Strengths of a Lady (part 2)

The next day starts, and I received a phone call early in the morning.

During the walk to school, Uncle Deve called me about the commission that he had just received last night. He told me to come to his house later after school, saying that there is a relative of his that needed my help.

I did ask why not have him do the exorcism, but he told me that this will be my first time dealing with one officially. He wanted to oversee it to the fullest before he sent me on a quest that he couldn't come personally. And certainly, I understood his intentions.

I just don't get why his relative is the one having the supernatural issues. I thought his family was filled to the brim with paranormal masters or something, but apparently not.

My first job as an exorcist… for some reason, I'm excited. I've fought demons twice now, but only now will I get paid for doing so.

Truth be told, I'm more excited about the paycheck. I wondered about what I should do with them.

But… I think I had an idea of what I should use them on.

Arriving at the classroom, I noticed my chair and table weren't glued like last time. Looks like Peach and the other girls know that Nico also ended up being glued, that they probably will change their ways to annoy me.

Thank god that they understood. Because then, we can keep this war to ourselves.

The first lesson starts, and the teacher mentioned some stuff about having exams next week. Looks like the leak from the other classes were true, after all. In that case, I will have to study harder.

After the first lesson ends, lunch break happens. Like usual, Peach and her minions went to the canteen to eat lunch together. Meanwhile, I kept my eyes multiple times at the door.

Hoping… that the guy wouldn't come.

I ate lunch, read my novel, and even did a little bit of tomorrow's homework. All while keeping an eye on the door from time to time. And thankfully, he is nowhere to be seen.

Nico fulfilled his end of the bargain. He didn't come during lunch breaks like I requested. Even after fifteen minutes since lunch break starts, he is not coming.

Knowing this, I became very relieved. With Nico out of the way, I can fight my battles on my own without involving him.

But, instead of Nico, someone else actually came to me during lunch break. It was… quite unexpected.

"Elizabeth… May I speak with you for a second?"

I turned my attention away to the source of the voice, and standing right next to my desk is Emil. The owner of the wallet.

Looks like she had something she wanted to say to me.

I packed my novel and brought it to the backyard, where a lot of students can be seen having fun in the wide and open yard. Some seniors seemed to be trying out their science class projects, while other students were just sitting around on the outdoor hanging areas by the large trees, surrounding the large and open field.

Emil and I went to one of the stone chairs that is right by a large tree and sat down to have a talk. To my surprise, Emil wanted to have a talk in private, where no other students could listen in. So, she suggested that we talk outside the classroom, hence the journey to the backyard.

Upon sitting, I reopened my book and continued where I left off. But, I also kept an eye out for any blonde haired boy that has a bright smile on his face.

Nico may not come to my classroom, but he can still meet me if he roams around the school. Either way, incidents like that can happen.

Speaking of incidents, Emil seemed to be wanting to have a discussion.

"What is it that you want to say?"

I asked Emil a little too coldly than what I wanted, but to my surprise, Emil accepted it pretty well.

"It's about… how Peach and the others have been treating you. Yesterday, they tried to glue your chair and table. Who knows what they might do to you in the future…"

I see. She must've felt responsible since all of this was caused by her wallet's incident.

"It's all right. In the first place, Peach and I never really see eye to eye with one another. I've known her since junior high, she has always been the one to act before thinking."

"But, still… To group up on you like that is wrong. I've tried talking to her about it, to stop her from annoying you. But, she is still certain that what she was doing is right. She even went as far as saying that she didn't do it for me…"

Ohoo~? So, Peach didn't annoy me for Emil's sake?

And here I thought she was acting like a hero, fighting for the sake of the harmed. In which case, Emil is the harmed, since her wallet was 'stolen' by me. And for sure, Peach is the hero of her own story.

But, looks like it wasn't like that?

"If not for you, then… she just did it because she disliked me, is that it?"

I asked, and Emil nodded grimly. Hearing this, I laughed a little.

"In that case, no need to sweat it. If she wants me to be her enemy, then she wouldn't drag other people into this. Don't feel bad, Emil. I hated her just as much."

I said to Emil, but she still looked rather worried. Seeing Emil this worried for me made me realize that she is actually being too nice to me about it.

It has always been part of Emil's charm. She is nice to everybody, that's why everyone likes her so much. When she lost her wallet, everyone cared and helped her. In terms of popularity, she is one of the most known girls in our year due to her kindness. A similar case to Nico, except that Nico also has his looks and smartness.

Of course, someone else had the upper hand if we are talking about looks.

