In a park to the south of Atlisian City, rain watered the park's plants while being drained by the storm drain. The sound is muffling and hard to hear by everyone walking by except the collision of countless droplets of water.
"..."
Watching the large ray of light shining on part of the city in the distance, Rualan watches it slowly loses its effect.
"Oh, hey, found you"
"...."
The guy appeared from the stairs with his blazer covering his head and shoulders.
"...."
"Hey, can you hear me?" he shouted over the sound of rain.
"Yes" noticing her mouth move, he assumed that's what she said.
"Where's your umbrella?!"
"■■■■■"
"What?!"
"■■■■■■"
"...."
Hearing nothing else after that Rualan went back to whatever she was doing before she was interrupted.
Then something dry and wide covering her head and shoulders, muffling the sound of rain and cold wind.
Taking out a spare thick jacket, the guy covered Rualan with it and pulled her to another location away from the rain, she didn't resist much surprisingly.
The two headed to a place under a small bridge and took shelter there, with no one else but them.
"Look, sorry about this, but I'm not gonna let you get sick before your big day and stuff"
"It doesn't matter" then Rualan said something audible to him.
"What? Why?"
"I'm not going to the competition"
"....What?!"
________________
'Your research is on....monster taming?'
'Yes'
'That's.....unique' said the professor.
'Is that a problem?'
'No, not really, it's just because no one has done it yet in this Academy specifically'
'Then, can I start it on my own?'
'Are you sure about that?'
'Yes'
'Alright, then. By the way, you're going to need a supervisor for this'
'Thank you'
She began all on her own, researching monsters and finding a way to tame it.
Not many has dive into this research much for many reasons, and for a good reason as well.
Monsters, unlike beast have a natural instinct to attack any living creatures that goes nears it making it difficult for someone like her who isn't combat orientated to tame it in the wild, the best she can do is have someone capture it for her.
'Oh, sorry, I killed it'
'Its too hard! That thing nearly bit my arm off!'
'Sorry, someone captured(killed) it before I could'
The only she has is the one in a cage right now, caught on the 2nd floor of the Academy's Main Dungeon. Though unsatisfactory she tries to tame it, but the progress weren't even as great as the second one.
70%
It just stuck there for hours without changing, until she exhausted her mana and fainted.
Then came the second one, with the experience from the first one she began to tame it which went well at first, but eventually it began to resist.
'That's normal, it's stronger than the first one after all' she thought.
But then the monster began to struggle really really hard much more than she expected, to the point that it snapped its own neck from struggling too hard, and the chain tying its neck and the tail snap together.
And that was when the final nail struck her.
"Give up already, will you?" said Alaine.
"..."
Rualan wasn't sure how to react to Alaine's words, so she decided to leave the room to clear her head using the side door which was barely used in the past only for her to end up at this park away from the Academy.
Her eye stung when a drop of rain hit her.
(Didn't know it was raining)
She watches in silence as the raindrops increase in number, as she continues to walk through the crowd of people starting to speed up, she maneuvers herself away from them and heads to an empty park where she is now.
"..."
She then felt someone's presence, talked a bit then found herself in a dry place.
She wasn't really paying attention much in fact, she wasn't bothered that she was dragged to somewhere secluded and lacking in population as well.
She felt doubtful that she would even make a sound if something happened to her right then and there if that person try something...something she doubts she would be able to fight against considering how strong that person is.
"Look, sorry about this, but I'm not gonna let you get sick before your big day and stuff"
"It doesn't matter" then Rualan said something audible to him.
"What? Why?"
"I'm not going to the competition"
"....What?!"
That loud shout managed to shake her out of her thought.
Looking at the speaker in surprise, the look of surprise hidden by the hood covering the head but the voice and tone was enough to tell how he feels.
"I'm not gonna join"
"Is it because of that girl?"
"....No"
"Hey, no! She's crazy, I tell you, I'm surprised you didn't just slap her right then and there"
"...What?"
"She's horrible, seriously! I still can't believe I know her sister, and I tell you she's nothing like that rude twin!"
"...."
"If I have a memory manipulation type skill, I would use it every time I finish talking with her because she sucks! Who on earth talks like that?!"
"..."
"...Want me to talk louder?! Because you don't seem to be hearing over the rain!"
"No, I can hear you just fine"
"Oh, great, I thought you can't hear me because of the rain"
(I actually heard you loud and clear)
"...So, don't let her words bother you too much okay? I actually look forward to it, your work I mean"
"....."
"I mean as far as I know anyway...." he added quietly this time.