It's been a few days since the ki-kis—Incident with Ais.
Ugh! It's so embarrassing just remembering it.
I held my warm face in my hands as I remembered how aggressively I behaved, and it wasn't just me either; Ais was the same as well. The way she held tightly onto me, refusing to leave.
I looked at my palms, reminiscing about just how small and soft Ais felt in my arms. Now I am thinking like a pervert… I lightly slapped both my cheeks as I started making my way towards our workshop to meet with Asfi.
"Though I feel guilty that Ais fell sick."
After the healer checked up on me the next day, I felt better, but instead it was Ais's turn to fall sick. And what was worse was that Riveria and others didn't let me take care of her, citing that we would just fall into a loop of getting sick.
No matter how foolish I called that reasoning to be, they still didn't budge. But I was relieved to see her get better the next day.
Though now that I think about it, if Ais and Asfi knew about Ryuu and me kissing, then Riveria must also know about that as well…
As I was thinking about that, before I knew it, I had reached the workshop. Oh, well, I can think about all that later.
I decided to put those happy thoughts behind me and entered the workshop.
Inside, Asfi was sitting at her desk, her blue eyes focused as she worked on the magic item. Seeing her so focused on her work. I quietly approached her and sat on the chair beside her, and silently observed her as she immersed herself in her work, like she had done to me before.
It might have been over thirty minutes when her hands stopped working on the Hades Heads. She sighed softly, her eyes still staring at the magic item.
Suddenly, she lifted her hands, and her fingertips grazed her lips as she spoke softly.
"...I want one too...."
A grin came over my face as I leaned towards her. "Want one what?" I asked.
"Wh! When did you get here?!" Asfi jumped, her chair sliding back, and I held on to it to keep her close.
I debated whether to tease her more, but decided to give it a rest since her Asfi was already red as a tomato. "Just over half an hour ago. You seem too engrossed in your work, so I didn't want to disturb you."
She coughed lightly, though her cheeks remained slightly pink, "Thank you for that. …But why did you come so early today?" she asked, looking over at the clock hung on the wall. It was just past twelve, way earlier than when we met up.
"Yup, I come over to let you know that we got the official invitation from the School District, and we will start working there from today onwards."
She nodded, "So it's finally here, huh? So when will we be leaving?"
"We can leave right now, if you have completed your work," I replied, looking over at the Hades heads.
"No, it is not completed, but it would take a long time to make it as effective on someone like Knight of Knights. So yes, we can leave now."
"Ok then, let's go." We both got up and, after packing the necessary items, we decided to leave.
"By the way, I have gathered all the information on all the victims who were tricked into working in the red light district by those goons who attacked you and Ryuu."
"That was fast." Since Ryuu was very uncomfortable with the fact that her fellow brethren were deceived into working there. I decided to ask Asfi for help to gather information on them. Though I never expected her to do that so quickly.
Asfi merely adjusted her glasses as she spoke with a glint in her eyes. "It was quite easy. We had to talk with those thugs like civilized people, and they spat all the information out."
"I-I see. That's great. Thanks a bunch."
She scoffed, "Don't think I did it for you! I just felt bad seeing Lion looking so sad and decided to help you out."
"Why did you suddenly become a tsundere?!"
"Wh-who is a tsundere!" She slapped lightly on my shoulder. "Anyways, I gave that information to Shakti, she will handle it from there."
"I am glad to hear that, if it's Shakti, I can leave it to her."
The way to the Melen was easy and quick; given our high levels, we covered the three kilometers in a few minutes. After we reached the school district, Asfi stared up at the ship.
"No matter how many times I see it, this ship is a crafting marvel. I can only imagine how much work it must have taken to build something this huge and functional."
Just as Asfi was observing the ship, I saw Leon, in his black instructor's uniform, come towards us along with a young girl. She had brown hair with some green locks and brown eyes, along with pointed ears not quite as long as a pure-blooded elf, but not short like a human either. She was a half-elf.
She looked extremely similar to Eina.
I thought as they came closer. I stepped forward to greet him. "Good to see you again, Leon," I replied with a small smile. "And this is Asfi—though I suppose you already know that."
"Hello, Arin, and yes, I don't think there is anyone who doesn't know about the famous Perseus," Leon said as he looked at Asfi and gave a light gentlemanly bow. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
Asfi gave a nod of respect, "It's also nice to meet the famed Knight of Knights. I have heard much about your accomplishments."
Leon laughed lightly, "I hope they are good ones," he said, and patted lightly on the girl's back who came along with him, pushing her forward. "Anyways, this here is Nina, she will be acting as your guide and show you around the ship."
"My name is Nina Tulle," she said, bowing her head a little deeper. "I'm still learning, so… please be patient with me." Her voice was soft but steady.
Tulle…that confirmed it. She is Eina's younger sister. I had heard her being mentioned in the letters Riveria writes, but never asked too deeply about it.
Leon, seeing that the introduction was made, brought out a pocket watch. "Ah, my apologies, but I would have to leave as it is time for my lecture. Nina guides them well."
Nina gave a resolute nod. "Yes! Please leave it to me!"
After telling us about the short meeting we will have in the evening, Leon left, leaving us behind.
"Then we will be in your care, Miss Nina." Asfi shook the young girl's hands. She wore a refined student uniform—a long white dress that flowed to her ankles, its light fabric swaying softly with each step. The high collar and fitted sleeves gave it a composed, academic look, while a narrow red tie added a sharp contrast against the white. Dark side panels provided structure, and the slightly flared hem revealed hints of a darker lining.
Very simple in design, yet quietly elegant.
"Please just call me Nina! You are both older than I am. …Now, please follow me, I am sure the students from the Forging and Magic Item course will be thrilled to meet you both."
"Is that so…?" Asfi asked.
Nina nodded enthusiastically. "There are a lot of fans of your work among the many students here."
"That's good to know, then shall we go?" I asked.
Nina nodded, and we all entered the School district.