<h4>Chapter 171 Meeting Vera</h4>


    [How long is it going to take you to make a move on her?] H asked.


    "Who?" Kan asked.


    [You know who it is. Why y dumb? You could have easily kissed her the night before but instead you offered to teach her a secret handshake! You are slowly inching towards the friendzone!!] H warned.


    To this, Kan didn''t give a response. The next day had arrived and same urrence repeated itself. By the entrance, Kan found the Ebony kings waiting at the entrance once more.


    Undeterred by the looming confrontation, Kan steeled himself for whatever awaited. "If they want to fight once more, I''m ready. I don''t care about their numbers," he dered defiantly, quickening his pace, prepared to face head-on whatever challengesy in his path.


    Approaching the school gate, Kan chose not to immediately confront the gang. Instead, he opted to feign forgetfulness about the recent events, walking past them with a casual air.


    Despite his heightened senses, the gang members seemed oblivious to his presence, engrossed in a conversation that excluded him from their attention.


    "What''s up with these guys today? I think they didn''t see me," Kan mused, puzzled by their nonchnt demeanor.


    [From the looks of things, they don''t remember what happened the other day] H spected.


    "They don''t remember? Did they both take such great blows to the head?" Kan wondered aloud, attempting to grasp the unusual turn of events.


    [That could be the case, or it could be something else. Like, the stranger wearing the mask from before may have made them forget what happened. They appear dazed for the second time in a row. Almost like they are missing a part of themselves] H proposed.


    "Hmmm, but if that''s the case, why would the masked guy help me out? Is he some distant rtion or something?" Kan questioned, grappling with the mystery surrounding the mysterious stranger.


    [The man and his motives remain a mystery] H admitted.


    Undeterred by the mysterious turn of events, Kan proceeded to his ssroom. The halls were rtively empty as sses were already in session.


    Thankfully, his ss teacher hadn''t arrived yet, providing him the opportunity to slip into his seat unnoticed.


    As he settled in, a few curious eyes turned towards him, aware of his absence the previous day.


    Among them was Vera, the reserved and exceptionally bright vampire in his ss. Though they exchanged asional nces, Kan had never mustered the courage to initiate a conversation with her.


    As he sat down, he saw her eyes following him but as soon as he turned to look at her, she turned her nce away.


    "Hmmm, that''s exactly what she does every time I catch her staring at me. She doesn''t even wait for me to wave, nor does she wave at me. How strange!" Kanmented, observing Vera quickly diverting her gaze.


    While he contemted the dynamics of his ss, Mr. Gordon, the somewhat dull ss teacher who just returned form vacation, entered with his customaryrge ck book.


    "Ugh! This man''s going to ruin my day today. Let''s see what he has in store for us today. I believe he brought more boredom from wherever he came from!" Kanmented, settling into his seat in preparation for Mr. Gordon''s ss.


    Kan, anticipating another tedious session, sighed in resignation, readying himself for the impending monotony.


    As Mr. Gordon began his lecture, Kan''s resistance to the boredom waned, and the overwhelming desire to sleep took over.


    "Happens every time!" Kan muttered, acknowledging the familiar routine. Despite his efforts to stay awake and absorb the content, Mr. Gordon''s ss proved to be as unproductive as ever.


    "Seeing this man sucks! I prefer seeing the darkness than this man!" Kan quipped, resigning himself to the inevitable boredom.


    Closing his eyes briefly, he sought a momentary escape from the monotony.


    "Kanakan? Kanakan?" A voice interrupted his brief respite. Kan opened his eyes to find a female standing in front of him. Still groggy, he couldn''t make out where he had seen her until secondster when he finally caught on.


    The girl in front of him was Vera, the ss''s smartest girl, standing before him. Rising from his seat, Kan met her gaze, noticing her elegance and beauty up close.


    "Uhmmm, hi!" Kan greeted her, slightly taken aback by her unexpected presence.


    "Hi! I just wanted to inform you that ss is over, and it''s already recess time. It seems you were sleeping all through Mr. Gordon''s ss," she informed him with a casual smile.


    "Oh, right!" Kan eximed, realizing the ss had concluded, and he had missed the transition to recess. ncing around, he noticed the empty ssroom, with only Vera and him remaining.


    "I had a bit of a rough night; that''s why! Thanks," Kan exined, attempting to justify his drowsiness.


    "Oh, that''s good. You weren''t in ss for a day or two. Hope all is well?" Vera inquired, showing genuine concern.


