Chapter 272: I won't say
"Just like yesterday.... What happened to you guys?" Aadya asked, nudging her glass while glaring at the students.
"...."
No one responded to Aadya's fury.
The tension in the room was palpable; Aadya's frustration was understandable, given the smaller number of students present in the class..... with only one male among them and even that male was annoying too much.
Ignoring Aadya's annoyance, Eli glanced at Scylla, who simply ignored him due to his devious act this morning. She was visibly upset over Eli going to the orphanage alone, and what's more, he ventured into the women's dormitory.....
Today, she decided to ignore him for his devious act and make sure he focused on her.
Mia, however, beamed with a happy smile. If males were to witness that, they would be utterly love-struck by her radiant expression.
Zera, for a change, took a much-needed rest due to some reasons....
"Well, whatever...." Aadya shrugged. It was not her duty to force others to attend class and then initiate the lesson.
While the class was in progress, Eli felt an odd stare from a certain person.
He glanced at the person... Long brown hair with a hint of blues in it and lavender-coloured eyes staring at him before quickly turning their head.
Then he shifted his gaze to Scylla and Mia.....'I will warn them later' he made a mental note.
Soon,
~Ding~Dong~
"Come.to.my.office.room...Now" Aadya said with a deadly glare at Eli before leaving.
"..." Eli nodded with an awkward smile and followed her.
As soon as Eli left the class,
"Hey, Scylla... See this" Mia stood before Scylla and ruffled her own hair, showing a gift from her loved one.
"..." Scylla's lips twitched with a knowing face, observing the feather emitting yellow flames with blue sparkles..... It was totally different and gorgeous, beautifully adhering to Mia's hair, 'Maybe I should lose on purpose...?' Scylla mused, considering how to receive a gift like that.
While Mia flaunted her gift in front of Scylla,
"Hey, what happened?" Luna asked as she looked at Marie, who wore an unexplainable expression.
"...." Marie didn't respond, her gaze fixed on her palms, 'I cried...?' She wondered what had brought tears in front of the person she had hurt, especially considering she had cried again that night.
"Marie?" Luna looked at her with a frown.
"H-Huh? What?" Marie snapped out of her reverie, meeting Luna's gaze with a tired expression.
"....Did Alex make you cry?" Luna inquired, noticing Marie's red eyes.
"N-No, he didn't" Marie promptly replied.
"Hmmm.... So he still hasn't come?" Luna questioned, harbouring doubts about Marie's sudden sadness.
"I-I don't know... I haven't spoken to him since that day" Marie said with a serious tone with little sadness.
After that fateful incident, Marie understood that Alex was hiding something, and moreover, he seemed to know about her elder sister's situation..... She really wondered how he knew when he never saw her before.
"L-Luna?" Marie looked at Luna with hesitation.
Seeing her like that, Luna smiled and assumed the role of a supportive big sister, "Calm down and tell me" she said, gently grabbing Marie's hand.
Marie calmed down a bit and asked lightly, "W-Who is Alex?"
"...Pardon?"
"I mean... Do you know why Alex positioned me in Alysia's team and handed me a communication tool?" Marie asked, casting Luna a doubtful gaze.
"Hmm... I thought he did that in case anything happens, so he will rush to your side?" Luna answered, though her expression showed doubt. She had seen the video of how Alex completely ignored Mia and only responded to her when Eli mentioned it.
"Heheh.... I doubt that" Marie let out a half-hearted laugh. After the day when Alex slapped her..... he had been acting weird toward her. It didn't take a genius to understand what Alex was doing.
"...." Luna stared at pitiful Marie. She and Marie had been good friends, and even Luna understood Marie had been trying her best to cope.
"Then....Why do you think he did that for you?" Luna pressed her.
"..W-Well, I-I... H-He is kind of weird and I don't know how to explain this, but it seems he made me team up with them for Alysia or something else...?" Marie stammered as she tried her best to answer.
Luna fixed her gaze on Marie's shaky eyes and asked, "What made you love him?" This was the question lingering in her mind.
Luna was well aware of Alexander's Holy Body; that's the reason she even needed his 'help' from the very beginning..... Why else would she seek assistance from an oblivious, horny idiot and who kept seducing others and seeing them as a piece of meat?
The energy emanating from his holy body made others comfortable and contributed to his trustworthiness. However, there were a few people unaffected by that aura like...Alysia, Kayden, Amir, and.... Marie.
That's what made Luna curious; she really thought Marie was deeply in love with him without the influence of his holy body..... Yet, that idea shattered when she saw her avoiding his advances.
"I love him, that's all" Marie said with a small blushing face.
Luna frowned, not understanding this girl who kept avoiding Alexander's advances, yet she still says she loves him. However, there was something this time that made Luna frown..
If it were before, she might not have noticed, but when Luna heard those words, she felt..... they were hollow..... devoid of emotions.
"Pardon?" Luna asked again, questioning whether her ears were playing tricks.
"Hmmm?" Marie also looked at Luna's face.
While the two engaged in a silent battle of unspoken emotions, Behind them, the ladies silently communicated with glances,
"Stop it, Pearl!!" Amber Fox exclaimed with a mix of annoyance and concern as she caught her friend staring intently at the closed door.
