Chapter Eighty-Four: Letting Him Know

The Day 5 chapter is here, readers, thanks a bunch for reading this week. Cya.

"Hey, over here,"

It was morning in the Aqua Deer base, all converging in the main hall for breakfast, Shauna being the one who called to Zuka, the sparkle mage sitting down across from her. All was as it was yesterday, except, something was missing.

Or rather, someone was missing.

"So, have you heard anything from Oliver?" the sparkle mage asked, fidgeting with her food.

"No. Ever since we came back from Golden Dawn HQ yesterday, I haven't so much as passed by him, he must've cooped himself in his room," Shauna replied.

"I guess that makes sense. I'm still having trouble believing he and William Vangeance are related, even if they are just half-brothers," Zuka said before taking a bite of her flapjacks, sighing afterward. "But what troubles me the most is that…what Oliver told us the other day, I didn't know he thought of himself that way, I don't like it, I know he's not a failure,"

Her squadmate nodded. "As do I, but in his defense, both of us are an only child in our respective families, it must be different when what you do is compared to others more skilled than you," she said. "Life with my parents was hell, and I think it would've been worse if I had some older sibling they kept praising,"

"Yeah, I suppose you raise a fair point. But what do we do now?" the commoner asked. "I know Oliver knows we're here in case he ever wants to talk, but should we go to him instead of waiting for him to come to us? We have no idea of how long he'll be doing this?"

"I say we give him some more time, after all, everything did just happen yesterday," Shauna advised her.

"Okay," Zuka relented.

"Tell you what, why don't we talk about or do something to get your mind off of it?" the illusion mage suggested. "Anything you got in particular?"

"I think I do, follow me," Zuka replied as the two finished what remained of their breakfast and walked out of the hall, eventually walking out of the base entirely.

Shauna was beginning to look a little uneasy. "Uh, where are we going exactly? When I asked if we should talk about or do something, I was kinda under the impression it would be happening within HQ's territory, I don't want us to be gone too long, you never know if Rill may need us for a mission or something,"
Her younger friend was much less worried. "Relax, the captain had us do his special delivery yesterday, not to mention the squad is still on a bit of a mission drought, we'll be just fine, trust me,"

"If you say so,"

The two took a left turn and continued walking through a path of trees for a good four minutes before coming to a stop. "And here we are," Shauna looked around her, noticing many trees in every direction, but her attention was mostly drawn to the fact that some of the trees, or at least, what was left of them, were destroyed.

"What is this place?"

"I'm so glad you asked. When I first got my grimoire, I would train pretty intensely for the Magic Knights Entrance Exam that would be coming later, and that's when I found something out. If there was ever a time when something was bothering me, I saw that doing target practice helped," she explained.

"I think I get it," Shauna understood. "Shooting requires a decent amount of concentration, and concentration on that is less you're spending on whatever's troubling you,"

"Exactly, and not just that, the extra practice really helped increase the proficiency of Shimmering Bow, so it was always a win-win,"

"Cool, so I take it you were the one who destroyed some of these trees?"

"Yup, after joining the Aqua Deer, I wanted to find a place where I could do the same, and that eventually led me to this place, granted, it's usually more for training these days rather than clearing my head, but I guess that's changing today,"

The girl set her sights on two trees that were in a single file. "A nice spot to start," she took out her grimoire. "Sparkle Creation Magic: Shimmering Bow!" the weapon materialized as she pulled on the bowstring, aiming a few seconds before releasing a powerful shot that blasted through the trunks of both trees.

"Nice shot," her friend complimented.

"Thanks. Wanna give it a try?"

"I think you know the answer to that question,"

"Oh right, illusion magic, my bad, wasn't thinking. Y'know, not that I have any qualms with you being the support mage of our trio, but don't you think you should have more offensive options?" Zuka posed the question. "I myself have branched out from my former style and gained spells for defense and evasion. The only spells you have that can interfere with opponents are Creature of the Unknown and Pestilence Swarm, granted, I can understand that having moves like that mustn't be easy with your attribute,"

"No, it's a fair question, support mages need to be able to fight for themselves if the need ever forces them to, and to be honest, I do have a pretty strong offensive spell, it's actually my strongest spell, but there are drawbacks, ones that make me more or less avoid using the spell whenever I reasonably can,"

"Really? Tell me about it,"

"Okay, if you insist," the girl closed in and whispered all of the details into her squadmate's ear, and upon hearing all of it, the sparkle mage went wide-eyed.

