41. The Hidden World (3)
41. The Hidden World (3)
Two days later
Lex standing in front of his new dormitory prepared by Crimson Eagle, unlike before this time one room for one person, he's no longer a roommate with Max, but Neighbor instead
Before long Max came out wearing a military like uniform, the same as what Lex wore
"what about her?"
"Mashiro? I told her we, me and you appointed to the new Training, so we can't meet anymore at least for the temporary" Max said while looking a bit sad
"cheers up! It's not like we cannot meet them again, this time it's only a month, and they gave us freedom at that time you just need to wait for her"
Max nodded looking better than before
It was after Venti shown Lex and others the Hidden world, her subordinate guided them to the new dormitory and gave the trainees two days of time to say goodbye to their friend on the facility and to take their belonging on their past dormitory
Because they can't no longer go back there, and at the same time the trainees also prohibited to talk about what they seen here, at outside world they can only use 'related' to talk about it, they can't expose it to the one who did not know what 'related' is
It isn't a warning anymore, they clearly threatened Lex and others not to expose anything
***
Today Lex and the others thirty or more trainees who passed the special Exam were gathered in front of their dormitory, there will be some senior who will guide them to tour the area around the island,
Thus, shortly after a group of people coming toward the new trainees, the freshmen there are about ten seniors who will guide them when Lex saw the senior group
(hmm?) he saw someone familiar
(she's become taller, it's only one day but I still remember you) then their eyes met each other, the senior that girl eyes quickly brightened as she increased his pace walking towards Lex
"Lex!" she called
*bomphh
Without hesitation she hugged Lex
Lex was taken aback for a while, before he regained himself when he heard the girl strange laughing "kususu kukuku"
"haa~" he sighed "you're the same as before… Mio"
"kukuku, it's only a year how can I change that much"
"you're right… but at least we both become taller"
Right now both Lex and Mio height about 140cm or more tall
"Hmmm! I thought I'm become taller than you this year" Mio tiptoeing and comparing their height
(cute~~!)
"impossible! But it's sad only your height which is grown" Lex teased as he stared at Mio nonexistence chest
"what did you think when you said that!!" Mio covered her body from Lex's gaze, and she's smiled brightly to Lex, but that very smile scared Lex to death
"n-no" he stuttered "absolutely nothing!"
"huu~" she shrugged her shoulders "but still I did not expect to find you here Lex"
"nah, me too I didn't expect to see you too, it's been a year since then, long time no see"
"long time no see~~"
"somehow we got the order incorrectly here"
"Bah, who cares! Last year only you who wasn't in the same place"
"yea, I'm joining the numbers first, cause unlike the three of you I don't know what 'related' mean at that time, this is one hell of secret!"
"it must be so shocking for normal people like you, I knew them since I aware of my surrounding that I don't feel its special"
"definitely! By the way, did you have this preparation class for one month too last year?"
Mio nodded
"are there any numbers on your period at that time?"
"they are" Mio nodded again
(it's confirmed then) "so they're gonna be other 'Guest' on my preparation class tomorrow, what pain in the ass" Lex said annoyed
Lex heard them from Vera Crimson before, Guest isn't an ordinary people came from ordinary family, meaning they must have high pride which make it pain in the ass for Lex
"un un" Mio nodded "I know how you feel, it's hard to meet someone like you, Aria or Athur"
When Lex heard Mio "pfftt" he suddenly laughed "ahahaha"
"???" Mio tilted her head "did I say something strange?"
"Well, you see I suddenly remembered what we said when we finished our Exam on the ship last year"
"ahhh!!" Mio before she started laughing too "haha, I remembered it now, that's so funny seriously when we grandiosely said our goodbye, and quickly reunited on the next day, Aria and Arthur…. Pffftt kukuhaha, their face when they saw each other again kuhahaha"
"haha, I can imagine that but I wish I can saw it directly" Lex said a bit downhearted
"no worries, no worries we can just make them do the same expression later"
"true"
""hahaha"" the both of them laughed happily then ""hmm?"" the both of them only realized where they are and what they did before
Everyone on that place freshmen and seniors stared at them uncomfortably
""Ah!""
