It did not get easier for Emma not to think about Horas once she was back in her room. She had been like a zombie throughout dinner, and Howard looked worried.
He had tried asking Emma what was wrong with her but Emma had been unable to answer him. She had nothing decent to say about what happened to her in the club.
So when Howard had pressed her for the details, all Emma could do was to try and hide her face away. She could just not face her feelings.
'I need to thank Horas for helping me out. And I also should not feel this jealousy over Horas talking with another girl. After all, they could be friends.'
Emma tried to reassure herself but it was difficult to do for herself. She was just trying to fool herself at this point.
She somehow fell into a fitful sleep and woke up with a fresh mind the next day.
…………………..
Out of everyone Horas had expected to seek him out, Loris Hamelton was the last person he expected.
Not because she was a main character who was a loner, but more so because she did not have a significant role in the first half of the school arc.
She was someone who was involved in various accidents without having any link to them. But it was only later it was revealed that she was a spy sent by the labs to study the students.
"Instructor Horrs, do you have some time for me? I need your help with something."
Horas did not want to entertain Loris Hamelton but she had asked his help in the middle of the hallway. Horas could not ignore her without any good reason. So he decided to bite his tongue for now and stop.
Everyone else was hurrying past Horas right now but they were all keeping an ear out for him. Horas knew it was going to be an irritating time.
"I do have time to hear you out. Do you want to speak to me in private or would this hallway work?"
Horas resigned himself to his fate. Loris had sought him out in such an open area because she did not want to risk Horas running away from her.
"Hmm, this place works for me. I just need your time for an experiment of mine. I hope you will help me out if you have time right now."
Loris's eyes sparkled as she looked over at Horas. He was sure that denying her would serve no purpose for him.
All Horas could do was agree with Loris in the end and participate in her experiment.
Besides, he was also curious about the kind of experiment Loris was carrying out. She was from the labs and those places were notorious for keeping a tight grip on their worker's mouths.
There was even a rumor that the labs used illegal means to shut their worker's mouths. Horas did not want to find out if it was true first handed.
"You will help me out. Good, then follow me and we shall go and start right now. I hope you are ready to exert your body a little."
Loris did not likely mean anything dirty but the seniors around Horas and Loris did not have clear minds. Their shit-eating grins told Horas what exactly they thought about Loris's offer.
"Loris chose a relative public location for your experiment and I shall help you out."
In the end, Horas had no choice but to give in to Loris's demands. She was just too insisting on Horas's help.
There were groans of disappointment as Horas denied the students a subject to gossip about. They were all disappointed and that was like music to Horas's ears.
On the other hand, Loris did not seem to mind Horas's restrictions at all. There was a satisfied grin on her face and a dangerous glint in her eyes.
"Don't worry. The experiment I need to conduct requires a lot of human involvement so we will hardly be alone at any given time. I just need your help for the first part."
Horas had a feeling he would regret his decision to help Loris out.
Loris was generally shy and did not come out strong. That was why, when she came to Horas for help in such an open manner, he should have realized that something was wrong with her.
She was just not acting like herself because her 'other half' had taken over her.
"Can you put that can into the ground? A little deeper would be appreciated."
When Loris had said she would be conducting her experiment in a people-filled place, she had not been lying.
She had chosen the school's central plaza as the place for her experiment. And the experiment was simple enough as well.
All Horas needed to do was burrow this small tin can into the ground while Loris brought the animal club's trained animals to dig it out after finding it. It was a simple experiment.
"Instructor, are you done on your end? Can I let these dogs out?"
Loris asked as she held a huge dog back. All the animals in this academy were specially trained and had powers to accompany them.
As such, a dedicated club for research was needed.to make these animals feel warm and needed. That was the club Loris was currently a part of.
"I am done here. Give me a sec and I will get out of your way."
Loris nodded as Horas backed away. Once he felt like he was far enough, Horas gave the signal for the leash to be dropped. Loris did as Horas had instructed her to do and the leash was instantly let go of.
Horas watched as the dog ignored the people around him and continued to make a straight line for the hidden container.
Horas tensed when it looked like the dog would crash into someone but that never happened. He also made his way toward Loris who looked satisfied with her outcome.
You don't have to be so worried about the animals I train, since they never go berserk. I guess this is a talent I always had."
Horas did not say anything, remembering the time when Loris had been unsure about joining this club or not. Today, her alternate personality was shining too much.
"So, what do you think of my trained dog? He's a nice pet, right?"
Loris asked as she petted the dog in front of her. It had done a good job of sniffing out the troublesome box from the ground.
"He's well-trained but I cannot figure out why you wanted me to see this so desperately if this was all the help you needed from me."
Loris paused halfway through petting the dog in her arms. Her calm eyes looked Horas up and down, but this time they were filled with caution and intent.
"I do want your help still. This was not part of the experiment I asked you to help me with. Don't worry, I will not waste your time with meaningless things."
Loris offered and this time, Horas was interested in what she had to say to him.
Wherever Loris needed help with, it seemed to be important enough for her to drop everything else and come to him. He was willing to listen Loris out for this reason alone.
