"Take one card".
"And then?"
"Don't tell me what the card is. Remember the card you hold right now".
"Done".
"Give it back".
"…"
"I know what card you held".
"?"
"6 of hearts!"
"So this is magic trick?"
"Yeah!" El nods to Add as he shuffles the cards. "Actually, it's wrong if a person from magical class do a magic trick. You know why," El said with a forced smile.
Someone opens the tile. "What are you guys doing in the morning?" Raven asked as he looks at El and Add that having fun just playing cards.
"I just do a magic trick," El replied, not proud.
Raven gives a lollipop to Add. "If you do a magic trick, I'm not surprised," Raven said as he takes the cards from El's hand.
"Go, Raven, do some magic trick!" El shouted, bothering Aisha and Ara who still sleep peacefully.
"Take one," Raven said as he ordered El to take one card. El and Add looks at the card in El's hand: ace of spades.
"By the way, I don't think the lollipop is delicious," Raven said as he looks at Add who already eat the lollipop.
"Probably you put the poison, not the antidote," El replied.
"I'm not that dumb," Raven replied.
"Sweets are delicious," Add replied, out of topic.
"Give the card back," Raven said. El put the card in the middle of the deck.
"Wait. If Rena's 'something' lollipop doesn't make you suffer from diabetes," El said as he looks at Add's lollipop, then looks at Raven, "that means your lollipop can make Add suffer from diabetes".
Raven sighs. "I just make it when Rena is gone," Raven replied as he shuffles the cards.
"At least it's a candy," Add said, ready to face the second danger after get poisoned: diabetes.
"It's good that the grave Rena dug is not used. Don't really use it, Add," El said who still remembers the graveyard is still available for whoever dies.
Raven shows the cards at the floor. There's one card opens: ace of spades.
"Raven can do magic trick," Add said, whether praising or just talking.
"Not really," Raven replied.
El rolls his eyes. "I can't believe you rotate the deck while you're talking to us," El said who indirectly reveals the card trick. Try it for yourself if you want.
Raven smiles. "Want another one?"
Ara who sleeps peacefully before wakes up. "What are you guys doing?" Ara asked as she rubs her eyes.
"Magic trick," Add replied who looks like the easiest to trick when it comes to magic trick. It's sad to see innocent people like this.
"You two sleep together at the floor?" Raven asked as he looks at El and Ara. They nod.
"Add, you're a boy. You should be the one who sleep at the floor," Raven said to Add.
"They said they want to sleep together at the floor," Add replied.
Raven sighs. "Aisha sure misunderstands this".
"Yeah. She misunderstands this last night," Ara replied with a nod, gossiping someone because still sleeping.
Raven takes one card at the top of the deck and shows it to El, Ara, and Add. Raven turns his hand into a fist and opens his hand. The card disappears.
"Oh! Raven, you're awesome!" Ara shouted with a clap, whether waking up Aisha or not.
They don't know how, but Raven takes the card from the air. El just stares, trying to reveals another Raven's magic trick.
"Raven can control time and space like me," Add said all of a sudden.
"No, Add, not that far," Raven replied with a smile.
"Can you guys stop talking about 'not that far'?!" Aisha protested out of the blue, then pulls her blanket and goes back to sleep.
Everybody turns to silence.
"What's with her?" Raven asked as he points Aisha. Ara whispers about El being too blunt last night to Raven. Raven nods.
"Raven, repeat it," El said, still curious with Raven's magic trick. Raven repeated the same magic trick. "Okay, I give up," El said who gives up just like that.
Raven smiles and puts the card back to its place. "Okay. I'm going back to lab—"
"Raven, wait!" El and Ara shouted as they hold Raven's not-nasod-arm.
"Teach us," Ara said, ordering Raven to reveal his own magic trick.
"Fine. I'll teach one," Raven replied, taking the same card. Raven turns his hand to a fist, moves the card above middle finger and ring finger, and holds the card with his index finger and pinky. Raven shows his empty palm. Raven turns his hand back to a fist, takes the card, and make like he take the card from the air.
"Cool," El said, then tries the magic trick he just learnt. Ara and Add also try it.