    "Yeah, yeah, just engaged in some stuff. Thanks for noticing!" Kan replied, appreciating her attentiveness.


    With a nod, Vera turned to leave. Kan, intrigued by her demeanor, couldn''t resist one more question. "What''s your name again?" he asked.


    "Veronica, but you can call me Vera," she replied, offering a simple smile before departing.


    "Nice meeting you," Kan remarked, though Vera chose not to respond as she walked away. Kan stood there, watching her departure, pondering the enigma of her reserved behavior.


    Vera walked back to her seat at the front, sat down alone, and continued reading from a book. Without wasting any time, Kan decided to go check up on some of his friends in other sses.


    As Kan walked out of the ssroom, he passed by Vera, who was engrossed in a particr book. Intrigued, he stopped and inquired politely, "What book is this, please?"


    "This is the book given by Mr. Gordon today," she replied, closing the book to reveal its dark cover, identical to Mr. Gordon''srge book, albeit smaller in size.


    "Today? Wow, seems like I dozed off more than I expected," Kan chuckled.


    Vera only smiled and turned back to her book. Kan decided to leave her alone in the ss, contemting her unusual behavior.


    "Why is she into books this much? Books are not supposed to be part of someone''s life. But why is she behaving differently every second? She stares at me in ss some days and woke me up today as if she really cared about me, but I don''t understand this slightly cold attitude she''s showing now!" Kan pondered as he exited the ssroom.


    [You never getdies] H remarked, and Kan couldn''t help but smile.


    As he headed to meet his friends, he passed the walkway leading to their school football training pitch.


    "I think I''ll go check if there''s training today," Kan decided, diverting his pathway toward the pitch.


    To his surprise, the walkway was unusually clean and tidypared to thest time he came.


    "I believe the cleaners have finally heard the pleas of the ground," Kan remarked as he continued walking.


    Passing by the dance and singing clubs, he noticed they were upied with students creating a lively atmosphere.


    He peeped into the archery clubhouse and saw three female students inside, a contrast to the solitary figure he observed the other day.


    "Why is it that onlydiese here? This is suspicious!" Kan mused as he finally reached the football clubhouse.


    As Kan stood in front of the football clubhouse, he was puzzled by the unusual silence that reced the usual lively chatter.


    "Why is there no noise here today? Even if I''mte, this ce should be upied!" he eximed.


    Pushing the door, Kan found it open, allowing him entry. As he stepped onto the small pitch, he discovered itpletely deserted.


    "What''s going on?" he wondered. Initially thinking of leaving, he noticed a lone ball lying on the reserve bench from a distance.


    "Well, let me try a few moves," Kan decided, approaching the ball with the intention of testing his free-kick skills. As he walked toward the ball, he was taken aback to find a small bottle of water lying next to it.


    Ignoring the unexpected discovery, Kan picked up the ball and rolled it onto the ground, preparing for a free kick from outside the box.


    Taking a deep breath, he positioned himself on the left side of the pitch, aiming for the right corner of the goal post.


    With precision and shot power, Kan kicked the ball, sending it flying. Although nearly perfect, it struck the goal woodwork.


    "That was close! I over-hit the ball," Kan admitted as he rushed to retrieve it for another attempt.


    cing the ball in the exact spot as before, Kan positioned himself once more, kicking the ball with slightly less power. This time, it found its way into the goal, not at the precise spot he aimed for but still a satisfying attempt.


    "Nice, dude! I''m learning fast! I''m gradually getting good at this," Kan eximed joyfully, pleased with his newfound football skills.


    Kan picked the ball once more and attempted another shot, hitting the same spot again.


    "That was even closer!" he shouted with excitement. Undeterred, Kan ran to retrieve the ball, determined to make the perfect shot.


    As he noticed sweat forming on his forehead, Kan decided to take a break. "I might get my uniform wet; let me wait for another day when I can wear training kits and get as sweaty as I want," he said, catching his breath.


    Deciding to store the ball properly, Kan opted for the clubhouse instead of leaving it in the open.


    Pushing the door that was already ajar, he entered the clubhouse and made his way to the rack where balls were usually kept. After dropping the ball, he turned to leave.


    However, just as he was about to exit, Kan heard a soft humming noise emanating from the dressing room.


    Surprised, he stood still, waiting to confirm if it was just his imagination or if someone was indeed inside. The humming ceased, leaving Kan curious and eager to investigate.


    He approached the dressing room door cautiously, gently pushing it open. To his astonishment, he found a nakeddy in the process of getting dressed.


    "Emily?"