Chaos Cycle: The Eye of Genesis

"Brother, how about we do this later?" Shin asked hesitantly. "You know, after the training, I'm quite tired of picking up gals."

Elior just ended the extra training for Shin, and it was already eight in the clock. The cafeteria was still lit in the luminescent, with the smell of delicious food drifting to their noses. Surely, it smelt far more tempting after those vigorous training, but today they have another purpose than just stuffing their stomach.

It had been about a week since Elior was training Shin in the way of Shin's class and so far, it has not been that productive. Surely, Elior knew better than Shin about the class and what types of things he could do with it. He tried to train Shin in those things for a few days only to know he was hoping too far. 

The Shin of the past timeline, and this one has a difference between sky and earth. Surely the potential was there, but Elior was not much of a teacher, as all his attempts were failures to show any progress. 

In the end, he could only choose to motivate Shin with the promise he had made. Which was to help this poor boy pick up a girlfriend. Surely, it would not succeed within a day, considering Shin was probably more terrible in it than he knew anyone else.

Luckily, he recalled helping Shin in this sort of matter in the previous timeline as well. Maybe he would succeed with his advanced knowledge, though the chances were low. 

"Brother, I think we should wait for a day or two," Shin said, trying to back away. "The tournament is only five days away. I better put more effort into training for that."

Elior tilted his head. This guy sure was not hesitant about picking up a girl before, but after all the things Elior entrusted him to present himself to the girl, he was seriously becoming hesitant.

Shin could do shit-talk easily with anyone, but it was talking sensibly that stooped him. if he goes freely with an empty mind, he won't be this hesitant now. Surely, that would destroy the chances with the girl they were attempting to pick today. That was why the wannabe delinquent was so hesitant today. 

After refreshing themselves, they came right to the cafeteria after Elior reminded him of how to talk and present himself.

"We are not planning to go all out today," he said to the hesitant boy. "All you have to do is talk properly, like a normal person. You see that girl?"

Elior pointed at a girl of five feet five, sitting in with an empty tray. She was not particularly beautiful, like Aanya or the half-elf they met in the trial, but she surely has good looks. Her aura was in the league with Ileana, but she was far more enchanting than, and compared to the chestnut-haired girl, she was half a head taller, and certainly has the things Shin likes.

"Her name is Enna, in our same year, but in the other section. She's majoring in healing, and particularly better at it than any others in this year," Elior introduced as he had already investigated with a little assistant from Lara who knew this girl. "Just go and try to converse with her. Should I go again about the pitfalls?"

Shin considered, looking at the girl. She was not particularly beautiful like a few people he had seen, but the attractiveness was there. Her eyes were enchanting, as well as she was more of his type. He wondered why he had not seen her before. Well, he did stop after he almost offended all the girls from their class. 

"Shin?" Elior called. He already had a bad feeling about this. 

"Yes," Shin answered, swallowing a breath. 

"I will go again seeing your current state," Elior laughed. "First of all, your goal for today is only to give a good impression. The first pitfall for you, say goodbye to your terrible pickup girls—with your experience so far you should know, none of your pickup lines would work on any girl. It might even give them the wrong vibe.

"Second, but it is just as important. Don't look around her, or anything other than her face and eyes, and especially not below her neck. Got it?" 

Shin nodded and looked at Enna again. He swallowed again , "I'll try." 

Elior shook his head in disapproval. "Make sure you don't only talk about yourself," he said again. "Give her chances to talk, and show that you are listening. Another good thing will be talking about the same thing, sharing your experience in the academy and asking for her." 

Shin sucked in a cold breath and counted what he needed to keep in mind. He mumbled those things, and Elior tugged his shoulder. 

"Go, you got this," Elior said, pushing Shin a little. "Remember the goal. You only have to give her a good impression." 

Shin strode first but his speed decreased the more he came further towards her. While Elior stood there, keeping his eyes and ears at the event. Even with all the coaching, he did not know how much Shin could do here. If it was less, it wouldn't be a problem, but his good brother always goes overboard with anything. 

Shin approached Enna, who turned her head to look at the delinquent looking boy with an innocent face. Surely, an odd combination, but people rarely aren't odd. 

Enna raised her eyebrow to know why this guy was standing before her like this. 

"Is this seat free?" Shin asked, showing the seat across from her. He took more time than it was natural. Cursing himself, he opened his lips again, keeping his eyes directly at her. "Mind if I sit?" 

"It took you so much to ask that?" Enna asked, tilting her head. "I even saw you're hesitating before standing with the cool boy over there." She eyed where Elior was standing alone. "Am I that unapproachable?"

Shin swallowed his breath. This girl was surely not making it easy for him, but she sure was beautiful. He saw her big round eyes blinking at him with a little knit in her brows. There was even a slight curve in her lips.

"Mind if I sit here?" Shin repeated the phrase again, ignoring whatever she had asked. 

"You perhaps are slow," she said, sipping the juice from the straw. A bitter expression appeared on her lips and she said, "Yes, you can sit."

'Lame!' Shin screamed in his head and took the seat immediately. "By the way, I'm Shin, Same year, majoring as a Close Quarter combatant."

"I know," Enna said. "Very few don't know you in our year. If I take the liberty of words, then you can be called famous, though most of the people seemed to have no good feeling knowing you."

"I'll just take the famous part then," Shin said and this time he did not wait. "And you?"

"Sadly, I'm not famous like someone here," Enna commented with a smile—an unconventional sort. "Enna, by the way, though you probably knew it before you approached."

Shin had the urge to break the eye contact, but he gritted his teeth and kept at it. Surely, this girl was not just beautiful and attractive to only him, surely she had many other suitors, or else how could she see through his intentions so easily. Was he seen through? Perhaps, but it doesn't matter for now. 

'Luckily, she did not look annoyed,' Shin thought and saw her enchanting eyes at him, smiling. An odd smile that gives him some uneasy feeling. Like she knows some jokes that he didn't. Then Shin thought if he had something on his face, though he urged him to mop his face. 'This girl is not annoyed. No, she's far from being annoyed, her eyes clearly showing interest and playfulness.' 

'Brother, I need help,' she said inwardly. He wanted at least a simple girl at the start. Though the one before him was far more attractive, he would still like to get some experience with someone less attractive like her, and more importantly, less witty than her. 

Just with her smile, all the coaching he got from Elior emptied away from his brain. She even had the way of biting her lips, sipping in the bitter juice that strayed his all thoughts. Is she doing it on purpose?

"I hear you are a healer. I have one of those terrible illnesses that only a particular person could heal. That could very might be you," Shin asked with his usual smile. He put his arm on the table slightly towards her. All the coaching from Elior already started to stray away from his head. "Can you heal me?" 

The smile on Enna's lips stiffened, though she forced another of her enchanting smile.. "I hear you have some problem in the head, but didn't consider it this bad," she said with the curve in her lips.