"You guys better find some money rather than doing that," Raven said as he goes back to the Rena's not-secret-anymore-lab.
"He's right. We spent almost a fifth of this chapter just to do magic tricks," Ara replied. "Let's find some money!" Ara shouted to her two friends.
"Aisha, let's find some money," El touches Aisha's cheek.
"What do you want, El?!" Aisha protested who is sensitive with El because of last night. "I'm still sleepy!"
"You're the one who said girls should wake up in the morning," Ara replied.
"You mad at me?" El asked without feeling guilty.
"I'm not mad, El," Aisha said, finally wakes up because someone bothers her. "I'm just annoyed with you," Aisha murmured, making El confused. Even Ara and Add also confused.
"If you want to yell, just yell," El replied as he stares at Aisha.
Aisha stands up. "I need to go to the toilet," Aisha said as she walks to the toilet.
"Let me join you!" Ara shouted as she enters the toilet.
"As far as I know, if there were two girls or more at the toilet, they will come out 30 minutes later," El said. Add just stays in silent because all he know is 'if there's a girl at the toilet, don't enter'.
"Ara, why are you following me?" Aisha asked. "I want to fulfill the nature's call, you know".
"I just want to tell a few things to you," Ara said who rarely this serious. "About El".
"I don't want to talk about him again," Aisha replied, feeling annoyed.
"But you have to know!" Ara shouted as she grabs Aisha's shoulders and indirectly not letting Aisha to do her nature's call.
Midnight, Aisha and Add sleep peacefully while El and Ara tell a story since 9 o'clock.
"Finally the girls can meet her boyfriend again and they live happily ever after," Ara said, finishing whatever the story is to El.
"I don't like happy ending," El replied.
"By the way," Ara looks at El and too bad El can't looks Ara back, "you can't say that things to girls, El. Especially Aisha. She's sensitive with that thing".
"What thing?" El asked.
"Romance," Ara replied.
"I don't understand," El said. "Actually I don't understand anything about romance. I don't understand why someone can like someone else for specific reason," El murmured.
"Why are you so blunt back then? You really hurt her feelings, you know," Ara said.
"I just tell what I'm thinking," El replied without feeling guilty.
"But not like that, El. I can't tell you why because Aisha isn't telling you yet," Ara said, doesn't want to spread the others' secret.
"What the hell?" El annoyed because he doesn't understand. "Fine. If she wants to yell at me, then let it be. You can't even tell me why," El continued.
"At least apologize," Ara replied.
"I prefer get yelled than apologize," El responded, sounds really happy to get yelled.
"El doesn't understand this kind of thing, Aisha," Ara said, finishing her story.
Aisha sighs. "Actually I'm ready if he's going to be blunt like that, but—"
"And you still annoyed?" Ara cutted Aisha's words.
"But you understand, right?" Aisha asked back.
"I understand, but El won't understand why you're like that if you didn't tell him," Ara replied. "Why don't you tell him? Tell Add as well".
"Do you think he's going to like me if I tell him?" Aisha murmured.
"…Well, no," Ara replied. "But they're your friends too," Ara continued.
Aisha turns to silence, whether doesn't know what to say or still thinking about her nature's call.
"If you don't want to tell them, it's okay," Ara said because she feels too long in the toilet. "I can talk to El".
"Then go! I want to pee!" Aisha protested.
A few minutes passed, finally Ara comes out from the toilet.
"It's not half an hour," Add said as he looks at the clock.
"22 minutes," El continued, also looks at the clock.
Ara sighs. "El, I want to talk—"
"About last night?" El cutted Ara's words.
"If Aisha not telling you anything, do you want to apologize to her?" Ara asked all of a sudden.
"Wait!" El crosses his arms. "I don't like her that far, then she's annoyed, and everything is my fault?"
Ara scratches her head. "Looks like that's what happened—"
"What the hell?!" El cutted Ara's words, also annoyed. "I have the right to hold opinions!"
Ara gives a forced smile. "Yeah, but—"
"Do I have to lie?!" El protested.
"I don't understand," Add said, finally speaks. "You two fight because of 'not that far' ".
"Even I don't understand, Add," El replied.
