Silence.

Our entire class was silent.

The only one who was actually making any noise at all...was Mr. Maso.

And Mr. Maso was licking my shoes.

"Kick me...Please..." Mr. Maso begged as he blissfully drowned in shame and embarrassment.

"Get off of me, you disgusting masochistic pedophile!" I yelled as I tried to shake him off of me.

"Ah...Verbal harassment...So perfect...So good..." Mr. Maso squealed as he continued to grasp onto my leg without letting go.

I think a part of my brain was malfunctioning at this point.

"Master~" Mr. Maso purred.

Something inside of me snapped.

That's it.

I've had enough.

I channeled all of my strength into my free leg and gave the guy exactly what he wanted.

With one swift motion, I took my leg and kicked him as hard as I could.

A giant boom could be heard the moment my foot made contact with his jaw and his whole body went flying.

Blood could be seen squirting out of his nose as he flew away from me as his eyes rolled to the back of his head.

"A-Are you okay...Cordelia...?" Ace asked from afar.

Ace was smart.

If he came anywhere near me...I would've accidentally punched his face on reflex.

"I'm okay...physically. If you're asking whether I'm mentally okay...well...the answer is no," I replied back with a sigh.

"So...good...yes. Again...kick me...again..." Mr. Maso cried out from where he was.

Nope.

I shuddered.

Throughout my life, I have met plenty of creepy people.

But this...

...was just a whole new level of creepy that I neither needed nor wanted in my life.

"A female student...is glaring at me...Ah~" Mr. Maso gasped when he noticed my dark expression.

"...Ace...Do you think I'll get in trouble if I murder Mr. Maso right now?" I asked him with complete seriousness.

"...Cordelia...I understand that you are upset...But...maybe killing him isn't the right solution," Ace answered with a small awkward chuckle.

"...You're right. Maybe killing him isn't the best thing to do...in front of so many people. I should kill him quietly when no one is looking..." I muttered underneath my breath so no one could hear.

"K-Kill me? I don't want to die...but...Ah~ Maybe...you'll torture me first...right~?" Mr. Maso drooled as he thought of a million different possibilities.

The crazed look in his eyes and his flushed sweaty face sent shivers down my spine and, to put into simpler terms, I had never been more creeped out in my life.

"Mr. Maso...I'm going to say this as nicely as possible...okay...? But can you go jump into a pit of fire and get away from me...please...?" I said through gritted teeth as I tried to hold myself back from beating him up.

"Ah~! Fire! I didn't think of that...Master...you are a genius!" Mr. Maso claimed as he spat everywhere with a large grin.

"...I am NOT your "master" okay?! Why are you calling me that?! Do you want me to rip your head off?!" I yelled.

"Yes, I do~ Master...your verbal abuse...is the cruelest I've ever heard...It's perfect..." Mr. Maso sighed in ecstasy.

After that point, I was furious.

Literally.

Every. Single. Part. Of. Me. Wanted. To. Rip. Out. His. Tongue.

The biggest problem was...

...Mr. Maso would probably be happy if I did anything to him.

And I did not want him to be happy.

So, I had to hold myself back somehow...

"Ace...I'll give you 5 seconds to pick me up and carry me out of here before I attack that masochistic pedophile over there...okay?" I muttered to Ace as I began cracking my knuckles.

I let my magic flow freely throughout my body, enveloping the entire area with cold air.

"5..." I started counting.

"Ah~ Master! Is this how you will cut me up~?" Mr. Maso laughed as he watched me create a giant deadly sword of ice.

"4..." I continued as I sharpened the blade of my ice sword-thingy.

"It's so cold~" Mr. Maso cried as he shivered and loved the fact that he was completely shirtless and exposed to the cold air.

"3..." I said as I lifted up my sword with my magic.

"Cut me up nicely...please~" Mr. Maso begged on his knees.

"2..." I murmured as I channeled my energy from the handle of the sword to the tip of the blade.

"Master~" Mr. Maso purred.

"1..." I finished as I began to swing it down on his head.

But, to my deepest regret, before I was able to murder that creep, Ace picked me up by the waist and held me over his shoulder.

"Alright...Let's get out of here before you're charged with murder, okay?" Ace asked with a small sigh as he immediately crushed my magic sword with his own magic.

"You were almost too late, Ace. I gave you five whole seconds too...if you were any later...I swear his head would've been sliced straight off of his neck and it would have rolled-" I tried to say as Ace silenced me with one of his fingers.

"I'll make sure to pick you up quicker next time then. But, for now, let's go get you some food. You must be hungry after skipping lunch...and you're always upset when you're hungry," Ace smiled as he gave me a small pat on my head.

"Stop treating me like a baby!" I squeaked as I hid my face where he couldn't see it.

I didn't understand why my face was so red, but I did know that I absolutely did not want to let Ace see it.

"W-Wait! W-Where are you going, Master?!" Mr. Maso asked loudly.

"...Ace...walk away as fast as you can...Let's go as far as we can away alone together..." I whispered into his ears.

For some reason, Ace's ears turned slightly pink.

I wonder why.

