V1C22

Matteo kept reading the book in peace while considering a few things on his end, 'There is still a few days before I have to leave school again, perhaps I should ask Father for homeschooling if this keeps up but then again... I doubt I will be called out again once I complete the request in China' He thought while flipping the page of the book since it was a free period so the students could get to know Aurora, he chose to read and relax.

"Erica, you think we can even trust Aurora? I don't mind sharing Matty but she came too suddenly" Liliana spoke with a worried tone, Erica, however, had a different view of the entire situation. Normally a mother who had not seen her son for so many years to suddenly push an adoptive daughter towards him would be too strange, it's almost like she wants him to discover her but... 'She would not do something like this without reasons...' Erica thought while looking at Aurora who was happily chatting with her new classmates.

"Oi Matteo, you think I could give it a shot with that girl" Bruno spoke with Matteo out of a joke while pointing at Aurora, Matteo who saw this gave a knowing smile as he nods "Sure, go ahead" Hearing his friend agreed so easily to his request Bruno was not sure if his friend wants him single for a year or get killed before then. Bzzt! Matteo pulled out his vibrating phone as he checked the message Patricia sent to him, his eyes widen from shock as he did not expect such a development. 'I see, no wonder she glues herself onto me... Good thing I kept the options open for me to choose to either have her stay at my side or not' He thought as he slips his phone back into his pocket.

Aurora came over towards Matteo with her eyes giving off a warm flash as her eyes met with Bruno for an instant before she turned her eyes to Matteo smiling brighter, "Matty, why are you ignoring me" Aurora pouted as she hugs Matteo's neck from behind while reading the book he was reading, "It's a good chance to get close to people Aurora, you never know if you may come across a special one" Aurora shook for an instant before she stood silently with a smile, "I see, so Matty wants me to make friends"

"Do whatever you want" Matteo spoke, Aurora was about to climb onto his lap but Erica beat her to it as she sat on Matteo's lap, "Honey, you sure are cold-hearted to ignore your fiance" Erica placed an emphasis on the Fiance part while gazing at Aurora who was nonchalant towards it, Matteo closed the book, he kept his thumb inside by the pages he was still busy reading while turning his eyes to meet Erica's, he gently caressed her cheek with a warm smile "I never ignore you, girls, I am simply allowing you to make more friends" Matteo answered her.

Erica pouted for a while but Matteo could feel that her jealousy has stabilized so he continued to read his book while Erica was sitting on his lap chatting with Liliana, Aurora felt a bit out of place as she pulled a chair to sit near Erica and Liliana to join in on the chat. Matteo could only sigh thinking that it was really unfair, to toy with his feelings like this. 'I will have to have a talk with Lucretia after this' He thought

School classes went faster than expected as Matteo was too occupied in thinking of reasons why he was pushing into this strange situation so he did not perform his usual, "Yo Matt, what is the matter with you? You are like a walking zombie today" Bruno hook his arm around Matteo's neck while walking together with his friend to the gates, "Hehe, I only have a lot of things on my mind lately" Matteo muttered, while he and Bruno were chatting Aurora glances at Bruno's back for a long time before turning her eyes to Matteo when the student looked in her direction.

"Matty, where are we going today?" Erica hooked her arm around Matteo's right arm while Liliana squeezed between him and Bruno to left his left hand, Bruno began to chuckle seeing how the girls are acting "Matt, I will come to visit tomorrow after school then we can study together?" Matteo nodded as his friend climb into a black limousine that took his home, "Girls I will be heading off somewhere alone, I will be back before dinner" Matteo gently brought Erica and Liliana into his embrace as he whispered in their ears "I only have two girls, and that is all I need"

Matteo left the two blushing girls alone as he went out of the schoolyard, he already detected that Aurora was following him but the moment he entered an empty alleyway he was gone, "I never would have expected you to follow Matteo, are you really in love with him or are you carrying a mission?" Aurora did not need to turn around to know who it was, Erica and Liliana followed after her when they noticed she was following Matteo, "Are you going to tell us the truth or perhaps... I should kill Bruno?"

Hearing the last part of Erica's threat Aurora unconsciously unleashed a dense killing intent but she swiftly managed to recompose herself as if nothing happened, "What do you mean?" Aurora turned around with an innocent smile, Erica smiled "You already gave yourself away, so why not come out clean" Aurora's face became serious 'My orders are not to kill them but I can beat them up right?' Aurora thought as she thrust her open palm to the left, a strange magic circle appeared in front of her palm and when she closed her palm it gripped onto a hilt that came out just at the right time.

