Chapter 10 Do You... Love Me?
Elsword's visiting Rena's class quite often now.
Ever since Raven tranfered to Rena's class 2 days ago Elsword's starting to keep a close watch to Rena, but of course, Rena didn't know the reason that Elsword's coming to keep a close observation of her.
"Elsword, it's not like you to keep on coming, is there anything you need?"
Aisha said to Elsword in a voice that only Elsword can hear.
"Oh, shut up."
Aisha giggles.
"Rena, do you want to go to somewhere tomorrow? It's Sunday, after all."
Raven invited Rena for a date,
Rena pondered for awhile and agreed.
"Okay... Tomorrow I don't have anything to do."
Elsword's clenching his fists as he desperately trying to suppress his anger.
He really want to yell at Raven or Rena, but he must stay calm.
"So, where will we go to?"
"I will send you an e-mail tonight."
Saying that, Raven took his bag and he head back first.
Rena and Aisha also took their bags, preparing to get back home.
But Elsword's daydreaming.
"Hey, Elsword. We're going home."
Rena waved her hand in front of his face.
But Elsword's not responding.
He just stared into an empty space, and he stood up to get his bag in his class.
Ignoring Rena's existence.
"Hey! You're ignoring me again!?"
Just when Rena's going to chase him, Aisha hold her hand.
"Rena, may I ask you something?"
"Yes?"
Aisha took a deep breath, and...
"Do you love Elsword?"
"Wha-!? Where did that came from?!"
"It's just my feeling~ But if you don't, it's fine too."
"... Well, I don't know how should I feel about him, I don't like him getting near the other girls, I don't like him to ignore me..."
Aisha smiled at Rena.
She understood it very clearly.
But she wanted Rena to find the answer herself.
This is their last year for their high school life after all.
She wants to give happiness for Rena.
But she needs to create a good plan and opportunity to do so.
So she think of a plan for their date next day and how to make Rena end up dating with Elsword tomorrow, she's feeling guilty for Raven, but that's for the best.
When Rena's not looking, Aisha switched their phone.
Since they're best friend their phones are the same, to avoid making Rena suspected her phone, Aisha already changed all of her contacts so that it matched Rena's phone contacts beforehand.
Not only that, Aisha also put on another trick in that phone, Raven and Elsword's e-mail address are swapped. So if she got an e-mail from Raven, it's actually from Elsword.
Now all that's left is praying that Elsword will not mess up her plan.
-At Night-
"Why am I feeling like that..."
Rena recalled the moment she's feeling really angry that Elsword's surrounded by girls.
Especially when he poked a girl's forehead.
Her chest felt so tight, she can't bear that feeling so she chose to get out of the scene.
"What's with him... I thought that he doesn't like to stand out like that..."
Rena hugged her pillow as she pondered why would he do that.
It's not like him to suddenly do a make up at school.
*Ring*
"Oh."
She received a mail.
It's from Raven.
Hey, want to go to Ruben Cinema at 8AM? I thought there's a good movie there.
Cinema? Not really a bad idea...
She nodded.
Okay.
She replied that text to Raven.
"A date with Senior... It's not that I'm unwilling, I'm just confused of how should I rejected the offer..."
Suddenly a certain red head popped out in her mind.
She blushed.
"N-N-No! I'm not thinking about him! Not a chance!"
...
"It would be better if he's the one who invited me for a date..."
Rena sighed.
She wondered why did Elsword always ignore her and treat her like nobody.
Is Elsword's type of girl is a calm girl like Aisha?
Did he dislike girls with decent bust size?
Did he likes red head girls?
She pondered about these trivial things.
And then she remembered Aisha's words.
'Do you love Elsword?'
Her face turned crimson.
"W-What!? No! No way!"
She rolled on her bed.
"... But..."
She kept on thinking until she fell asleep.
-Elsword's House-
Elsword's thinking about what should he wear for tomorrow.
It's not like he need to think of this seriously, it's just Aisha's very strict in clothing, since Rena's going with Raven, he invited Aisha to watch cinema together.
