Chapter 163- For Elise (Part 1)
"Our bracelets?" Rin asked with a confused look on his face.
'What's there to change about their bracelets?' He thought to himself.
Even though it had been a month since he got his own bracelet, he still didn't discover all of its functionalities yet. There were some things that the bracelets provided that he didn't have any use for like most of the entertainment options for example.
"Yes, your bracelets will change quite drastically when you move floors. The biggest change will be the ranking system. Since most of you won't be relying on major studies, your points will be calculated through battles."
"Battles?"
"Battles are the most simple term for a weekly tournament held on each floor after the first floor. These tournaments require the student to spar against other students. If they win, they got points and the student who garners the most points by the end of the month will get various rewards and perks. However, this is where things become harder. Being at the top with the most points doesn't mean you will automatically go to the next floor."
Roseair's face became serious as she held a finger up. Then, she took a deep breath and continued.
"For that to happen, you need to leave the academy on a mission… No, actually considering the difficulty of the mission, it can be multiple ones."
'Ugh, right, I forgot that missions exist in the academy. Hunting monsters, catching criminals, and other objectives.' Rin rubbed the back of his head.
"These missions are also a great way to gather points, experience, and even practice everything you trained inside the academy grounds. But, the most important thing you will gain is the feeling of a life-or-death battle. Most of you aren't aware of how dangerous this world is and so experiencing it firsthand will help teach you the value of your own life and the life of your companions."
"I see…" Elise murmured as she seemingly fell into deep thought.
"Sigh, anyway, this is it for the time being. The rest will be explained once you move to that floor. You will have today and tomorrow to get ready."
Nodding their heads, the three students left the office. Tonalia then left to deal with a matter, leaving Rin and Elise alone.
"Mm, I have a matter to deal with. I need to go." Rin said suddenly.
Elise looked at him confusedly as if she was waiting for him to explain. However, Rin shook his head.
"It isn't a big deal. I will tell you once I get done with it. Later. Oh, right, can we meet tomorrow, I have something to show you." He said.
"Fine…"
It would be a lie if Elise said she wasn't curious about what he was planning. However, she trusted Rin almost blindly so she knew that if he can't tell her now, it was for a good reason.
"Mm, anyway, later."
After that, Rin walked away in a random direction. When he turned around, he smiled widely before he vanished somewhere.
*****
"Psst, Evelyn, you there?"
In a particularly wide room, Rin walked inside secretly as he made sure no one saw him. His eyes looked around warily.
Then, out of nowhere, two hands appeared and wrapped around his neck like a gentle breeze of warm air.
"I'm here, darling. I missed you so much~~" She said.
The addictive smell of the seductive woman filled his nostrils as he felt her cheek touching the back of his neck gently. That single touch could've easily turned a man into a crazy animal. However, Rin had already grown accustomed to her playful attitude. Besides, for a particular reason, he had to bear with Evelyn's provocative actions.
"You came early today~~," She said as she chuckled and released him. However, her body was still awfully close to his.
"Yeah, I will finally be moving floors."
Hearing that, Evelyn's hypnotizing eyes blinked innocently.
"Already?"
"Yeah, it wasn't that hard."
"Oh, I guess it's time for me to move floors too, then."
"You…" Rin had already understood the woman in front of him to a certain extent. Yet, somehow, she still amazes him with her answers sometimes.
"Whatever, I can't even stop you even if I wanted to."
"Fufufufu! Rin is really cute! I want to eat you~"
"I don't taste delicious~" He rolled his eyes as he walked past her toward the thing that he had been working on for a while.
"You are delicious enough in my eyes~ Almost too delicious." She murmured the last few words for Rin to not hear them.
"Hm, you said something?"
"Nooo~~ Anyway, do you want to start?" She asked as she cheerfully walked to his side.
"Yes, I think I got the hang of it. Maybe a few more tries and I will be able to master it."
"Yes, I can't believe you learned that quickly. You are truly skillful with your fingers, Rin~"
"Really?"
"Yes, yes. You have the technique down and how you move your fingers does feel amazing." She said.
"Hmm, I see. Well, I take pride in my hands." He smiled proudly.
Rin had been upgrading his dexterity for a long while now and he could say with a straight face that he was now a dexterity master. His body was now almost fully under his control.
"Your hands, you say? Hmm, let me try them again, will you?"
"Don't make it sound suspicious. What happened that day… was just stupid."
Leaning forward, Evelyn looked deep into Rin's eyes. A weird atmosphere loomed over the two of them. Rin felt some tension between them.
"Was it?" She asked in a slow, breathy voice.
Rin's body froze for a second but quickly, he shook his head and coughed a few times.
"I only asked you for a favor to teach me. Don't take it too far or I will leave."*
"Hehehehe! Ok, ok, I won't. But, teasing you is just so much fun, I can't hold myself back~"
"Ok, sit down, and let's start. I won't go easy on you~"
"I never asked you to do so."
"Good boy~"
***
The next day, Elise received a message from Rin through her bracelet.
"Meet me near the club building." The message said without specifying anything.
'What is he trying to do?' She wondered.
Elise had already noticed that Rin had been acting suspiciously for a while now but she didn't question it as she thought it was merely because of exhaustion and stress. However, now that she thought about it, it did seem quite weird.
But, no matter how much she tried to recall seeing anything, she failed. So, instead, she decided to see for herself what Rin had in mind.
A few minutes later, Elise was standing in front of the Clubs' building. For students that are fond of hobbies like archery, literature, drawing, and all other kinds of activities, this area was built for them. It had almost every kind of hobby and every kind of club. They can spend time here after classes to enjoy their time and to also do something beneficial for them.
However, because everyone was still shocked by the rankings, all of them were now either training or hunting to be able to increase their points. There was no time for fun and games.
Walking inside the building, Elise couldn't find Rin at all. He had said to meet him there but he wasn't present.
'Did I come early?'
However, as she was about to turn around to walk out, she heard a sound. It wasn't loud but it was still audible enough to catch Elise's interest.
'This sound…'
She was very familiar with it. Of course, for most of her life, this sound was the only thing she heard after all.
Instinctively, her legs walked toward the origin of the sound. The more she approached it, the more her eyes widened in pure shock.
She knew this tone, she knew these notes. She knew them very well.
'A piano?' She asked as she finally reached the place where this music originated from. The door was half closed.
Without hesitation, she pushed the door and looked inside.
There, on a chair in front of a huge piano, Rin sat down with his eyes closed. His fingers were running through the piano keys so elegantly as if he had been doing this for years on end.
His gentle aura was amazingly dancing along with his notes. It took Elise's breath away. She didn't know why, but this sight in front of her was by far the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. It looked so unbelievably perfect.
'This is… Fur Elise by Beethoven.' She quickly identified the song Rin was playing and it quickly clicked in her mind.
Fur Elise meant in another language 'For Elise'. Was this song for her? Did Rin learn the piano just to play her this song?
All kinds of questions bugged her mind. Yet all she can do was stand motionless enjoying the music. Her eyes closed and her mind flew somewhere else, a beautiful land where no pain or fear existed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let's all keep it up :)