Aisha exits the toilet. Everybody looks at Aisha like the real problem starts here.
Aisha sighs. "El, I want to tell you something".
El stares at Aisha. "What is it? Why so serious?"
Aisha looks at Add. "Add, I want to tell you something too".
"Why you bring me into this too?" Add asked.
"I want to tell about my past," Aisha smiled.
Aisha is a child from rich family. So rich that Aisha has a butler. Aisha doesn't get a permission to go out and play with someone else because her parents said that they're just poor kids who wants to beg for some money (even we don't know if that's true or not). When Aisha is still little, Aisha has too much hobby. Starting from cooking, drawing, arranging flowers, until something that doesn't sounds normal for kid: magic. Aisha always shows her result from too-much-hobby to her parents when they come home from work.
"Mom! I drew something for you!" Aisha shouted as she shows her drawing to her mom. The we-all-know drawing: two mountains, a road in the middle, besides the road is a field, sun in the corner of the paper, and M-shaped bird.
Her mom glances at Aisha's drawing. "It's good," her mom said. Her mom never say anything except 'it's good'. Even Aisha is not sure if her mom really said that because her drawing is good. After that, her mom goes to the bedroom and sleeps.
Usually Aisha wakes up until midnight to wait for her dad that is not certain if he's going to go home at that time. One day, her dad luckily goes home at midnight. Aisha runs to her dad. "Dad! I make cookies for you!" Aisha shouted as she gives a bowl of cookies to her dad.
"Aisha, I'm busy," her dad replied, like always.
"Just one, please," Aisha begged.
Her dad takes that bowl and throws it to the floor. "I'm busy! I'm tired because I have to go in the morning and back at late night! Do you understand?!"
And her dad leaves just like that.
Aisha just looks at the cookies on the floor and cries. Aisha eats one of the cookies. "It's delicious," Aisha said to herself.
One day, when her parents are in holiday, Aisha approaches them at their bedroom. "Dad! Mom! Can we go on holiday?" Aisha asked excitedly.
"Aisha, we're busy," her mom said as she pats Aisha's head.
"But you're on holiday right now," Aisha said with full of disappointment.
"We need a rest," her dad said. "We can give you money. If you need more, just tell us".
A few years passed and all Aisha's do is just the same like she was kid. Until she's finally really bored with her too-much-hobby and reads a newspaper so she would keep updated. Aisha reads about a school to learn about fighting, but she's only focus on one word.
Magic.
After talking shortly with her parents, Aisha gets a permission to go to that school. Aisha just said one sentence that makes her parents give her a permission to socialize with poor-kids-who-wants-to-beg-for-money at the school later.
"When there's an attack, I can help you!"
"Actually I just need my parents' attention," Aisha said with teary eyes. "I don't need money! I just want them to love me! I—"
El cutted Aisha's words by hugging her. Aisha's face turns red. "El, what are you doing?!" Aisha protested.
"I understand," El replied.
Aisha cries. "O-Okay you don't have to hug me!"
"Someone said if somebody is hugged, he or she will feel better," El smiled, quoted Ara's mom's words.
"El…" Aisha hugs back. "Don't make me like you more than this".
"About that, I don't understand," El replied, ruining the situation.
"I want to get hugged too," Ara said as she looks at El and Aisha. "Add, come here!" Ara shouted as she hugs Add all of a sudden.
"That reminds me of my mom," Add said, ruining the situation more.
Add's first experiment to jump through the time and space, Add arrives at his home with the hope his mom would be really happy seeing him after a long time. Ironically, he still doesn't realize he was sold by his parents.
Add knocks the door. It's a coincidence that his mom opens the door and surprised seeing Add. "What are you doing in here, Add? Go away!" And shooed by his mom immediately.
"Why?" Add asked with a monotone voice.
"I don't want to see you again!" his mom shouted.
"…Fine".
Add stabs her mom's chest with his nasod dynamo, right at the heart. Add opens a portal inside her mom's body and make her mom's heart disappears to some other dimension. Add pulls his nasod dynamo, makes her mom lying on the ground, and goes away just like that.
"What did your mom said when she met you again?" Ara said all of a sudden as she loosen her hug.
