Path of the Extra Chapter 384: Leo Karumi [18]

The week leading up to the end-of-year festival had finally concluded, marking the official start of the celebration.

Naturally, the students were swept up in a tide of intense excitement. For many, sleep had been a stranger the night before, their minds racing in anticipation. Once the day arrived, they did what any typical student would—they charged towards the school gates.

It was perhaps the only day of the year they would exhibit such unbridled enthusiasm to arrive for class. Even thirty minutes before the opening bell, the classrooms were already bustling with activity. It resulted in a strange sight: the corridors felt hollow and deserted, as though the lessons were already in full swing.

But not everyone...

There was a specific pair wandering toward their room as if it were just another mundane Monday.

"So, he just gets a random power-up and crushes the villain?"

"Isn’t that the pinnacle of cheap plot armor? A convenient boost springing out of thin air?"

"True, but he is the main character, and the villain was simply too formidable otherwise," Nathan said with a shrug. "The writing was mediocre, but the visuals were genuinely stunning."

"I suppose the movie had one redeeming quality, then."

"Indeed," Nathan sighed with dramatic flair.

"Though, I really wish you’d accompanied me."

"I told you, I had commitments."

"...You’re perpetually swamped with work."

It was, of course, Nathan and Leo.

"Man," Nathan whistled, hands clasped behind his head, "you can practically hear the collective heartbeat of the school, waiting for that first bell."

"Come on, admit it—you’re excited too, aren't you? Right? Right?" He nudged his elbow against Leo’s side repeatedly.

Leo’s expression soured instantly.

"Could you stop that?"

He looked like he was one step away from decking Nathan. Chuckling, Nathan shifted to the left to maintain his distance.

"If anyone is buzzing with energy, it’s definitely you," Leo muttered.

Nathan caught the remark and gave a sly smirk.

"Naturally! This is our final week of middle school. Do you have any idea how much effort I—along with the rest of the student council—poured into this? And not just us. Lea, too." He leaned in closer, grinning.

"Go on, don’t try to deny that all that hard work hasn't left you at least a little bit pumped for this."

Leo opened his mouth to retort—

but stopped himself. He pressed his lips into a thin line and gazed away.

Nathan laughed, his eyes glinting with a different sort of curiosity.

"So," he said, drawing out the syllable, "what is happening between you and the Prez?"

Leo’s brows drew together.

"What are you talking about?"

"I mean... have you two grown closer? Are you friends now?" Nathan wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "You spending so much time together last week—captain of the festival committee and president of the student council—must have had some effect."

Leo rubbed his chin, looking down as they continued to walk.

...Well.

They had certainly grown closer since that day.

The day Lea finally chose to be vulnerable with him.

And, in his own way, Leo had reciprocated.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Nathan invaded his personal space once more.

"What’s with that look? Why the hesitation?"

A look of genuine shock crossed Nathan’s face.

"Don’t tell me... did something actually occur between you two? M-maybe you’ve become closer than I imagined—not just as friends, but as..."

"Shut your mouth," Leo interrupted coldly. "Don’t you get exhausted hearing your own annoying voice?"

"What?!" Nathan clutched his chest as if he’d been struck by a blade. "Just because my voice isn't harmonious like Lea’s, that’s no reason to belittle your only best friend! The betrayal! The audacity! The—"

"Be quiet."

Leo’s gaze sharpened, turning frigid.

Nathan quieted immediately, though he kept his hand on his chest, his face twisted into a mask of theatrical agony.

"Nothing happened between us," Leo stated firmly.

"We aren't even friends."

"For real?" Nathan’s energy evaporated instantly.

"Damn..."

His shoulders slumped, radiating deep disappointment. Leo glared at him, clearly exasperated.

"She’s always been equitable," Nathan murmured, almost to himself.

"Kind to everyone, without exception. No matter how much you try to bridge the gap or how long you know her, she treats everyone exactly the same." He peeked at Leo. "But I swear... I really thought she treated you differently."

Leo stopped his glare and focused on the path ahead.

For some reason, the statement made him feel deeply unsettled.

...Because Nathan wasn't wrong.

