MMORPG: Rebirth of the Shadow Mage

143 The Change (2)

Leo was aware of many eyes that were fixated on Ava, who was seated close to him. Some of the glances were directed at him as well, but he simply disregarded them.

Despite the ongoing lecture and the lector writing on the board, the majority of the class remained focused on his desk.

‘...’

As Leo scribbled in his notebook, he couldn’t help but feel someone’s gaze upon him. Glancing up, he noticed a girl with black hair and glasses staring in his direction.

Since Leo didn’t care to socialize with his classmates, he didn’t know her name and gave her a questioning look. The girl, noticing that Leo had caught her gaze, gestured towards the clock that hung at the front of the classroom.

With only 5 minutes remaining until the end of the lecture, Leo surmised that the girl wanted to speak with him during the break.

Leo inwardly sighed, hoping that the girl’s intentions were not to confess her feelings for him. He wished that it would be something about school or even ‘Fragmental’. He even missed the usual threats from Theo, that kept others away from him.

Unfortunately, Theo was not present today.

Ring... Ring... Ring...

.....

The bell soon rang signaling the end of class. Leo stood up from his seat and gestured for the girl with black hair to follow him.

He made his way towards one of the school’s football fields and took a seat in one of the many benches.

The girl with black hair sat down next to him, remaining silent and keeping her lips pressed together.

“I’ll leave if you’re just wasting my time...”

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Leo said, glancing at his watch. He had no intention of sitting idly and staring into the distance. Leo was already on edge, due to his proximity he sat to Ava, and he needed to release some of his stress by exercising.

He observed the girl fidgeting shyly with her long black hair and was momentarily taken aback by the look on her face. She appeared to be a shy girl, with her eyes trembling from excitement.

‘Shit!’

Leo thought to himself, he wanted to grab his things and leave immediately but the girl’s hand stopped him by holding his fingers.

“Have you read my letter?”

She asked, her grip on his hand tightening. Leo frowned, noticing her slightly flushed cheeks and eyes that seemed to be spinning in circles, as if she was hypnotized.

Leo cursed himself for not noticing that the girl was crazy and dejectedly shook his head.

“Yes.”

Giving her a curt reply, Leo tried to free his hand, but the girl drew closer, causing Leo to feel increasingly irritated.

“Let go of my hand...”

Leo spoke in a low voice, which caused the girl’s grip to soften as rationality returned to her eyes. He didn’t want to sound threatening, but the situation required him to act accordingly.

“I’m not interested.”

Leo met the girl’s gaze with his black eyes and saw that she was momentarily taken aback by the effect of his gaze.

“Don’t leave me any more notes, because I’m not able to respond to your feelings”

Turning away from the girl, whose name he did not know, Leo started walking towards the school’s stadium where he could go for a light jog.

As he left the football field, Leo noticed a guy passing by him, hurrying in the direction of the girl he had just rejected. The guy’s hair and eye color were very similar to the girl’s, and Leo guessed that they were siblings. He assumed that this guy had helped the girl write the note.

...

Leo felt sweat running down his back, but all thoughts and distractions faded away as he entered a trance-like state while running. That was until he heard the sound of someone taking a photo.

Click...

His head snapped to the side and he caught sight of a silhouette disappearing behind the corner of the university building. Though Leo couldn’t make out the features of the stalker, he could tell it was a girl by the glimpse of her hands he saw before she disappeared.

Glancing at his watch, he noticed that the next lecture was about to start and quickly made his way to the class.

As he entered the classroom, he received a few strange looks due to the fact that he was almost drenched in sweat.

Leo took a seat near Ava, who was engrossed in a book, but Leo knew it was just a cover-up and she simply didn’t want to talk. She threw him a glance before her eyes returned to her book.

Soon the lecturer entered and began the class. While Ava diligently took notes, Leo fiddled with the crumpled paper he received from the girl with black hair. Glancing to his right, he noticed that she was not present and let out a sigh.

Opening his notebook, Leo tossed the paper note onto his desk and immersed himself in the book lying before him.

***

Ring... Ring... Ring...

The bell rang, signaling the end of the day, and Leo slowly gathered his things before leaving the classroom, with a barely perceptible smile playing on his lips.

He had managed to survive the first day while sitting near the ‘angel’.

As he approached his car, Leo tossed his bag inside and was about to enter the vehicle when he felt someone nudge his side.

Leo heard faint whispers surrounding him and the corner of his eye twitched with anticipation as he wondered who was standing behind him.

As he turned around, he noticed Ava standing a meter away, a pout visible on her face. The faint scent of rain seemed to linger around her.

She had her arms crossed over her chest and her eyes were focused on him, as if she had something important to say. Leo felt a knot in his stomach trying to keep his facial expressions in check.

“You didn’t forget about our deal, did you?”

Ava asked, her voice breaking the silence.

“No, I haven’t, my assistant will contact you in the game for more information.”

Leo was relieved when Ava nodded her head in response, and he bid her a good day before getting into his car. However, he missed the subtle hint on her face that suggested she had something else to say. Her lips were slightly parted, as if she wanted to add something more to their conversation.

Ava couldn’t help but feel a twinge of annoyance as she observed Leonard’s usual demeanor. Despite her best efforts to talk with him, his expression remained impassive. As she looked into his eyes, she could see that they were actively studying her face, but she was unable to discern any hint of emotion that would suggest he felt attracted towards her.

The more she thought about it, the more convinced she became that Leonard and Leo were almost identical in their behavior. The possibility that Leonard was actually Leo, in disguise, was growing inside her mind.

Ava’s gaze fixated on Leonard’s grey car as it pulled away from the university, leaving behind a trail of exhaust fumes.

Waking up from her stupor, she pushed her way through the crowd of people who were staring at her, some with admiring glances while others with envious eyes.

Despite being surrounded by dozens of males vying for her attention and females glaring at her with jealousy, Ava navigated the crowd with ease and reached her car without any incident.

***

Leo stumbled into his house, mental exhaustion weighing him down to the ground.

He collapsed onto the sofa, reaching for his phone. He quickly typed out a message to Tia, instructing her to contact Ava and deliver the potions he had promised her in the game. He sent Tia Ava’s in-game information and trusted her to handle the task efficiently.

As he laid there, resting, Leo’s gaze swept around the room. He realized that his parents were not home and noticed a note on the table. It was from his mother, explaining that they had gone for a walk.

As Leo walked towards his room, his attention was drawn to the stocks displayed on his phone screen. His eyebrows rose in surprise as he took in the numbers on his account, the amount of zeroes making his head spin.

‘Should I buy more property?’

Leo scratched his chin in thought, he considered the upcoming event that was about to drastically raise property prices within the city. He had already invested in several apartments, but the potential for even more profit tempted him.

He knew that buying more property would be a smart move, but his eyes were suddenly drawn towards the girl on the other side of the street.

Leo’s eyes locked onto Ava as she climbed out of her car and he couldn’t help but let out a sigh. He knew that he was becoming increasingly drawn to her beauty, and it made him uneasy. He was aware that his attraction to her could potentially cloud his judgment and make it difficult for him to make rational decisions

‘This is difficult...’