"Holy stinking crap, what a spell!" she exclaimed. "Those are some pretty nasty drawbacks, but if you could find a way to get past them, I have no doubt you'd become the strongest knight in the squad, maybe even stronger than Rill!"

"Let's not start propping me up too much," the older girl gestured for her to calm down. "We've never seen the captain go all out in a serious battle, it wouldn't make sense to assume I'm better,"

"Right, but then you'd definitely be the second strongest knight on the squad. We currently don't have a vice-captain, that power of yours would make you an excellent pick,"

"Um, I don't know. It takes more than just strength to be ready for the role, besides, I don't think I'm vice-captain material,"

"Nonsense, you definitely have what it takes," Zuka said, prepping her bow for another shot. "I need to train harder or you might just surpass me," her gaze was on four large trees in a single file.

"Those tree trunks are thicker than the last ones you shot, plus, there are twice as many of them," Shauna pointed out.

"You don't need to be concerned, I've blasted through these before, in fact, taking out three at once is my current record, let's see if I can push it to four," she let the arrow fly, and as she expected, it blasted through the first three, still moving to the fourth, although with considerably less force, and that decrease only made the arrow scratch the bark.

"Looks like the record stays at three," Shauna said.

Zuka sucked her teeth. "Damn it," she walked to the fourth tree, inspecting what little damage she was able to inflict. "I always fail when I try to go for more,"

The red-haired girl came to her side. "If you want to go for more, you need more power,"

"I know that, but how can I increase the power without using another spell entirely? Shimmering Bow will get stronger over time, but I need a boost for it-, wait a minute," Zuka was saying before she paused.

"What?"

The sparkle mage was in thought for a few seconds, and in that time, a smile graced her face. "I found a solution,"

"And what solution is that?"

"Back during the first round of the Royal Knights Exam, Glynda and I saw Kenos do this strange thing. I don't know exactly how it went, but we felt a high increase of mana around him suddenly, then he cast a spell and it ended up more powerful. It had a name though, it was one I had never heard before,"

"It must be a technique, there is one I've heard of, but it doesn't match the description you gave, might be something different," Shauna mused. "What are you planning to do?"

"Isn't that obvious? I'm heading over to Black Bulls HQ and finding out for myself. You don't have any trouble heading back to base on your own, do you?"

"No, the path isn't difficult,"

"Awesome, I'll see you later then, I need to go and get my broom!" she stormed off, leaving a trail of dust in her wake.

Shauna coughed a bit until the dust settled, she then gave a knowing smile. "Off you go to see Kenos again, aye? Have fun then,"

And speaking of the Black Bulls.

"Man, I still can't get over that party!" Magna exclaimed, sitting next to Asta and Luck, everyone having finished their breakfast.

The swordsman agreed. "I know, it may have been two days ago, but it feels like we just got back. I've never had so much fun before,"

"Not to mention we were looking good," Yami chimed in from the chair he was sitting on. "Vanessa, we owe you one,"

The woman walked past him. "Ah, don't mention it, I enjoyed it,"

"Even the part with you not getting a lick of sleep for two days?" Charmy asked.

"Correction then, I enjoyed everything but that,"

"It sounds like you all had fun, I'm glad, although I wish I could join you," Emmanuel said.

Kenos was laying down on the couch next to his floating grimoire, reading a book. "It's alright, if you want, I'll tell you everything that happened. And while the topic is fresh, what was everyone's favorite part? Mine's was the part where we all came in,"

"That's gotta be my favorite part too," the dark mage answered. "It's not often our squad gets so much positive attention, it's an uplifting feeling for a captain to have. Now I know why Goldy Boy likes it so much,"

"My favorite part has to be during the dancing," Magna went next. "Specs introduced me to two girls who were checking me out, and we got our dance on,"

"Aye, that's my boy. Did you score with either of them?" Kenos asked.

