"Um, hello?"
"Hi?"
...
What an awkward situation. My parents and her guardians went out for a bit to talk about something, so we're the only ones left here.
Oh, there's also my sister. But she only stared at me from afar as she entered her room upstairs.
"I'm sorry."
I am not so dense as to not know what she's talking about, so I immediately replied.
"No, no. It's alright. You also have your own circumstances as well."
I had said the same line again. Seems like there's too many people apologizing to me today..
"No, really. You might've felt that I'm tricking you, my best friend."
For 5 years, she had hidden this. She might've felt guilty, but I atleast inferred some of her circumstances.
If you're supposed to hide for a while, yet you didn't hide that level of beauty, it's all for naught, right?
"Sigh.. What's more important is that we're still friends, right?"
"Un."
"Then it's alright."
"Un."
...
Another awkward silence. Not knowing how to break this, I just asked her a question.
"A-anyways. Wanna read the latest volume of "Extra's Fate"?"
"You have it already?!"
"I was just lucky.."
I rushed off towards my room to grab that manga. That's when I saw my sister peeking through her door.
"Psst. How did it go?"
"Uh, alright?"
"Damn, make your moves already!"
"Wh-what moves?"
"The moves to capture her heart!"
What is she saying.. I got flustered as I've heard that. Training wouldn't truly erase one's emotion, so this happened.
"I can to~tally see that she likes you!"
"H-huh?"
I hurriedly entered my room to grab that manga in my bookshelf. Before going downstairs, I can hear her say something.
"Look at her closely!"
I arrived back in the sofa and sat down.
"Here."
"Oh, thanks."
Since her head is looking down before, maybe due to her guilt, I didn't have a close look at her face. Now that she had faced me, I can now see more clearly.
Aside from her usual adorable look, her cheeks has a tinge of red in it. As if.. blushing?
Instantly, my imaginative mind started working. She-she likes me? No, no. Don't assume..
Aria started reading the manga, not knowing that I'm having an intense "internal" conflict.
"Hey, so he's still alive?"
Aria's words brought me back to reality. I hated my great Comprehension for the first time.
"Y-yea. The author brought that guy back to serve as the MC's challenge."
"Hmm. But this is repetitive, right?"
"Yea. He'd done that already for around 5 times already, I think?"
"That's why it kept getting boring.. Still, I like this manga."
"Oh? Why?"
"B-because.. the childhood friend wins.."
Oh god. TOO ADORABLE! Her blushing while trying to hide it from me is just.. I think I'm having a heart attack as an S- Rank Combatant.
What should I do? WHAT SHOULD I DO? Confess? I think we'll need to settle this strange feeling first. After we've completely adapted will I confess.
We have to organize the aftermath of her crossdressing after all.
We both talked about mangas and games after that. It took around 3 hours before her guardians came to pick her up.
"See ya later."
"Un."
Wa-wait. Her guardians smiled, and my parents too? It's not as if I didn't know what this means. It's just that I've felt that the world itself is.. y'know, trying to make us together?
Her guardians seems to be fine with it, my parents are fine too, plus the fact that she's dropping so many hints.
I really have to consult my Master later on.. It'll be too embarrassing if its my parents..
***
"Love?"
"Yes, Master."
Right now, I am consulting my Master about earlier.
"Love, huh.. I didn't have time for that before.."
Wh-I guess its expected. His Sword Fanatic nickname is pretty much self-explanatory.
"But, I really did have some experience when it comes to that regard."
"Ah?"
I am dumbfounded. What's with Master's contradicting remarks?
"No, not me. I'm referring to the Heavenly Sovereign's love life."
"His love life?"
"Mn. Actually, he had around 5 wives. I saw some of his tricks when I'm at his side."
fi-five wives?! Is he the Protagonist?! But he died already, this doesn't make any sense!
"Alright. In what stage are you on right now?"
"I-I didn't confess yet."
"Eh?"
I started to tell our circumstances to my Master.
"So that's it. You became best friends with her due to the fact that you're a match with each other. After finding out that she's a girl, that friendship turned into a feeling of 'Love'?"
"Y-yes."
"Hm. The first step to that actually, is to overcome that awkward vibe and confess to her."
My Master then gave me a few more tips that he had learned from the Heavenly Sovereign...
Heavenly Sovereign, thank you man!
***
'Kyaa! I visited his house today..'
Aria thought so as she rolled on her bed.
'I'll have to thank Aunt Marian and Uncle Phillip for that.'
Her 2 guardians, Marian and Phillip, serves as her guardian, but it doesn't end with that.
They also serve as a messenger to Brian Austere Bayer, their Empire's former Duke.
Since he abdicated from his position 500 years ago, he had told the Imperial Family that he won't meddle on most of their affairs.
He would only do so if it's related to them. Aria coming to Aindell Country is one such example. They moved in here just for him to protect her.
'Why didn't I reveal it to him earlier?!"
Him refers to Lugh Austere Bayer, obviously.
She's now regretting the fact that she only had her disguise off now.
'I planned to reveal it to him during our 3rd year, but I didn't expect it too..'
Knowing that he needs time to adapt towards the change, she didn't make a move to him immediately. Instead, she dropped some small hints "discreetly".
Though, her "discreetly" probably has another meaning. She didn't knew that her hints can be understood immediately.
'Us as lovers..'
It all started on her 1st Year of Middle School. Just having left to a new nation, she didn't know how to build friendships immediately.
That's why she appeared cold to others.
Until one day.. She noticed Lugh, a student who stood out on their class due to the fact that he's just reading mangas and light novels every time, yet he's always in the Top 10's in the entire middle school.
She thought that he's a Superhuman too, as she had known that he's the son of the Former Duke, but he isn't.
Curious, she looked at him from time to time, before finally noticing that they had the same hobbies!
She saw him reading almost all of her favorite series during class, causing her to be more interested to him.
She had finally talked to him after she knew that he's playing "Cydia", one of her favorite game to pass time. Even she with her E+ Rank Agility can only complete one of the most impossible maps to clear.
Still, that made her a Top 1 Worldwide. Seeing that there's still some challenge towards her Superhuman Agility, she became attached to it.
She saw Lugh playing that on his tablet, his hands only second to hers. That's when she finally managed to strike a conversation to him.
That's how they became best friends.
After spending time with him longer, she had realized that most of his hobbies are also her hobbies. Most of his opinions towards a series are very similar to hers too. That's how she began treating him more than a friend.
Feelings also develop during 5 years, plus the fact that they're a perfect match, thus this effect.
But then, it's also the time when her disguise hindered her. She wished that she could tear off her disguise immediately.
Her guardians told her not to, though. They knew that his parents wouldn't want him to be involved on the Superhuman society.
'Thankfully, that event served as my opportunity.'
Now that his parents doesn't have a reason to hide the existence of Superhumans, plus the fact that he even awakened, its as if the obstacles hindering her are all gone.
'Lovers.. Lovers..'
That night, she wasn't able to sleep well.