ALL NOVEL Chapter 17: The Rumours
As Alya made her way toward her classroom with her usual noble grace, she felt the familiar weight of admiring gazes trailing behind her. It was nothing new, and she paid no attention to it. However, the whispers were impossible to ignore, a constant hum in the background of her everyday life.
“Wow, she really is so beautiful. I could look at her all day,” one boy’s voice murmured from a group nearby.
Alya didn’t react, her expression remaining as calm and distant as ever. It was a common reaction to her presence, though no one dared approach. Her reputation for coldly rejecting those who tried was well-known. Kuze, of course, was the exception—someone she tried her best not to think about too much.
From the group of girls nearby, Alya overheard a stranger comment. “Isn’t she, like, too cute? I heard she uses some kind of secret skincare routine passed down in Russia. Like, her skin’s literally flawless!”
Alya sighed internally. The absurd rumors about her never ceased to amaze her.
But then something else caught her attention. The tone shifted, the topic changed.
“What’s up with that guy?” A boy’s voice suddenly cut through the idle chatter.
“I know, right? He just shows up out of nowhere after being gone for months and acts like he knows everything,” a girl replied, her voice dripping with irritation.
“Yeah, I’ve heard Arima-kun is a delinquent who disappears on purpose, just to get attention,” another girl added with a dismissive tone.
The name "Arima" floated through the conversation, and Alya found herself unintentionally listening more closely. That guy was the last person she wanted to think about right now.
Alya’s interest sharpened, though she tried to keep her steps even, as if she hadn’t just heard his name. A group of four students, two boys and two girls, seemed to be openly gossiping about him. It was rare for students to talk so casually about someone who clearly wasn’t ordinary.
“I heard he sent some guys to the hospital when he was in middle school,” the second boy said, his voice lower as though sharing some scandalous secret.
“Seriously?” the first girl gasped in disbelief.
Even Alya, composed as ever, felt a flicker of surprise at that. Could that really be true?
The more she heard, the more her curiosity gnawed at her. Arima wasn’t just some random troublemaker. There was clearly more to him than she had initially thought. He wasn’t just aloof; there was a certain darkness to the rumors that surrounded him.
“Now that you mention it, he does give off a troublemaker vibe,” the second girl said, almost as if she were trying to piece together an image of who Arima really was.
Alya couldn’t resist any longer. Her curiosity had turned into a compulsion. Without thinking, she approached the group, her presence immediately casting a shadow over their conversation.
“Excuse me,” she began, her voice calm and icy, “Can I ask what class you're in?”
The group stiffened, clearly not expecting to be confronted by Alya Mikhailovna Kujou herself. The boys' faces flushed instantly, while the girls exchanged nervous glances. After all, Alya wasn’t known for her warm and welcoming personality, especially with strangers.
One of the girls spoke up, her voice hesitant. “W-we’re in Class 1-E, why?”
Alya’s sharp gaze didn’t falter. “I overheard your conversation. What you were saying about Arima-kun... is it true?”
The boys exchanged uneasy glances. “Uh... we’re not sure. It’s just what people have been saying.”
“Yeah,” the second boy quickly added. “I mean, he disappeared for months, right? And now he’s back like nothing happened.”
“So, Arima-kun is in Class 1-E,” Alya said thoughtfully, her voice calm but probing. “Could you tell me about him?”
The group exchanged uncertain glances, clearly surprised by Alya’s interest in Arima. She was known for being distant, especially with students she didn’t know well. But now, standing before them, they realized this was more than casual curiosity—this was a question from the student council treasurer.
The first boy cleared his throat. “Well, yesterday was his first day back, right? So, naturally, everyone was looking at him. I mean, who wouldn’t? But that guy... he didn’t even care. He walked in as if he hadn’t missed a single day. Didn’t apologize for being gone or anything, just went straight to his desk.”
The first girl nodded quickly, jumping in. “Yeah, he didn’t talk to anyone. Even when the teacher called him out for being absent, he just gave this simple ‘I’m here now, aren’t I?’ kind of response. It wasn’t rude, exactly, but... it was blunt.”
“He didn’t answer any questions about why he was gone,” the second boy added. “When someone asked, he just ignored them. Like, not even pretending to care.”
The second girl furrowed her brows, thinking back. “At first, it was weird... no one really knew how to act around him. But then something happened that really threw everyone off.”
Alya tilted her head slightly. “What happened?”
“Well,” the boy continued, “one of the teachers asked him a really hard question during class—something from a lesson we did weeks ago—and without hesitating, he answered it perfectly. Like he knew the material even though he was gone. The teacher was speechless.”
“Yeah,” the first girl agreed. “And when the teacher tried to ask him more questions, he answered them all. Even stuff that wasn’t covered yet. The whole class was staring at him, but Arima-kun just... shrugged. Like it was nothing.”
“He acted like he already knew everything,” the second boy said, scratching his head. “It was unsettling. He didn’t act cocky or anything, but the way he just... didn’t care about how everyone reacted? It was almost like he was... bored.”
Alya’s expression remained calm, but inwardly, her curiosity deepened.
He came back after four months and didn’t just blend in—he knew everything and acted like it was no big deal.
“And when lunch came around,” the first girl continued, “he didn’t eat with anyone. Just sat by himself at the far end of the cafeteria, like he wanted nothing to do with anyone.”
The second girl leaned in slightly. “A lot of people tried talking to him, but he didn’t even look at them. Just focused on his food.”
“It’s like he was here but not really here, you know?” the first boy added. “Like he’s... somewhere else in his head.”
Alya absorbed their words, her mind turning over the details.
So, he’s distant, avoids interaction, and yet... knows everything. No gaps in his knowledge despite missing so much time.
“I see,” Alya said, her tone neutral, but her mind was anything but calm. “Thank you for sharing.”
She gave the group a slight bow, a gesture of thanks, before turning and walking away. Her footsteps were steady, but her thoughts raced. Who are you, really, Arima-kun?
She couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to him—much more than just the rumors swirling around. No one returns after months of absence and behaves like that. It’s unnatural.
As she made her way toward Class 1-E, her mind was still consumed with questions. She was determined to find out the truth, whether Arima cared to share it or not.
“It’s not like I care whether he shows up or not,” she muttered under her breath. “Still, a few questions wouldn’t hurt.”
Her steps quickened. She had to see if Arima would be in class today—and if he’d be as unaffected as they said he was.