"...Huh? What?" Pearl Harper snapped out of her thoughts abruptly, her eyes wide in feigned innocence.
"You've been staring at the jerk from the very beginning of class" Amber said, her frustration evident.
"Oh!" Pearl feigned shock, playing off her distraction as if it were an accident.
"What 'Oh!'?... Did you fall for him or what?" Amber asked bluntly, her annoyance cutting through her words.
"Huh? N-No, No!!" Pearl quickly rejected the idea, her cheeks tinted with a hint of embarrassment.
"Then why?"
"W-Well, something personal" Pearl mumbled, avoiding direct eye contact.
"!!!" Amber's suspicion grew, her gaze intensifying.
Meanwhile, Eva Dolphus observed the exchange with a perplexed expression, wondering about the dynamics at play.
"Pearl, Let me tell you--" Amber was about to offer advice when Mia's voice cut through the conversation.
"Amber, Pearl, I want to duel."
".....Here we go again" Amber clenched her fist, bracing herself for another pain in the ass problem... glared at Mia, "I don't think we have any hatred between us"
"Well, we don't" Mia said with a thoughtful expression, then added, "But my brother gave me this beautiful gift, so I wanted to show off to everyone".
"...." Amber opened her mouth and then closed... She found herself momentarily speechless, struggling to formulate a response to Mia's unexpected answer.
Seeing Amber hesitating, Mia shifted her attention to Pearl, her tone taking an unexpected turn, "You, staring at my brother too much... Did you get into heat or what?"
Only she was allowed to stare at him too much 'Hmph' Mia huffed.
"...." Veins popped on Pearl's forehead.
While the commotion unfolded inside the class, Eli, after receiving some stern warnings and advice, finally settled into Aadya's private arena.
There, he began to focus on his breathing technique. He wanted to use his time effectively...
'Deep inhale'
'Deep exhale'
'Deep inhale'
...
....
"ELI!!!"
Eli snapped out of his concentration upon hearing someone shout his name.
Opening his eyes, he found two worried faces before him.
"Teach? Rize?" Eli blinked as he attempted to stand up. However
'Crack, Crack'
Feeling no movement, Eli glanced down and saw his whole body up to his neck frozen in ice.
"Hmm?" Eli raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"Wait?" Aadya said as she waved her hand.
'shoossshhh'
A hot breeze melted the ice, freeing Eli. He stood up and did some stretches.
"What did you do now?" Aadya asked with an annoyed face, with a hint of hidden worry.
Eli was the only one who perceived the hidden emotion.
Whether due to the truth he heard or because he started to see her differently, Eli began to sense her emotions that were hardly visible on the surface.
"Well, I tried to master the 3rd form, but it seems it's not working. So..." Eli tried to avoid the topic, however,
"So?" Aadya pressed him.
".....I was trying to comprehend my frost bloodline" Eli sighed and confessed. He wanted to keep it a secret, which was why he asked to use Aadya's private arena.
However, lying to her would only complicate matters, especially since he needed her private arena. One day, she would inevitably discover the truth.
As for Rize, she rarely spoke with anyone, but Eli knew she was a sensible girl.
Aadya frowned, "Didn't you say your bloodline is not aw--"
"Yes, my bloodline is not awakened, but...due to 'some reasons' my bloodline is slowly responding" Eli interrupted her with a smile.
"....." Aadya stared at Eli, wanting to ask about the 'some reasons' However, if Eli didn't want to delve into it, so be it.
"Then.... did you finally comprehend your bloodline?"
"Well... I think I need to visit a fire-type dungeon" Eli said with a thoughtful expression, after hours of trying he understood that his knowledge about fire elements was not enough.
"I see....." Aadya nodded and added, "I will try to get it for you.... give me some time."
"...." Eli raised his eyebrows however he didn't say anything.
"....Here" Aadya handed him a silver card.
"What's this?" Eli asked, examining the pure silver rectangle card.
"That's the permission to enter the Nex Library's 2nd floor... Show it to the librarian; they will explain the rest of the procedures" Aadya explained.
"Hmm" Eli nodded, not particularly thrilled since he had requested access to the final floor, but the Headmaster had refused yesterday.
"What, are you not happy?" Aadya asked, noticing his blank expression.
"Well, it's not that I am not happy, but... I wanted more" Eli sighed.
"More?" Aadya raised her eyebrows.
"Sigh, Nothing..." Eli sighed, and Aadya didn't press any further. Afterwards, she taught them how to control elemental energy and refine their techniques, addressing the errors identified during the training program.
Once the class was over, Eli made his way out of the Nex and headed to the orphanage.
"H-Hey!"
"..." Eli ignored the person and walked out the gate, heading toward the orphanage.
"W-Wait?"
"...."
"...P-Please!!"
"....sigh. What do you want?" Eli sighed and looked at the girl with long brown hair, wearing a crop top and shorts.
"W-Well....." The brown-haired girl looked at Eli with hesitation.
Observing her hesitation, Eli said, with a reassured smile, "I won't disclose your feelings towards a woman to anybody..... Okay? Ms. Pearl Harper, Future Queen of Atlantis?"
"!!!!"