After Zefer left, Maven was speechless since she just stood there and watched him go. She didn't know what to say or how to get his attention; she just wanted to talk with him. She tried to apologize for not being able to help him and asked if there was anything she could do to make things easier on him.
A sigh escaped her lips as she decided to return to her workout, some of the guys tried to comfort her and cheer her up, but she said it was alright. One of them even asked her why she wanted to try talking with Zefer, and she told them how she felt. She felt like she should have done more for him since she was the Student Body President, even more so since she was the daughter of a police officer.
Alas, no one seemed to agree with her. Some even told her it was useless since it appeared like Zefer didn't even want the help. Truthfully, many of them believed there was no point in helping Zefer. They didn't even consider him human, more so, just deadweight since he never did anything for them and knew he wouldn't be able to protect humanity in case of a war broke out once again.
Maven completed her workout routine and finished up with a quick shower before leaving the gym. She met up with her boyfriend, who didn't look like anything special. Just your average third-year boy, plain, nothing to make him outstanding, but perhaps that was why Maven went out with him.
He always did things at his own pace, never let anyone force him to do something he didn't want. To Maven, who was like a caged bird, he was free to spread his wings and soar high into the sky. The black-haired guy, who was at the same height as Maven, had been waiting at the gate for her.
"Did you wait long?" Maven asked as she approached him.
"Not at all. Finish everything?" The boy responded.
Maven nodded, "Yeah. Ever since Zefer unleashed that new power, nearly all of the paperwork is about him. Some people have even asked me to detain him or send him off to jail since they are scared he'll kill them." Maven sighed as she massaged her forehead with annoyance and exhaustion.
"Oh? The same kid who everyone calls a Zero." The boy asked as they left the gate, walking side by side.
"Yes, and please don't call him that, Erick. His name is Zefer, and he has been through a lot." Maven remarked with aggression since she disliked that her boyfriend called Zefer, Zero.
"I know. I wasn't calling him that. I was making sure we were talking about the same person. He is the boy that was guilty of murder, right? Something like he killed three or four people from the Upper District." Erick responded calmly, showing he wasn't affected by Maven's aggression. It wasn't that he didn't care, but more so, he was used to being like this. So, it never bothered him.
Maven sighed softly, "Sorry, and yes. Zefer showed up at the gym today and I was hoping that I could talk with him, but when he started to walk away, I challenged him and he mistook it for me asking him out." Maven shook her head.
Erick couldn't help but chuckle a bit, "Oh? How did he get that impression?" Erick asked; even though he asked, he found the ordeal funny and figured it was probably all Maven's fault to begin with since she usually ended up making minor misunderstandings like such.
"Yeah... well. The condition was for him to go out with me. It was merely to chat over some coffee or something, but I suppose he took it as me asking him out." Maven sighed once more out of exhaustion and shook her head, but Erick just seemed to laugh even more since he was right on the money.
"Yup, sounds like that was on you. Still, you make it sound like he was appalled by the idea." Erick said as he side-eyed Maven, she was beautiful, not just with her natural curves, but her well-trained physic, and of course, she was brilliant. She was by no means your standard girl, and Erick knew many boys lusted after Maven, but none of them ever seemed to reach her heart as he did.
"Well, he was. I've only ever seen a look like that in the criminals my father arrests, and sometimes the ones I end up detaining. However..." Maven couldn't help but hug herself as she recalled Zefer's icy cold glance.
"...His eyes were far worse than anyone I have ever seen. It was like he didn't even view me as human, but less than that. I could feel his hatred all the way into the depth of my core like he was ripping my heart out and crushing it before my eyes." Maven finished.
Erick's expression was that of a surprise since Zefer seemed to really shake Maven. She had never seen Maven like this, at least not in a long while. The first time he had ever seen her like this was several years back when they were approached by one of the druglords. They were pretty much children back then and barely knew how to use Mana, but even still, he did his best to protect her that day, and it all worked out. He recalled how frightened she was back then.
"Everything will be fine, Maven. You are strong. Not only that, but you are in a position of power. You can do things that no other student can do. If you really want to talk with Zefer, just ask him to come to the council room during the break period tomorrow. If you are still scared, I'll even stand by your side. How's that sound?" Erick remarked with a confident smile as he tried to comfort his girlfriend.
Maven looked over towards Erick and smiled softly. She could feel the warmth of his words, and whenever he made promises like that, he always kept them. Whenever she was with him, she felt safe, like she could do anything. Perhaps this was one reason why she chose to be with this ordinary guy.
Maven agreed, and Erick also seemed to agree; with that said and done, they continued down the road until they had to split ways since Erick had to do his duties as a patrol guard for the afternoon. He was actually preparing to become a Hunter, and one of the best ways to prepare was to do duties that a Hunter would do. Being a patrol guard and helping out the police was one of those things.
Maven said her goodbyes with a hug before they split, and she started heading in the opposite direction. She was planning on doing some grocery shopping since her father asked her to pick up some stuff after school, but just as soon as she passed the alley that led behind the store, she heard a commotion brewing.
She turned to see Zefer was being attacked by some random dude with a knife and instantly went into what Erick always called Enforcer mode. Enforcer mode was when Maven became a hotheaded police officer much like her father, who always sought to save the innocent and stop evil. Often than not, Enforcer mode would get Maven in trouble, like it was doing now.
As she jumped into the air, she kicked off the side of the building to vault to another, then did the same thing until she was high enough to avoid being detected before finally dropping down to stop the attacker. She disarmed the person and performed a takedown in one fluid motion, showing that she was a trained professional and knew what she was doing.
Everything escalated from there; however, Maven seemed to have shut down. Ruth's remarks caused her to question the state of their government and if there was even any justice for their system. The seeds of doubt in her own country began to fill her heart and mind, considering that Zefer was innocent by her sense of justice.
However, by the court of law, he was found guilty.
None of that made sense to her, considering Zefer was defending his family, trying to protect his sister since outsiders invaded their home. Yet, it was like the court didn't even view him as human, as if he was nothing more than a symbol of what not to be and what could become of people who did nothing.
The more her mental state broke down, the more she questioned why the districts were seperated. Since her father was the Chief of Police and came from a wealthy family, they lived in the Upper District. So, she never experienced things from the Lower or Middle District. She never knew about the mistreatment and never questioned it since she was never given a reason.
However, her thoughts were interrupted by Alex. Everything unfolded from there as usual, and after she called her father to file the report, the police came to pick up the suspect. Her father didn't show up since he was busy, but she could tell he was worried nevertheless during their videocall.
Afterward, she talked with Alex then split and decided to head home, forgetting all about the shopping she was supposed to do since her mind was preoccupied with the mistreatment of Zefer, as she slowly began to understand why Zefer saw her the way he did.