His biggest problem was that he was starving.
Lauren held Ash'vour tightly in his lap, trying not to cry. He hadn't brought anything to eat. His family was very poor, and his parents were seriously ill.
A light breeze passed through the schoolyard, but it wasn't enough to distract him from his growling stomach.
Suddenly, someone sat down beside him.
It was Beatrice.
"What's wrong, Mino?" she asked, leaning forward curiously.
Lauren looked away, blushing, and hugged the teddy bear tighter against his chest.
Beatrice studied him for a moment.
Then she smiled.
"Are you hungry?"
Lauren didn't say anything.
But his face gave him away.
Sweat trickled down his forehead. His eyes were nervous, and his hands trembled slightly.
Beatrice opened her lunchbox and took out a container.
"Okay, okay. I'll give you some of my lunch."
She removed the lid.
Inside was a fluffy chocolate cake with a gooey filling and a hint of lime. It looked like something made by a professional pastry chef.
When Lauren saw it, his eyes lit up.
"C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-Can I?"
After a tremendous effort, he managed to get the words out.
Beatrice's eyes widened.
"MINO?!"
She almost dropped the cake.
"YOU SPOKE!"
Lauren immediately covered his mouth with both hands, completely embarrassed.
"It's a good thing you said it!" Beatrice said excitedly.
"But relax, okay? You don't have to force yourself. When you're able to speak properly, you can tell me your real name."
Lauren nodded slowly.
She placed the container on his lap.
"You can eat as much as you want. Don't worry."
Lauren immediately started eating.
He ate every last piece, his eyes filled with emotion.
It was the best—and the first—cake he had ever eaten in his life.
When he realized he had finished, he froze.
He blushed and tried to return the empty container, his expression full of silent apology.
"Don't worry, Mino," Beatrice said. "I wasn't hungry anyway."
Suddenly—
BZZZZZ!
A loud buzzing sound echoed through the courtyard.
A silver blur approached at incredible speed, made a sharp turn, and kicked up a cloud of dust.
A souped-up wheelchair spun around before coming to a stop sideways.
SKRRRRRT!
A boy with red hair tied in a ponytail appeared, a camera hanging around his neck.
"Yo!"
He pointed directly at Lauren.
"So you're the Lauren who freezes time?"
Lauren's eyes widened.
He almost dropped the container.
"I like you. Wanna be friends?"
Felix placed a hand on Lauren's shoulder with a huge grin.
"Take your hand off Mino!" Beatrice shouted, jumping to her feet.
"Calm down, calm down," Felix laughed.
Then he looked at Lauren.
"Is he your boyfriend?"
"NO! WE'RE JUST FRIENDS!"
"Then let me talk to my new best friend!"
Before Lauren could react, Felix grabbed his arm and sped away.
"HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
"Relax! He needs some adventure!" Felix laughed.
"You're always protecting him like he's a baby!"
"Come on, little bat! Today, you're going to live!"
Lauren was shocked.
But then...
He started laughing.
A real, genuine laugh.
The wind against his face.
The feeling of freedom.
It was all new to him.
The two of them laughed loudly as their hair blew wildly in the wind, their eyes shining with excitement.
"Hahaha!"
Felix gave Lauren a light punch on the shoulder.
"Your smile is so rare, it belongs in a museum!"
Beatrice eventually caught up with them, huffing and out of breath.
"You're crazy! And you, Mino?! You can't let some lunatic kidnap you!"
"He's Photoriam Felix!"
Felix proudly held out his hand.
"And now I'm officially Mino's best friend!"
Beatrice crossed her arms and pouted.
"Tsk... Mino doesn't need crazy friends."
"Yes, he does! He needs to come out of his shell."
"What did you say?!"
Before the argument could escalate, something strange happened.
A desperate shout echoed from behind them.
"HEY! WATCH OUT!"
Everyone turned around.
A boy was running toward them with a cane, shouting desperately.
"I NEED TO GET THERE SOON!"
"Oh my God!"
"He's going to crash!"
"WATCH OUT FOR THE POST!"
THUMP!