In the end, here I was, floating alone on the roof while thinking about everyone having a good time below me, talking to each other while eating good food.
'-You don't need them anyway. You have me, after all!
'Sure whatever... Hey, wait a minute...'
'-Hmm?'
'Didn't you tell me that my body would quickly catch up with proper nutrition?! How am I supposed to get proper nutrition if I can't even eat anything?!'
'-Simple! Just drink some human blood!'
As the fallen angel was spouting some complete nonsense that I still didn't want to believe would become part of my day-to-day life, the door to the roof opened, and another student suddenly appeared from it.
A student that somehow obviously knew that I was up here.
"...what are you doing here, Will?"
"Shouldn't I be asking you that, Aarick? And why are you floating in the air?!"
Yes, the student who had arrived was the red-haired hero of whatever poor-quality story he was part of, no doubt coming here to have a word with me about something. Alas, I wasn't in the mood for a pleasant conversation with an old friend.
Even less so an old friend that had been the leading cause behind me almost dying.
"What do you want? And why does it matter if I'm floating or not?"
Walking forward toward me, floating in one of the corners of the roof, he kept spouting bullshit. Bullshit that might have sounded like it carried some sort of meaning but in the end just plain bullshit.
"I heard what you did to Levi. What were you thinking, talking to her like that? After all she did for you in the past? Tell me, Aarick, why are you even here? And yes, it does matter that you are floating! It looks ridiculous!"
Still keeping his calm, he fired questions like a rifle, and in the end, there were so many that I couldn't be bothered to deal with them one at a time. So ultimately, I just decided to skip all the build-up and just call him out.
"So what, you are gonna try and kill me again? Oh, I guess it wasn't actually you, but the classmates you so happily encouraged to show me my place! Also, if my floating is so annoying to look at, why don't you just turn around and walk away?"
Finally, a real reaction could be seen on his face. A very flustered face that hadn't expected me to act so blunt about the whole thing, as well as a face that now showed its teeth in frustration.
"You...!"
"Me, what? As if you can't figure out on your own why I chose to act like that towards Levi. It's not like I didn't know in the past that she shouldn't be with someone like me, but she was the one who kept following me around. So don't be mistaken, Will, no matter what you say here, you will ultimately be the one in the wrong."
Seeing him grind his teeth in anguish over the fact that I was completely right, I savored this moment a lot. It might have been more exciting to see us battling over who would gain the right to Levi, but I found that notion to be ridiculous.
Firstly because I wasn't attracted to her, and I had no intentions of getting together with her. Secondly, Levi wasn't an object. She was free to do whatever she wanted with her life, even if this red-haired spoiled brat seemed to believe otherwise.
"So what, you acted like an asshole because you wanted to deter her from coming close to you? Is that really a good excuse to act like that towards the one who cried so desperately when you were lying in a pool of your own blood, dying?!"
"Are you stupid?! You were the one who put me in that situation! How can you talk like that when you were the one responsible for me getting hurt in the first place?!"
"But I never meant for it to go so far! I only wanted to..."
Somehow, he appeared to have caught himself uttering words that would instantly prove just how delusional his mindset was, although it was a mindset that even in its warped state could be said to be natural for people living in that world.
The world of the powerful and the rich, where you could choose exactly how you wanted to live your life and it was always up to the individual to pick and choose what he wanted to obtain.
Still, I couldn't stop myself from smiling as I urged him to continue.
"Go on. You just wanted to, what? What exactly kind of plan did you have?"
"Shit! Just forget it! But if you ever talk to Levi like that again, I will make sure to close that mouth of yours for good!"
Turning around, he finally gave up discussing this matter with me, probably aware that he was, as I said from the start, still in the wrong no matter what he said. If there was even one advantage of being a victim, it was this. The fact that his past sin wouldn't be washed away even if he tried to act like he was on the side of justice now.
Now putting my feet back on the ground, I only watched him retreat with a smile on my face.
'-Hey! Why didn't you tear him up with your claws?! Your claws!'
'I don't even know how to use them! Also, you should still be aware that I need to keep my identity as a demon a secret.'
Then, without asking for permission, my body started releasing smoke, signaling the arrival of the annoying voice inside of me.
Though I couldn't feel the hand she put on my cheek, as her body was incorporeal, it still felt warm to some extent. So looking down at the impossibly seductive face with the body of a child, I wasn't unhappy that she had come out to keep me company.
"I just want you to live your life to the fullest, and you can't do that if you keep backing down all the time."
"Lucifer, this is my first real day at the academy..."
"Haaa... I know, I'm being impatient. But you know..."
"Know what?"
"No matter what you do, you will someday become their enemy for real. Not this playground act you are doing right now but real enemies. Facing each other on the battlefield with the intention of bringing each other down."
Putting my hand over hers on my cheek, there was no need for me to answer her. This was something that even Ms. Zito would never get to know about, the bond between me and Lucifer that could never be broken. A bond that was established and cemented during the four years my body was in a coma.
Though I had no plans of letting this bond get in the way of my priorities, it was still a bond that I cherished and wanted to honor. Even if it meant going against the entire world.
****
[Will's Pov]
"Hey, Will! What's wrong?"
'Fuck... Not now, Matthew!'
Coming down from the rooftop, where some students had reported that they saw Aarick go, I was in a less-than-good mood. And although I enjoyed the company of my purple-haired childhood friend, this was not a good time.
To be honest, I had no idea what I was expecting when going up there to meet him, all I knew was that I somehow wanted to diffuse the situation and get to the bottom of why he chose to act like a douchebag toward Levi.
Of course, I also wanted to defend the honor of Levi, but that was not the main reason...
Despite that, I had been met with nothing but resistance, and thinking about it, who could blame him? After what happened in the past, I wasn't sure if I could blame him for his reaction. However, him speaking about Levi made it hard for me not to dash forward and crush his skull like a melon.
It was to the point where I felt like I had no choice but to walk away, not wanting to risk attacking him right there and then.
Because he had no idea about the world me and Levi lived in, and he had no idea how much she had struggled to let go so she could walk forward with pride.
"Uhmm, Will? Are you there?"
"Ah, I'm fine. Just a bit lost in thought."
Now waving his hand in front of my eyes, it was impossible not to be dragged back to reality by Matthew who now put his hand in his pockets with a satisfied expression, pleased that he had managed to make contact with me.
"Alright. Anyway, so what do you think about that guy?"
Although I very much knew who he was referring to, I acted like I had no idea.
"What guy?"
"Ah, you know, that Aarick dude from your class."
Waving my hand, I knew that there was no point in further antagonizing the white-haired Aarick, as he had already marvelously succeeded in painting a target on his own back.
"He is nothing. Just a nobody who talks too much."