Chapter 4 Meeting On The Rooftop Of The Mall

Putting his books into his bag, Novan exclaimed excitedly, "Marcell, it's so rare to come straight home from school, let's play a game? I miss that." The thought just popped into his head, making Novan say it immediately. The boy smiled happily, trying to get his attention and an answer. "What do you think?"

"Do you want to go to my house?" Marcell said, already carrying his bag. His gaze drifted to his best friend.

"Yeah, you're not going with Weeby after school, are you?" asked Novan, his gaze narrowed, watching Marcell and Weeby in turn, both standing side by side.

Instead of Marcell, it was Weeby who responded first. "Relax, don't think about me, I'm going straight home. You two can play as much as you want."

"Thanks, I'm glad to hear that." Novan grins at Weeby, showing off his white teeth. But, the answer being in Marcell's hands, Novan's happiness was not yet fully filled.

"You're welcome," Weeeby replied. "I'm going home first, bye everyone!" The girl kissed Marcell's cheek briefly, leaving Marcell stunned, but he finally smiled too.

"Bye, babe!" Marcell waved as Weeeby began to walk away from the classroom.

Feeling ignored, Novan rolled his eyes. "Hey, I've been waiting for your answer, hurry up and answer."

"Oh, you're waiting for my answer?"

"No, I'm waiting for you to jump off this school building," Novan replied sarcastically. Now, his eyes were wide. "Yes, I'm obviously waiting for your answer. Why did you ask me back? It just makes me feel bad."

"Well, if you want to play games at my house, let's hurry up and leave now. I just want to." Marcell chimed in, "Come on!"

Novan's annoyed expression had changed into something better, his lips were smiling, and his hands were rubbing together. "That's the answer I've been waiting for. Let's go!"

Marcell nodded, his eyes turning to Erza, who had just stood up from his seat. "Erza, you're coming with us too, right?"

Novan answered ahead of Erza, even though Erza had already opened his mouth. "Why do you ask that? The obvious question doesn't need an answer, Erza will come with us, that's for sure. Isn't that right, Za?"

"You're wrong, I just want to say that I can't come with you two to Marcell's house to play PlayStation."

"What?" Novan blinked his eyes rapidly.

"Why?" asked Marcell, curious.

By now, Novan's body had completely turned to face Erza. "Do you really not want to come? Seriously!"

"I can't, I think I want to go straight home." Erza replied weakly, his voice sounding very hoarse. As a final touch, his slightly pale lips lifted up, revealing a smile.

"Why are you feeling sick all of a sudden? Your voice is hoarse too," Novan asked.

"Nothing, I'm not sick at all. I feel healthy and fine."

Marcell clicked his tongue. "But?"

"But I just want to go home. That's it. I'm feeling lazy. Sorry, it looks like you guys are playing a game together."

Erza's answer immediately made Novan frown. He didn't like hearing his best friend's sentence. "What are you talking about? Without you, it won't be fun, and our gang won't be complete. It would be boring if it was just me and Marcell."

Marcell snapped his fingers, and he climbed onto the table to sit down. "That's right, I agree with what Novan said," he said. "Come on, what are you doing at home anyway?" he persuaded.

"I'm just tired," Erza said quietly, "I'm sorry, but I really can't come. You guys wouldn't want to force me, would you?" Erza squinted, trying to find his own answer from the looks on his two friends' faces.

"Maybe that's what I'll do to get you to come," Novan replied, his words flying by like a jet plane.

Erza forced a laugh to escape. "There's no way you would do that. Really, don't take my words seriously, I really can't, okay?"

Novan and Marcell looked at each other, trying to communicate through each other's expressions.

"Erza, does this have anything to do with all the problems you're facing?" Marcell guessed, and that was the first thing that popped into his skull.

Marcell's guess was correct and very much on target, but that didn't mean Erza would speak the truth. He was still practicing the principle that, for now, Marcell and Novan didn't need to know about his family's messy problems. Erza didn't want to share them yet. In addition, he also didn't expect pity from others, but that didn't mean his two friends would.

The point remained that, for now, they didn't need to know. Let Novan take care of this one problem.

Erza smiled awkwardly. "There's no need to be silly, I'm just tired and want to lie down. Already, okay? I want to leave first." Erza hurriedly pulled out without waiting for further response from Novan or Marcell. He was afraid that he would be interrogated and not find a way to evade. It could be bad if that happened.

After Erza left, Novan and Marcell looked at each other for a moment. "What do you think about him?"

"It's clear, he doesn't want to come, never mind, what else can we do? Let's just be together."

Novan's lips twitched. "That's not what I meant."

"So which one?"

"There's something different about him, don't you feel that way? I'm curious about his problem. Why don't you want to tell me?"

"That's Erza's right, leave it at that. After all, we've tried to help, and we've also told him that he can tell us anything. Since he chose to remain silent, at least for now, we don't know anything. The point is not to overdo it and cross the line, later, it will be chaotic. Let's just support his choice, he'll tell us later if it's necessary."

"Okay, I understand. So what do you want? Do you want to be alone?"

Marcell shrugged his shoulders. "It'll be less fun without Erza, it'll be lonely too, but why not? If you want, let's go to my house now."

"I still want to, let's go now."

Novan and Marcell then began to leave the already deserted classroom. Erza himself had already driven away in his car, he didn't know where he was going, and he drove like a lost person. Novan tried to get rid of all the complicated thoughts lodged in his head.

Until Erza realized it, he had turned into a mall.

