[Zero's Pov]
Walking into the café, it wasn't unreasonable to think that I would meet someone I knew there, but it would be a lie to say I wasn't surprised to see Arthur inside. However, what made me even more surprised was that he for some reason began to make his way toward us.
'What is he thinking...'
And what made me the most surprised out of everything was the fact that he was unconsciously letting out a huge amount of pressure around him, making my new classmates tremble in fear. 'How much stronger did he get? And why is he still so bad at hiding his feelings?'
He was undoubtedly a lot stronger than the last time I saw him, but it was hard to judge to what extent.
Seeing the expressions on my classmates' faces, I felt like I couldn't let this opportunity go. Therefore, I took a step forward, an incredible show of strength when thinking about my small size and stature. Somehow, in response to my little act, Arthur brought out a smile that, in this situation, could only be described as quite devilish.
Needless to say, I fully understood that he wanted to de-escalate the situation by looking more casual, but because of the pressure he was letting out, he achieved the opposite. Then he spoke, and the words that came out from him could just as well be the words of a mafia boss right now.
"Are you Zero? Excuse me, but if it isn't too much to ask, would you mind giving me a minute of your time?"
Pulling the hem of my uniform, Caroline tried to support me from the side, "Zero, you don't have to go with him if you don't want to..."
'Hmm? Is she actually a bit worried, or is she acting? I can't tell...'
Then again, it didn't matter if I understood if Caroline was just following the motions, I was in the middle of a performance that had to be finished. Shaking my head, I pretended to be a bit nervous while still showing my determination, "No, I'll go. I'll be fine, just grab a table and I'll come over shortly."
At this point, it was hard not to laugh out loud as I could read just how uncomfortable Arthur was in this foreign situation. He probably hadn't experienced being 'the bad guy' even once in his life, as he had always been the one subjected to the bullying.
'This is what you get for acting recklessly. You are still so green.'
"Ah... Thank you. I have a table over here in the corner. There we can talk without interruptions."
I had no idea why Arthur wanted to talk to me, but there were only two possible explanations I could think of.
Either he had heard from Sophie about me and that made him want to speak to me himself, or he was interested in the fact that I was also someone who could be regarded as an apostle of Theia.
Though there were also a third option, that it was a mix of both.
Having arrives at our destination, the hero was trying hard to change the image he had accidentally created for himself by acting overly polite.
"Please sit down. Do you want something to eat or drink? I can go and get it if you want."
Unfortunately for him, to act is to believe, and because of the fact that he had something weighing him down, he wasn't especially convincing.
Even more so when looking at the fact that his pressure was still spilling out. This meant I had no other choice but to pretend to be affected. So with a very forced stern expression, I 'stayed strong'.
"I'm fine. Now, please do tell me; what do you want? For you to come up to us while exuding your pressure, I can't help but think that it's not anything good."
There was no helping it, the hero was unfortunately so ignorant that he wouldn't realize what he was doing without me telling it straight to him. And judging by the faces of the older students around us, they weren't about to let it go if he continued doing so.
With my words as the cue, Arthur finally took control of his mana while trying hard to hide his embarrassment, "Oh, my apologies, I didn't mean to scare you. I've been having a hard time controlling my powers lately, the teachers says it might be because of my rapid growth."
'Yes, telling the one that thinks you are targeting him that you are having trouble controlling your power is absolutely the right way to go about it...'
Still, I couldn't fault him for his clumsy ways. It was not long ago since he was all alone, with the only interactions being the bullies around him. 'At least he had someone around him...'
Suddenly, a bout of jealousy started welling up inside of me, a jealousy that was quickly accompanied by a strong feeling of sadness. Obviously, it was the other Zero inside of me that had started to weep as he thought about his past and with each passing micro-second, I felt myself slipping away from my body.
However, this time I had a secret weapon.
'WAKE UP, YOU FUCKING BUFFOON!'
In an instant, I was back to having full control of my mind and body, thanks to the save coming from a mentally screaming sub-me. Sadly, the emotions still lingered and resonated with me, making Arthur suddenly look like the opposite of a hero in my eyes.
It was even to the point where I couldn't stop myself from saying something that could only be said to be an extreme absurdity, "Acting like this even when you have Sophie on your side..."
Though I had at least managed to keep myself to a whisper, my words didn't go unnoticed by the hero in front of me. Not surprisingly, his eyes grew sharp and although he made sure not to expel any mana, his presence still grew.
"...what did you say?"
'Ah... shit...'
Seeing the now combat-ready Arthur, I knew that the ship had already sailed. There was no way I could go with my first plan of trying to get him to sympathize with me, even to the point where it would be surprising if he believed a single word I said if I suddenly changed how I acted.
'Whatever. It's not like I wanted to get along with this spoiled brat anyway. Wait... Did I just think that the orphan who lost his parents to the demons was spoiled?'
'Come on, main body! Focus!'
'Shit! I know, I know! I'm on it!'
Now there was only one option left, and that was to act the part of a pained saint who was jealous of the hero who had the strong and beautiful Sophie by his side. The hero who got to carry the power of Theia without having to lose his life. And the first step to accomplishing this was catching him off guard to make sure I could set the pace.
"I know about your secret Arthur, I know that the Manual you have isn't just a random unique Manual. It's a gift from Theia, a gift that you have taken for granted for a long time now."
It wasn't hard to make me believe that I was jealous of him as a part of me definitely was, and the harshness of my voice successfully put Arthur on the backfoot.
"How do you know that?! Are you working for the demons?!"
When it came to his Manual, demons, and Sophie, Arthur was as easily agitated as always, but I wasn't in the mood to entertain him this time. With a snort, I blew away his misconceptions in one go.
"Are you just deluding yourself by thinking of every other possibility than what's right in front of you? I know because I am one of Theia's children myself, brother. Though I don't know if it's correct to call you that when you have done nothing but hide from the world."
*Bam!*
Slamming his fist into the table, I was surprised to see that none of the students around us reacted to his impulsive behavior.
"So you are telling me to believe that you have also been blessed by Theia? And what's wrong with hiding until I am strong enough to do what Theia wants me to do? There's still time!"
How ironic it was that I was now berating him for doing the same thing I had done as James when I went to the academy. However, I knew I couldn't stop here. No, I needed to make as strong an impression as possible for my plan to work out, and luckily he had just given me the inch I needed to take an arm.
I didn't even need to force myself to cry for my tears to gently roll down my cheeks, as the jealousy and sorrow were still ravaging my heart "That's right, I forgot... You still have time, don't you? I apologize, Mr. Luminary, I have acted inappropriately."
"You..."
Standing up, I knew that I had already won this battle. "I'll try my best not to get in your way, Mr. Luminary. We both have our roles to play for the future of all the races on Tella. I just... I just wish you could appreciate your role a bit more..."