Author's note: And the fun continues.
Shem-Ha walked through school, following Hibiki to their next class, even though she had no idea what mathematics entailed. Etymologically, it was simply a field of study through which knowledge is gained, but that told her very little, considering she was at a school. However, while pondering this question, she also noticed two other things. For one, Miku had been quiet ever since teaching her how to read and write. Secondly, even though the teacher had addressed her by her host's name, being told she did a good job caused a new feeling to arise within her.
"Miku, are you alright?" Hibiki asked, pulling Shem-Ha out of her thoughts, "You looked like something is bothering you." Shem-Ha looked around and noticed Kuriyo, Shiori and Yumi also looking at her with a similar expression to Hibiki.
"Yes, I am fine," Shem-Ha answered, "I appreciate your concern, however."
"That's good," Hibiki said, "Anyway, we're here." The group entered a classroom, and when Shem-Ha looked around, she saw posters of various people who, based on their facial structure, were mostly great thinkers, though some also looked like scouts, or trackers. She sat down next to Hibiki and waited for the teacher to finish her instructions, just as before.
"What kind of class is this?" Shem-Ha thought, looking at the teacher, "The men and women on those pictures are not suited for even remotely related tasks, and our tutor is a sculptor, yet I cannot see any sculpting materials."
"Alright, take out your textbooks," the teacher said, and the entire class reached into their backpacks again. Shem-Ha followed suit, and tried to catch a glimpse at what books the others retrieved. While she couldn't make out the text written on the books, she could still identify the object based on its coloration. She looked at what page Hibiki opened, and simply copied her, but blinked in confusion when she saw the contents of the book.
"Miku, where are you?" Shem-Ha thought, "You failed to teach me what these symbols mean."
"Sorry, I got carried away," Miku responded, "Anyway, those are numbers. Don't tell me you never heard of mathematics before, either."
"What, pray tell, could you have gotten carried away with?" Shem-Ha asked, "And do you mean to tell me these are algebraic formulas? Are you trying to become a merchant, or government official?"
"Not important," Miku answered, "And math is everywhere these days, meaning that everyone learns it. Anyway, I'll give you a crash course." Suddenly, over a decade of study flooded Shem-Ha's mind, and in an instant, she had the mathematical skills of the average modern teenager, already putting her above scholars in her time.
"It is important," Shem-Ha said, "You were not paying attention, and could not have helped me, should I have been in danger." The teacher gave some more instructions on what problems the students should cover, and Shem-Ha listened intently before starting to try and solve the problems.
"I still have no reason to help you, though," Miku said after the teacher was done explaining, "You have no power, meaning you have nothing to offer me. Hibiki can purge you without hurting me, meaning you have no leverage. I can take control at any time, meaning you can't even threaten to harm my body." Shem-Ha simply listened, while also mulling over the problems in her book.
"Then… why do this?" Shem-Ha asked, "What sense do your actions make?"
"I'll let you figure that out," Miku answered, "After all, you created humans, so you should understand us pretty well. Anyway, I remembered I have other things I wanted to do, so I will leave for a while." Shem-Ha felt Miku's presence fade from her mind, but not completely. She focused on the book again, and slowly realized that knowing what the numbers and symbols mean did not help her as much as she thought.
"Miku, are you alright?" Hibiki asked in a whisper and said, "This part is pretty hard, but don't worry, I know you can do it."
"Th- thanks," Shem-Ha said, then swallowed nervously and looked back at the problem.
"Does this mean Miku would have no problem with this?" Shem-Ha thought, "But then, why can I not see the solution? Did she not give me all her knowledge, after all? Miku, why must you torment me so?" She continued to try and solve the equations, but each was more difficult than the last. She occasionally took a break and looked around among the other students, and her confusion at human society only grew when she saw that craftsmen were taught the same skills as fighters.
~o~
Shem-Ha slaved through the rest of the class, until she was again saved by the bell, and all the students put their books away. She let out an exhausted sigh, even though she had not done any physical activity, got up and left the room, alongside the other students, and simply followed Hibiki, mimicking her every move so as to not draw attention. However, instead of heading to another classroom, Hibiki, Kuriyo, Shiori and Yumi left their backpacks in their lockers, took out small items wrapped in cloth, and left the building through a door leading to a small garden on the roof.
"Miku, come sit with me," Hibiki said, sat down on a wooden bench and gently patted the spot next to her, and unfolded the cloth, revealing a plastic box.
"Alright," Shem-Ha said and sat down, and unfolded the cloth around her own box. It contained some vegetables, grains and meat, and the rest of the group began eating.
"Here, let me help you," Miku said mentally, and Shem-Ha lost control of her right arm as Miku began eating.
"Can you use your left arm?" Shem-Ha asked mentally, "I need my right arm in case we're attacked."
"I don't know, can I?" Miku responded, "And besides, if we're attacked, Hibiki can handle it."
"By the way, Bikki, how far are with your presentations on gods?" Kuriyo asked, catching Shem-Ha's attention.
"Well, it's getting… somewhere," Hibiki answered and chuckled nervously.