"Hey, I'm still a Black Bull, and they're still Golden Dawn, things are just more friendly between us, don't expect a miracle,"

"That's true, plus, there's no way a virgin delinquent like you could ever pull anybody," the thread mage teased.

"Shut up!" he yelled in annoyance, turning over to the squadmate next to him, lightly ruffling his hair. "How about you, Rasta? What did you like?"

"Dancing with Mimosa," he replied. "She taught me some stuff about dancing and it was really cool,"

"Y'know, I would've been more than happy to teach you if she didn't beat me to it," Noelle joined in.

"Really?"

"Well, yeah, as a royal, I've known how to dance since I was a little girl. That and we were at a party with the Golden Dawn, I couldn't have you making us look bad,"

"I appreciate that. What was your favorite part then?"

"My favorite part?" she flicked her ponytail, motioning over to the solar mage, giving him a downward side glance. "I guess dancing with Kenos wasn't too bad,"

"Likewise," he said back, not taking his gaze off the book he was reading, but didn't miss the chance to give her a high-five.

"Ooh, ooh, it's my turn," Charmy shot her hand up.

"You don't need to tell us, I already know," Vanessa interrupted her. "Anything that had Yuno in it,"

The cotton mage blushed a little. "U-Um, yeah,"

Asta glanced at the girl. "Wait, Charmy, you like Yuno?"

"Maybe just a teeny bit,"

"He's really lucky then,"

"You think so?"

"Of course, you two would actually look pretty cute together," the magicless mage sent a thumbs-up her way.

"I didn't really have a favorite part," Gauche told them. "The party itself was fine, but there was nothing I enjoyed the most," he shifted his gaze to the transformation mage. "You got one, Grey?"

"N-No, n-not r-really,"

"I can understand, I bet those two guys that asked you to dance made you uncomfortable,"

Those words immediately made Vanessa's eyes go wide. "Excuse me?!" she rushed to her. "Two guys asked you to dance?! What did you tell them?!"

Grey started fidgeting with her hands, taking a glance at Gauche who met it, as if in a way telling her not to tell the truth. "I t-told them n-no,"

"Ah man, that's a bummer, but it's okay. Who knew you could be a man magnet though, I'm proud,"

Gordon wrote in his notebook, showing it to Charmy who read it. "My favorite part was getting to meet new people, but for some reason, most of the people I met just waved and walked away, they were nice about it though,"

"Poor Gordon," everyone thought.

"I suppose you're all waiting for me to tell you what I liked the most?" the scarlet-clad woman crossed her arms.

"Yeah, with all the comments you've given so far, I am curious," Yami said.

"Well, my favorite part, was Luck's favorite part,"

Luck, who so far had not spoken, opened his mouth. "Mine?"

"Your favorite part was obviously being Letoile's escort, and I loved seeing every minute of it, especially that dance you two shared, absolutely magical,"

The lightning mage gave his signature smile. "Duh, of course I liked being her escort, Hanz was really cool too, it was just a great experience,"

"It really was,"

Just as the conversation finished, a knock was heard at the door.

"Someone's knocking, that's been happening a lot lately," Yami mused.

"I wonder who it is? Maybe it's Letoile," Luck guessed, getting up from his seat.

Kenos put his book down and stood up. "What are you talking about? It's clearly Zuka,"

"No way, it makes no sense for her to visit, Letoile on the other hand, could be here to thank us for coming to her party," Luck countered.

"Now that makes no sense, if she wanted to thank us, she would've just done it when we were at her house," Kenos retorted.

"That doesn't matter, I know it's her,"

"And I know it's not,"

The blonde narrowed his eyes. "Wanna bet on that?"

The brunet did the same. "Why not,"

Luck reached into his satchel and pulled out a bag. "I bet 50 yul that Letoile is on the other side of the door,"

Kenos did the same. "And I bet 50 yul that it's Zuka,"

"Hold on, what if it's Yuno?" Charmy inserted herself.

"What are the chances of that? Didn't he only visit, like, once?" the boys asked in unison.

"Perhaps, but there's still a chance, I'll bet as well," she walked to them and pulled out a bag. "But I'll play it safe and bet 30 yul,"

"Works for me," Kenos shrugged. "Noelle, if you would be so kind, could you open the door?"