"What?! But class isn't over yet! You can't go! You need to tie me up and cut me all over!" Mr. Maso cried.

"I'm sorry, sir, but Cordelia won't be doing any of...that. I will see you again tomorrow for class," Ace replied with a small bow as he began to walk away from the area with me over his shoulder.

The rest of our class stared at us as if we were aliens.

To be honest, the way that I was being carried in front of everyone was slightly embarrassing, but at this point, I just decided to roll along with it.

But after a few seconds of walking, I realized how uncomfortable my position was.

With every step, Ace's broad shoulders dug into my stomach.

"Ace...can you let me down now? It's a little painful being carried like this. I promise I won't run back to kill that piece of trash..." I said at some point during our walk.

"Hmm...I can't be too sure about that..." Ace replied as he stopped walking.

"But it's really uncomfortable..And it's going to be embarrassing for the both of us too if anyone sees us like this," I said in response.

"If that's the case..." Ace murmured as he lifted me gently off of his shoulder and looped one of his arms under my leg and the other behind my back.

I-It was the l-legendary...p-princess carry...

"...Is this better?" Ace replied shyly.

I was almost too embarrassed to speak.

"This is even more embarrassing than the last one, Ace. You must be insane..." I said as I made no attempt to change it.

"Luckily...there are no other students around since classes are still in session," Ace responded.

He gave me a small awkward smile that ended up being nearly too bright for my eyes and heart to handle.

Then, he continued to walk while carrying me as if I were as light as a feather, which to him, I probably was.

As we were continuing to move, I looked upward at Ace's face.

I kind of hated myself a little.

The person who was carrying me in his arms has only known me for a few months and, yet, I keep acting as if we have both known each other forever.

It was like I was completely fine with his amnesia now.

Like it didn't matter anymore.

But I didn't want to be fine with it.

When Ace lost his memories, I tried my best to jumpstart his mind a little by talking to him and by reenacting events from our past.

Obviously, it didn't work.

Ace had no idea who I was at all.

But he still treated me exactly the same.

He was still kind.

Patient.

Caring.

Playful.

Humble.

Gentle.

...and was still loyal to me even though no one would blame him if he just left.

He still acts the same to me and accepts the fact that he's the way that he is without complaining.

Because of that...sometimes...I feel like I don't care enough about his amnesia as much as I should.

But I still tried.

I still tried to bring out any last wisps of his memory back.

I really did...

But there was nothing left of our past in his mind.

I was even told by multiple professionals that it was impossible for him to regain his memories.

So, I just forced myself to try to move on...

But why do I feel so unsatisfied?

I was probably the worst for thinking like that when even Ace was fine with everything.

"Why are you walking so slowly? It must be annoying for you to walk like this, right? I know you can easily run a million times faster," I said to him.

"...I'm worried that you'll get motion-sick..." Ace replied as he continued to walk at an average pace.

"I'll be fine! Besides, I haven't eaten anything since breakfast, so I probably won't throw up..." I laughed awkwardly.

"...Are you sure...?" Ace checked again.

"Yes, I am! I'm not that weak you know...I'm actually really strong!" I exclaimed as I gave a small light punch into Ace's shoulder.

"...Okay...but if you feel sick...tell me..." Ace sighed as he caved.

"Pfft. We'll probably get back before I even get to say anything," I laughed.

Ace looked as me once, tucked my arms in properly, and gave me a reassuring smile.

For a brief second, I could feel a choking sensation as if all the air in my lungs was being sucked out and I clenched my eyes closed as tight as I could.

If I could describe the sensation in any way, it would be...painful emptiness.

But as soon as if came, the sensation went away as if nothing ever happened in the first place.

I opened one of my eyes carefully and saw the door to a café right in front of me.

"Uh...Ace...You can let me down now..." I said as I poked him a little.

"Huh? Oh...I forgot..." Ace replied awkwardly as he gently placed me down on the ground as if I were a piece of fragile glass.

Ace was an airhead sometimes...

...Maybe it was a side-effect of being too overpowered.

"Is it just me...or have you been getting even faster lately...?" I asked out of curiosity.

"I don't understand it much myself...but perhaps I have...?" Ace replied with a bit of hesitation.

"Hmm...I wonder how much stronger you're going to become when you're all grown up," I smiled.

"There's a possibility that I won't grow stronger at all and that you'll surpass me one day. After all, I don't train as hard as you, Cordelia," Ace replied with a small grin.

"Haha...Well...We'll see," I replied.

"So...Are we going to get you some lunch?" Ace brought up.

"Yep, that would be great! I'm starving! This morning, I didn't get to finish my breakfast completely and I skipped lunch...I'm on the verge of death..." I sighed.

"If that's the case, let's get you as much as you can possibly eat, okay?" Ace smiled.

"...Wait. Do you have any cash on you?" I asked slowly.

"...No...I didn't think about bringing any to class..." Ace replied slowly.

"I don't have money either...Maybe I should just make some silver coins with my creation magic..." I muttered under my breath.

"No...that would be illegal, Cordelia. Let's not break the law while we're at school," Ace sighed.

