The class was in session, and by now, they had already arrived at the last period before lunch break; this class was the worse course for many students, the every so dreadful Mathematics. However, as this was the A1 Class, there was no one here who had such problems, as each was exceptional in their own right.
"The Log of a logarithmic function is essentially an exponent, so if we take the notion of Log to the base four of sixteen. We are practically asking what is four raised to the power of X that results in the solution of sixteen. Take a look at this answer..."
As the old teacher spoke in an incredibly dull and long-wind manner, slowly drawing a formula on the board, he looked at the students who were paying keen attention. He smiled, seeing some students like Benson, who were writing with deep, thoughtful expressions on their faces.
Despite this learning atmosphere, however, he frowned every time he looked in the direction of one student. The person who seemed distracted was none other than Nero, who was the brightest in the class, but even so, he was always able to claim first place.
The old teacher couldn't help but sigh as he no longer looked at Nero, he already knew that it was better to leave him as is, but as he was turning his eyes away from him, he couldn't help but notice that the new transfer student was acting a little strange.
Her face seemed to be in a daze as she stared at the board with a confused expression. He even noticed after staring at her notes that she hadn't jotted down anything.
'Hmm, could it be?' The older teacher was about to make an assumption, but as if logic took over, he shook it off by thinking, 'That's impossible, she's a Balkras after all...'
Clearing his thoughts, he didn't focus on her but concentrate on class.
"The answer, in this case, is two, now I shall show you a few more problems. Take this, for instance, being the Blah Blah Blah... of Blah Blah Blah..." The teacher's voice rendered to Elly's mind, as she had no idea of what he was saying.
Though she had come from high-class standing and went to a prestigious academy one level above even this school, the reason she had transferred was apparently not only due to her impulsive nature.
'I... I can't understand even this, what should I do? Mother will be angry again!' Elly thought as she began to worry about the future; she knew how her mother gets when she's angry.
'That can't happen, I must find a way around it!' Elly though with firm eyes as she bit her lips and gripped her pencil, her appearance because of her petite stature, looked like an adorable little girl struggling to make a grand choice.
Nero, who was listening to the teacher while staring outside, turned his eyes towards him as he was beginning to wrap up the class. However, in doing so, he noticed that Elly had a strange appearance.
He found it a bit cute, but he didn't want to comment on it, what caught his interest was the fact that her maths problems were jumbled, even the simplest equations were a mess looking like some type of drawing.
Pff! Nero couldn't help himself; he almost laughed out loud, doing his very best to keep himself from breaking the flow of class.
Elly, being very sensitive naturally heard his laugh, she glared at him in an embarrassed manner as she cursed under her breath, "Bastard, what are you laughing at?"
Nero, who wiped the corner of his eyes, glanced at her and spoke in a matter of fact tone, "You, of course? Why I didn't think that the ever so dominant young miss would have such poor knowledge? I'm glad you actually managed to count out the correct amount of coins you lent me earlier..."
"You..." Elly glared at Nero and pointed her finger at him in anger, she was speechless and embarrassed at the same time, as he dared to mock her.
She was so upset that her face began to turn red, but as she recalled what would happen when she went home and hand over her notebook for inspection, her eyes turned fearful as she began to show teary eyes.
'Hmm? What's this? Was she always so weak?' Nero thought to himself as he saw her slightly tearful expression, looking as if she was about to break down.
Being a child who was overly affectionate towards his mother, Nero didn't want to see her break down into tears, so he decided to stop teasing her.
Nero had an idea of what she was feeling; he sighed and stretched his hand out towards her.
Elly seeing this frowned, she looked at him angrily and spoke, "What do you want now?"
Nero shook his head and spoke, "Pencil, give it."
"Huh?" Elly was a bit stumped, but before she could even react, Nero had taken the pencil from her palms, causing his finger to brush against her for a slight instant.
"Hey, that..." Elly's face turned a bit red on the tiny skinship, but Nero didn't care. He promptly took her notebook and rubbed out the rubbish she had written.
