CHAPTER 125: 125 - GOSSIP

"So you’re Raven’s little sister?"

Adelle asked, her tone carrying a mixture of curiosity and surprise, as if she still couldn’t quite believe what she was seeing.

"Yep! I’m big brother’s little sister!"

Nisha answered brightly, her voice cheerful and full of innocent pride as she puffed out her chest a little. It was as if she was announcing something very important to the entire world, and she clearly took a lot of joy in saying it out loud.

And after answering so straightforwardly, Nisha didn’t dwell on it.

Instead, she continued eating happily, focusing her attention on the deep-fried food in front of her. She was munching in small bites, her cheeks puffing up.

At the same time, Adelle and the others found themselves glancing at Raven almost in unison.

"..."

He was sitting right beside Nisha, his posture calm yet sharp, and there was this invisible aura about him. A quiet but overwhelming presence that made people hesitate to act recklessly around him.

He was obviously being overprotective of Nisha.

Then, after a moment of feeling their gazes fixed on him, Raven turned to them.

"What?"

Raven asked, his eyes narrowing slightly, a faint frown on his face.

Nisha, who had been enjoying her food, quickly noticed that her brother was frowning. She froze for a second, tilted her head, and blinked up at him.

"Big brother, are you angry?"

Her voice was soft, almost hesitant, as if she was worried that maybe she had done something wrong.

"..."

The moment those words reached his ears, Raven’s frown immediately melted away. In an instant, his cold and guarded expression shifted into something much gentler.

Then a warm smile appeared on his face...!

Raven turned his head to face Nisha properly—

"I’m not, so just continue eating."

Then he said that softly!

His voice was calm and full of patience.

"Oh, okay!"

Nisha responded right away with a bright, cheerful smile, her worries disappearing as quickly as they came. She eagerly went back to her food, eating with even more energy than before, this time with an extra sparkle in her eyes.

"..."

Raven then shifted his gaze back to the others again, his expression returning to a slight frown, though not as sharp as earlier.

Seeing this shift in his demeanor— the way he could go from cold and unapproachable to gentle and warm in a single heartbeat...

Alec and the others couldn’t help but feel conflicted.

Especially Eve, Curtis, and Adelle, their eyes carried complicated emotions. It was difficult to reconcile the Raven they saw in the academy with the one sitting in front of them now.

’Why the hell are you guys looking at me like that for?’

Raven mouthed silently at them, his eyes narrowing as if he was daring them to say something out loud.

"..."

But no one answered him. They all just continued to stare at him in that same complicated way, their silence speaking volumes.

...

...

Anyway, going back in time just a few minutes, when Alec and the others had first stumbled across Raven and Nisha, this was what had happened:

When Alec called out Raven’s name, his voice carrying surprise.

"Do you know my brother?"

Nisha immediately asked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. She leaned forward a little, clearly eager for an answer.

"Yes, we’re friends and classmates."

Alec replied with a warm smile, his tone light and casual, though he couldn’t help but notice how excited Nisha looked.

The instant he said that, Nisha’s eyes lit up like the stars, and with a burst of enthusiasm she invited Alec and the others to join her and Raven at their table.

Even though Alec and the rest had already finished eating, for some strange reason, they found themselves unable to refuse her invitation.

There was something about Nisha’s presence that was hard to turn down.

As for Raven, he didn’t protest or say anything about it either. Since Nisha was the one who invited them, he let things be.

And that was how the present situation came to be, with Raven, Nisha, Alec, and the rest of the group now sharing a single table.

Of course, their combined presence was drawing an overwhelming amount of attention from the people around them. Whispers spread, curious gazes turned their way, but no one dared to approach because of the neutral yet intimidating aura surrounding Raven.

"Aren’t you gonna eat, big brothers, big sisters?"

Nisha suddenly asked, tilting her head as she looked at Alec and the others with wide, innocent eyes.

"Erm, no, we already finished eating after all."

Adelle replied on everyone’s behalf, her voice awkward and her smile strained as she tried to keep up with Nisha’s pure energy.

"I see... Am I bothering you guys?"

Nisha asked again, her voice quieter this time. She lowered her gaze slightly, her cheerful aura dimming just a little.

"No, we were resting and doing nothing when we met with you guys after all."

This time it was Eve who answered, and she smiled at Nisha reassuringly.

"Oh, that’s good to know, hehe."

Nisha giggled softly, her face lighting up again, her earlier doubt already forgotten.

Then, she turned her gaze back toward Raven.

"How about you big brother, aren’t you gonna eat?"

She asked curiously, blinking up at him.

"Hmm..."

Raven didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he took a few moments to observe Nisha’s expression, studying her face as if to make sure she was truly okay.

Then, his eyes shifted toward the food stalls nearby, scanning them silently.

After several seconds of quiet thought, he finally spoke.

"I was just about to buy my own food."

