“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 wasn’t 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 didn’t 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 didn’t 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 wasn’t aware it was to this degree.

~It wasn’t 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 didn’t 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, that’s 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 didn’t know–about 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 don’t 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 she’s 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, don’t you?~ Aloe’s 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 don’t, but your body says otherwise.~

‘Ah, stupid teenager body… I should have known.’

I couldn’t 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 couldn’t change a young boy’s impression of a fellow young girl.

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

~Well, I won’t inquire further, but… there’s a chance that you could end up regretting not saying anything. She told you her feelings, but you can’t say yours… it almost makes you look cowardly.~

Aloe’s words stung for some reason.

~You know… I’ve idolized you for some time. Especially after you saved my life, I really felt a strong attachment to you that I couldn’t explain. If I’m being honest, those feelings are yet to disappear. But, the more we talk, the more I realize… you’re 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. You’re 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 -n0ve1、com “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 didn’t 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 Neron’s 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 kissing–if that was all they did.

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

That’s right…

… I was jealous of Neron.

*

*

*

A

/N

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

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

Do have a lovely time.