"Slaying the topic of your presentation is no laughing matter," Shem-Ha mumbled to herself, then noticed that everyone looked at her. She swallowed nervously, with the food almost getting stuck in her throat, when the others started laughing, confusing her even more. After a while, the others calmed down again.
"Good one," Yumi said as her laughter slowly died down and she regained her composure.
"Yeah, I guess that's true," Hibiki said and wiped a tear out of her eye, "But no, I'm just not sure which god to do my presentation on. I mean, there is one obvious solution, but I'm not sure if it would be alright, especially given what happened." She looked at Shem-Ha, who felt her cover was blown, before she realized Hibiki was probably thinking of Miku instead.
"Do you despise the gods?" Shem-Ha asked, expecting an immediate answer. But instead, Hibiki turned thoughtful. Miku stopped feeding Shem-Ha, and returned control over her arm to her.
"I'm not sure," Hibiki answered, "I mean, sure, I killed every God I came into contact with, but one was a giant snake trying to eat my friends, one was an arm Adam planned to use to take over the world, and one was also trying to take over the world, and hurt my friends. So, I think if they had agreed to just talk, it would have gone well. I would have definitely preferred that."
"I see," Shem-Ha said quietly, then resumed eating. She focused on handling the tools in her hand, and internally cursed humanity for making such necessary things needlessly complicated. As she looked over her food, she realized she had no idea what all the plants and meats were called, and decided to find the time and learn. However, she never allowed herself to fully ignore Hibiki.
"By the way, Bikki," Kuriyo said and asked, "Where are your other friends?"
"Kirika and Shirabe are in Egypt on some business," Hibiki answered, "From what I'm told, someone found an old book in Cairo, and then some stuff happened, so they were sent to figure out what's going on."
"The children of Zababa," Shem-Ha thought, "Two blades, forged in the fire of war, and bound to walk a path of death and destruction. She always enjoyed destroying my creations."
"I wish I could go to Egypt," Yumi said.
"I don't like that you sound happy," Miku chimed in.
"You'd probably get hurt," Kuriyo said.
"Feel as you may, she is the reason you have ants," Shem-Ha responded.
"Not to fight whatever is happening there," Yumi said, "Just sight-seeing."
"Wait, really?" Miku asked, "How so?"
"And what about the others?" Shiori asked.
"Yes, really," Shem-Ha responded, "Her need for war, conflict and death opposed my own wish to create, so I made ants. They are small, meaning that even colonies numbering in the hundreds of thousands do not occupy any significant amount of space, nor require many resources to sustain. However, after humans, they are the most fierce and brutal when it comes to war."
"Chris is back in Val Verde," Hibiki answered, "Nothing is happening there, but she wanted to make sure it stays that way, so she goes every once in a while."
"Sounds like you like her," Miku said.
"I see," Shiori said.
"Quite the opposite," Shem-Ha responded, "All I wanted was to make her leave me to my designs and my creations."
"And Tsubasa is in Australia with Maria," Hibiki continued, "Maria has a concert there, and Tsubasa helps with security, just in case."
"Got it," Miku said, "By the way, my favorite are sunflowers."
"Sounds like everyone's got busy schedules," Yumi said.
"Your favorite what?" Shem-Ha asked.
"They sure do," Hibiki said, "Meanwhile, I'm here in school."
"Just in general," Miku answered, "I really like them. And it's crazy that they can get so tall."
"They were to measure this planet's gravity," Shem-Ha explained, "We came here from a planet with lower gravity, where they were the dominant species of plant. But that did not work here, so I had to create trees."
"Wait, you invented trees for Earth?" Miku asked.
"Yes," Shem-Ha answered, "I do not see how this is remarkable."
"Did you invent wooden plants on any other planet?" Miku asked.
"No, since there was no need," Shem-Ha answered, "The atmospheric conditions on Earth are uniquely chaotic, so sturdier organic structures were never necessary. But it was… infuriating to work around the constant storms and tectonic activity. However, as you can see, I prevailed."
"You sound proud," Miku said with a slight chuckle.
"Proud?" Shem-Ha asked, and realized the same feeling from before welled up inside her. However, before Miku could answer, the bell rang again.
"Well, that's break," Hibiki said, "Come on, Miku. Let's get to cooking."
"Alright," Shem-Ha said, got up and followed the rest, and thought, "What is going on?"
"We're volunteering for charity," Miku explained, "Normally we cook food for ourselves to learn how to do it, but today, we'll cook for people who can't afford food themselves."
"Why?" Shem-Ha thought, "If they cannot sustain themselves, they are a drain on your society. Why support them? What do you gain from it?"
"I'll let you figure that out yourself," Miku answered. Shem-Ha internally cursed herself for making humans so confusing, and the God-Slayer for preventing her from uniting them again, and quietly followed the group. They brought their empty lunch boxes back to their lockers, and on the way to the school's kitchen, Miku explained what she knew about cooking, so Shem-Ha wouldn't be completely lost.
Author's note: I don't like writing parallel conversations like this.
Anyway, next up, Shem-Ha tries cooking.