Kai watched him from the corner of his eyes and thought, This guy— is he putting on the leader act? He held back and studied Ryan's face.
Maya looked at Ryan too. A tiny smirk appeared on her lips and she thought, So he finally took the role. The smirk didn't mean she doubted him; it meant something like relief and amusement at seeing him start to carry weight.
Luka's smirk turned mean. "You're so eager?" he said, thdddddddddddde words almost a blade.
Ryan paused for a second, then answered in a plain tone, "I don't want to be here, you know. I got more work to do."
Arthur's mouth curved in a small smile at that. It was rare to see Arthur smirk and the gesture carried a soft approval. Daniel, bright and loud, chimed in with theatrical pride: "Yeahhhh, our leader is busy, you know." His voice tried wwwwwwwwto turn the moment into a joke and push away the edge.
Ryo, still leaning, tapped the desk with his fingers and added, "Should we wait for South High then?"