The water mage walked over and opened it, the sparkle mage popping her head out. "Hello,"

The Rossiu smugly grinned. "Well, would you look at that?"

"Damn it," the losers groaned, handing over their money, but as they did, the winner burst into laughter.

"Nah, I'm just messing with you, take it back," he returned it. "I'm already wealthy, I don't need it, just use this as a learning opportunity, don't doubt me,"

"Fine,"

Kenos walked to the guest. "Hey there, I take it you need me?"

"Yup, I need your help with something I'm trying to learn. You aren't busy, are you?"

"Not at all, just chatting,"

"Perfect, then we don't have a second to lose," she happily stated as they exited the building. "Your base has a lot of trees next to it like mine's. Do you know any good places around them to practice?"

"I most certainly do, follow me," he led her. "So, how have things been? We haven't seen each other since the exam,"

"Things are going as fine as they usually are, but I am hoping the two of us can make it into the Royal Knights,"

"As do I, our team made it pretty far. I think our chances are good,"

Zuka nodded, her gaze falling on her friend's grimoire. "Oh yeah, I forgot to greet you, hi Emmanuel,"

The tome floated and opened. "Hello, Zuka, glad to see you didn't forget me for long,"

She chuckled. "Sorry, I'm still kinda shocked your grimoire can talk, angels are pretty cool,"

"Why thank you, we are quite amazing,"

"How are Shauna and Oliver doing?"

The girl's happy demeanor minorly faded. "Shauna is okay, Oliver though, we've been worried about him. It's kind of a personal issue and it isn't my place to tell,"

"No worries, you don't have to tell me anything," Kenos told her as he stopped. "We're here,"

Zuka looked around and was amazed. "Incredible,"

"Yeah, Noelle was actually the first person to find this place, then Asta saw her here and told the rest of us, now we use the spot for solo training," he informed her. "So, what exactly do you need my help with?"

She was quick to answer. "I want you to teach me Mana Charge,"

"What?" was all he could say.

"It piqued my curiosity when you used it during the exam, and while doing some target practice today, I realized my spells could use a boost in power," she replied. "If you don't mind me asking, where exactly did you learn it?"

He scratched the back of his head. "Oh, I didn't learn the technique, I made it,"

"You did?!" she was surprised. "Then you're the perfect person to teach me,"

"I don't know, I've never taught the technique to anyone, it's easier to do it than it is to show another how to do it,"

"C'mon, you can at least try, right?"

"Hm, I suppose it's worth a shot, let's begin then," he fixed his stance. "Mana Charge is made up of two basic steps: first, you must see the mana around, second, you must attract it with magic control. I'll do a demonstration, observe,"

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, Zuka beside him, waiting for something to happen. The noble then opened his eyes, seeing that mana and quickly bringing it to him.

The sparkle mage gasped. "There it is, the spike in power,"

"And now all you have to do is cast something with it, and you'll see the difference," he turned to the page of his newest spell. "Solar Creation Magic - Mana Charge: Sundial Buzz Saw!" he formed a sharp-edged circular blade with markings that floated above his hand, letting it spin before launching it, the attack cutting through many small trees before coming back to him, its rotation stopping.

"Awesome,"

"Awesome indeed, we'll try to get you to that point. The first thing you need to do is see the mana," he instructed.

Zuka raised a brow. "See…mana?"

"Yes, to be absolutely honest with you, I made Mana Charge by complete accident. I was trying to learn something Asta and Yami know called Ki, which virtually lets you read a person, but I never got the hang of it. When I first met Kiato, he gave me some advice that inadvertently let me see mana itself by reading its Ki instead of a person's,"

"Wow, that sounds kinda complicated,"

"It's not, but that doesn't mean it's easy to do. Start by closing her eyes and calming down, then listen to my voice,"

"Alright," the sparkle mage did as she was told, her teacher continuing.

"To see mana, you must reach a level of awareness with your surroundings," he told her softly.

"Awareness," she muttered, breathing in and out before opening her eyes, expecting to see something, but instead saw nothing new. "Shit, it didn't work,"

"You just need to keep trying and not give up," Kenos said.