"I think this one is good."
He picked a white shirt and a black jeans.
After he settled his choice he went to his bed.
"I hope she likes horror, I've always want to watch 'Pandemonium IV' all these times."
He closed his eyes as he remembered Rena's blushing face when she's with Raven.
He gritted his teeth.
"Damn... Just what's that girl thinking..."
He's angry because she's flirting with Raven.
Elsword's confused of his own feeling, but the way Raven talk to Rena this afternoon really pissed him off.
'Oh really? What if he only did that so that you can only focus your attention on him?'
What Raven said is true.
So Elsword can't say anything else.
At first, he really did ignored Rena for real because she's too annoying, but lately his heart and mind always filled with Rena's face.
He can't think of anyone. He thought that he's being crazy.
But that feeling become stronger as days passed.
"I guess... I did fell in love with her, that arrogant girl."
He remembered the first time they met after a long time.
She forced him to help her stand but he just ignored her.
He chuckled when he remembered it.
Aisha told him that Rena's their childhood friend when she knew that Rena encountered him that day, he's very surprised because Rena from that day and the Rena right now's very different, Rena back then was a very cheerful and kind girl, unlike the arrogant her right now.
That's why he didn't want to get into too much trouble with her.
If only Aisha didn't call him to her house what would things be now?
He wondered.
Back then when he's cosplaying, he didn't hesitate to hug Rena because he just treated her as a childhood friend, however Rena didn't know that he's that Elesis Sieghart. Aisha did asked him if she should tell her that he's Elesis, but he totally rejected that idea.
Anyone will be embarrassed if someone know they're crossdressing.
Maybe for girls it's not a big deal but for boys, it's a great deal.
In the end Aisha still told her, though.
"That Aisha... She really loved to scheme things."
Saying that he went to sleep, he doesn't want to think too much.
-The Next Day-
Rena woke up at 6AM, she still got 2 hours before the appointment time.
She stood and went to the bathroom.
Rena doesn't care of what cloth she's wearing, unlike normal girls, she just wear anything that she felt like it, after all her face covered for everything.
She get into the bath tub.
Her long blonde hair's getting wet and floating as she lay down in the tub.
"So comfortable..."
She looked at the ceilings.
She doesn't know why, but she's feeling really lazy to go anywhere, should she just cancel the appointment? But she would feel bad for Raven.
She sighed.
"Elsword... I wonder what is he doing now..."
She said that unconsciously.
Now that he's not ignoring her too much like the first time she met him, she's starting to feel comfortable with him.
"... When will you approve of my existence? Am I that transparent in your eyes?"
Rena's sad when she remembered those days when she kept on being ignored.
Good thing that he's not ignoring her too much now.
She splash the tub water to her knees.
"... Weird... Why I can't stop thinking about him?"
-8AM-
Rena's already at the Ruben Cinema's entrance wearing a white shirt with black hot pants.
She's waiting for Raven to arrive.
She sighed.
"He said to come at 8AM... But where's he?!"
Rena's getting pissed off.
"She's so late!"
Rena can hear a familiar voice beside her.
It's...
"Elsword...?"
Elsword's wearing a white shirt like her and black jeans.
She can see he's also wearing black wristbands at both of his wrists, he's also wearing a silver necklace, not to mention he's in his prince form.
Is he waiting for someone? He did said 'she' before.
Rena thought.
"Rena? What are you doing here?"
He noticed her.
He looked really handsome wearing casual clothes like this.
Many passing girls are looking at him.
"I'm waiting for Raven here... You?"
"I'm waiting for Aisha... Wait-"
Elsword seemed to notice something.
"Rena, show me your phone."
"Okay, but for what?"
He opened the mail box and he sighed.
"What's up, Elsword?"
He returned her phone.
"Look at the e-mail address carefully."
She looked at the e-mail address, it's Elsword's e-mail address even though it's named Raven, but why...
Finally she get what Elsword meant.
"Aisha... Swapped her phone with mine?"
