"Just messing with you."


    Seeing how easily Sophie got flustered, Odie finally said with a casual air,


    "Whether in the real world or in dreams, past or future, I''ll never have thest name Smith."


    Because Smith just didn''t fit him at all.


    "Okay, I don''t need you tagging along today. Head back to your dorm."


    Odie yfully ruffled Sophie''s hair, leaving it in a mess.


    Sophie stood there, a bit stunned, staring at her now tousled hair.


    Doesn''t need her around?


    Then why did he drag her out here all this way?


    She looked back at her dorm, a good kilometer away, and suddenly thought, maybe minding her own business isn''t so bad after all.


    Odie strolled solo around campus, taking in the sights.


    He ambled past the basketball courts, the main field, the two dining halls in the west wing, the café, and the little corner shop.


    Campus life seemed rxed and pleasant, a vibe he wasn''t used to feeling.


    Without realizing it, Odie had covered quite a distance. He stopped and, without looking back, sensed Sophie was tailing him. "Why are you trailing me?"


    He thought he''d made it clear he didn''t need her around today.


    Sophie was keeping her distance, having slowed her steps on purpose.


    Yet Odie still picked up on her shadowing him.


    "Uh... I was worried you might..."


    "Worried about what? That I''d jump off a building?"


    Sophie nodded vigorously, like a little bird pecking at seeds.


    "Don''t worry. Even if everyone at this school decided to jump, I wouldn''t."


    Odie replied with a hint of impatience, "Stop pestering me. Go back to your dorm."


    "Will you... promise not to jump?"


    "Sophie, why do you ask so many questions?"


    Both in reality and in dreams.


    With such innocence, she might even end up counting money for the very people who''d sell her out.


    "My brother said..."


    "Can you quit with the ''my brother said'' routine? Is Gordon so important that you hang on every word he says?"


    Sophie paused, surprised, and asked, "Do you know my brother?"


    Odie felt like he and Sophie were onpletely different wavelengths.


    said "alked up beside him and


    Sophie


    Swnovel


    said, "Lots of people know my brother, but I don''t think I''ve ever seen you. Where are you from?"


    "Greenfield."


    Odie kept walking, answering each of Sophie''s questions with a nk look.


    Sophie, full of curiosity, asked, "I''ve never been to Greenfield. They say it''s beautiful."


    "Yeah."


    At night, Greenfield was at its best.


    It was like a mesmerizing wondend, drawing in everyone who stepped foot there.


    But too much happiness can make you numb, and once you get used to the joy, facing reality''s harshness bes tough.


    Sophie said, "Can you tell me where


    som? Do you have any


    you''re


    family? Why do you think about jumping off a building?"


    Every question Sophie asked sounded like she was nning for after his supposed jump.


    Odie nced at the girl beside him.


    Such an open book.


    She couldn''t hide her thoughts if she tried.


    Just kept firing away with questions.


    In reality, Sophie never bombarded anyone with questions; she always seemed to know what was on


    el?


    someone''s mind with just a nce.


    "Because... this world is just too dull, that''s why I think about jumping."