"If you say so," she closed her eyes again.

The solar mage began talking again. "If gaining awareness is difficult, start by trying to listen and feel. Listen to rustling leaves, the whistling winds, the chirping of birds, the sound of your own breathing, and feel the ground beneath your feet along with the sun on your skin. Take it all in,"

"Listen and feel, take it all in, reach awareness," Zuka opened her eyes again, this time, her eyes widened. "Holy crap, I can see it," she looked in every direction, seeing white beads everywhere.

"Can you see my mana?" she was asked, so she turned to the teen. "Yeah, the beads around you are orange and they feel warm, it also feels kind, I think,"

Kenos chuckled. "It seems that you still have to get the hang of reading the personality of one's mana. Can you see your own?"

"I can, there are silver beads around me, and I'm picking up some feelings of joy and determination,"

"That describes you pretty well. You've gotten past the first step, the beads around us is the mana we always have, the mana we all use to cast spells, but once you learn the second step, you'll be able to use the neutral white beads around you by attracting them and making it your own, you'll then condense it and cast with it, making your spell more powerful," he explained.

"What are we waiting for then? Show me what to do,"

"For this part, you really need to focus," Kenos said, still seeing the beads around him. "I'm not really sure how I did it the first time, I was just focusing on bringing it to me,"

"Then that's what I'll do," Zuka extended both hands up. "Come to me, mana,"

The solar mage watched the beads around them moving about, seemingly unaffected by the girl, but that eventually changed. It started with one, then it became five, then ten, the process was slow, but it was undeniable: Zuka was beginning to draw them to her. Both mages noticed the white beads becoming silver and condensing into a circle in front of her.

"Is this what it's supposed to look like?"

"It is, keep it up,"

She kept going for as long as she could, but her arms eventually tired out and fell down at her sides. "I did it,"

Kenos proudly smiled. "It took her three whole minutes to form her circle in contrast to the seconds it took me, and the circle she did form is a bit over half the size of my own. To be fair, she is a commoner, it would naturally be harder for her than for me, but with training, she might be able to get it to my level," he thought. "You're a good student, that didn't take as long as I was expecting it to,"

"What can I say, I'm amazing,"

"You really are, now cast something with it,"

Zuka looked around for a target, her eyes stopping on something she didn't think she'd see here: four large trees in a single file. A smile came to her face as she opened her grimoire and turned to a page. "Time to break my record. Sparkle Creation Magic - Mana Charge: Shimmering Bow!" she formed the weapon and pulled on the bowstring, the arrow forming, but as she let it go, she was taken aback at how much faster it was moving and how much stronger it felt as the arrow effortlessly blasted through the first three trees, doing the same to the fourth, and it wasn't even done as it destroyed three more trees of the same size after that.

"Yes!" the blue and magenta-haired girl jumped, absent-mindedly pulling Kenos into a tight hug. "Thank you so much, thank you, thank you, thank you! I'm so happy, I could almost-,"

She cut herself off, coming back to her senses and noticing the position they were in, her face becoming like a tomato as she quickly backed away from him, turning around so he wouldn't see her face. "Um, sorry, I didn't mean to do that,"

"It's okay, I get it, you learned Mana Charge, I would be super excited too. You're welcome,"

"I-I, I'd better be off, thanks again," the girl never faced him as she mounted her broom and flew off.

"Is she okay?" Emmanuel asked.

Kenos looked up at the sky. "I hope so,"

"I'm such an idiot,"

An hour had passed from when Zuka left the Bulls HQ, now walking through the capital, not paying attention to anyone around, just thinking about one thing.

"Why did I do that? I got so close to him out of nowhere, I lost myself, but…it could've been my chance. After so long, we were finally alone, I could've confessed, but I just panicked and left. Why can't I just tell him how I feel?"

She clenched her fists, looking down at them. "Maybe I should finally tell someone my secret, then I could ask them for advice, but who should I tell? Mom did find out by herself, but Hiroka is a long way from here, flying there and back would take a while. Would one of the Black Bulls work? They know Kenos pretty well, they'll definitely be able to give some solid advice, but I don't really know any of them that well. Besides, how can I talk to any of them without tipping Kenos off about why? How about Shauna? Hm, nah, talking about romance might be difficult for her with the whole Joshua thing. Who can I talk to then?"

