"Oookay, here we go! Where were you even going? By the way, my name is Arthur!" Arthur realized that the situation was a little strange, but mostly funny, so he gave a subject to withdraw.
"My name is Priscilla! We were going to the Taekwondo gym from here at the mall. It's upstairs!" Julia's aunt said, pointing up.
"I understood! So does that mean you're a great fighter?" Arthur asked as he placed Julia on the bench he was sitting on earlier.
"Of course!" She placed her hands on her hips and spoke with a proud smile.
"So could you show us where you train so much?" Handing Julia a bonbon, again out of nowhere, Arthur glared at her as he took Emily's milkshake for her.
Emily received it and then looked at it curiously: "Where's yours?"
"Aa...over there..." He pointed to the smashed cup spilled onto the bench, the milkshake already dripping onto the floor. "I'll ask them to clean it, I'll be right back!"
With Arthur out of the picture, the girls took the chance to approach Julia, who was still standing on the bench.
"Hi little girl! Your name is Julia, right?" Emily sat up and looked at her with a smile.
"Yes!" She replied by nodding her head cutely.
"How old are you?" Sara also asked as she sat on the other side.
"Five!" Julia held out her five fingers to them.
"Can you tell us how you met Arthur?" Madison was more direct and asked what everyone was thinking.
Julia's aunt, Priscilla, was about to interrupt in fear that this was some secret from Arthur, but she was also curious. Her mind was filled with doubts about who Arthur was, despite not sensing any danger from him.
"He saved me! It was so cool!" The little girl got lost in her imagination as she told, "I was in a dark place and very sleepy. Then 'Boom'! He came and hugged me and then I fell asleep again!" Her explanation ended with her looking innocently at the women in front of her.
"A dark place?..." Emily, Sara and Madison were having doubts about what this could mean. After all, Arthur just said he saved her at the playground.
"S-she ended up passing out on the playground when she fell to the ground. Turns out Arthur was around and took care of her before we did." Priscilla quickly interrupted any of their crazy thoughts with that excuse.
They more or less understood and let it go.
After some time, Arthur returned.
"I've already talked to the cleaning staff, they're coming soon!"
He hadn't even arrived yet when Julia opened her arms again, clearly indicating what she wanted.
"Aren't you too old to want hugs? How old are you? five or six, huh?" Even though that's what he said, Arthur still put her in his arms. He was feeling a strange thing in his chest, expelling any thoughts of rejection to all this cuteness.
"I'm only four!" Julia corrected him, but at the same time left them all there speechless for the lie. She was clearly lying for an excuse to be in his arms.
"Are you going to the gym now?" Arthur asked directly to Priscila.
"Yes, we are going. Would you like to go? Her mother would like to thank you for what you did." Priscilla replied as she looked at how attached Julia was to Arthur. But looking closer at Arthur, he really did have the look of a nice big brother.
"Is it okay for you if we go? I'll buy some snacks on the way, okay?" Arthur asked the girls. Even though he hated the feeling of being bossed around by someone, he still left Sara and Madison without their snacks. In fact, he was doing it because his hunger was too great, but the more secrets the better.
"Maybe!" They agreed.
Julia celebrated by hugging Arthur tighter, but he soon picked her up and put her on his shoulders. Her little hands tightened on Arthur's hair in fear, but she soon realized that it was quite comfortable.
The girls thought that vision was very cute, but they didn't say anything. Emily in particular approached Arthur unconsciously.
'He's so strong, but so kind and caring at the same time...' With that thought in her mind, Emily's cheeks flushed.
They soon arrived at a gym. The doors were glass and you could see the movement inside. The floor was black rubber, and in the center was a blue mat. There were some machines that held punch bags and common practice places. In front of the blue mat was a beautifully decorated wall with a portrait of what looked like some ancestor. Arthur was not very familiar with the tradition of these places.
Many students were inside talking or changing. Some were tying the belts and etc, others were putting things in order and others were already warming up. There were adults and children, men and women. It was very diverse and had a friendly, clean atmosphere.
As soon as Priscilla opened the door, the voices and movement from inside could be heard by those outside.
As soon as they entered, attention was drawn. A few teenagers and men among them looked at the girls, most notably Priscilla and Emily. Arthur noted with this that Priscilla appeared to be some sort of influential figure, while Emily was too pretty.
A few girls also glanced at Arthur, but mostly because of Julia, who was on his shoulders.
With greetings here and there, they arrived at a woman. She was tall and wore only her Bodok bottoms, while wearing a gray tank top. Her arms were well defined and it was clear that she took good care of her physique, as her body was well structured and beautiful. Her black hair was tied back in an ordinary bun, but it did nothing to overshadow her natural beauty. Her face was sharp and her gaze was serious. But with those blue eyes, anyone who looked at her had a slight chance of falling in love.
