Chapter 118: Intermission: Improvement (1)
"Oh? I thought you had testing today?" The girl with long black hair and eyes that had been scarred horribly. She immediately sensed me as I sat next to her, and while ignoring the teacher, I whispered into her ear.
"Seeing how you're a freshman in high school, people in the lower classes will listen to you, right? You've done it with people in your grade, so you should be able to do it with some in my grade, right?"
"Hmmm… Yeah, I suppose. So, who is the unlucky boy who caught your attention now?"
"No, it's not about boys- well, it sort of is. There's this kid named Cyrus in my grade, and he is the rank one. I need you to spread a few rumors about him so I can get everybody else in the grade on my side."
"Cyrus, huh?" The girl lightly chuckled. "Well, isn't this interesting… I didn't even realize he was three years younger than me."
…
(Cyrus POV)
"So, what did you call me for?" I asked as I stepped into the path of grass. The beating afternoon sun shimmered down on our conversation as I walked towards a girl with long black hair and heavily scarred eyes.
"I was wondering… recently, a kid came up to me, hoping for me to spread some bad rumors about you. Of course, I followed through with the deal she proposed because I thought it would be interesting, but what I really wanted to talk about was your age."
"Huh? You're a few grades older than me, isn't that obvious?" I responded as if it was the most apparent thing in the world. I knew very little about the four who I was a dagger with, but just from their appearance, I could assume they were in the high school portion of our academy.
"Sure, that part may be obvious to you, but I don't think any of us realized you were three years younger than us. How old are you?"
"I'm twelve," I responded bluntly, causing the girl to chuckle lightly. Her eyes may have been utterly destroyed, but the scar tissue still creased as if her eyes were there. She was pretty good-looking, even with the scar. It added something unique to her already very modest and pretty appearance. She must be popular with the guys of her age.
During the mission and every time I've seen her, she's been cold as steel. But that might have just been due to the presence of our boss, who is relatively strict. She must have felt like she needed to keep up a cold appearance in front of her just so she wouldn't lose her position, which I'm extremely sure she treasured with all her heart.
"I guess we've never properly introduced ourselves to each other. I know you, but I doubt you know me. My name is Sage, Sage Wixx," The girl only continued to smile as if wanting to seduce my attention with her grin. There was no hostility but an overwhelming amount of kindness that I didn't expect from her.
Wixx, huh... also...
"Don't tell me you like them younger-"
"Woah, woah, woah. What are you thinking?" The girl chuckled while scouring the area around us. Luckily for her, there was nobody to hear what I almost said, so no bad rumors were at risk of spreading.
"Oh yeah… rumors… why'd you agree spread rumors of me? That's going to make my life much harder now," I muttered, rubbing my nails together as the girl's outpouring aura showered over me. It was a bit too much for me to handle.
"The girl agreed to give me a few materials I needed to class up. I might even be able to catch up with you, Mr. Genius. And seeing how casual you are about it, I'm sure you don't care about silly rumors. Of course, I took that into consideration."
"If that's it, I'm gonna leave now. The boss and I came to an agreement where I taught the daggers some moves of my own in exchange for a high-tier skill book… and I'm itching to pick it up."
"That kind of makes me sad because I have something to give to you…" The girl jokingly pouted as I walked away. I swiftly returned. Nothing more, nothing less, causing the girl to laugh out loud once again.
"Well, it seems the beast can be tamed with presents, huh?"
"Whatever… what is it you want to give me?"
The girl suddenly took out a long rectangular black box which she swiftly opened. Inside were two matching earrings. They were tiered, with the first layer being a white lotus flower and the second layer being a strip of dangling dark blue fibers. But what really intrigued me was the fact that it had a magical enchantment attached to it, as I could see bits of mana floating out of the box.
"Why earrings?"
"Because you're pretty. I thought it would look good on you if you kept those long-ass lashes of yours as you begin to mature. I'm kind of jealous…."
She's definitely a creep.
"Okay, thank you? But also, what is this for?"
"This is my thanks for saving me before. If it wasn't for you, not only would I have died, but everybody else," the girl handed the box over to me after covering it. "Also, I was wondering if you wanted to join a guild. I can vouch for an invitation for you with massive benefits for the Eagle Crown guild. We may not be the biggest here, but we are very widespread across the continent."
"Ummmm… sorry, but I'll have to decline. Although, you can't take this back," I immediately replied while burrowing the box of earrings deep in my chest. I wasn't about to let her take her bribe back.
"Don't worry. That wasn't a bribe but a genuine gift of thanks. I'm sure some of the others will visit you… tell them your age, I'm sure your crazy ass will get a kick out of it."
As the girl began to walk away, waving me goodbye with that shining smile on her face, I brought up something that I maybe should not have asked about. Yet, I was just too curious not to say something about it. It was just way too intriguing to try and let go of.
"Can I ask what happened to your eyes?"
The girl looked back at me, her smile still plastered across her face, but that gleaming aura of hers dampened into something darker. It was much more sinister and served as a warning for me not to dig any deeper.
"My bad."
Later that day, I found myself at the library, browsing a monster encyclopedia whilst waiting for whoever was gonna supervise me to show up. The boss said somebody would show up but never when or who.
"Ugh… why did you come?" I groaned as my sister appeared in the doorway to the library.
"Shut the hell up and follow me. Did you think I want to supervise you as well?" my sister snarled back, and as I left my book on the table right in front of me, she glared right in my direction. Suddenly, a whip of water held up the book and placed it back on the general bookshelf it belonged to. "Now, let's go… God, I can't believe she's letting somebody like you access the high-tier section."
As we walked to the back of the library, the air between my sister and I was tense and awkward, but I didn't dare to say anything. She didn't want to hear my apology until it was genuine but to be honest, I doubt it will ever be. As long as I'm not her real brother, she'll never hear a real apology.
We walked into an elevator only after my sister scanned her retina on an eye scanner. Quickly, her identity was confirmed and were allowed in, only to be met by another layer of security after selecting a button with the number three on it.
"Alright, buddy. Whatever you see in there can not be spread to anybody else, especially since it's a high-tier library. If you have any questions or need to piss or something, then just come back to the elevator. I will be waiting there for you. Also, you only have three hours to pick, so be quick and wise. If you read or absorb more than one skill book, you will be expelled from the academy, and since you're such a troublesome kid, we will have to expel everybody related to you as well."
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"Mhm…" I vaguely responded whilst listening to the slight hum of the elevator. In theory, it would have served as some kind of tension breaker, but it only made me more aware of the fact that I was standing next to my sister, enhancing the tension and stress between us. But then, all of a sudden, she spoke up, breaking the thick ice.
"Nice earrings. They look good on you."
"Oh, thanks… I guess."