"The point is she doesn't want to see me again," Add answered with a monotone voice, making Ara feels sad hearing it.
El loosen his hug. "Cookies, huh? Make one for me," El said with a smile and squints his eyes, "I want to know how spicy it is".
"What are you talking about?! It's not spicy!" Aisha protested.
"Aisha didn't hear my story yet, right?" Add asked to his friends.
"Story?" Aisha repeated.
Ara smiles. "Oh, you always missed something important every time you're sullen".
El rolls his eyes. "That's why don't get cranky easily like that".
At last Add repeated his story to Aisha.
"W-Why are you two have a hobby to kill your own parents?" Aisha first response after heard Add's story. El and Add don't know what to reply.
"Oh, you're not happy back then," El replied all of a sudden, "okay then, Add!"
"?"
"We're going to kill Aisha's parents!" El shouted as he turns his hand to a fist and smiles.
"No!" Aisha protested. "I don't hate my parents that much!"
"Looks like I'm the only one happy in my childhood," Ara said as she looks at her friends. "Do you want to come to my house sometimes?"
El eyes sparkles. "Free food?!"
"I never go to the others' house before, so…" Aisha suddenly not sure.
"Are we going to kill your parents?" Add asked.
"No, Add!" Ara protested. "Don't worry. Just come".
"Maybe someday," El replied as he takes his sword. "I want to find money!"
If it's about money, everyone exits the room and looks at the portals immediately. "Poor Raven. He can't find money," El chuckles.
"Hm…" Ara looks at the portals. "Do you want to do all the secret dungeons?"
Frustration scream is hearable.
El snaps his finger. "Eve's voice!"
"What kind of traps this time?" Ara asked curiously.
"I didn't put any traps," El answered with skeptical innocent face.
They go to the back of the school and find Eve falls on her knees and puts her hands on the ground. "I give up, Els! I give up!"
Els just gives a forced smile. "Let's do it again," Els said as he holds his sword tightly.
"I don't know what just happened, but I love seeing other people stressed!" El shouted. Els and Eve turn and see the Quadruplet near them.
Eve lies down on the ground and look at the sky. "Forget it," Eve said without hope.
"What happened?" Ara asked curiously.
"We just back from Heart of Behemoth," Els answered with a forced smile, "but because of Eve's bad hand-eye coordination, she got hit often".
El rolls his eyes. "You really want to wait for her to reach SSS, Els?"
"El, be quiet!" Eve protested who doesn't really want to protest. Besides it would be a big problem if Els really wait for her.
"No problem," Els replied to the author.
Add bows and looks at Eve. Eve looks back. "What, Add?" Eve asked, but Add doesn't say anything. Add moves his face closer to Eve's and make Els' blood boiled. "A-Add?!"
Add's left eye glows and there's a symbol of shut down. Maybe blue screen can happen to his left eye. "There's something wrong with your data," Add said all of a sudden, making everybody confused.
"My data?" Eve replied.
Add points to Eve's core. "Your data is in a mess. Most of the codes are wrong".
Eve amazed hearing Add understands nasod. It's obvious from the weapon Add used. "Really?" Eve asked with disbelief.
"I'm sure there's something wrong with your body. That's why your reflex is bad," Add continued. "Do you want me to fix it?" Add asked.
"Y-You're going to take apart my body?" Eve asked with a forced smile. Add nods.
"Els, you're going to explode," El said as he points Els' red face.
Els glares at Add. "Add, you're not going to touch her as you want".
"If that's the case, you hear my instruction to fix her and let me recoding her unarranged codes because I don't have to touch her. Can you do that?" Indirectly (and without realizing it), Add threaten Eve's safety because Els' can't be trusted.
"Let her go for a moment," Aisha said with a smile. "For Eve's better future!"
"But—"
"Els," Eve cutted Els' words, making Els turns to silence. "My codes must be unarranged because of that time," Eve sighs. "Want me to tell it all while Add fixes me?"
A few years ago, Eve is a happy nasod. As a Queen of Nasod, of course there's King of Nasod. As a nasod, Eve really needs el stone.
For our sake, author doesn't use capital letter. Blame the author who gave whatever-our-author-is' character named "El" and make people confused.