"Tch."

Nathan’s head whipped around to face him.

"Did you just click your tongue at me?"

"Be quiet."

"Why though?!"

*****

Eventually, the duo parted ways. Leo halted before his classroom entrance, his hand resting on the latch.

The exuberant noise flowing from within made him hesitate for reasons he couldn’t articulate.

Would it truly be acceptable for him to just walk in like that?

Truthfully, he didn’t have the patience today to deal with that familiar, lingering awkwardness.

He released the handle with a soft sigh and pivoted away—

only to freeze in his tracks.

His teacher was standing there, arms folded, observing him with a playful glimmer in her eyes.

"And just where do you think you’re off to," she inquired, "when you were on the verge of entering the room, Leo?"

Leo cast his eyes aside, feeling suddenly uneasy.

"I realized I have outstanding work to finish as the festival committee captain."

"Oh, really?" Her tone was deceptively innocent.

"And what sort of work would that be?"

"...Safety and security protocols," Leo replied after a brief pause.

"The festival committee holds responsibility for that area."

A soft chuckle escaped her.

"Always so quick to conjure up excuses. But I am already familiar with every volunteer assigned to that particular duty." Her smile broadened. "I suspected you might attempt to vanish at the eleventh hour, so yesterday I checked the status of the committee’s tasks personally. That way, I would know exactly if you were pulling my leg."

Leo gave her a flat, weary stare.

"Don’t you have anything more constructive to do with your time?"

She laughed again.

"Looking after you children is a vital component of my life as an educator."

"...Then perhaps find a hob—"

The bell rang, cutting him off just in time and sparing him from what was surely about to be a lecture.

The teacher’s expression grew sharp.

"Shall we?"

Leo stepped back and, for a fleeting moment, donned a polite mask.

"After you, Teacher."

Her expression remained unmoved.

"I think not."

Leo’s lips twitched. He let the fake smile drop, shoved the door wide open, and stepped inside. The teacher followed, wearing a look of self-satisfaction.

As Leo had anticipated, the class fell silent as soon as he appeared.

But something was... off.

The gazes he received weren't the usual ones. They were different—strangely warm, almost welcoming.

He struggled to identify the sentiment behind them.

"Ah, Leo," the teacher called out, "there is no need to take your seat just yet."

Leo halted and turned back to face her.

This time, her smile seemed almost mischievous.

"Since one of my pupils is the festival committee captain—and that student happens to be you—I concluded that you should be the one to kick things off instead of me."

Leo felt that familiar discomfort crawling up his spine again.

"...Is that really necessary?"

"It is only appropriate."

Leo let out a heavy, audible sigh.

"Fine."

He walked to the front of the classroom while the teacher settled behind her desk, clearly savoring the situation.

From his vantage point, he could see most of his peers were already in costume: bloody nurses, vampires, monsters—whatever moved them.

He had to concede, they looked remarkably professional.

"Leo, get on with it!" someone shouted impatiently. "We’re all dying to head over to the gym in Block C and confirm if our haunted house is set up correctly!"

A chorus of eager agreement followed.

Then another voice piped up—

"Wait, Leo. Where is your costume? Is it already waiting at the haunted house?"

It was the class representative.

Leo stared at her blankly.

"I don’t have one."

"...Eh?"

The exclamation echoed from a dozen mouths at once.

"W-wait, what do you mean you don’t have a costume?!"

"Did that cosplay club forget to craft yours?!"

"Why are you only bringing this up now, of all times?!"

Wave after wave of frustration flooded the room.

Leo scratched the back of his neck.

"Uh... well. I never actually asked them to make me one."

The thought had entirely escaped him.

The entire room froze in place.

Even the teacher massaged her temples.

"T-that is quite unacceptable, Leo," the class rep said, sounding like she was fighting the urge to explode.

"Why didn’t you mention it to them—or, for heaven's sake, to any of us?!"

The class rep stood up so abruptly her chair scraped loudly against the floor. She looked genuinely incensed.

Leo blinked, caught off guard. So did the rest of the room.

For some reason, a prickle of guilt stung him harder than he anticipated. He averted his eyes.