"What? Nah...it's not illegal if no one finds out! Besides...I was lucky enough to be born with creation magic...so just let me have my moment..." I chuckled evilly.

Ace sighed as his eyes softened.

"Give me five seconds. I'll go to my dorm to get some money..." Ace said as he suddenly disappeared from my sight.

Every week, Ace was sent some money from my father as a thank you for taking care of me.

Ace accepted the money, but would always return the extra cash he had leftover every week since he felt bad for keeping it.

He would always say that it was his choice to take care of me anyway, so he didn't need or want to be paid.

"5...4..." I counted as I waited for him to come back.

Then, Ace appeared in front of me.

My eyes couldn't even see him coming.

"Let's go in and eat, okay?" Ace asked me as he opened the door to the café.

Judging by how fast he was moving, you'd probably expect him to at least be a little tired, but Ace looked completely fine.

"Thanks," I said before I felt someone staring at me from behind.

I turned my head around sharply.

There was no one there.

Just as I was about to doubt myself, I saw a flash of red hair from behind a fifth-story window.

But before I could get a good look at their face, they were gone.

"Did you see that...Ace...?" I asked him.

"Hmm? See what?" Ace replied with slight confusion.

Did I imagine everything?

If Ace wasn't able to sense him...then that almost guaranteed that no one was there.

After all, Ace's senses were the best in the country and were plenty of times better than mine.

But...I just couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching me.

"It's nothing...Let's eat," I smiled as I walked into the café.

The moment I stepped inside, I could feel a rush of refreshing cool air hitting me.

It was really nice.

"It was way too hot today to train outside," I sighed as I took a seat at the nearest table.

"I agree...although...the weather was certainly not the biggest problem with that class..." Ace replied with a sigh.

"I know right?! Mr. Maso is such a creepy pedophile! How did he even get a job here as a teacher?!" I exclaimed loudly, which grabbed the attention of a working waitress.

"Hmm? Are you students here? Why aren't you two in class? It's the first day of school too..." the waitress asked with suspicion clear in her voice.

"Uh...The two of us were...uh...on our way back from the infirmary...after getting...uh...injured during martial arts class...and...the...uh...weather was so hot...that we decided...on grabbing a refreshing drink...and a whole meal...before...heading back?" I chuckled awkwardly as I lied.

"...You're injured?" the waitress asked with disbelief in her voice.

"Yes," I replied quickly.

"Where...?" she asked.

"Oh...uh...I'm injured in a place...that would be...uh...weird to show in public?" I lied with a smile.

"...I see...I just thought you were ditching class to go on a secret date with your boyfriend. I won't mind if you actually are though," the maid laughed.

"D-Date?! B-Boyfriend?!" I squeaked.

"Yes, of course...? Was I wrong...?" the waitress asked slowly.

"No, Cordelia and I aren't datin-" Ace tried to say before I cut him off.

"NO! I have a fiance! I'm engaged!! So, dating this guy is definitely out of the question! He's just my good friend!" I yelled loudly.

Ace suddenly went quiet next to me and the vibe of the room suddenly became awkward.

"...I pity you," the waitress said to Ace.

"...Thank you," Ace replied.

"Huh? What's going on?" I asked.

"It's nothing," the two said at the same time.

"...Okay...then?" I said out loud with confusion.

"So? What would you two like to order?" the waitress asked after some time.

I took a long look at their menu before deciding what to get.

In the end, I decided to get an iced chamomile tea with a ham sandwich-thingy.

I didn't want to order too much or else the waitress would become suspicious of us.

"You're not getting a lot today...Are you not that hungry?" Ace asked as he rested his head on his palm.

"No...it's just that you're the one paying and, besides, that woman thinks we're ditching class, so it's probably best to keep a low profile..." I sighed.

"But we technically are skipping class...and I don't mind if you use up all my money since it came from your family anyway, so eat as much as you like," Ace smiled.

"Don't. Tempt. Me. Or else...you'll release a monster..." I responded.

I was already using all of my willpower to hold myself back.

Ace was going to regret it if I lost control of my empty stomach.

"Here is your meal," the waitress said as she walked to our table to place my drink and sandwiches in front of me.

The moment I smelled everything, I devoured the food in record-timing.

"...I think you eat as fast as I can run, Cordelia...Are you sure you're still not hungry?" Ace asked as he watched me.

To be honest, I was still starving, but I wasn't going to tell him that.

"No...I-" I was about to reply before I heard the door of the café open as a kind-looking couple walked in.

I could feel my mind turn blank and my blood began to boil on instinct.

Every inch of me wanted to run over and gouge out their throats.

"Marquis...and Marquess Scott..." I murmured.

-----------------------------------------------------

A/N: It's about time that I started advancing the main plot, isn't it? Expect stuff to start happening in the next chapter~

I hope everyone is doing well lately! School is nearly over for me, which feels weird since I've been at home this whole time...

I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, so I hope you guys enjoyed reading it! Lately, all of your guys' comments have been practically spoonfuls of sugar. It's just too sweet!

So, thank you~

Thanks, again, to my readers/voters/commenters!

Stay safe everyone~

Okie byeee!

Word Count: 2854