Like we all know, one day there's a demon invasion. That invasion make el stones turns to dark el, making the nasods corrupted and killing each other. Even the king nasod is corrupted.
Eve doesn't want to stay there doing nothing seeing her fellow thing killing each other. Eve tried to stop the what-in-the-world-just-happened fight, but she doesn't know how. Finally, the lucky Eve because she still has a normal el stone becomes unlucky because she's still a victim of the fight between nasods.
After all the nasod (except Eve) died (died in here means not used anymore because it's broken), Eve lies down on the ground and still conscious just looking at her dead friends.
"We're late again!"
"I told you the demon invasion in here is already finished!"
"Let's go then! What are we doing in here?!"
Eve looks at a group of running people passed by. Eve tried to ask for help, but she can't move her body. Finally Eve just look at them passed by, hoping someone will realize she's still alive.
Eve's wish comes true because someone realizes. That person approaches her. Eve looks at him and he looks back.
"You can speak?" he asked. Eve tried to speak, but she can't.
"Hey, what are you doing?! Quick!"
"I'll catch up later!" he replied to his friends. He brings Eve with his hands and goes to the opposite direction from his group.
After a few minutes, Eve looks at the place she taken: school.
A teacher looks at Eve and him. "Do you need something?"
"I trust this girl to you," he said, sounds I-can-do-what-I-want.
That teacher sighs. "This is not a hospital".
"I know," he replied. "And hospital can't help this girl. She's a nasod—"
"Nasod?" the teacher repeated. "Don't imagining things. They disappeared yesterday".
"I'm serious," he said. "You can see her for yourself. She's still alive!"
Actually Eve is really happy because she equated with human even he's trying to help her, but she can't speak.
"Find another place. This is a place to learn, not to help a nasod," the teacher replied.
"At least you can teach her to stay alive when she's fixed, right?"
The teacher turns to silence, doesn't know what to say because he sounds really annoying.
The other teacher approaches them. "What happened?"
"Can you help this girl?" he asked to the other teacher who just came.
The other teacher looks at Eve. "I can help her a little. At least she can move," she said, gives a hope for Eve.
"I trust her to you!" he shouted, doesn't want to pay the school.
The annoyed teacher lends his hand. "There's nothing free," the teacher said.
"No need," the other teacher said and takes Eve.
He bows. "Thank you very much!" he shouted and leaves them. Eve just looks when he went and can't say thank you.
"At last, are you able to say thank you to him?" Aisha asked. They're at the school medical room, a comfortable place to gather than café.
Eve smiles. "Yeah".
"Hm? So who's he?" Ara asked as she smiles to Eve.
"It's a secret~" Eve smiled.
"Who's he?" Els also curious.
"Then tell us who the teacher is!" Ara shouted, trying to get any information. "Who's the teacher that talk to him until he's annoyed?"
"Penensio," Eve answered.
"Ah, him," Ara sounds like she's looking down on Penensio.
"The other one?" Els continued Ara's question.
"Rena," Eve replied, calling our 'something' teacher that we know.
Aisha still looks at Eve. "So, who's the one helped you? Tell us!"
"No~" Eve rejects with a smile, making the others' even more curious.
While the three forced Eve to tell them who's 'he', El and Add enjoy themselves.
"Rena fixed you?" Add asked as he take apart Eve's hand.
"Yea. Why?" Eve asked as she looks at her hand.
"It really is a mess," Add replied, making Eve laughs.
"At least she tried," Eve said, still appreciates Rena's efforts. Eve talking to the three who still curious again.
"El, hold this," Add said as he gives a bolt to El's hand.
El looks at the bolts and nuts in his hand. "You told me to hold many things!" El protested.
Add still looks at Eve's hand seriously. "Because she doesn't put the bolt correctly, the cable in here almost broken," Add said.
"You can fix that?" El asked. Add nods. El looks at Add fixing the cable with illogical ways. Add cuts the cable and connected the wires by twisting them together.
"Isn't that makes it easily broken?" El asked as he looks at the looks-like-it-is-fixed cable.
"El, heat up the cable," Add said all of a sudden and sounds put Eve in danger. "Can you?"
