?1351 A… Unique Friendship
"So… are you excited?"
The two kids—Serah and Neron—were laying on a vast field within the Kaelid Estate.
Surrounding them were rubbles and debris from various parts of the manor, but they both ignored them and focused on the conversation at hand.
"Excited? For what?" Neron turned to look beside him, seeing Serah's cute face.
For some reason, she was smiling at him.
"You know… the exams coming up in a few months."
Both of them would be turning 12 very soon, which meant they had to prepare for the Ainzlark Academy Entrance Exams.
Every child of a Noble or revered Mage household had to attend the Academy, considering its prestige in all of the Eastern Kingdom.
Neron sighed the moment he heard this, almost as if he was tired of the question.
The truth is… this wasn't the first time she had asked him.
It wasn't even the second one.
Every time they hung out, she had to bring up the whole Ainzlark thing at least once.
"I mean… I know I'll get in, so there's no need to get excited about the Exams." Neron shrugged.
This was the answer he always gave.
"Tch! Always so cocky, aren't you?" Serah grumbled under her breath as she looked away from him.
Slight shades of pink appeared on her cheeks while she faced the opposite side.
"I mean… I don't doubt you'd win, but…"
Neron raised an eyebrow as he stared at her, but he decided not to pursue the issue and simply look above him.
The clear evening sky greeted his eyes.
Somehow, Neron couldn't help but remember his first meeting with the girl beside him, and the subsequent consequences of their interaction.
For one, since both of their families wanted them to be friends, they sort of arranged weekly meetings to ensure that he and Serah met frequently.
The venue was rotated every week, which ensured that he would visit her once in a week, and she would do the same the next week.
It also wasn't something he had a choice in.
This arrangement went on for almost seven years—from when they were five till now that they were nearly twelve years old.
What was initially two people who hardly interacted and hated one another to the extreme ended up slowly evolving into this current stage.
An awkward representation of friendship.
Serah would say they were friends at this point; all things considered.
However, Neron remained aloof about the whole thing.
He didn't want to say or show anything that would imply he was very invested in their relationship, but he couldn't deny the bond they had.
Other than Serah, Neron had no one his age he could connect with.
He had gone for other Noble Parties and attended several events—with and without Serah.
All of them made it painfully clear that he was stuck with the girl.
"I'm guessing you're excited. I don't think you're going to lose or anything, though…"
As Neron said this, Serah jumped to her feet, her face red like a tomato.
"What did you just say?! Of course I won't lose!" Once she fumed, Neron sighed once again.
"If you know you will win… why are you so excited?"
As she heard the question, Serah didn't know how to properly respond.
What was she supposed to say?
"W-well… maybe I just want to kick some ass and—!"
"Language, Serah." Neron mumbled, closing his eyes as he crossed his leg while relaxing on the vast field.
This caused the young lady to pout even more.
"Hmph! What's your deal? It's not like any of the adults can hear us, right? Besides… Mr. Mordred isn't even around."
With Serah folding her arms and declaring such with confidence, Neron couldn't help but think she had missed the point completely.
'Even if he isn't here, it's not befitting for a lady to… ahh, never mind.'
If there was anything about Serah, it was the fact that she was very unladylike.
It made him sometimes question her true identity.
However, every time he stared at her pretty face and slightly plump chest, he had to admit…
… She was indeed a girl.
'But she's right about dad not being here. If he was, she would have behaved.'
Neron's father—Mordred Kaelid—had gone to the Capital on some business.
The boy didn't know the details, but he knew it was an important meeting he had to attend.
As a result, he left the two of them in the hands of the Butler—
Aldred—and the staff of the Estate.
Fortunately, they were all pretty skilled at Magic, so they could take care of the mess he and Serah made without too much work.
'Let's hope dad comes back soon…' Neron smiled as he looked at Serah's face.
"What? Why are you smiling at me like that? It's creepy!"
Once Neron heard this, he smiled even more.
"Is there something on my face? Come on! Say something!"
Neron decided to give Serah the silent treatment until she learned her lesson about language—at least, that was what he told himself.
In actuality, he just wanted to see how far he could push her.
*********
[Later That Night]
~KOK~
~KOK~
Neron heard a faint noise coming from his door, which woke him from his slumber.
He had always been a light sleeper thanks to being very sensitive to his surroundings.
That was why it only took the first knock to alert him, and the second one to wake him completely.
"Urhh… who's that?" He spoke groggily, a frown etched on his sleepy face.
"It's me… Serah!"
Once Neron heard this, he found sleep slowly vanishing from his eyes.
"What do you want?"
"S-so mean. You can't even tell me to come in first?"
Neron felt the irony of her words. Serah was known to be very unconventional in everything.
She lacked proper etiquette and was constantly vulgar in her words.
Yet… refusing to enter Neron's room seemed to be where she crossed the line.
He chuckled a little under his breath.
"I'm going back to sleep." Neron spoke out with a smile on his face.
Something about the twinkle in his blue eyes made it clear he was absolutely enjoying the situation.
"F-fine! The thing is… I can't sleep."
"Hm?"
Neron was surprised. This had never happened before—not even once.
Serah was often energetic in the morning, but at night she clocked out faster than anyone.
Some even went as far as saying that she probably got all her energy from the sun.
And yet, here she was talking about not being sleepy.
Neron found it strange, but also curious. He couldn't go back to sleep because he had somehow lost all his earlier drowsiness.
Since he now had no option but to entertain her, he made the only choice he could.
"Come in, then."
*******
The two kids ended up talking through the night.
Neron didn't expect it to be so engaging, but he and Serah didn't stop chatting.
She had said she couldn't sleep due to feeling uneasy, but the girl on his bed was just as energetic as she would be in the morning.
'Dad is gonna skin me alive if he finds out I'm not sleeping at this hour!' Neron found his thoughts trailing.
Still, he couldn't resist talking to his only friend.
Unknown to the both of them… all the excitement that coursed through their veins would soon transform into something else.
—Something darker.
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Thanks for reading!
Hope you enjoyed the chapter. It was wholesome and all, but it's about time to get into the meat of the situation.
