"How is it?" Selene asked with a bright smile as she picked up a cute pair of couple's dresses. Her cheeks flushed slightly with excitent. Yeah, she didn't even hide her love anymore; her affection was becoming increasingly transparent.
"T-That's a couple's dress, right?" Aether asked with a frown, his brow furrowing as he glanced at the clothing in Selene's hands.
Selene blinked, looking down at the dress she had picked: two T-shirts, each emblazoned with half a heart that would form a complete one when placed together.
"N-No!!" Selene's face turned a deep shade of red in embarrassnt as she hurriedly put the dress back on the rack and picked up another, "I-I-I just thought it was c-cute, that's all," she stamred, trying to cover her flushed cheeks.
'Sigh... I guess she unconsciously picked it up. She might not be that pushy,' Aether thought, letting out a quiet sigh.
After that little incident, Selene dragged Aether outside of the Academy campus. To Aether's surprise, the guards allowed them to leave without asking any questions. 'I suppose this whole city is under the Academy's control,' he mused.
Selene and Lia then entered a won's clothing shop. As they browsed, Aether felt increasingly out of place among the racks of dresses and blouses.
"How long are you going to ignore , bastard?" Lia asked finally, standing right beside him with her arms crossed.
And Yeah... If Lia hadn't been standing there, he would have already bolted out of the shop, feeling the strange gazes from the other shoppers.
"Oh? You know ? I thought you didn't want to speak with ," Aether said, genuinely surprised. He wasn't being rude; he seriously thought she might have forgotten him after that previous event.
Lia's lips twitched as she saw Aether's genuine surprise. "You really thought I wouldn't speak with you?" she asked incredulously.
"Well..." Aether nodded awkwardly. Veins bulged on Lia's forehead, but she cald herself and asked, "Why?"
Aether gave her a perfectly truthful answer: "Noble." She was noble, and he was a servant. Though their paths had crossed, it was only for a brief mont, so Aether believed she might return to her usual self, just like when he had initially t her.
Lia nodded silently, though she felt a little hurt that Aether judged her like that. She understood why he thought that way, though. If not for that incident, Lia herself knew she wouldn't be speaking with Aether now.
"Anyhow, don't ignore ..." Lia said with a stern face, her tone leaving no room for argunt.
Aether smiled and nodded. With a cheeky grin, he said, "Call big bro."
Lia's eyes twitched when she saw the annoying bastard's playful side erge. Though her lips curled up slightly despite herself.
"Tsk"
[ 10 Affection]
"Haha..." Aether chuckled softly and asked, "How are you? Did you finally get over him, or do you still want to take him back?"
Lia smiled a little, her expression softening, "I am fine... I am truly fine! Yes, I kind of got over him."
"Good," Aether nodded with a warm smile as he patted her head gently.
"Hey!!" Lia swatted his hand away and said, "Don't treat like a child!" Though her face was flushed with a mix of embarrassnt and lingering affection.
[ 10 Affection]
"Okay, okay..." Aether laughed and patted her head again, teasingly.
'This infuriating man...!!!' Lia thought, gritting her teeth. "Don't get wrong; I am not here for him," she clarified, trying to maintain her composure.
"Oh?" Aether smiled, noticing her determined and proud face. 'I suppose she really has gotten over him,' he thought. But he couldn't resist teasing her a bit more, "Then you ca here for... ?"
Lia's eyes widened in shock. "O-Of course not, you jerk!!"
[ 10 Affection]
Aether offered a genuine smile had enough teasing he asked, "Did you buy the clothes you wanted?"
"Yes," Lia replied, her expression brightening as she showed him the bags.
That's quite a lot! he thought but didn't comnt, having experienced many things with his ex-girlfriend that had taught him when to hold his tongue.
Lia glanced at Aether, who was staring at Selene with a thoughtful expression. Then she looked at Selene, who was still rummaging through the clothes with a happy, almost childlike enthusiasm.
At last, Lia couldn't control her curiosity any longer. "She loves you, doesn't she?" she asked softly.
"...." Aether didn't answer imdiately; he simply glanced at Lia for a mont, his expression unreadable.