With his exceptional hearing Lex heard it, the freshmen only confused from Lex and Mio intimate relationship while the senior
[ oi that is THAT Furuhashi, isn't it?! ]
[ Wow! This is the first time I saw her like this! ]
[ the others wouldn't believe us it even if we told the truth ]
(looks like Mio quite famous among the seniors…not my problem)
then Lex saw Max, he saw him with an evil grin
(maa~~ who cares, I'm not a child on the inside for him to tease, Mio too has that shameless personality)
(mio…) that word stuck inside Lex heart, he turned to Mio before turned to Max again, his grin become even wider when he saw Lex finally noticed him
(Mio!! Aaaaarrrrghhh that's right!!! What did I say to them on that survival exam!? I had a crush on her!! Shitt! If Mio knows about it!! I'm gonna be teased to death by her! !)
(why did I borrow her name!! it's too late to regret it now!! how do I solve this… ok let's say I determined to confess myself, so he wouldn't say unnecessary things! Yosh let's do it this way)
****
After that awkward situation Mio become Lex and Max guide, she guided them around like where's the room their preparation class will be hold, cafeteria, etcetera
"By the way, do you know where Arthur and Aria is?" Lex asked in the middle of their tour
"mission maybe" Mio replied uninterested
"missions?"
"you will learn it later on the preparation class, be patient it's bothersome for me to explain"
"well~~ yeah I'll wait, but then what about you?"
"Me? I don't even have a team" she shrugged
(team? From how she said it, a team take on a mission together and she don't have that I'm sure I will learn it later on the preparation class)
"because you're too weak?"
"hou~" her eyes glint in a dangerous way "let me tell you I'm practically unmatched on close combat, and mine forte is CQC too"
"Really?" Lex looked at her suspiciously
"wanna try it?" she said before she denied it herself "but nah there's not even one in million chance for you to win me right now"
"that's a bold words coming from you"
Mio too understand Lex wouldn't accept it easily when underestimated like that
"then how about this?" Mio grabbed Lex right hand "try to move it, if you can move it, it's your win, you can even use both of your hands nah the whole body allowed too as long as you don't strike me directly"
Lex then slowly increasing the power to his hand to move it
10%
20%
40%
60%
(!?) he shocked his hand still not budged even a bit, He continued to increase his strength
70%
80%
90%
95%
(impossible!!) 100% even with his full power he still couldn't move his grabbed hand
(I thought I've already become inhuman long time ago, but this…)
Max who's become air since the start of the tour surprised by the outcome too,
"see" Mio smiled gleefully, Mio understood she needed to do this to convince Lex, at the same time Mio understood Lex wouldn't become jealous or discouraged with this, his mental too strong for him break down here
"Kughh!! Humiliated by that Mio" Lex said collapsed on four knees, he concealed his anxiety deep inside himself (it's better not to think of it for now…)
Max worried about Lex self-confidence crushed by this situation, he started to hate Mio who still laughing insulting the now collapsed Lex with her strange laugh
"y-" when he tried to say something
"well, jokes aside" Lex stood up like nothing happened
('eeehh!?') ('kughh I almost embarrass myself there, I shouldn't try to meddle with them… that right let's be an air, be an air…')
Oblivious in what happened to Max inner war, Lex and Mio continued their conversation
"then is it because of your strange laugh?"
"that's rude!! What I wanted to say, but there's some part of it"
"so you DO know your strange laugh huh"
"S-shut up!"
"ahaha…, then there's only one reason left, it is because your Furuhashi house?"
"what?" she looked at Lex in a dazed "y-you knew??" her face become pale she stuttered the word she said
"yea" Lex nodded "I heard it Last year"
"you knew and still did all that thing to me?"
"wait! I think there's something wrong with how you say it, but yeah, you are you, Mio are Mio" Lex declared "and it's you who approached me not me"
"do you have to say that last sentence?" she said exasperatedly
"that's the important part!!"
Mio looked at Lex in disbelief "….Baka" she said in a very small voice
And of course Lex heard it, but he ignored that
***
"Arthur and Aria in one team, their team can be said the best in our year" Mio started to explain what happened to them last year "and I'm the worst one" she said, before they knew it the two Mio and Lex plus one the air Max reached the beach, Mio stood still gazing at the far sea
"is that so…" Lex stood beside Mio gazing the far sea, actually this is his first time on the beach too, in his past life he never had the chance to go to the sea even if it's near to where he lived on the past
"un" she nodded meekly "as you know with my appearance even with if I have this distinctive laugh it's still balanced there's no reason to avoid me"
"distinctive… it's better to say it eccentric! And my appearance? What a big self-confidence you had there!" Lex shrugged
"S-shut up! And what!?" she bent her body entering Lex sight "you don't think so?" she put her long side hair behind her ears
(~~!!) naturally Lex smitten by that action, Mio had it in her, the looks which can rival Kate
"Kuggh! And what happened? Why do you have no team now?" he forcibly changed the topic
"ehehe" she laughed bashfully like a normal girl, before she turned her gaze back to the sea
(!!?, aren't you similar to me… is that an act your outer shell… or a genuine emotion from inside, I don't know anymore…)
Her smile has long gone from her face displaced by a sorrowful and pained face "I'm sure you already expected it, my house… made everyone afraid to approach me…"
"wait… I know the 'Guest' might be knew who your background is, but what about numbers?" for turned his eyes from the sea to her, finally he saw her pained face
(…is this a genuine emotion?)