"Zuka…Zuka…ZUKA!" a figure kept calling her name, resorting to placing a hand in front of her shoulder, stopping the girl in her tracks.

"Huh?" the sparkle mage was stunned by the action, looking up from her hands and seeing who halted her.

"Eon?" she raised a brow, seeing the girl hold up a bag. "Um, hi there. What are you doing here?"

"That's what I should be asking you, you were about to bump into me," she told her.

Zuka finally took into account her surroundings, finding herself still in the center of the path. "Oh, my bad, I wasn't paying attention,"

"That's okay. On another note, it's good to see you again, we haven't seen each other since the Star Festival,"

"You're right. How have you been?"

"I've been doing good, but yesterday was quite a day,"

"Did something happen?"

"Yes, something very unordinary. But enough about me, how have you been?"

"Fine," she answered. "What's in the bag?"

"This? It's why I'm here, just doing some shopping for lunch, I got stuff for soups, bread, and my signature pasta,"

The sparkle mage perked up. "A signature pasta? What's in it?"

"Nothing too extravagant, I make it with tomatoes, onions, and ground lamb,"

"I love lamb, it was part of my dad's signature dish as well,"

Eon nodded approvingly. "Great minds think alike, I just enjoy the flavor lamb brings to a dish, and everyone loves it, the customers at our restaurant, and Kenos,"

"He's tried it?"

"Yeah, it was when he and Asta visited Nean one time," the older girl replied. "Well, it was nice seeing you again, I'd better be off," she turned and was about to walk away, until…

"Eon, hold up!" Zuka called.

"You need something?" she turned back around.

The sparkle mage began to get nervous, but she pushed past it. "I do need something. Can I…talk to you?"

Sensing the urgency of her request, Eon answered her without hesitation. "No problem, I can spare a few minutes. Let's find a place more private,"

The two left the crowded area and found a place with fewer passersby to the point where they would be almost completely alone. Finding a nearby bench, the girls sat down. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

Zuka replied as quickly as she could before could lose her nerve. "I wanted to ask for advice. There's this boy I like, but I can't tell him. What should I do?"

Eon's eyes widened. "Wait, you want romantic advice. Not that I don't feel honored that you trust me enough, but are you sure I should be the one? We hardly know each other. There have to be more qualified people to talk to,"

"You're the only one, every person I thought of wouldn't work, besides, you're pretty and talented, you must've been in a relationship before," Zuka said.

Eon blushed at the compliment. "Actually, I've been single all my life, but if I really am the only one you can confide in right now, I'll help you to the best of my ability,"

"Thank you,"

"So, this boy you want to confess to, have you considered that you may be avoiding it because you're scared of being rejected?" she started with the first question.

Zuka shook her head. "It's a thought that's crossed my mind, but not one I'm really worried about. Even if he didn't feel the same way, the boy I like isn't the type who would try to hurt those close to him,"

"He isn't the type? Wait, why don't you start by telling me what this boy is like, or even who he is if I happen to know him, I'll be able to give better advice then,"

The nervousness returned to Zuka, made obvious by her expression. She didn't want to reveal it, but she had already come this far, and Eon might be able to help more, so with all the courage she could muster, she opened her mouth.

"You do know him. I…I like Kenos,"

Eon once more widened her eyes, but it was tamer than the last time, as if she was still processing what she heard, her hands clutched the bag she held tightly as she suddenly turned her head. "Oh, I see,"

It didn't take long for Zuka to realize what her friend's body language and tone meant. "You like him too, don't you?"

The older girl still didn't face her. "It's just a tiny crush. You obviously like him more,"

"Don't say that!" Zuka shot up from her bench, startling the wind mage. "You shouldn't undersell your own feelings for my sake! You fell for Kenos just like I did, and that's okay!"

"Wow, I can't say I was expecting you to say that," Eon chuckled with a somber note. "But since you know how I feel about him now, are you sure you still want my advice? We're like romantic rivals now, right?"

