to do something to make him worry less.

"Rean… when this thing that's keeping me up all night is over, I'll make sure to get a healthy amount of sleep each night until I graduate. I promise." Towa finally answered.

While Towa knew it wasn't exactly what Rean wanted to hear, she could tell he was satisfied by her answer when he responded. "Thank you President Towa. I'm relieved to hear you say that."

Before they knew it they were back in Trista a bit more relaxed than before.