Chereads / No Skills, No Limits: Conquering the Apocalypse / Chapter 33 - THE SCHOLARSHIP'S REQUIREMENTS

Chapter 33 - THE SCHOLARSHIP'S REQUIREMENTS

"Natalie..." 

It was awkward between them. 

Terrence stared at Natalie after their lips parted ways. He has a surprised expression on his face. 

Did he just get his first kiss?

And it was not just any girl but someone he treats as a dear friend? And what was more, she was the daughter of whom he considered his enemies.

'Damn.' Terrence muttered a curse. 

Natalie's eyes widened momentarily when she realized what she had done. Her face turned into a tomato. She was so embarrassed to the point that she wanted to disappear from the world.

"Uhmm…"

"Ahhh…"

The two of them speak at the same time.

Terrence looked at Natalie. "You can talk first." he breathed out. 

However, Natalie slightly shook her head. Instead of talking to Terrence, she decided to do what was best at that moment.

"I'm sorry," Natalie quickly apologized before she turned and ran away from Terrence.

Terrence chuckled when he saw what Natalie did. He tilted his head to the side before a smile crept onto his lips. 'Why did she become cuter in my eyes now?'

Terrence couldn't deny how good it felt when Natalie's lips touched his. Natalie's lips were soft. There was a hint of sweet cherry on her lips, probably from the lipstick she used. 

He couldn't deny but he wanted to taste it more.

"Haha", Terrence suddenly chuckled. His light laugh stopped, replaced by a wide grin. He couldn't help but imagine the things they could do more in the future.

However, before Terrence could even think further, he closed his eyes and breathed deeply. He reminded himself of the reality he was in.

'Maybe I should head back inside now.' He thought as he took a quick glance at the door of the hall. His mind was wandering on the kiss he and Natalie shared. 

Terrence went back inside the hall with a smile on his face. He tried to remain serious, but he couldn't do so.

He looked like a fucking teenage child who just got their first romance.

Well, that wasn't far from the truth, too, so he let himself be happy at this moment.

"What happened, Terrence? You looked happy. Did anything happen outside?" Tiana was weirded out by how Terrence suddenly acted when he returned.

"Nothing, Mom," Terrence answered.

"Are you sure?" Tiana eyes Terrence. She was sure that Terrence was keeping something from her.

"Yes," Terrence glanced over at the stage and saw a lineup of people. "What happened when I left?" his forehead creased.

Tiana looked at Terrence with excitement. "You can't believe what happened while you were away! It's a miss that you didn't get to see it."

"What do you mean, Mom?" Terrence looked at his dad, who was just beside his mother. "Dad?"

He was intrigued when he saw his dad smiling in excitement as well. It was odd. His father used to be calm and serious at all times. He rarely gets excited over these things.

"After you left, the senator introduced themselves, right?" Tiana held Terrence's hands.

"Yes?" Terrence does not know why his mother was bringing up that thing.

Tiana smiled widely. "After they're done introducing themselves, Sir Fred announced something!" She said in a cliffhanger voice.

"What is it, Mom? Just say what it is." Terrence uttered. He was starting to get annoyed by the many routes her mom was going with her words.

"They announced that all students would be accepted into the scholarship program!" Tiana happily exclaimed as she glanced at her husband, who was happily nodding at her side.

"That means your father and I no longer need to worry about anything! We have been getting a large debt because of your sister's study, so this was a good thing." Tiana smiled widely. Her teeth were showing.

Terrence fell into silence. He was happy, but something in his heart was telling him to not trust those two senators on the stage, who had been giving certificates to the students.

Maybe it was because of his experience. Or because, in his past life, he had worked alongside the two men.

He knew how dangerous they could be even if they looked friendly and a sheep outside.

"What's the exchange of it?"

Terrence was sure the government wouldn't offer anything like this for free.

"Well…" Tiana looked at the stage. Her smile disappeared.

"They said that all the students that were granted scholarships would need to move schools…" Tiana deeply breathed out.

"What do you mean, Mom?" Terrence asked when he saw the change of expression on Tiana's face. It was already a sign that something bad happened.

Tiana looked at her husband with a sad face. She couldn't open her mouth to answer Terrence's question. It was too heavy for her heart.

"Dad?" Terrence looked at Archer when he realized that his mom wouldn't answer his question.

Archer cleared his throat. He fixed his glasses before giving Tiana a quick nod before facing Terrence.

"Well, they said that the students needed to move to the city to take their studies here. They would only be allowed to go home every 6 months or during school breaks." Archer sighed.

"No communication is allowed, too, except once a month."

Terrence looked at his parents unbelievably. "And you would allow that?"

Archer slowly nodded. "Yes… Your sister is happy with it. They said that everything will be funded by the government so..."

Archer looked at his son's expression, seeing how he would react. When he saw that Terrence was just staring at him, waiting for a complete answer, he continued his words.

"Your sister's tuition fees, her housing, her allowance for food and all will be covered by the government. We will get a certain amount each month as allowance while your sister is away." Archer slowly nodded.

"For what?" Terrence asked in confusion. Why would the government do that without gaining any benefits?

The government he knew was not a saint like that.

"What do you mean for what, Terrence?" Tiana butt in.

"I mean, why are they doing this?"

Tiana sighed.

"Of course, to help, Terrence! The only thing that your sister needed to do after she graduated was to return the service to the government by working for them for 5 years! It's as easy as that. Shouldn't we just be thankful?"