"Well, I can," El replied, not sure about it, "but I'm going to broke it if I burn it, right?"
"Not burn," Add said again. "Heat it with your rune".
"It's going to broke if I heat it, right?" El asked again. Add looks at El, waiting for El to heat up the cable. El who doesn't understand anything about this do as Add said. After the cable heated up, whatever Add did with his hands, the cable connected again. Looks like magic trick is not cool anymore.
"Cool!" El shouted with sparkling eyes. "Why is it not broken?!" El first question before "how you do that?".
"Eve is a nasod," Add replied. "Nasod's cable is different from the normal cable".
"Ah, okay," El said, just say yes for everything Add said. "I feel like in the mini blacksmith," El said again.
Around two hours passed, finally Add successfully fixed Eve. "Eve, try to move your hand," Add said. Eve do as Add said.
"For some reason it feels better," Eve replied.
After Eve said that, Add takes out a few blue touch screen monitor in front of him. "What's that?" El asked as he looks at Add who seriously read a text full of 0 and 1, and complicated coding.
"A code inside Eve's core," Add answered as he touches the screen, whatever he do right now. El can read too because 0 and 1 used for his secret code with Lacher (except the coding, of course). From many codes Add fixed, finally they find something Eve needs the most.
"011100100110010101100110011011000110010101111000"
Or the alphabet: reflex.
"It's really messy here," Add commented as he touches the part 'reflex' at the monitor.
Three hours passed and finally Add fixed Eve. "Add, thank you!" Eve shouted with a smile, holding herself to not hug Add because she's too happy. Can cause a huge sadness for Els later because he's not doing anything in this matter.
Add slaps Eve, but Eve blocks it with her hand. "Add?!"
"Your reflex is fixed," Add said as he lowers his hand.
Eve smiles. "I thought you're really going to slap me," Eve said as he gives a sigh of relief. "What's wrong with my codes?"
"In human, a response for reflex sent to spine back bone," Add replied, starting to bring biology.
"It's not brain?" Ara asked who doesn't really understand about this.
"If it sent to brain, it would be too late," Add replied. "And that's what happened at Eve's codes. That's why her reflex is slow," Add continued.
Everybody just say "oh". They just know one thing from Add's explanation: the point is Eve's reflex becomes slow.
"I don't understand why you understand this kind of thing but you can't understand simple words like 'dance'," Ara commented.
"Add, thank you very much. You really are helping me," Eve said with a smile and gives thanks for the second time.
"You're welcome," Add replied with his monotone voice.
Meanwhile, Els still full of sadness because he feels like he can do nothing for Eve.
"Els, now I can reach up to you!" Eve shouted to Els. Els just smiles, trying to not look sad.
"Don't be sad," Eve said as she holds Els' hands. "You helped me often," Eve continued with a smile.
"So, who's 'he'?" Ara asked, still repeating the same question from five hours ago.
"I'm not telling!" Eve shouted as she stands up and pulls Els' hand.
"Eve, mind if you tell me?" Els asked.
Eve shakes her head, "no". Eve leaves a curious feeling in them.
"Poor you. You're all curious," El said with a smile. As the best secret finder, El already knows this. Besides, this is Eve's secret that used by El.
"Els, let's go to the dungeon again!" Eve shouted. Els nods.
Eve smiles, remembers 'his' efforts who consider her as a human and need helps too.
"If you're not argued with Penensio back then, I must be thrown away by people. If you not helped me back then, I must be dead right now," Eve said to herself.
"Thanks, Raven".
Now you all understand why Eve can talk freely with Raven, right?
Now you all also understand why Rena can suddenly appears when Raven got his death penalty and told him to be a teacher at school, right?
Okay, okay! I know there's no binary inside a coding (at least that's what I know from seeing my brother do a coding lol), but who knows what kind of coding inside a nasod. I don't even know nasod has coding inside it or not.
Thanks for reading!
GirlyTurtle
Ra: Our author suggested to take your magic turtle to Rena.
Rena: Measles, huh? I can cure that.
Ara: Please don't put the magic turtle into misery. Anyway, thanks for your compliment!
El: Poor magic turtle.
#pray4magicturtle