Chapter 5 - Saving The World

"I can't believe those pricks knew ya name and I didn't." Rebecca was so upset about that, she even forgot her question. "Ya sit in the last row, right? By the window.""Yep, that's me, and don't worry about it." Jake tried to comfort her, hoping she'd drop the earlier matter. "I'm not that interesting, to be recognizable.""They still knew ya, Jake." Her arms crossed in front of her chest, she raised an eyebrow.Standing so close to her, it was the first time Jake could take a good look.Apart from the obvious height deficit, she was adorable. Her copper mane reached her waist in gentle waves, the skewed bangs hiding half her eyebrows.Whatever Jake expected her eyes to be, they weren't that. They were closer to yellow than green. Hazel might have described them best, her stare so intense it burned his face."They're kinda obsessed with me," he explained, not wanting to make her wait. Rebecca raised that bushy eyebrow until it disappeared below her bangs. "I've no idea why," he added.The heat was still shimmering around her. And no matter how cute her button nose or the freckles on it looked, he knew how deadly she was. Her pink lips knew no mercy."Okay, so why—"She was about to repeat it the third time, but the corridor froze."You two. Council office. Now." The ice-cold voice startled them both. Jake couldn't decide if this was salvation or the end. If the change in the atmosphere wasn't obvious, the text was.[Kei Sonokawa. (Human Shieldmage, Age: 18) Student Council President.]He didn't expect to encounter the other main character of his dream so soon.Her skin tone and her oriental features were warm and alluring.Her eyes were almost black like chocolate, but her stare was so cold and hostile he could've choked on it.She wore her dark hair in a tight ponytail and an armband indicated she was on duty."Kei-chan." Rebecca's voice pitched up and forced a smile, but those hazel eyes were full of murderous intent. "It wasn't me—I mean, why?""Chan?" The half-Asian girl furrowed her eyebrows. Her cold elegance gave Jake goosebumps. "In my country, using someone's given name without permission is disrespectful.""Ya were born in the US, Kei-chan." Rebecca didn't bat an eye. Her heat was the only thing keeping Jake from freezing. "Even if ya Mom's from Okinawa, you're American."Yep. These two knew each other. He wondered about their history but didn't want to explode while hearing it. Thanks for all that was holy, Sonokawa didn't give in to the provocation."To answer your question, Miss O'Neil, I saw some injuries on a fellow student." Yeah, the beating of those bullies didn't go unnoticed. "You two are the closest to the incident.""What d'ya mean, they fought among themselves. It's six delinquents, and ya suspect me?" The tiny ginger puffed her almost flat chest out to look threatening.It didn't work on the Ice Queen, she raised her palm to stop the girl from blabbering. Jake half-expected icicles to shoot out from it, but Sonokawa remained calm."I'm well aware of who they are, and what to expect from them." The President said, looking at him for the first time. "But I also know 'this', so if you'd help with the investigation—""This?!" Rebecca raised her voice and launched forward. Jake got flashbacks of his dream and took a firm step between them. His heart almost exploded."I can confirm, they got into a fight within their group." He tried to use his newest skill to de-escalate the situation, but his heart rate and the gulping didn't help. Either way, he rolled the dice.Bluff or not, he still had a charisma of eight.His back burned from the ginger's closeness, while his blood froze from the oriental stare.He could hear the ticking of an imaginary clock.The seconds felt like years, but finally, the President backed down with a sigh."Fine. Thank you, for your cooperation Mr.—" Sonokawa nodded, then furrowed her eyebrows again. Yeah, she didn't know his name in the dream either.Was it his first successful skill check? He heard a soft ping echoing inside his head."Pft, he's Jake. What kind of President are ya?" Rebecca still challenged her as if she wasn't upset mere minutes ago that she knew it wrong too. He wondered if she even knew Jake Who."Right. Jake Jones, Class 3 E, first column, last row. Happy birthday." The Ice Queen ground it out, the coldness of her voice only breaking at the last two words.His jaw dropped, but so did Rebecca's. The President didn't see that, turning on her heels, and walking away with urgent steps. Jake felt like collapsing, but he was curious about that ping.A usual blue window popped up with bold letters.[Achievement: Nice Save!You saved the world from imminent destruction. That was a lucky roll. It would have been even better if you didn't almost cause the Apocalypse in the first place. Dumbass. Your mission is still valid, try not to make it worse.Reward: Your Bluff Skill bonus will always be one level higher.]He deserved that. And while the reward's description was odd, it sounded useful. Double-checking it, the skill was still at Beginner, but the description was Basic.[Bluff: The art of misinformation.Level 1(+1) (Basic). It helps you convince your opponent by saying your lies with real confidence. Provides +2 on your charisma roll. Cost to upgrade: 2 SP. Upgrade?]Of course, bluffing was charisma-based.It was a miracle it worked, but now at least this balanced out that default malus. Spending a few more SP on it was tempting, but he had six remaining, and no useful skills on his character.If only he saw those actual rolls to know if they worked. Whoever rolled them must have had a great time laughing at him. He didn't like this game at all."Y-ya had ya birthday?" Rebecca was still hung up on that. She sounded devastated in fact. It's not like he expected her thanks for getting her back. She saved him from a beating too."Um, yeah, it is today," Jake confessed, hoping this meant she forgot about him following her here. Yes, it was all his fault in the end."Fuck" was her first response, then she seemed lost in thought, then raised her cutest gaze on him. "Okay, I'll get ya a present, okay? No, how about ya pick something out? My treat.""Wha—why?" He was speechless. Did she ask her on a date? Out of the blue? He wouldn't even dream about going out with a cutie like that, and that's without her magic powers."Because. Why not?" She forced a smile, tapping her small feet on the ground. "Okay, look, I hate that cold bitch. I can't let her win."Jake wanted to respond, or at least ask another question, but no sound came out, his mouth hanging open. And it didn't matter how long he waited, he didn't get a better explanation."Uh, fine. Sure. My pleasure. Rebecca." He mumbled, feeling his blood rushing into his face. It was a date then. "Whenever you'd like. But you don't have to.""No, no, I insist. How about tomorrow afternoon?" She asked, rubbing her palms together. "I bet Kei-chan wouldn't get ya a gift." She added in a low, conspiratory voice. There was no question about that.