"Sigh... So, you are not that dense," Lia nodded and continued, "I just want to know... is she the one you talked about before? Is she trying to get back to you now after doing those things?" Lia was aware of his love story and his ntion of status before, so she could already conclude it was all about Selene and him.
'Ah.... Fuck!' Aether mumbled inwardly. He had told that story to keep her from breaking down, yet it had co back to bite him.
If he said yes, things might get complicated, and it could even break their friendship if she mistook it that Selene left him for status.
"...No, she isn't," Aether said with a straight face.
Lia breathed a heavy sigh of relief. She had almost thought Selene was just like her brother. Thank goodness she hadn't asked her directly..... Then it begged the question.
"Who?... Who else would it be?" Lia asked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity like a mischievous little sister's.
Aether wanted to avoid delving deeper into this topic. Just then, Selene arrived at the scene, inadvertently rescuing him.
"Ether, how about this?" she asked, holding up a fluffy pink dress.
"It's good," Aether nodded with a smile. Soon, they picked up what they wanted and arranged for them to be delivered to the Academy.
Lia and Aether decided to leave, but then Selene pulled Aether into a n's clothing store.
"S-Sel?" Aether was shocked when he saw Selene picking out every fancy dress. He didn't have a single penny on him.
"Let's buy you a handso and sex—ahem—good dress," Selene said as she picked a lot of clothes, her face slightly flushed.
'She has a good sense of selection...' Aether thought, nodding as he noticed her choices were not only trendy and fancy but also perfectly to his taste.
Aether picked up a shirt and looked at the price tag. His heart almost leapt out of his chest.
"2000ˀ"
Here they used 'Zenith' as currency notes, which was almost similar to the dollar, though there wasn't any penny or cent. Zenith was denoted by 'ˀ' or what they called 'Z'.
Anyhow,
'A fucking 2000$ for a single shirt!!' Aether thought, practically screaming internally. He could literally live off that money for an entire month without worrying about getting a job.
Seeing Aether staring at the price tag in shock, Selene smiled and patted his back reassuringly. "Don't worry about the money... as long as you are happy, money doesn't matter."
Suddenly, in Aether's eyes, Selene looked like an angel. He even rubbed his eyes, but the angelic vision remained, still smiling at him.
"My angel..." Aether mumbled, causing Selene to blush deeply. "I-I am not, i-idiot!"
[ 4000 Affection]
[Remaining AP:27225 ]
Still, Aether was a little hesitant. It wasn't about her buying him sothing; rather, it was the money itself that troubled him.
Whose money? Velc's? If it was, he would rather not accept it.
Sensing the reluctance in Aether's eyes, Selene frowned for a second, then smiled as she understood. "Don't worry... That's my hard-earned money," she explained softly.
"...." Aether looked at her with a surprised expression. Selene winked at him with a shy smile.
'Ba-Dump'
Aether clutched his heart, feeling it pound in his chest, 'S-She is trying to rizz ... isn't she?' he thought, feeling both flustered and endeared by her efforts.
But their day wasn't over yet. After their visit to the clothing store, even Lia picked out so clothes for Aether. Despite his best attempts to stop her, she was insistent, saying she was just repaying a favour she owed him.
"If you want to repay , then call big brother!" Aether said, a mischievous smile playing on his lips as he teased her.
"Hell no, brat!" Lia shot back instantly, not missing a beat.
Aether's lips twitched at her calling him 'brat' again. He rubbed his fingers together in mock irritation. "I told you not to call brat," he said, his tone playful yet tinged with mock seriousness.
"... Brat!" Lia repeated with a smirk, clearly enjoying the back-and-forth.
Aether's eye twitched in annoyance. Without hesitation, he reached out and pinched her cheeks hard enough that Lia yelped in protest. "If you dare to say those words again..." Aether's smile was anything but friendly, and Lia gulped, wincing in pain.
Selene, who was at the counter paying for their purchases, noticed the sudden closeness between Aether and Lia. Her expression darkened, and she clenched her fists, jealousy surging through her as she watched Aether pinching Lia's cheeks.
Suddenly, Lia flinched when she felt two deadly eyes staring at her. She imdiately pushed Aether away and saw Selene talking to the person at the counter.
'M-Maybe it's my imagination,' she thought, trying to dismiss the feeling.
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