"don't you know? Numbers afraid to approach 'Guest' as we are on different level" Lex no longer gazing the sea, his eyes pinned on Mio's face, he could see Mio change on emotion at every word she said, but never a positive one
"'Numbers' and 'Guest' might look close here on this island, in fact we're too far from each other is that what you mean?"
"un" she nodded meekly "this place like a dream, a happy dream for me…, but as it is a dream someday, I needed to wake up from it"
(…it's different with how our usual contact…, I couldn't help but to think she's showing me her inner shell now…but I don't know what to do too…)
"maybe because of your craziness that the 'Numbers' to afraid to approach you" Lex tried to joke around to lift the heavy atmosphere but… he landed on the landmine instead
"crazy? Hey!" Mio shrugged "I would be long gone insane if I'm normal" at that time Mio looked very sad, every piece of her word full of self-mocked
(I've gone too far…) Lex realized Mio wasn't the usual Mio, he didn't know what the trigger is… (but she's looks very vulnerable now…)
"are-"
{are you alright?} what Lex tried to say before he stopped himself (it's obvious there's no way she's fine!!) Lex felt it how heavy her feeling is, how heavy the burden behind that words are
This is the first time Lex saw Mio let out her inner feeling, he knew he can't be careless here, and he knew too he can't do anything to help her,
(I can't bear the burden she had… at least for now, I can only feign not to know)
"So what should I call you now?"
Mio become confused by the sudden question from Lex ('where is it coming from?')
"Should I call onee-san or senpai now?" looking idiotically Lex asked he forcibly change the topic again he knew he can't approach nor touch that place now
Mio stunned in daze for a moment "pfftt kusu kusu ahaha what are you talking about, it's up to you, you can call me whatever you want actually 'honey or dear' is allowed too"
Mio laughed played along with Lex ('so that's your answer') she thought Mio only realized it after she blurted out her inner feeling, but she can't take back anymore, she can't turn back the time she can only push forward, she took her chance to gamble
with the boy who's not afraid of her family influenced, the boy who's similar to her, the boy who's eccentric like her, the boy who's different than the rest, the boy who maybe just maybe can change her, can release her from that invisible chain
she took the gamble and lost the bet, Mio understood that ('that kind of miracle only happened on novel') she turned her head back gazing at the sea sorrowfully ('in the first place I did not deserve to be a heroine' ) and she got dumbfounded when she heard Lex's reply
"well then I'm going to call you dear then" Lex said
('you seriously going to call me that!?') she flustered ('understand it! Understand it I'm only played along with you!!')
('kya!') Mio cutely scream because Lex suddenly held her shoulder (I'm glad I not blurted that out or I would be too embarrassed to face him directly')
Lex held Mio's shoulder pulling her to stare at each other eyes directly "till the time I be ready to give it back, dear" he gazed at her with a determined gaze from his gaze he sent a message to her {that I definitely save you}
('stupid… baka…, do you know hope is the biggest despair… why did you do that…') Mio pushed her head onto Lex's chest, while Lex gazed back at the far sea
(What is Mio to me, we just met for the second time today, because of our similarities we looked so close to each other, but in fact we knew we were far from close to each other)
(but I still decided to help her as much as I can, am I a hypocrite? Maybe yes, or it might be better to call me a selfish person, it's not like I always wanted to help someone in need, I just wanted to help someone I wanted to help)
(do I like her? No, but I don't hate her…Mio is the girl with an eccentric laugh, the girl who can say something so shameless without a care in the world, the girl who's crazy in the head, a strange girl …, but she's strangely it's charming to me…)
At that day the both of them made a promise beyond words
('mm… what should I do in this situation!!! It's too embarrassing to watch!! Someone hellppp meeee!!!') the Air sincerely cried for help
('wait a minute!!? is this what always happened between me and Mashiro!? uwaaahh!! This is too embarrassing!!!')