Chapter 104- Newcomer (Part 1)

The next morning, Elio woke up as usual. It was still very early, but he felt well rested. His body was gradually requiring less and less sleep to feel energized and ready for the day. That was very practical and convenient for him as he would’ve been in great trouble with his body had he still the same one he had before.

4 hours of sleep would be far from enough for that, after all.

"Hnng..." Rubbing his eyes, he left the room and walked to the living room. There, he was surprised to see something he didn’t expect.

Sitting at the table were Emilia and Fiona, drinking coffee while chatting casually.

"..." He stared at them for a second, not knowing what to think. They looked like friends and not people who just met yesterday.

"Good morning..." He said.

"Oh? Good morning." Emilia replied. "Did you sleep well, boy?"

"Yeah... You two are up quite early."

"Good morning, Elio," Fiona replied. "Yeah, I made some coffee and sat down to have a small chat with Miss Emilia."

"..." Blinking slowly, he nodded. "Well, I’m glad you two are getting along."

"Of course, I have to know my future granddaughter-in-law."

"Alright, alright, enough," Elio replied as he rolled his eyes. "I’m going to wash my face."

"Hahahaha." Emilia laughed as she sipped her coffee. "He’s so easy to tease."

"He’s a good person. You raised him well, Miss Emilia." Fiona said with a faint smile as she stared at Elio’s back. For a second, her eyes flashed with a peculiar glint, one that Emilia caught.

"Ohoh? You think so?" She said as she tried to hide her smirk.

"Yeah... He’s an amazing person. I owe him my life."

"He didn’t tell me the details of what happened that day. But, it seems he had done a lot more than you would’ve expected."

"Mhm, he carried my injured body for miles, jumped from a cliff, and protected me with his body so I don’t get more injuries. He then carried me to a cave and rested me there before fighting for me against a swarm of monsters. He suffered many injuries, and even when i begged him to leave me behind and run for his life, he refused adamantly." Fiona explained. Every single time she recalls that day, chills run down her spine. It was simply engraved in her mind.

"..." Emilia stared at the girl’s expression, realizing how truly deep that affected her. "That kid... Even I didn’t know he had such courage."

"He does. More than most people I met in my life. Even when running away is easier and more logical, he didn’t give up on me. I will carry that favor for the rest of my life. I would not have been sitting here had he not been with me."

"..."

"At first, I will be honest, all I wanted from Elio was his talent. It is the kind of talent that will change this world and flip things upside down. I was greedy, and I wanted to use it for my own benefit. But when I got to know him, heard his story, and was around him... I learned how much of a mesmerizing person he is."

Fiona could only describe him in that particular term, ’mesmerizing’. Everything about him captivates her in ways she never felt before. Fiona had met countless impressive people in her life, people who had talent, wealth, and fame, and they were all yearning for her and trying to impress her in every way they could.

Yet, no one came close to the way Elio made her feel. He was just such a bright, beautiful star that seemed to shine on her dark life out of nowhere. He was the hand that stretched for her when she needed it most, and he constantly stretches his hand for her and eases all her worries.

Being around him makes her forget all the stress, all the pain, and for a brief time, she just feels like she’s being herself.

Just thinking about him clears her mind a bit, something not even sleep seems to be that good at.

"Hm..." Emilia looked at Fiona silently, her eyes flashing with an understanding glint. ’This girl...’

She could see it in her face, as clear as day. To think Fiona Vaylor would have ’that’ kind of look on her face.

’What kind of spell did you cast on her, my little boy? Hm, I underestimated you quite a bit.’ She smirked.

"Say, Fiona..."

"Hm?"

Before Emilia could ask the question, Elio walked back to the living room in his school uniform, sat down, and poured himself a cup of coffee.

"So, how did you like the new bed, Grandma?"

"It felt like I was sleeping on a cloud. What are they even making these modern beds out of?"

"Special fiber and cushion. It is also fused with Blood Energy for maximum comfort." Fiona explained.

"It definitely helped with my back pain quite a bit."

"You should be careful with your back, Grandma. You’re still carrying heavy stuff, aren’t you?"

"Don’t worry about me, kid. I’m still as solid as ever." Emilia brushed him off. "Oh, I’m heading out to buy some stuff in the city later."

"We will be at school in the meantime."

"Good. You must still focus on your studies even if you are aspiring to be a Hunter now." Emilia said. "Your mother especially insisted you focus on that. She wanted you to graduate with a good score."

"... Mm, I will." He nodded with a slightly bitter look before he looked at the time. "Oh, we are going to be late. Are you going, Fiona?"

"Yeah."

With that, the two stood up and picked up their bags.

"I will see you later, Grandma. Here are the keys for when you need them." He said as he gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Be careful out there, boy. And you too, Fiona."

"We will!"

***

Leaving the penthouse, they headed to school as usual. Reaching his seat, Elio sat down and was about to pull his books out when he heard something interesting.

"Whoa, did you see that girl at the door earlier? She’s smoking hot!"

"Wasn’t she wearing our school uniform?"

"Yeah, I heard she’s a new student or something... She looks so exotic. Maybe she’s from a different country and moved here?"

’A new student?’ Elio raised an eyebrow. ’We don’t get those often. I guess she somehow found an empty spot.’ He mused.

Shrugging, he focused on his notes again. This wasn’t that big of a deal in hindsight; this was a particularly good school in the city, so it attracted attention.

As the bell rang, announcing the start of the class, the professor walked in. However, instead of doing the usual roll call, he stopped and looked at everyone.

"Well, there is some news I want to share with everyone here."

"Oh?"

’No way, right?’ Elio looked up, expecting what he was about to say.

"We have a new student joining us today. She’s a foreigner who arrived recently in our country, and she decided to join our school. I want you to welcome her warmly and be nice to her. Miss Brianna, please come in."

Hearing that, everyone stared at the door curiously as it started opening. The person who came in made everyone gasp.