"...Well?"

Leo muttered, his voice barely a whisper.

"...I forgot."

Silence fell over the room once more.

"Is that even a possibility?"

"The genius who aced every single memorization exam... simply forgot?"

"...Am I imagining things?"

Leo’s face twitched as he darted a glare toward them.

Then, someone broke the silence with a burst of laughter.

"Hahaha—so Leo is human after all!"

"Who would’ve guessed? Even our resident genius can be forgetful."

Leo’s gaze was dry as he watched them shift to a strangely joyful mood.

"But..." someone interjected, the atmosphere shifting again, "what are we supposed to do? It’ll look quite odd if Leo is the only one in the class without a costume."

"True, that is a point."

"Can’t we just ask the cosplay club to help out?"

"They’re absolutely swamped," the class rep replied, slumping slightly. "After they helped us, other classes took note of their expertise. Everyone is begging them for help even now..."

"What—? But that only happened because of Leo’s help!"

"They should drop everyone else and focus on him!"

"Tch." A sharp voice pierced through the commotion.

"Why on earth should they?"

It was Dave, staring at Leo with undisguised contempt. Clad in a zombie costume, his expression looked disturbingly fitting.

"They didn’t make him a costume because he clearly didn’t give a damn," Dave continued. "He never wants to be part of this class anyway. It’s likely of no consequence to him at all. So leave him be. If he wants to act like he’s superior to us, don’t waste your energy on him."

The class rep’s hands balled into fists. Several students turned on Dave instantly.

"Dave, how can you say something like that? Leo is the only reason you even have such a fantastic costume to wear!"

"You’re being completely unreasonable!"

"Me?!" Dave shot back. "He’s the one who forgot! And even if he did convince the cosplay club to assist us, he only showed his face in class once last week!"

"That’s because he’s serving as the festival committee captain—he had vital responsibilities!"

"Please. That was just a convenient excuse to avoid us. If Mr. Genius really wanted to, he could have done much more."

"You—"

"Enough!"

The teacher’s palm cracked against the desk, a sound sharp enough to bring the room to a dead halt.

"To think this is how we choose to begin the first day of the festival," she remarked with a cutting edge. "Honestly—you are all on the verge of high school. Start acting with some maturity."

She stood tall, scanning the room with obvious disappointment. Many students dropped their heads, overcome with shame.

"Leo," she said, "I didn’t call you up here for this fiasco. But they are correct about one thing. Being the captain of the festival committee is a heavy burden, certainly, but having seen other students and classes in costume all week, the idea must have crossed your mind more than once."

Leo remained silent.

"...Now," the teacher continued, her tone more measured, "this is an issue we must resolve. If I search the school storage, I might be able to uncover a spare, but..." Her gaze flicked across the expectant faces of the class. "...it won't come close to the quality of what everyone else is currently wearing."

And even if they managed to find one, Leo preferred the idea of not wearing anything at all over donning some moth-eaten, sweat-stained relic.

Leo bit the inside of his cheek, then spoke quietly.

"I will secure a proper costume for tomorrow."

The teacher blinked, surprised.

"Are you quite sure?"

Leo offered a steady nod.

"I have the funds."

"...As long as you are certain. Just be careful not to overextend your budget." "I am wealthy," Leo stated plainly.

The teacher offered a wry, amused smile.

"Of course you are." She composed herself, rolling her shoulders as she turned toward the class, her tone seamlessly transitioning to something bright and official.

"Alright then. With that settled, I’ll take control from here."

She raised her voice to ensure all could hear.

"As you are all aware, today the festival is strictly for the students to enjoy. The original schedule intended for sports events to commence today, but that has been adjusted. Tomorrow, the school grounds will be opened to the public, and the sports competition will be held then as well." Students listened with gleaming eyes, nodding in earnest concentration.

"So, enjoy yourselves to the fullest today," she continued. "From tomorrow onwards, there is no expectation to report to class at the start of the day. Nonetheless, we expect exemplary behavior—because you are all representatives of this academy." Her expression softened into something genuinely warm. "Now..." she said. "Go forth and have the time of your lives."