THAT DAY I BECAME A STAR

After our little fight, I follow Farner back to her room by sneaking past the guards. Once inside, she goes to the table and light up the candles placed on it.

"You will sleep here for tonight. Tomorrow, I will show you your room."

"I don't really have to sleep here, do I?" I would prefer to sleep with K'nor.

"No, you don't. But isn't it better to stay with people and create bonds?"

"No, it is not."

"Sigh…You…" What was that sigh for?

"I can leave then, right?" I don't even know why I followed her here.

"No, at least not for tonight. I don't know what you might do if I leave you alone."

"You already said you would show me a different path. So, I will stay put, for now."

"No, I don't believe you. You stay here for tonight and that is that."

She goes to her bed and removes the sheet.

"Here, take this and cover yourself."

"What about you?" She is a bit dirty. And so am I but it doesn't matter now.

"I am going to wash up then sleep. You better not peep. GOT.IT?"

Farner brings her face so close to me I can smell her odor. It is a subtle and light fragrance of something sweet. What perfume is that?

"You use perfume?"

"D-don't smell me, you pervert!!"

She retracts and falls on her butt.

"Farner?" From the wall at our right, Excia's voice resounds. "You aren't sleeping?"

"I-I am. I was just a bit hot so I want to go and bathe."

"Then go instead of waking me up, you idiot."

"Yes, yes."

Then nothing, no more sounds. Farner stays silent for a moment while looking anxiously at the wall. Then she stands back up and goes outside. I cover myself with the blanket like she told me to and try to sleep. It's better to avoid any further problems.

***

Farner comes back ten minutes or so later. I couldn't fall asleep for some reason so I hear her when she enters the room.

"Is he sleeping?" Is she asking me or… "This guy is really something else. He doesn't even flinch in front of me. And how can he be so strong? I should tell Lanuvel to cut his hair tomorrow as a sign of apology."

"I don't need it."

"KYAAAA!!!!" Farner jumps and lends on her bed.

"Farner?!!!" At the same time, people' voices echo, and I can suddenly hear a lot of noises. People are coming.

"You big idiot!" Farner comes, grabs my hand, throws me on the bed, and then lies on top of me. The sheet somehow covers us both. Soon after, her door is almost busted open.

"You okay?!! What happened?!" That's Excia's voice.

"S-sorry, I thought I saw a cockroach."

"Fuah…Why would you scream in the middle of the night for a mere bug?" That's pink panties girl's voice.

"They make sure to clean our rooms thoroughly. You must have had some night snacks again and that brought a cockroach here." And that's Roxcia's voice.

"Sorry, girls. Ahahaha…"

"Also, don't you look a bit fat?"

"W-what?!!" Farner's body starts trembling at Excia's remark. Her breasts are right on my face so now, the smell from earlier is completely filling my nose.

"H-hyaa…"

"Hya?"

"N-nothing. Anyway, I am okay now. You guys can go."

"Screaming in the middle of the night for some bugs. Good brief." Excia's voice dissipates first.

"Sigh... You are a real handful sometimes, you know." Then it is pink panties.

"Don't forget our appointment with the headmaster tomorrow." And finally, Roxcia seems to have left as well, closing Farner's door.

"Get off! You pervert!" Farner moves to the side and pushes me out of the bed with her foot.

"You are the one who lied on me, though."

"That's not a reason to get aroused. Guys, I swear!"

"I didn't get aroused."

"Right! And w-w-w-what is that, then?" She points at my trousers with a trembling finger. When I look, there is a slight bulge there? What is that?

"You are a pervert. I definitively won't be able to sleep tonight or I might even wake up pregnant."

"The hell?" What is that girl saying?

"Listen very well!" She stands up from her bed and makes one step, then draws some kind of invincible lines with her foot. "If you even as much as scratch this line, you are dead, you hear me?! Dead!"

"Right."

Farner lies on her bed and glares at me for a minute with a red face before turning to the other direction.

Let's just sleep.

***

The next morning, I wake up before the sun is even up. Some birds are already singing outside though. I can also hear some noises coming from Excia's room. Farner is still sleeping. Her legs are completely exposed.

"I am pretty sure that she will scream again if I wake her up."

I leave through the window and go back to the pets' house. After greeting K'nor, I take my uniform but it is dirty and smelling from the soup. Well, that's a problem, I guess. I take it and go to the academy. Maybe I can get a spare.

When I arrive at our dorm, I knock on the door and it's Excia who opens it. She was up after all.

"Oh, my. What are doing here?"

"My uniform is dirty. Is it possible to obtain a spare one?"

"Enter first... Rude boy." You are the one who asked what I was doing here!

I enter and find the guy who was with Cordel and pink panties. The machine is there as well. Are they training?

"Good morning."

"Hm…" The guy doesn't answer but only makes a slight gesture with his hand while groaning a bit.

"He is not much of a morning person."

Excia comes behind me and takes my dirty uniform.

"Do you have a spare uniform then?"

"Yeah, there are three uniforms in your room. I will just take another one there."

"My room?" I have a room here?

"Yeah, your room." Apparently, I do have one.

Excia goes upstairs, leaving with the weird guy who has started breathing heavily.

"You okay?"

"I don't like you."

"Yeah, I know. Most people don't."

"See, that's exactly why I don't like you. You act like you don't care about what people think. I hate people who act tough even though they aren't."

"Is that so?"

I look at the board of the machine and Excia's name shines a bit. I wonder why.

"She just finished using it."

"I didn't ask."

"I would have had to tell you anyway."

"Thanks."

"I don't need nor want your thanks."

"Still, thanks."

"You really want to thank me. Then hop on it and show me. Show me the evolution they all keep talking about."

"Evolution?"

"Normally when your level has been estimated by this machine, it is extremely difficult to increase it. It measures your potential and not your actual strength, after all. But you, you actually managed to increase your potential by fifty in less than a week. Not even Cordel, no, not even the heroes were able to make it grow by more than twenty during all their time here."

"Then what? You want to see if I am special?"

"You are certainly not special. But I want to see it. What is it that you have that we don't."

"I don't think you would be able to see it even if you wanted to."

I have a dragon's soul after all. It is not something you can see. Though I am not sure it is the reason for that 'evolution'.

I jump on the machine and start running. Just like last time, the same sounds start and I manage not to fall by focusing on them to move appropriately but then, a flashing light comes and I fall.

"Shit." This thing is completely wrecked. Where are all those noises and lights coming from anyway?!!

"So, it is true."

I hear Excia's voice behind me. She is back already? I turn around and find her with the guy. His face distorted like he has diarrhea.

"Teacher will definitively lose more hair after he sees this."

I look at the board and see 'unknown' together with the number '154'. I was near 100 last time, right? So, this time, I went up by 54. That's great.

"Esteressa is going to be furious again."

"Yeah, Lanuvel as well. They will have to apologize to him. It's going to be fun to see."

"Kevin, here is your uniform. Your room is the last one at the second floor so go and get it yourself next time."

Excia and the guy leave. Now that I think about it, the sun is rising outside.