"It doesn't have to be that way," Zuka replied with a smile. "At the end of the day, it's Kenos who will decide who he wants to be with, we shouldn't let that get in the way of our friendship,"

"I agree," Eon faced her again, crisscrossing on the bench. "But can I just say, he's such an amazing person,"

Zuka sat down and made the same motion. "Tell me about it, always giving his best to help others, you should've seen him at the Star Festival while we were doing other things, he helped out a little girl, gave some artists a huge tip, and he did something good for a person important to us both,"

"And you should've seen when he visited and my friend's siblings got captured, I heard he fought so hard, and despite that, the first thing was to try to help Asta," Eon said afterward.

"I just like how chill he can be," the sparkle mage squealed.

"Not to mention how nice and understanding," Eon squealed as well.

"Have I ever mentioned how cute he is when he blushes, especially when he's with a baby?"

"Oh, I'd love to see that," both girls laughed, but as a few seconds passed, the older one stopped. "Wait, could that be it?"

Zuka's laughing ended. "Could what be what?"

"Is it possible to can't confess to Kenos because you subconsciously feel he may be too good for you?" she inquired. "We were just squealing like little girls talking about how much of a great guy he is. Do you feel that you may not be adequate?"

The younger girl paused. "I…I never thought of that, it could be a possibility,"

Eon grabbed her shoulders. "Even if it is a possibility, don't let that stop you. We haven't known each other for long, but I can tell you're an amazing girl, and you deserve someone amazing,"

"The same is true for you, from the two interactions we had, I can deduce that any guy would be lucky to have you,"

"Aw thanks," she said as she stood up. "I should actually get going this time, Rebecca will be wondering where I am,"

Zuka did the same. "I should go too, I'm really glad I came to you,"

"Likewise," Eon extended a hand. "Good luck,"

The commoner met the hand with her own and they shook. "Good luck to you as well,"

"And may the best woman win,"

The Aqua Deer watched as her friend left, her gaze then shifted to the sky, and a look of determination was found on her face.

"I know what I have to do,"

Fifteen minutes passed as Zuka landed somewhere, dismounting her broom and looking upon the building in question.

Black Bulls HQ.

"No more fear, no more hesitation," she took a deep breath and walked to the door, about to knock, but she saw the door slightly open.

"I guess I can just walk in," she entered, seeing the back of the only other person in the room, and as if the goddess of fate was setting her up, the person in question was Kenos himself, standing off in the distance.

The solar mage felt the presence of another person, turning to see the girl. "Zuka? What a surprise, two visits in one day, that's a new one,"

"Yup, just can't get enough of the place," she said back, her hands already sweaty, her heart beating faster. She hoped this trip would go the way she planned, despite what she said to Eon, she still wanted to be one.

She wanted to be the girl who had his heart.

"So, um, where's everybody else? Did they all leave?" she wanted to know, hoping they were gone.

"No, they're just in another part of the base. We had a small emergency with the magic beasts Captain Yami keeps as pets, so they all went to check it out, but I decided to stay here," he told her.

"I see,"

"Is there another thing you need? You're here after all?" Kenos was curious. "Are you here for some more Mana Charge training?"

"No, it isn't that," she started slowly moving toward him, her heartbeat increasing with each step, now beating a mile a minute as they stood only inches apart staring into each other's eyes. "There's something I want to tell you, something that's been on my mind for a really long time and want to let out, something that I hope you can reciprocate,"

Just a few yards away, the other bulls were walking through the halls, having resolved the problem. "Damn, it's a good thing we handled that before it got out of control," Yami said.

"How the hell did they almost escape anyway?" Gauche wondered aloud.

"Maybe we haven't been feeding them enough and they tried to escape to find more food?" Asta proposed the idea.

"No way, if we feed them anymore than we already are, they'll turn into butterballs," Charmy said back.

"I'm just glad it's over," Magna slung his arms behind his head. "Now I can-, is that Zuka?"

The others were surprised to hear that name and neared the exit of the hallway, indeed seeing that sparkle mage.

"What do you think she's here now?" Noelle asked no one in particular.

"That doesn't matter right now, let's go greet her," Magna and the others were about to step out to say hi, but they were stopped as the Aqua Deer spoke four words.

"Kenos…I like you,"