"Why did I come here?" he asked, turning his face toward him. However, Erza was already here, so he started to get out of the car. Instead of entering a mall, Novan wanted peace, so he climbed up to the roof of the mall building.

Erza had never been up here, and after he got to the top, the view was so beautiful and amazing. For a moment, Erza said to himself that it wasn't so bad to go to this place.

The boy who was still wearing his school uniform rushed to the dividing wall, his gaze directed forward. Life looked busy from up there, the streets were full of vehicles. One thing that amazed Erza was how the sky stretched out, the blue color that radiated left Novan stunned.

The corners of Erza's lips turned up in a faint smile. The boy tried to make himself as calm as possible, keeping his eyes tightly closed and letting the afternoon breeze caress the surface of his face and pierce the pores of his skin. The sunlight was not too hot, making Erza even calmer.

"I'll stay here for a while." Erza muttered under his breath, his long hair seemingly flying in the direction of the passing wind.

"Yeah, me too, it feels relaxing, huh?"

Erza was surprised to hear an answer from someone. He quickly followed the direction the voice came from, turning his face toward the back of his body. Here, apparently, he was not alone.

Erza's eyes blinked slowly. There was a girl standing behind his body. Erza froze for a moment, while the girl smiled slightly while waving her hand. Erza was too transfixed to reply.

The girl stepped closer to Erza, standing next to him, both hands holding the wall barrier that was up to her chest.

"I can also linger here, enjoying this nice atmosphere, staring at the busy streets below." The girl chuckled, then turned to look at Erzn with a bright smile, as bright as the summer sun.

"Who are you?" he asked, "Do we know each other?"

"For now, we don't know each other, do you want to get to know me now?" The fair-skinned girl stuck out her hand, while Erza merely glanced at her for a moment, without any intention of shaking her hand. Erza was too confused at the moment. Why was that girl so familiar with him?

"Ah, you don't want to meet me? Okay, I see." The girl withdrew her hand again, and she chuckled softly. Her beautiful face continued to stare at Erza.

Erza suddenly felt awkward himself. He was nervous, his face immediately turned toward the front again. "You don't need to know my name."

"Okay, and by the way. Do you want to know my name?"

Erza didn't answer, he just responded with one eyebrow drawn up.

The girl laughed softly, "My name is Lucy, it's nice to meet you."

A soft sigh escaped Erza's lips, and the boy returned to circulating his gaze. "Okay, that's it, right? Now what do you want?"

"You're not very friendly with strangers, are you?" Lucy asked, not looking away from the handsome features next to her.

Erza replied sarcastically, "No one has ever told me that."

"Now there is, and it's me."

"You haven't answered my question." Erza locked eyes with the girl next to him again.

"Which question?"

"What do you want?"

"I don't need anything from you," Lucy replied with a shake of her head. Her long, wavy blonde hair was swaying.

"So, why are you still here?"

Lucy smiled. This boy next to her really caught her attention. For some reason, Lucy wanted to stay here longer, talking to Erza.

"Because I want to be here, are you the only one who can go up to the top of this mall building? Does this mall belong to your family?"

Erza's lips pressed together.

Lucy gave a short laugh. "Everyone can come here, even me, even you."

"I don't mean that, there's plenty of space here. You can stand far away from me."

"What if I told you that I wanted to stand near you? You're the only one who happens to be here, and instead of me staying alone, why don't I talk with you."

"We don't know each other," Erza said.

"You already knew my name just now, you already know me."

"But you don't know what my name is."

"And what's your name? Tell me so I know."

Erza never thought that here he would meet a girl, for whom it was not clear where she came from. Suddenly approached and tried to become familiar with him. Erza was not uncomfortable, he just wondered why the girl was so confident in introducing herself like that.

Erza didn't say his name, instead, he observed Lucy's face. Lucy had long blonde hair, fair skin, and red lips, which Erza guessed were enhanced by her lipstick color. She was wearing jeans, white shoes, and a short-sleeved T-shirt with writing that Erza couldn't read. Erza didn't know where the girl came from, but he could guess that she was the same age as him.

"Hey, why are you staring at me like that?"

"It's nothing." Erza quickly looked away. His cheeks were red. He was embarrassed.

"Are you judging me again?"

"No." Erza answered quickly and decisively.

"Okay, now it's your turn to answer my question. I ask again, what's your name?"

"Why do you seem to want to know my name so badly?"

"I just want to get to know you."

"You don't need to know who I am, after all, we'll also go our separate ways and oryfi to our respective destinations, right? We won't see each other again."

Lucy chuckled, her laugh crisp. "You think so? What if you're wrong? You don't know anything about the future. We might meet again."

"I don't care, the point is you don't need to know my name."

"Fine, whatever you want."

"Yes, it's my right to tell my name to other people or not."

"Why are you so fierce?" Lucy laughed, "I wonder if this is your nature? Or are you always like this with other girls?"

"Hey, listen, you don't know anything about me, okay?"

"From the way you behave with girls, it's like you don't have a girlfriend, right? Isn't that right?"

Erza smiled wryly, then faced the girl fully. Erza took a step forward until he was one step closer to Lucy. "I'll tell you again, you don't know who I am. We just met here, it hasn't been thirty minutes, don't judge too much, do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand that."

"It's good that you understand now." Erza moved back again.

"Why are you here?"

"And you?"

"I come here often, it's my favorite place." Lucy replied casually. "What about you?"

Erza sighed harshly. "I was just looking for a quiet place."

"Good choice, the rooftop is often deserted. You should come here more often if you want to be alone."

"And I'll see you often?"