Soon after, he began to scribble at a rapid rate, the pencil in his hand moved no different from a master using a peerless sword to perform swordsmanship.
Elly's eyes winded at this as she stared not at the mathematics being solves, but the graceful charm of the elite student at work.
"Wow! You're writing so fast; how can you solve so many so easily?" Elly said with a hint of excitement on her face; she now noticed that he was helping her out and felt touched.
Nero snorted and spoke in a manner much like his older self, carrying a tinge of arrogance, "Such simple problems, who can't do them?"
Adult Nero chuckled at his daily source of entertainment, not saying anything as he watched the scene with ease.
When Elly heard this, her expression turned sour as she cursed in her mind, 'It's obvious that I can't solve them, you mean, cruel, cold, pretty-faced, bastard! Hmph!'
Though Elly said this, however, she still found his timely help appealing, she decided in her heart not to beat him too hard in the future if they fought. Her eyes now showed a fascinated look, as she even began to imagine looking down on him after showing him her strength in an arena, causing her to giggle to herself strangely.
Nero looked at this in surprise, though it seemed cute, it also felt strange, as he thought to himself, 'It seems she's not only a bit unlearnt, she herself might also be quite the oddball...'
Not long after, Nero had already finished up all her problems, he neatly placed the pencil in the book and handed it over to her as he spoke, "There, done... next time, learn to do these problems, you need not only strength but brains to function in reality."
Elly was a bit touched by his words, but as she heard his last bit of words, she couldn't help but shout, "Can't you at least say it more politely?"
Nero snorted, not replying, he found not only her happy expressions adorable, but her angry faces also had a bit of charm. Naturally, he wouldn't tell her this to her face.
Elly was speechless as she saw how Nero ignored her, but before she could say anything, she noticed that they had become the focal point of the class.
"Miss Balkras? Might I ask you for your reason for such an outburst?" The math teacher said politely.
Elly lowered her head in shame as she replied, "I... I'm sorry teacher, I had some problems, and Nero helped out, but I was a bit excited, so I overreacted."
The other hearing this nodded before she replied, "Oh, then that's good, just be more careful next time."
"Mm," Elly ushered with a nod.
The other students also snickered at they looked at her, while Clair smiled at her, Kara looked on with a somewhat mocking gaze before returning to normal, but Kailyn seemed icy as if the area around her was in deep winter.
Elly blushed at their looks before glaring at Nero and thinking, 'Hmph! It's all your fault! Just you wait... '
Nero didn't pay Elly any more mind; he stared at the teacher who now officially ended the class after giving them homework.
The instant he left the classroom, the lunch bell rang out loudly as everyone began to chatter. Nero then rose to his feet and prepared to get his lunch; he wanted to eat at his usual spot on the roof.
Elly stared at Nero's back for a while but did nothing; however, Clair, Kara, and a few other girls walked over. They asked, "Elly, do you want to eat lunch together today?"
Elly looked at them and hesitated for a bit before she took out a large refined lunch box, she smiled as she spoke, "Okay, I brought a bit of extra food; I don't mind sharing."
The others hearing this smiled as they showed there's and spoke, "Really? We always bring extras as well; most times, we always swap lunches!"
Clair spoke, "Elly, that's awesome, I can't wait! My mother packed a lot for me today too!"
Elly smiled at this and began to speak to the Clair and the others, but as for Kara, she merely remained silent. She looked at her tiny lunchbox, tattered and worn, even if food was in it, it didn't seem like enough for a hearty meal.
Kara bit her lips, not saying anything as she hid it away and followed Elly and the others, her eyes staring at Elly with a tinge of jealousy.
By this time, Nero had already left this class with his tail Ryo of course. He headed towards the roof by the side of a few fellows, one being a black individual who wore a straw hat.
Soon, they had climbed the stairs arriving at the door to the rooftop, but as they were about to open it, the two of them bumped into each other.
Nero was angry at this, he glared at the person prepared to shout at him, but as he did, both he and the other party stared at each other in shock as they exclaimed in unison, "You are...!"