"Slash my foes eight times... Pierce them eight times... And bestow upon me the blade to overcome my enemies eight times!" Aurora pulled out her sword as she calls out the name of the katana, "Yamata no Orochi!!" Erica noticed that it was going to be a fight instead of a talk, "Come, lion of steel. The one carrying the spirit of the lion, the steel that carries the essence of battle!" As if to respond to her calls a pulsing red magic circle appeared in front of her with an emerging lion head with its mouth was still closed.

"Respond to my hand and voice! Your name is Cuore di Leone... The warrior inheriting the name of the lion-hearted king!" The mouth of the lion slowly began to part ways revealing the hilt of Erica's beloved sword, she move forward pushing her right arm into the mouth of the lion while gripping the hilt firmly, "The knight Erica Blandelli swears thus, I will return your loyalty with valour and chivalry!" When the chant completes she pulls out her sword from the mouth and the magic circle along with the lion head dispersed. "Lilly, I want you to contact my uncle to have this area locked down"

Liliana nodded as she turned around to leave, Aurora did not stop her as the moment she tried to move, Erica came in front of her with a taunting smile "Your opponent is ME!" Erica thrust the shape end of her sword forward, forcing Aurora to move backwards while clashing her katana against the rapier to divert the thrust towards her left but Erica was a step forward "Come forth flames and besiege my enemies relentlessly! Fire Barret!" Erica points her open palm towards Aura with a magic circle forming right in front of her palm before it became to unleash a series of fire bullets at Aurora.

Aurora was shocked at this since she did not expect Erica to be so daring to use magic that could attract attention but Paolo was already working on locking down the area so she no longer need to have that much of restraint except for that she should not destroy the buildings since Erica was being this bold Aurora smirked as she began to slash down the fire bullets, "I would never expect you to be this daring Erica..." Aurora muttered softly

"It's because you decided to lay your hands on someone precious that I will utterly destroy you for it" Erica spoke without a hint of emotions, but from the look in her eyes she was not happy to see how the scheming evolved into using girls towards Matteo. "Well if you can defeat me, I will leave willingly but if I defeat you then you will have to keep quiet about what happened and that includes convincing that Kranjcar girl" hearing Aurora's duel conditions Erica nodded in approval as the two of them sprinted towards each other, one slashed while the other pierce.

CLANG!

The resounding of swords clashing one another could be heard from the distance as the two girls began to exchange sword techniques after techniques while unknowingly moving out of the alleyway into the streets, it was really on time that Paolo managed to get the surrounding area under control as the two girls clashed fiercely against one another. "I never would expect that Lucretia would train a girl that can't use magic other than summoning her sword" Erica spoke with a complicated face as she acknowledged the skills of the girl she was facing right now.

"Hmph! Magic is not everything" Aurora changed the rhythm of her breathing before suddenly changing the style of her movements, this sudden change took Erica by surprise but she raised her sword towards the skies as she sang loudly "Arges, Steropes, Brontes! Lend my sword the blessing of Thunder!" Suddenly clouds began to gather above her as lightning struck down towards Erica's sword but the excess lightning spread out hitting multiple places which made it difficult for Aurora to approach her without resolving for inflicting injuries upon herself.

>\/<

Meanwhile, before the fight between Erica and Aurora started. Matteo was knocking on the door of a manor situated in Sardinia, the weather was nice and open today so Matteo did not realize at first but when he sensed her approaching, the person he came to visit just arrived home as well. "Good Afternoon Matty, you came to visit me today?" Lucretia smiled warmly as she walked towards Matteo but to see the boy having a displeased expression facing her she was wondering if he found out, 'So soon!?'

Matteo took a deep breathe "I am here to inquire a few things from you today" Lucretia nodded as she unlocked the door leading Matteo inside when Matteo took his seat in the Lounge she first went to make coffee for the both of them before taking her seat opposite of him. "Could you tell me what you came here for today? I am not certain if I incurred your wrath or anything did I?" Lucretia did not want to anger her son but she knew she done something that made him feel displeased and she wanted to fix it before it becomes irreversible.

"I know about the mission you gave Aurora" Matteo muttered while leaning back on the chair, he brushed his hair backwards wondering if he should call this lady in front of him a love examiner or a fool, "Why would you order the first love of my friend to disguise herself as someone else to test the strength of my relationship with Erica and Liliana"