The first-rates finally reached their dorm, which was much better than the other dorms in the village. It was big, with plenty of space to move around, and the lights were still on, casting a warm glow in the room. The furniture was neat and simple, but it felt comfortable.
Outside, everything was quiet and dark. Most of the other students were already asleep, their dorms silent, while the wind made a soft rustling sound in the background.
Catching their breath, the trio thought about what had just happened with Altine.
Taiwo, still shaken, spoke first.
"Lekan, couldn't you have come up with a better excuse than saying we were going to spar with Segun? Now we actually have to fight him tomorrow! You know how scary that guy is?"
Lekan, feeling defensive, replied quickly.
"Well, if you had a better excuse, you should have said something, Taiwo."
Adunni, shaking her head, added,
"It was a really bad idea sneaking around the chiefs' house."
Lekan shot back, "Wait, aren't you the one that suggested we look around the chiefs' house!"
Adunni raised an eyebrow, frowning.
"I don't remember saying that."
As the two argued, Taiwo suddenly noticed someone approaching. His eyes widened as he saw the figure step into the moonlight...it was Segun, the soul expert. His face was calm but stern.
"You were sneaking around the chiefs' house in the middle of the night? What were you doing there?"
Segun asked, his voice steady but firm.
The three of them tensed up immediately. Lekan nudged Taiwo, whispering,
"It's your turn to come up with something."
Taiwo hesitated, unsure of what to say, but Adunni stepped forward before he could speak. She seemed a bit nervous but managed to keep her voice steady.
"We couldn't find Altine or the new student, Akeh. So we decided to check near the chiefs' house to see if they were there. But we didn't find them."
Segun's eyes studied them for a moment, and Adunni blushed slightly under his intense gaze. After a brief pause, Segun said,
"I saw akeh coming out from behind the chiefs' house while I was training."
The three first-rates exchanged surprised glances. They hadn't expected Segun to actually confirm seeing Akeh there. Without saying more, Segun began to walk past them, adding as he did,
"He should be back at his dorm soon."
Once he was gone, Taiwo leaned in and whispered,
"Akeh's definitely having an affair with the chief's daughter. Why else would he be sneaking around?"
Segun, overhearing their conversation, smirked to himself as he walked away. Let the rumors start. The students won't let this slide easily. He knew the walls were thin, and that some students were still awake and listening.
Meanwhile, Adunni was practically glowing with excitement.
Lekan raised an eyebrow.
"Wait, are you seriously excited about this? Do you like the idea of Akeh sneaking around with Altine?"
Adunni shook her head quickly, embarrassed.
"No, it's not that! It's just... Segun actually talked to me. Usually, he just says 'yes,' 'no,' or 'sure.' But this time, he really talked to me!"
Lekan rolled his eyes, clearly unimpressed, as they walked into their room.
"Great. You're excited because Segun used a full sentence."
Taiwo, already lying down on the bed, pulled the blanket over himself.
"Let's just hope altine will forget about our spar with segun."
As they settled in for the night, Adunni kept talking about how rare it was for Segun to speak more than a few words to her, while Lekan and Taiwo tried to get some rest. But even as they lay in their beds, they couldn't shake the worry about tomorrow's sparring match with Segun, and the rumors about Akeh had already begun to spread.
To be continued...