"Fuck off!"


    I cursed at his face as it started to turn crimson.


    "What did you sa—." He growled at me, his eyes zing with anger as he walked towards me with quick steps.


    "I said, ''fuck off,'' dude. What do you think you are?" I asked, noticing Maneing in walking towards us.


    "Aron!" Nora once again came close to him, standing between us as she tried to calm him down.


    "Are you scared—." He tried to provoke me, but I just shrugged before he couldplete his words.


    "Yeah, do I look like I''m scared?" I asked, looking deeply into his eyes.


    He once again tried toe closer to me, his chest huffing while he red at me with Nora trying to hold him in ce.


    "Can you stop this?" And before he could even say anything, Angilina interrupted.


    Taken aback, Aron looked at her as Angilina continued, "You are making a scene in the ss. Stop doing it."


    "Aron, let''s go," Cassia also added, cing her hand on his shoulder.


    "Are you always going to hide?" He asked, even though all of them were trying to stop him. "Are you sure you will always be safe?"


    "And now you are threatening me?" I asked, squinting my eyes. "Something stressing you, Aron?"


    "Phfft." A muffledugh left Aeloria''s mouth as she quickly covered her face.


    All of us looked at her weirdly, which made her stop trembling as she cleared her throat.


    "Stop changing the topic and answer my question!" His voice raised as he once again red at me.


    "Get some rest, buddy," I said as I walked closer to him, pushing Nora away slightly. "Or you might regret your decision."


    "Stop it, you two," Mane arrived, looking at both of us. "It''s a training ss; don''t try to fight here."


    Ring!!!


    The ss ended as the bell rang.


    As Aron calmed down and nodded his head, Mane looked at me and said, "You should get some rest as well, Eden. You are making decisions that you will regret."


    I ignored his words as I silently looked at him. His eyes held the same anger that I saw in Aron''s eyes, but he was better at hiding it.


    ''Edda, I will kill him,'' I said silently as I moved away.


    [Sure, it''s your choice.]


    Good thing she didn''t try to stop me because I didn''t n to.


    "Eden!" I halted my steps, ncing back as Emily called me.


    "What?"


    "Are you free this weekend?" She asked, looking into my eyes.


    "....No," I replied, shaking my head.


    "Are you going somewhere?" She asked, and I nodded my head.


    "Do you need something?" I asked, looking at her.


    "You said you will train me," she whispered softly, her voice barely audible.


    "Hmm, give me some time. Maybe next week or so I will help you," I replied with a smile as I looked at her.


    She nodded slightly before walking back to Fatima.


    [Well, she wasn''t that hard to convince.]


    As I started to walk again, Edda''s voice once again resonated in my head.


    ''Yeah, no, I don''t think she is fully convinced that I know that guy,'' I replied as I pondered.


    The guy she knows and I havepletely different personalities, at least that''s what I think.


    So I need to be careful about her and be ready if things go out of hand and she starts to suspect me.


    "Hmm?" I hummed as I felt something vibrating in my inventory.


    I looked around until I confirmed that no one was there before I took out the rune caller.


    There weren''t many people who could call me, so I picked up without hesitation.


    "Hello," I said as I waited for the reply.


    "....I miss you," a soft, almost heavenly voice came out, making me halt my movements.


    "Nadya," I whispered, and without noticing, a smile came on my lips.


    ".....I miss you, Neil," she said again, and her voice calmed me a lot as all the stress and overthinking stopped instantly.


    "...Sigh, how are you?" I asked as I leaned against the wall in the empty hallway.


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    "...I want to meet with you," she said again, ignoring my question. "So I aming next week."


    "Wait, why so suddenly?" I replied, taken aback.


    "Can''t I see you?" She purred, her voice sweet even though she wasining. "If I want to see you, no one can stop me."


    "Well, yeah," I mumbled as I thought about her behavior.


    If she wants to meet me, no one can stop her, not even me.


    "Fine, are youing alone?" I asked as I sat down on the floor.


    "Elysia will alsoe with me; she wants to talk with you as well," she replied without any hesitation.


    The way she got out of her inferiorityplex for her sister makes me feel proud.


    "That''s good; I need to talk with her as well," I replied, nodding.


    "Anyway, how is your archer girlfriend?" She asked again, with a tiny bit of jealousy.


    "...She is younger than you; stop being jealous of her," I replied with a chuckle. "She thinks of you as her big sister; try to act like one."


    "Yeah, yeah, doesn''t change the fact that you like her," she replied, her voice trailing at herst words.


    "Well, she is fine and good with her master," I replied as I closed my eyes.


    "... Something bothering you?" She asked, making me open my eyes.


    "...No," I replied, as I didn''t want to involve her in all this, not until I could talk to her face to face.


    "....You can only hide one secret at a time, Neil; always remember that," she reminded me, and I nodded my head.


    "Remember I told you about your mother?" I asked again, as I thought about her mother.


    She is still trapped in that ce, and I think now is the right time to rescue her.


    "....Yes," her voice turned serious as she replied.


    "It''s time to meet her," I replied as I stood up from my spot on the floor and walked towards the managementmittee office.


    "....Are you sure she is alive?" She asked, her voice broken as she tried to hide her inner tremor.


    "Yeah, I''m sure," I replied as I walked. "You''ll meet her soon as well."


    "....Thank you, Neil," she whispered again, and I smiled at her words.


    "Anything for you," I replied as I approached an intersection.


    "....I need to go now, Neil; it''s night here, and I want to get some sleep," she replied, but I knew what she wanted to do.


    "...Stop reading those weird books," I grumbled as I remembered her taste in fantasy books.


    "Come on, they''re good for inspiration to try in bed," she replied, her voice beaming with desire.


    ".... Don''t go overboard," I replied with a long sigh.


    "Yeah, gotta go now, bye," she said hastily before adding, "and I love you, baby."


    "I love you too," I replied with a smile before ending the call as I crossed the intersection.


    "I love you so much."


    "....."


    But just as I crossed the intersection, a blonde girl''s face came into view.


    Grace, carrying a book, looked at me with her mouth wide open,pletely frozen.


    "Wha—."


    But before she could ask anything, I grabbed her waist and pushed her against the wall before capturing her lips.


    I moved back as her entire face turned crimson, blush creeping up her cheeks. Before she could ask anything, I ran away.