Nina froze at the front of the class for a moment when her eyes locked onto Nolan's, completely unaware that everyone else was staring at her. She stood there like a statue, silent, her gaze fixed on Nolan as he sat casually in the back.
"If you're finished, go ahead and grab your desk and chair, then sit down," the teacher said curtly.
"Oh... yes, sir," Nina replied.
Nina walked straight to the back. A few guys offered to carry her furniture for her, but she ignored them and passed by without a single glance. She grabbed a desk with a chair on top and lifted it. "Thud." She set it down right next to Nolan, causing every single student in the class to turn and look. Rico, sitting next to Nolan by the window, was stunned, his jaw practically hitting the floor.
Once Nina sat down, "Hi, Grey," she said, greeting Nolan with a flat expression while staring straight ahead.
"Yeah, Nina. Didn't expect you to be in my class," Nolan replied easily.
"Same here. I didn't expect it either. When I saw you yesterday, I thought you were older than me," Nina said.
"I see," Nolan replied casually.
"Oi, Nolan, you know her?" Rico asked, clearly looking for an explanation.
"Nolan?" Nina asked, turning to look at the man she knew as Grey with a confused face after his friend called him Nolan.
Nolan let out a sigh. He turned to look at Rico, who was now staring him down, then turned to Nina, who clearly wanted an explanation herself.
"Rico, meet Nina, my neighbor. And Nina... sorry, my real name is Nolan," Nolan said, clearing up the misunderstanding and answering the questions so they wouldn't have to talk about it anymore.
"So... you lied to me yesterday by saying your name was Grey?" Nina asked.
"No... I'm known as Grey at the Colosseum, but let's not get into that. It's my secret identity," Nolan answered casually.
"I see... alright then," Nina replied, still glancing at Nolan.
"Oh... so she's your neighbor, man... alright then," Rico replied, turning back to face the front. He clearly sensed something and decided it was best not to get involved.
Nina turned her gaze back to the front, and the three of them fell silent, listening to the lesson under the watchful eye of a drone hovering in the corner of the room, monitoring the entire class. Even so, Nina kept stealing glances at Nolan, who seemed indifferent as he stared ahead. Conversely, whenever Nina looked away, Nolan would glance back at her.
Something in his gut told him the girl next to him wasn't ordinary—that getting involved with her would be nothing but trouble. Eventually, he tried to act cool and detached despite his curiosity, all while keeping a close eye on Nina beside him. Then Rico, noticing Nolan had realized something, leaned in closer to him.
"Dude, your neighbor next to you is definitely hot and sexy... but for some reason, I'm getting bad news vibes from her. Better not get too close. You feel it too, don't you?" Rico whispered.
"Yeah... you're right. I feel the same way. When I first met her yesterday, she felt completely different than she does now," Nolan whispered back.
"Good. Glad you get it. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't the only one feeling it," Rico whispered before sliding back to his spot.
"Thanks for confirming the feeling that's been bugging me, too," Nolan replied in his head, giving a thumbs-up to Rico, who looked over and nodded back.
The two of them turned their attention back to the front, staying quiet. But suddenly, Nina pulled out her smartphone and unlocked it, sliding it over in front of Nolan. At first, Nolan looked at Nina, confused by what she was doing, but her expression told him to look at the screen. When Nolan glanced down, he saw a photo of a man in his thirties with a light beard and blonde hair.
He was handsome but had an arrogant look, dressed in a designer suit that screamed businessman or "I have money." Nolan recognized him immediately—the man was one of the three major shareholders of the Colosseum, one of the owners granted operating licenses by the AI.
"Do you know him? I'm asking because you mentioned the Colosseum earlier," Nina whispered.
"Yeah... Harold Winston. One of the three owners authorized by the AI. Why?" Nolan asked.
"Nothing... can you take me to the Colosseum and set up a meeting with him?" Nina asked.
"That's impossible," Nolan replied shortly.
"I figured. Alright, never mind," Nina replied.
Nina moved to take her smartphone back, but as she lifted it, her finger accidentally swiped the screen, displaying the next photo. Nolan's eyes widened instantly. He lunged, grabbing Nina's hand to pull the phone back so he could see the image clearly.
His mouth trembled and hung open; the photo showed Harold in a side profile inside an office that looked more like a throne room, sitting in an ornate chair and puffing a cigar with an arrogant smirk. Right next to the chair, a girl sat on the floor wearing a collar, with a chain leading to Harold's hand as if she were a dog.
It was Heidi. The sight gripped Nolan's heart—his beloved foster sister was being treated like an animal, perhaps even lower than a real dog. She was dressed in a revealing bikini, her face reflecting a total surrender to her fate. The photo seemed to have been taken secretly; other people besides Harold were visible at the edges of the frame, suggesting he was in a meeting. It was clear his sister was being put on display for a crowd, likely subjected to much worse than just being watched.
Rico, who had leaned over and caught a glimpse of the same photo, muttered "oh shit" under his breath. Nolan, still gripping Nina's wrist, looked up at her; she seemed confused by his reaction but wasn't angry.
"Can I ask where you got this photo?" Nolan whispered. His voice was shaking as his blood began to boil, but he fought to stay calm.
"One of my acquaintances. He was kidnapped by that man and forced to be a gladiator. He took this photo in that man's office a month ago, before he was killed in Real Arena," Nina whispered back.
Nolan glanced at the timestamp in the corner of the image. According to the date, the photo was indeed taken a month ago, just as Nina said. He looked back at her.
"Fine. We'll talk after this," Nolan replied.
"Okay... um... sorry, but could you let go of my hand? You're starting to hurt me," Nina said calmly.
"Ah," Nolan released Nina's wrist and turned his gaze back to the front. It was glaringly obvious that his crystal heart was beating wildly and rapidly, even though his face remained flat and expressionless. Nina turned back to the lesson without saying a word. Once Nolan had calmed down slightly, he glanced at Nina's wrist, which still bore the marks of his grip.
"Sorry," Nolan said shortly.
Nina turned to look at Nolan. He was still staring straight ahead with an expression that was hard to define, though a deep sadness radiated from his eyes. Nina turned back to the front.
"It's okay," Nina replied softly, a faint smile playing on her lips.
After that, they fell silent again and listened to the teacher at the front. Rico reached out and placed a hand on Nolan's shoulder; he knew exactly how Nolan must be feeling, having just discovered the fate of the sister he was fighting so desperately to free and exactly where she was being held. He could only offer his support to his friend without saying a word.