"Don't argue with idiots. They would bring you down to their level and beat you with experience."
Compass Carburettor smirked, "I'm pretty much doing the same thing here. Doesn't development have two paths? One where you improve beyond your foe and two, where you pull the enemy to your level and then push them below you."
"I'm following the latter."
"So, if I get this straight…" Gehera thought for a minute as she oriented her thoughts, "You would turn your enemies into mortals, humans I mean?"
"Gehera is smart!" Compass Carburettor clapped comically, "That took you a minute?"
"Ugh, don't boast your computing speed." Gehera said when suddenly, she froze in shock as she pointed at him, "Is t-that why you have a world full of yourself?"
"Yup," Compass Carburettor grinned, "I'm still accumulating experience at a genetic level, just that I'm not tapping into any myself after becoming a mortal. But, if I were to meditate and tap into my spirituality, I would be able to access parts of that experience reserve."
"Basically, I have the confidence in turning my enemies into mortal humans and creating a situation where I can end their existence, with zero chance of their revival. After all, that is what it means to die a human." He concluded.
'Terrifying, indeed.' She nodded before sighing, "So, the last of that puzzle was a slap from your student?"
"Yeah," Compass Carburettor nodded, "I felt pretty humiliated when that happened, you see. That was my second slap after I became an adult."
"Second?" Gehera's eyes widened in surprise, "Who was brave enough to do that before?"
"Money-Making System." Compass Carburettor said, expressing a tinge of annoyance, "It didn't even use its hands but its tongue to slap me. That was when I felt the most humiliated in my life."
"T-Teacher…" A voice resounded from nearby as Millie spoke in hesitation, approaching them as she eyed Gehera once before bowing towards him, "I'm sorry for misbehaving back then. I know I'm in the wrong…"
"Nah, you pass." Compass Carburettor simply flashed a thumbs up, "Standing up for what you feel is right is the essence of being a Hero. So, you indeed passed with spectacular colours, even though it hasn't been long since you became my student."
"R-Really? Then, I won't be punished?" Millie asked in hope.
"You mad or what?" Compass Carburettor burst into laughter, "You did the right thing back there, but you're not supposed to slap a teacher. So, you need to be punished accordingly."
"I won't slap a teacher anymore." He said in all seriousness, "Write it a hundred times. That's your punishment."
He then coolly got in the car and motioned for her to leave while eyeing Gehera to start the car.
The car sped past Millie who stared at its trail slack-jawed, muttering eventually, "Hundred times…that's it? I can get it done within a few minutes."
…
"You seem pretty happy." Compass Carburettor said upon noticing Gehera whistle while driving.
"Yeah, I'm happy that you became human. You feel pretty normal to interact with now." Gehera said, "Before this, even though you had good intentions, I was nervous to face you. It just felt like I was a commodity being appraised."
"I no longer do it though." Compass Carburettor said, "That part of me is no more."
"Yes, but I am referring to the time when you saved me back when I was a Novice Cartographer." Gehera said, "And, your daughter still does that. Does that nature run in the family?"
"I guess so." Compass Carburettor nodded before looking at her, "But, she's no longer treating you like that, right? When I talked with the collective consciousness in her, I could feel that she genuinely treated you as her friend now, someone she would risk her life for."
"That took decades to establish, decades, I say." Gehera rolled her eyes in response, "No one else other than me would have the patience to bother with that brat with anger issues."
"Ahh…is that so?" Compass Carburettor smiled wryly, "She's pretty chill though…"
"She's wrapped an entire world under her funny little chokers. Chill is the last term to address her with…" Gehera ranted, going on about the years when she had to handle Stencil while also taking care of Hazen's mental outbursts that each time felt like her mind would shatter.
And during that time, Truck-Kun was damn useless while a good fraction of the enemies was actively hunting them down to steal their powers.
Gehera had to manage all that while suppressing Stencil's enemy collective consciousnesses. She had a lot to vent about, enough that she was still talking even past dinner and until bedtime.
"I'm tired now." Compass Carburettor yawned in the end as he calmly covered the bedsheet over his face and closed his eyes, acting as if he was alone. Of course, seated right beside him was an offended Gehera, veins popping all over her forehead at the fact he chose to ignore her rants and prioritised sleep instead.
"You at least listened to everything I said when you were a virus cell cluster!" Gehera complained in the end, pouting as she slumped on the pillow.
"I had a billion minds to process that back then. But I now only have my puny little one. Spare me, pretty please?" He peeked out of the bedsheet a little and innocently stared at her with starlight eyes.
"F-Fine!" Gehera's face turned beet-red as she turned silent, thinking of something as she pulled his arm under her head and used it as her pillow to sleep. For a moment, she was nervous, but upon failing to sense any resistance from the other party, she eased up a little.
"Gehera…" Compass Carburettor asked after a while of silence.
"Yes?" Gehera asked, her face covered by the blanket as she could feel her heart racing for some reason.
"Do you like me?" He asked all of a sudden.
Gehera didn't react strongly as she would have usually, but instead snuggled closer, "With all your abilities, shouldn't you have noticed it already?"
"I did indeed, but I waited until I became a human fully to see what I actually felt." Compass Carburettor said and then turned silent.
The silence was deadly for her, as minutes felt like hours. Eventually, she couldn't endure anymore and asked, looking up to stare at his face, noticing mild hesitation, "So, what do you think of me?"
