Richie had already regained consciousness in the infirmary.
He slouched lazily in a chair while the school doctor cleaned the wound on his forehead.
Richie glanced around at the crowd. Anya and Becky looked anxious, Damian stood with his arms folded and an unreadable expression, and his little followers were all craning their necks curiously.
Next was Mr. Henry, his monocle perched against his brow and his brows tightly knitted.
Beside Henry stood Si Ang. The domineering little boy was staring sharply at Richie with a hostile look in his eyes, making Richie shudder.
Richie looked away from Si Ang and did not dare glance in that direction again.
He had no idea what he had done to offend Si Ang this time, or why Si Ang was glaring at him like that.
But Richie knew that Si Ang had carried him here earlier.
Si Ang had carried him steadily on his back to the infirmary, his hurried steps never faltering, giving Richie a profound sense of security.
Henry had not asked Twilight and Yor to come over because of this injury. He had only notified them by phone.
To everyone's surprise, however, both Twilight and Yor rushed over from work and took Richie home.
Richie was lucky enough to spend the entire afternoon lying at home, enjoying his parents' care.
The next day, Richie went to class as usual.
Today was the preliminary round of "Eden's Good Voice," and Richie had to participate.
The preliminary round was not open to all the school's teachers and students. Just a few teachers serving as judges would conduct an initial screening for talented contestants.
Richie drew a three o'clock slot and would return straight to class after his performance.
This time, Richie put in a tenth of his effort. Even with only