He said with a natural smile that softened his otherwise sharp features.

Then he stood up from his seat, his movements calm but firm.

"Wait for me here with erm... my friends, okay?"

He told Nisha gently, though his words were also directed at Alec and the others, asking for their cooperation without directly saying it.

"Okay! Come back quickly!"

Nisha replied instantly, her smile bright as ever.

Satisfied with her answer, Raven then turned his gaze toward Alec and the others.

"Please look after her for a while."

He said sincerely, bowing his head slightly as a sign of trust.

"Oh, sure!"

"No problem!"

Adelle and Blake answered almost immediately, their voices eager.

"Okay."

"You can count on me."

Aoi and Alec added with firm nods.

Curtis and Eve didn’t say anything, but Raven knew from their expressions that they would watch over Nisha as well.

With everything settled, Raven began walking away, heading toward the food stalls.

As his figure slowly grew distant, Alec and the others noticed how Nisha silently followed her brother with her eyes, her small hands tightening around the edge of the table.

’She must be sad after being left behind by her brother.’

Alec thought to himself with a faint sigh.

’And I didn’t know Raven had such a soft spot for his little sister...’

He added inwardly. And from the looks on Eve’s and the others’ faces, it was clear they were thinking the same thing.

As they continued to glance at Nisha, all of them shared a single thought.

’What a cute kid.’

...

But just as Raven grew far enough away from their table—

"...!"

Nisha suddenly turned her sparkling eyes toward Alec and the others. Her entire expression shifted into one of pure excitement!

"How is brother like in the academy?"

Then she asked that eagerly, leaning forward slightly with a face full of expectation.

"...?!"

The group was caught off guard by her sudden question, blinking in surprise.

Still, Aoi was the first to respond.

"He’s always standing out, and he’s good at academy works."

She said simply, but her voice carried genuine admiration.

"Ohhh, big brother always stand out, is he famous then?"

Nisha immediately followed up with another question, her voice full of awe.

"He’s super famous!"

This time, it was Blake who answered, matching her energy perfectly. His tone was lively, almost as if he was enjoying the conversation as much as she was.

"I’m fairly sure that by now, everyone in the academy knows about Raven!"

"And he’s probably famous outside the academy too because of the article about him!"

Blake added with emphasis, his grin wide.

Hearing that, Nisha’s face bloomed with the brightest smile yet, her happiness impossible to contain.

"Ohhh! Then brother will probably have a girlfriend soon, right?"

She asked, her cheeks turning faintly red.

"...?"

The moment those words left her lips, the entire group twitched in unison. Their eyes widened slightly, and then they quickly exchanged awkward looks with each other.

"She’s not aware about it, huh."

Eve whispered under her breath, her voice low enough so that only the group could hear.

"Do you guys think Raven didn’t tell anyone from his family about his relationships with Miss Keara and Miss Ruby?"

Alec asked in a hushed voice, his expression uncertain.

"I think that’s the case too for some reason."

Blake replied quietly, nodding.

"Then do you guys think he’s keeping it a secret?"

Aoi followed up with another quiet question.

"That’s possible."

Adelle answered calmly in the same low tone.

"Or maybe he just forgot to tell them."

Blake suggested, shrugging slightly.

(And he’s right...)

"Well, I don’t care either way."

Curtis muttered at last, uninterested in the secrecy.

Then he suddenly called out.

"Hey."

"What is it?"

Nisha asked innocently, blinking at him.

And without any hesitation at all, Curtis spoke plainly.

"Your brother has two girlfriends already."

"!!!"

Nisha’s eyes widened instantly, her small body going stiff at the revelation.

"Curtis!"

Alec exclaimed sharply, his voice raised in protest.

But Curtis only glanced back at him with a calm smile.

"She’ll know it sooner or later anyway, and she has the right to know."

He stated firmly, as if it was nothing worth hiding.

"But–"

"Big brothers, big sisters, please tell me more about it."

Alec was about to argue further, but Nisha suddenly spoke up, cutting him off. Her voice was so cute, trembling slightly with eagerness.

The group froze for a moment and looked at her.

She had the most pleading expression on her face, her eyes shining with anticipation.

’She’s freaking adorable!’

Alec and the others thought at the same time.

"Please..."

Nisha mumbled softly, almost begging.

"..."

"..."

"..."

For a few seconds, no one said anything. They just looked at one another, silently debating if they should indulge her.

Then finally, after a while...

"So, this is what I know..."

Curtis began, his voice calm but steady. He started recounting the moment Raven boldly declared that Keara was his.

...

And not long after Curtis finished, the others joined in too. One by one, they began sharing their own stories about Raven’s love life.

Nisha listened intently, her face glowing with excitement, her hands clenched tightly in front of her as she absorbed every single word.

It was clear that she wanted to know everything about her big brother.

And so, surrounded by Raven’s classmates and friends, Nisha eagerly listened to all their stories.