N-no way Neron?!

Shhh! Not so loud! She quickly placed her hand on my mouth, drawing closer to me in the process.

I felt her chest touch mine slightly and she was so close that her hair danced around my body.

A-ah, sorry about that. She quickly slipped away, blushing very hard.

Well, she wasnt the only one.

I felt some stares, but chose to ignore them.

We should probably continue speaking through telepathy. I connected my thoughts to Aloe, and she nodded.

Still, I never expected you to actually like Neron.

For the record, I didnt forget about the Arcana before me.

I was still analyzing it with my Original Magic and Spellcraft.

There was a likelihood that it had traps, or that it was a fake, so it was better we understood what it was before retrieving it.

My perception was also widely ranged, so I was aware of my surroundings to a terrifying degree.

That didnt mean I had to pause my conversation with Aloe, though.

I could simply multitask.

~Well, it was something I had since I was a student at Ainzlark. Neron was a part-time instructor before he became a Senior Lecturer. He taught an Elective that I offered, so I found myself falling for him.~

This was news to me.

I knew Neron was a stud, but I wasnt aware it was to this degree.

~It wasnt just me, though. Many girls in our class liked him. We were young then, so we would often talk about it our forbidden feelings for our teacher.~

I gulped upon hearing that, feeling surprisingly more intrigued. I wondered why the topic interested me so much.

~Well, at that point, I was going through a delusional phase, and I believed so much in destiny and romance, so I confessed to him.~

Oof I unconsciously leaked out my thoughts.

~Yeeaahhh it didnt go very well.~

Aloe went on to tell me how Neron was worried about how and why she liked him, and how many people felt the same way.

He warned them to kill their emotions for him and that it was for their own safety.

It must be because of Serah. Hahaha! I laughed after hearing the whole thing.

~Yeah. Haha, thats true.~

I glanced at Neron and remembered our first meeting.

He must have started dressing so shabbily to avoid any romance too what a classic guy.

Conversing with Aloe just made me realize there was a lot I didnt knowabout people and their feelings especially.

I was too buried in the serious aspects of life that I always forgot to take people into account.

Maybe even Maria has so many things that I dont know about I glanced at the girl and our eyes met.

She instantly looked away, but I kept looking at her for some time.

I keep forgetting the fact that I currently look like a young boy and that shes a legal adult.

It was natural for people our age to engage in romance.

But, she knows my answer to that I turned away.

~You also have feelings for Maria, dont you?~ Aloes voice interrupted my thoughts.

What? No way! I unconsciously spoke out loud.

I felt my cheeks redden a bit, but I quickly subdued the feeling.

What the heck?

~I can tell, you know? You might think you dont, but your body says otherwise.~

Ah, stupid teenager body I should have known.

I couldnt deny it any longer. It was true that since the first day I saw Maria, back when we were taking our Ainzlark Academy Enrollment Exam, she had caught my eye.

Since then, her image would always appear in my head for some reason, and I found her to be very attractive.

It was stupid and weird, but I knew I couldnt change a young boys impression of a fellow young girl.

Still, I had managed to keep those emotions far from my rational self.

~Well, I wont inquire further, but theres a chance that you could end up regretting not saying anything. She told you her feelings, but you cant say yours it almost makes you look cowardly.~

Aloes words stung for some reason.

~You know Ive idolized you for some time. Especially after you saved my life, I really felt a strong attachment to you that I couldnt explain. If Im being honest, those feelings are yet to disappear. But, the more we talk, the more I realize youre just an ordinary boy in the end.~

Me? Ordinary?

Many people would argue against that logic. Nothing I did was ordinary, and I was certainly not your average teenager with memories of a past life.

What was Aloe referring to?

Not there She used a finger to tap my head, and then, brought her hand lower, until it touched another spot on my body.

I mean, right here.

My eyes widened and I trembled slightly.

Her finger was now on my chest, and I felt my heart beat ever so quickly.

Your heart beats just like the rest of us. Youre very special Jared, but in the end your human too.

I felt like I was grasping what she was talking about. Had I been denying it all this time?

p-n0ve1com No one likes being alone. We all want to love, and be loved back.

Ah

Come to think of it, how did I feel when no one interacted with me, except Aloe? I didnt get it then, but

Deep down, you also seek that form of emotional intimacy.

Was that why I was been trying so hard to get close to Lemi? Trying to force the whole father logic?

Is that why

I glanced in Nerons direction.

He was currently making out with Serah in a corner of the Labyrinth.

Neron must have used Concealment and Sound dispelling Magic, but since we were connected through a Magic device, I could hear every moan that Serah leaked out as they kept kissingif that was all they did.

As weird as that had been, it made me feel somewhat jealous.

Thats right

I was jealous of Neron.

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[A/N]

Merry Christmas, everyone. If youre Jewish, Happy Hanukkah. Seasons greetings to my dear fans and readers. I cherish and love you all.

Remember, next month theres a 90 Percent Privilege Discount. Think of it as my happy new year present.

Do have a lovely time.

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