Suite's kitchen.
"So, when did you two start dating?" Acma asked Trepie #23 as she helped her clean the dishes.
"We're not dating," Trepie #23 smiled. "Acma, if I were dating someone, you'd be the first to know."
"Right, I thought so... but why were you with him?"
"We wanted to catch up. And since he's always in the training area, it made sense to meet there."
"It's not like you to go to that kind of place."
"What are you implying, Acma?"
"Nothing."
"Acma," Trepie #23 poured some more tea into Acma's cup, "love is not prohibited in Garden, but young people like yourself should be aware. As someone who has served in the operation unit for a while, I feel a responsibility to tell you. If you involve yourself in mercenary work, be cautious about forming romantic relationships. True love can give you strength, but heartbreak can lead to grudges. Anything that affects your decision-making in battles can be detrimental. That's why we have a special force to enforce curfew for couples and why Instructor Aki guards the girls' dorm. We have seen numerous instances where failed relationships have resulted in actual deaths, whether intentional or not. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"
Acma nodded. She always felt a little scared when Trepie #23 became serious.
"I care about all of you, and I feel a strong attachment to everyone in the school, including you, Acma. Now you're part of us," Trepie #23 continued after sipping her tea. "I may not be the strongest or the smartest, but I'm willing to stay behind and keep all of you in check. You're smart, you understand why I'm telling you all these, right?"
"I do. Thanks, Trepie #23."
Zyma: I'll come to your room at 2200.
He sent her the first text message between them when she was in Quistis' lab.
Acma: Why?
He didn't reply.
Acma scoffed. Texting with this guy was as annoying as talking with him in real life. She could have screenshotted his text and report him, but thinking of Miss Xu's words regarding delaying her SeeD exam, she chose to ignore this annoyance this time.
I'll come to your room? How dare he?
Zyma, despite his bravado and arrogant attitude, seemed more like a big talker than a bad person. If he dared to text her this inappropriate message, it would be likely that he would come with good intention.
Do you care about anything else besides money?
GFs and women.
So far, she had seen none of his GFs, and the only girl he walked alongside just lectured her about the "no love" rule. And if Trepie #23's hint was right… that he had some feelings for her… Suddenly, she found him to be somewhat adorable, like a cutie attempting to conceal himself beneath the guise of a monster. Trepie #23's advice on dealing with difficult individuals turned out to be valuable, and Acma felt grateful that she had persisted with Zyma long enough to uncover some positive aspects beneath his jerkish exterior.
Acma's room. 2200.
Acma anxiously fixed her eyes on the door, waiting for Zyma's arrival. However, she didn't anticipate that he would enter in a rather unconventional way.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
Acma jumped when she saw a figure covered in a black cloak floating outside her room's window.
"For Hyne's sake! You almost gave me a heart attack!" Acma exclaimed quietly as she hurriedly opened the window for Zyma to enter.
"Where else can I come after curfew? Aki always guards the girls' dorm. Use your brain, prodigy," Zyma remarked.
"Fair enough. Now, answer my text message from eight hours ago. Why are we meeting this late? Unlike you, I need to sleep!" Acma inquired.
"And unlike you, I have customers to serve," Zyma snapped back. "For the longest time, I thought you had a boyfriend, so I didn't dare to meet you after curfew. Do you know how much loss I incurred by tutoring you most evenings?"
Acma paused, realizing the sacrifices Zyma had made for her sake. "I... I didn't consider that. We could have met earlier in the afternoon."
"How about your lab?" Zyma suggested. "You spend, like, what, six hours a day there?"
"That's because I need to synthesize a bunch of precursors... anyway, I think I can cut down my lab time now that I'm doing smaller scale experiments," Acma explained.
"Blah blah blah. You know your schedule best. What do you suggest?" Zyma asked, growing impatient.
Acma snapped her fingers. "Now we're talking. Let's start with the requirements first. Planning is my strength, sensei."
Zyma scoffed as Acma pulled out her whiteboard and began drawing diagrams. "Where did you get this whiteboard? This is the nerdiest thing I've ever seen in a girl's room."
"Oh, sensei, you've been away from classes for too long. I'm a teaching assistant now, and this baby is one of the perks," Acma smiled.
"Tch... says the one complaining about lack of sleep!"
"Focus!" Acma tapped her marker on the whiteboard, causing Zyma to shake his head as the roles were now reversed.
She started by listing a checklist for her skills, noting that her Str and Dex stats were on track, but her Mag and Vit required more attention. Figuring out her Limit Break before the SeeD exam would also be an important task.
She then asked Zyma about his sales patterns throughout the day and proposed a change in their schedule to maximize his business profits while allowing her time to rest between training sessions.
"We'll train for two hours around noon. Then I'll go to the lab for four hours. We can resume training around dinner time since students can't buy stuff during that time anyway, as they have to get food in the cafeteria which closes at 2000. After that, you'll have the whole evening for your sales, and I'll have time for studying. We can meet after curfew if necessary," Acma explained.
Zyma nodded, feeling amused by her military-like schedules.
"One suggestion though," she added. "To boost your customer network, you should hang out more with your classmates. You know, people are afraid of you, and your vibe really affects your sales. I think..."
"Oh, for Hyne's sake..."
"I'm not done yet!" Acma snapped, and Zyma rolled his eyes at her rebellious attitude. "I think you should join Trepie #23's bi-weekly trips to Balamb and broaden your network. And also, please start digitizing your sales. Even the most old-school merchants in Balamb are using it," Acma handed him a small device. "I've attached barcodes to your items. Give my methods a try for a few weeks and see how your sales improve. We can make adjustments later. Think of it as an experiment, sensei."
Zyma pondered for a few seconds, memorizing her writing on the whiteboard.
"Acma..." Zyma snorted, then looked into her burgundy eyes. "You're really something."