Emil is nice to look at, but her beauty was nothing compared to someone like Peach. Peach is the one girl that every guy had a crush on, which was why she had plenty of backers when she confronted me. That's why she is such a difficult person to go against, and I know that this war of mine isn't something I can win easily even if I suddenly turned as beautiful as her.

Looks are indeed very powerful, especially for us ladies. Maybe Mom is right, after all. But, even without looks, you can still be liked by everyone. Which is the case for Emil.

I turned to Emil with a pained smile, and finally said the one thing I've always wanted to say to her.

"Emil. I stole your wallet. You don't have to be nice to me."

I said slightly coldly to her, and that made her look at me with wide eyes.

"Don't say that… Even if you did, you still returned it afterwards, fully intact."

"But, I still took it, though? I had the intention of taking the things you had. So, please, no need to care for someone like me--"

"Someone like you wouldn't be doing those kinds of things if it wasn't necessary!!"

Emil suddenly shouted, and I became rather surprised by the change of her tone. I noticed her expression has turned angered now, and it seems like I have pissed her.

"You are a nice person, Elizabeth… Otherwise, you wouldn't be returning the wallet after knowing how important it was. So, please. Don't downgrade yourself any further."

Emil said while looking rather annoyed, and I could only wear my shocked face at her. She cared so much for me to the point that she is angry seeing me lowering myself. She is angry on my behalf, towards me, for me.

It's a little confusing. How can you care so much for the sake of someone else? How can you all not think about your own situations for one second?

Not just Emil… Nico, too. He really doesn't want to leave me alone because he knew of the situation I was in. He was very ready to take the bullet for me, even though it was completely unnecessary for him to do.

Just… why? Why would you guys care so much for me?

What is it that I can offer to you? What can you gain out of doing such a thing?

"I…"

"Just listen to me! You are not a bad person! Please. Just keep that in mind!"

Emil emphasized her point, to the point that her angered face looks so cute. Hearing her being so serious, I ended up laughing a little.

"All right, all right. I get it. No need to be so serious about it."

I said to calm her down, and Emil immediately wore a smile. Seeing her smile, I became very confused as to how she can be so caring towards me.

"By the way, I still don't believe for a second that you stole the wallet."

Emil suddenly said with a grin, and I turned to her surprised again.

"Huh?"

"Yeah. I saw you when you picked the wallet up from the floor. Not just that, I also went to the headmaster's office alongside the others yesterday to look at the CCTV footage when you picked it up. Everyone saw how you dropped the eraser and found the wallet under the table, so you really did find the wallet there!"

Emil suddenly dropped a massive information on me, to which I can only reply with a shocked silence.

"So… this whole time, you knew?"

"Yep! That's why I was quite angry at you for lowering yourself."

Eh…? I got completely played by her.

Well, now I know why she was being kind towards me. And from the looks of it, she will only continue to be kind.

Knowing that I got completely toyed by her, I laughed quite loudly. I closed the book that I was reading and finally placed my full attention at her.

"You're right, Emil. I didn't steal your wallet. But, I didn't find the wallet underneath the table."

"Huh? Then, where did you find it?"

"Have you heard that I have the ability to see ghosts?"

With a wide grin, I began telling her. Everything that happened, the full truth. After all, she deserved it.

I told her how it all started. How the naughty spirit who was a thief in his lifetime stole the wallet and hid it from the human realm. How I didn't truly care about it until I heard that it was rather important. How I ended up going back to the classroom to take it away from the naughty spirit, so I can act as if I found it under the teacher's table.

When she heard that her wallet was actually taken by a ghost, she looked rather startled.

"Does that mean… my wallet is haunted???"

"I guess you can say that. But, not anymore. The spirit disappeared yesterday, and I haven't seen him ever since."

Hearing that, Emil lets out a long breath of relief. Nothing gets you more relieved than knowing your wallet is no longer haunted.

"Look at that, then! You are an even better person than I thought!"

Emil suddenly said, and this time, I just can't look at her anymore. I turned away and hid my face with my book, so she won't look at my saddened expression.

There's definitely something about me and the people who are kind towards me… I don't get it. They are like my weakness.

I really can't handle their kindness, after all…

Emil became curious about my ability, and she wants to hear more about it. I explained long and clear to her about the realm of the dead that I can see everyday, and she sometimes became petrified of the thought that this world is crawling with dead spirits.

We spent the rest of the seemingly short lunch break just talking about it until the bell rang, which marked the end of lunch break and the start of the second lesson. Emil and I returned to our classroom, and we apparently got paired together for a group project.

As a result, the two of us became much closer.