She was next to a table inside the gym and was looking at some documents while arranging other things with her hands.
"Sister!" Priscilla called out to her from her daze.
As soon as the woman looked up, her gaze was not even on Priscilla in front of her, but on Arthur, who was with Julia.
Their eyes collided, one without leaving the other.
'He is strong!'
'She is pretty!'
They both had these thoughts at the same time. Even Arthur noticed that his focus was a little distracted by that stare.
But the woman also noticed that Arthur wasn't intimidated by her gaze, and her many years of martial arts practice helped her see many points in his stance that only someone strong would have.
As soon as she looked at Julia, her eyes softened.
"Sister, that's the "hero"!" Priscilla whispered to the woman.
"Oh! Nice to meet you! My name is Renata." She reached out to shake Arthur's hand.
"Arthur, nice to meet you!" He greeted her back.
"May I ask what are you doing up there?" She glanced at Julia, but a smile appeared on her lips.
"He put me here!" Julia returned the smile.
Arthur put her down with her reluctance. It was clear that this little girl's mother indicated this. Also, it was kind of weird to see a stranger with her daughter on his shoulders, even with the suspicion that he was the one who saved her.
Then the girls also exchanged greetings with her.
"Do you have a moment to talk alone?" Renata asked Arthur. They were both at the desk while Julia enthusiastically introduced the academy to the girls. Priscila was also with them so that no brave casanova would come after them.
"Aren't we already?" Arthur asked back.
"Was it you?" The woman ignored Arthur's sarcastic question and continued.
All she got was silence and a weird look from Arthur.
"What is it?" She asked curiously. She had already realized that this young man in front of her was strange. And since he could be involved with something, she didn't treat him like any teenager.
"What do you want?" Arthur asked suddenly.
"What?"
"It's a question of how you're going to look at the situation." Arthur looked at Julia who was standing next to a punch bag, "I just want to know how you're going to look at me. Your daughter believes me to be, so I'm her hero. I can't tell you I'm a hero, I can't tell you I saved her. I know what you've been through and what you're going through now." Arthur looked back into her eyes.
Renata, who was looking curiously at this teenager in front of her, straightened her posture in her chair. That look of his seemed to transcend age and contained a feeling that resonated with her. Her heart beat faster, but not for the same reason as a young maiden.
"The worry, the paranoia, the suspicions, the distrust... and above all, the ingratitude. IF I did something, I didn't did it because I wanted something in return. Everyone has a weak point. You've been knocked down and now you're here, strong and with your daughter. I don't want you to have any gratitude for me, nor to have to hug me and cry in thanks, because you're not one of those. I might as well be an asshole and tell you to be more careful with her...but..."
Every word Arthur spoke seemed to go straight to her heart, touching all the parts she tried to hide when she found her daughter again. Julia's father died when she was young, and with his death, everything fell on her. She is a strong, hardworking and dedicated woman. But even so, the insecurities that pass and the tightness in the month always came and she had no one else to talk to.
After her daughter disappeared, she seemed to have fallen into an abyss of despair. On the outside she seemed steady and dedicated to find her every day. But only she knew the liters of tears she shed all night.
When she was already weak from searching, the light finally came. They found her daughter! It looked like some rich bastard had kidnapped her, but after so many tests, there was nothing unusual about her purity. Most things were forgotten and some time in child therapy brought her back, but with stories of her green-eyed hero.
After that, her mind did not rest. She was always worried about her daughter and left her sister with her all the time, so that nothing would happen. Her daughter would never be without a follow-up, and she even brought her to the gym to keep an eye on.
When Arthur arrived carrying her, her suspicions against him were raised. When his sister told him that he was the one who had saved her daughter, doubts arose as to whether it was really him. She was afraid it would all happen again. What if he was another kidnapper? What if he was lying? What if he was a bad person?
She wasn't worried about her own safety, but her daughter's.
But with Arthur's words, she saw that he wasn't that simple, and he was saying that to let her know whether she believed it or not. He wasn't trying to earn her trust, but letting her choose the truth.
Arthur's next words snapped her out of her daze, and made a few tears well up in her eyes.
"But no matter what happens, and wherever she is, I will protect her!" Arthur looked at the small figure of Julia, and another small imaginary figure appeared next to her, with the same childish and cute actions, making everything around more colorful.
His heart softened a little, and a mental block loosened until it completely disappeared. He felt a warm feeling in his chest, as if it was his duty to protect this cute, innocent girl.