"Exactly true."
"EH!? But-!"
She didn't remember when she swapped their phone, but then she remembered yesterday she did put her phone on her desk.
"So... It's because of that..."
She facepalmed.
Elsword sighed and asked her.
"And then? What would we do?"
Rena just sighed.
"Since we're already here, let's get in."
Elsword nodded.
"By the way what are we watching?"
"... There."
Elsword pointed a movie cover.
'Pandemonium IV' is written there and a picture of ghosts can be seen there.
"H-Horror movie!?"
"? What, you're not good with horror?"
"O-Of course I'm good with horror! Let's go!"
Rena didn't want to looked weak in front of him, so she tried to act like she's fine.
Elsword respected her spirit and went to bought 2 tickets.
"Let's get in, the movie already started 4 minutes ago."
"O-Okay!"
Elsword smiled wryly.
You don't have to force yourself if you're scared, moron.
He thought.
"KYAAAA!"
Rena screamed and she hugged Elsword when the ghost appeared.
Her chest's pressing against his body.
"He-Hey! Rena!"
Elsword, didn't expect that Rena would be this scared is blushing.
"No! I'm afraid!"
He sighed and he hugged her shoulder as Rena's trembling in fear.
Her body's so soft...
He thought. They end up watching the movie while embracing each other.
"I never thought you would be that scared of a horror movie like this."
"I'm sorry, okay!"
Rena's pouting as Elsword teased her.
But when she remembered that she's hugging him, her face burned.
Elsword also can't hide his blushing face when he saw Rena blushing like that.
"It's still 10AM, want to go to Sea World?"
"Sea World? That's a good idea!"
Rena nodded happily.
The Sea World's located not far from the cinema, about 5 minutes by walking.
"Woah! So beautiful!"
Rena's amazed when she entered the underground water tunnel.
The fishes are swimming above her.
The atmosphere's quite nice.
The surrounding's dark but thanks to the lighting, it felt like you're diving in the sea.
Blue lights are giving them views of the fishes.
"It really is beautiful."
"Good thing that we came!"
Rena's smiling cheerfully as she watched the angelfish swam around.
"You like fishes, Rena?"
"I do, I love sea!"
She watched many unique fishes swam around, since they're so early there are not many visitors, so they can have the water tunnel for themselves for now.
"The sea's beautiful, but from that beautiness... It hides a great secret."
Rena said that in a calm tone.
"Great secret?"
Elsword who doesn't understand asked her.
"Yes, from the surface you may think that the sea's beautiful, but deep inside, the sea's a scary place, like a totally different world."
Elsword can't comprehend her words, but he get the meaning behind her words.
"You're right."
He said as he watch the fishes.
Suddenly Rena turns around to face him.
She stared at his eyes.
"... What is it, Rena?"
"You noticed me."
Elsword tilted his head.
He doesn't understand why she's saying something like that.
"Normally you would ignore what I said if it's not important, but... This time you answered me even though I'm not asking you."
Did she mean when she said the sea hides a great secret?
Rena smiled at him gently.
"Elsword... I don't know why I'm feeling like this... But I'm really happy that you didn't ignore me this time."
Elsword doesn't understand any of her words.
He just tilted his head in confusion.
And then she face her back to him.
"I think... Maybe... Just maybe, I'm in love with you."
Elsword's brain is processing slowly.
"W-What...?"
She smiled.
"I've think about this many times, I don't like it when you get close to other girls, I don't like it if you ignore me, I also can't stop thinking of you..."
She explained it slowly.
"I thought that I'm just being jealous as a childhood friend, but... I felt like I really want to have you for myself... If it's not love... Then what is it...?"
She said it while blushing.
Elsword's face is as red as his hair too.
"Tell me, Elsword..."
She turns around to face Elsword.
Their faces are bright red.
"What do you think of me...?"
Elsword's at loss of words.
He's very happy of course, but somehow he can't say a word.
"Do you... Love me?"
Rena stared at his eyes.
Chapter 10 Do You... Love Me? End
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