How to Make Friends 101

Allen was spacing out when Eli suddenly started rummaging in her schoolbag as if searching for something. She then beamed upon catching sight of a small red pouch before sauntering and standing beside him, arms folded behind her back and smiling a bit timidly.

"Thank you for the tea last time, Sir President. I also forgot to apologize for my rude actions before. As you already knew, it was Venus's doing. But still, I'm sorry. If you'd like, you can have this as thanks and apology," she voiced out softly, handing her gift to Allen.

Allen was taken aback at this unexpected gesture. He reluctantly took the present and silently fiddled with it, already guessing what's inside. As if he wasn't surprised enough, Eli suddenly bowed before him, eyes tightly shut as she pleaded, "And also, please spare my life!"

He just couldn't take a break from her eccentricity.

Allen then snorted with amusement.

He never knew he'd easily accept defeat like this. Although he decided to remain on guard, he felt himself let loose after getting to know more about her. Judging by how she dealt with Venus earlier, she's potentially capable of pulling their plan off.

Admittedly, if they'd just ignore the fact that she's her human vessel, Eli was an interesting and earnest girl. She's also a fast learner and means well.

"I'll think about it," he replied, patting Eli's head with an eased and understanding look, much to her puzzlement.

"Actually, I also have one final question," she continued, unaware of how mesmerized he was in caressing her smooth silver hair. He was surprised to find it quite soothing.

"What is it?"

"What's the Cabbage Blade of Judgement?"

"It's Savage Blade."

His eyebrow slightly twitched at this as he wondered how she misheard that for a vegetable. It doesn't look like she's mocking him either. He then finally pulled his hand away and turned his chair to face her.

"It's a skill-related spell that I often use for a finishing blow. It enhanced my sword fighting for a specific amount of time. Each one of the Champions has a trump card like that, though we frequently don't use it since it consumed too much magic. Haven't you seen Hal- oh, wait..." Allen trailed off, recalling that he didn't use that 'spell' yet since he wasn't able to execute her.

"What about him?"

"N-Nothing."

Allen finally let her go after a lengthy interrogation. For some reason, she looked very relieved as she waved him goodbye, almost as if she'd been released from the clutches of a predator. Then again, she did beg for her life to be spared.

The Student Council President who stayed behind turned to stare outside the window, appreciating the first glow of the afternoon's warm hues. He grinned to himself as he thought about Hal's new friend, reflecting on her peculiar character. Tapping the armrest of his rolling chair, Allen couldn't help but think that the future looked increasingly bright.

Hal, on the other hand, felt like closing the library for today.

After finding Eli working harder than usual, dusting an old bookshelf at the room he showed her yesterday, he was immediately reminded of the incident at the auditorium.

He knew it had to be done, otherwise she'd remain oblivious while idly spending time with him. Considering her lack of social interaction, it'll take months for her to pick up. Aside from that, in the light of the other Champions' qualms about her, he also had to convince them that she's worthwhile and capable of producing results. It's a necessary measure that'd benefit both parties.

Even with all these, however, the librarian still felt a bit remorseful.

Not wanting to be mistaken for a stalker, Hal finally stopped peeping from outside and tried to enter the room as quietly as possible, but the loud creaking noise of the door's hinges betrayed him. He prepared himself for any reaction, but only to be greeted by silence. Eli was still focused on her chore, and consequently, failed to notice his arrival. A bit irked at the lack of response, Hal started teasing her instead.

"Good to see you not slacking around, Eli. Exercise is definitely a must for old people, after all."

He's unsurprised to receive a headbutt from her in a matter of seconds. Since he didn't want both of them to feel awkward or strained after yesterday's incident, he gladly continued at this pace. They bantered with each other for a while, with Eli often being the object of insults. After minutes of darting around the room, they accidentally bumped into the bookshelf, causing hordes of dusts to fall over them in an explosive plunge.

"Wha-?!"

"Eeep...!"

A fit of coughs then filled the place. They rubbed the dirt off their faces while grimacing at the nasty impact. Upon opening their eyes again, they found each other freckled with ashes and dusts like giant snowmen. Instead of feeling mortified, the two oddballs only burst into laughter, playfully teasing and pointing at each other.

"You look like Santa with that beard on!"

"What about you? You really look like a granny now with that hair."

Starting to feel itchy, the two finally decided to settle down.

They proceeded to remove their jackets and sweaters before dabbing them with a piece of cloth. While cleaning themselves, Eli recalled what she planned to do once she met him again. With that, gathering her courage, she took out a small yellow pouch from her schoolbag and approached Hal who was in the middle of wiping his face with a wet towel.

"Hal, I have something to say... The truth is, I would like to learn how to use Venus's power," she voiced out, catching him off guard.

"What?" he asked, eyebrows slightly furrowed in confusion, as he turned to look at her.

"Of course, I will still lure the enemies out. But, I thought that it would be better if I could also train... I'm not really confident in my abilities, but I'll try my best to be useful!"

Taken aback, Hal was speechless at the turn of events. He was already satisfied that she's acting normal, thinking that she was just simply unbothered about yesterday. Although it pained his guts to admit that and he really sounded selfish, he was relieved that she didn't give him the cold shoulders. But then, she suddenly blurted out such daring words that his eyes went as wide as an owl's.

Eli then gently took his hand before placing her present on his palm. She continued staring down on it with a soft smile while he eyed her with a quizzical expression.

"And this was the gift I prepared days ago. As thanks for everything you've done for me, I'd like you to have it, though it wasn't really much. Before I lose my courage, I'll just go ahead and say it as well... Thank you for bearing with me, Hal, even though I'm plenty boring to talk to since all I do is read. No matter what you think, though, I'll always see you as a friend," she confessed, a fierce blush gracing her features.

Everything felt like some kind of a plot twist for him.

Hal was so astonished and unresponsive that it took a moment of quietude before he could give her a coherent reaction. But then, she's surprised to see a gloomy expression. Hal had averted his eyes from her, face hooded with enigmatic emotions.

"Were you only saying that because I'm fictional? And that you like books more than people?"

Eli never thought that there'd be a day she'd see Hal looking so self-conscious like this. She almost mistook him for a trembling toddler, though he wasn't really shaking. Stripped off of his usual carefree front and far from his tyrannical character, in front of her right now was just an anxious teenage boy.

Baffled, all she could do at that moment was gape at him until she suddenly recalled the villain's words yesterday.

"...You're foolish to call them friends! Even more so, as a villainess!"

"Didn't you realize? We're fictional. We have certain roles to play... Therefore, as antagonists, we're meant to make enemies of those goody-two-shoes... That's our fates!"

"...Everything was only but a huge play. Your so-called friends only see you as a mere tool..."

Then something finally pieced together in her head.