45 Youth’s of Culture, Eyed by Strangers

Nero stared at the skinny and tall, dark-skinned youth with dreads before him in shock; he would have never believed that he would bump into him on his way to lunch on the roof, most specifically in his own school.

Avollo looked at Nero in surprise, before his expression returned to normal, he smirked as he spoke, "Nero, I had a hunch that you were attending here and eventually we'd ran the same course, but I never thought I'd crash right into you. Huhu... talk about a fateful encounter."

Nero, having removed his stupefied look, stared at him before speaking in agreement, "Indeed, the world is a mysterious place, so large yet at times with such small boundaries."

Avollo looked around before pointing ahead and speaking, "Come, let's hurry up, we can't stay chatting in the hallway, and I need to eat before I get my lunchtime nap."

After Avollo spoke, he promptly opened the door and went out into the bright rays from day's sunlight. Nero shook his head and followed along while thinking, 'Sleeping at school? He truly is a strange one...'

The roof was already sparsely filled with a few students from different groups; they sat and ate while chatting and laughing.

Avollo and Nero soon went towards a corner where a bench was before they sat down and took out their food. They were about to each, but Avollo soon looked towards Nero's side in shock as he saw someone else eating at a leisure pace.

"You! You're here as well?" Avollo exclaimed as he looked at Ryo.

Nero was surprised; he didn't know Avollo knew Ryo, he gave Ryo a suspicious look as he pondered, 'For someone like Avollo to even know this stalker, he certainly can't be of the average standard in that world. I need to observe him a bit more...'

While Nero was thinking, Ryo, who was sipping some cup noodles, glanced at Avollo with a cold look, causing Avollo to glare at him for a while before looking away.

'Hmph! Darn fellow, he thinks I'm afraid to challenge him? I'll let him watch and see how I surpass his rank tonight!'

As Avollo thought to here, his eyes flashed in a firm ray before he glanced at Nero and contemplated, 'To think he could be so indifferent around Chasing Arrow, I really don't know what kind of status he's hiding.'

Nero, naturally, didn't know of Avollo's misunderstanding, he pushed the encounter just now behind his head and started to wolf down his food.

Avollo glanced at him and asked, "Hey, Nero, what are you planning on doing when you login tonight?"

Ryo who seemed to be idle, looked over curiously, Nero, who was eating a piece of meat, swallowed before he replied, "Login? Oh, you mean Digitize, I am planning on doing an errand and a quest, though I'm not sure if I'll be able to do them all at once."

Avollo had a curious expression as he asked Nero, "Oh, what are they about?"

Nero didn't bother to hide them as he spoke, "Well, the errand should get me a more suitable weapon, one more fitting to my style of fighting. As for the other, it's just some old quest from that darn monk in Winfrey Village."

Avollo's eyes beamed as he heard those words, with a hearty laugh he spoke, "Haha, Nero, I didn't think you learned from my beating, you're actually taking my advice by changing weapons. Good job, man!"

Nero rolled his eyes at those words and clicked his teeth as he spoke, "As if... I'll let you know right now; I had already known of my weapon's incompatibility. Our battle only taught me of how weak I truly am..."

Avollo made a nonbelieving look as he placed down his lunch box and leaned back as he replied, "Yeah-yeah, sure..."

Nero grew angered when he saw Avollo ignore his words and place his straw hat over his head, but he didn't say anything, he didn't want to come across as a sore loser bickering.

Ryo snickered at this before returning to his usual stern facial expression, ignoring all things but his smartphone.

At this time, Avollo seemed to have realized something. He slanted his head to the side, lifting his hat a little as he looked at Nero and asked with a curious look in his eyes, "You said that you got a quest from some monk in Winfrey Village, right?"

Nero nodded and replied, "That's right; he is a really sneaky and greedy little bastard too."

Avollo had a dark look as he asked again, "Last time I checked there was only one monk in Winfrey Village, could it be that Combat Temple's Monk Nalud?"

Nero felt a bit uneasy now that he heard Avollo's tone and saw his expression, but as he already knew of the dangers of the quest, he replied, "Yup, that's the one."

When Avollo heard Nero's confirmation, he looked at him as if he was crazy as he spoke, "Are you out of your mind? Do you know how dangerous that quest of his is?"

Even Ryo was surprised, as he didn't think Nero would be so foolish, he thought to himself, 'Che! Now, look at this, already doing something of such madness. Must I really look after him when he's like this?'

Not knowing Ryo's thoughts, Nero made an expression of understanding as he thought, 'As expected, it seems like my older self wasn't kidding, I would have little to no chance at my current level.'

Still, despite his self-knowledge, Nero didn't back down as he looked at Avollo and spoke, "Of course I do, but that's what makes it interesting, what man would I be if I back down from a challenge?"

Avollo and Ryo looked at Nero in surprise when they heard his words; they gave him a different look as they didn't know what to say about his confidence.

With a sigh, Avollo looked at Nero deeply before he spoke, "My friend, I have to say that you are one brave fellow. Fine, since you are willing to challenge the unknown, I won't try to convince you otherwise; after all, as a man, I too like the feeling of exceeding my limits."

When Avollo said this, he looked at the sky feeling a tinge of warm-bloodedness. He once more looked at Nero with a sly look as he spoke, "Huhu... Nero, I'll just say that while you're on your way to suicide, don't forget to send me a message, maybe if I'm feeling good about the portioning of the rewards, I'll help out."

Nero scoffed at those words, "Pssh, as if I'll need it, the only time I'll be requesting something of you is when I want the official rematch."

"Haha! Sure, anytime," Avollo said no longer looking at anyone, placing his hat back over his face, ready to get his lunchtime nap.

Nero shook his head at those words; he packed his empty lunchbox and stared around the roof. However, he soon noticed that Elly was also eating with a few girls, as if she sensed his stare, she glared at him before wrinkling her little nose and turning away with a cute snort.

Nero thought she was no different from a spoiled child, but she acted in a way that he didn't find annoying. He made a faint smile before looking at the scenes of the city while thinking, 'Since its Friday, I'll likely have to deal with a lot of clients at the Paradise Palace. How troublesome, it will be a longer evening than usual...'

When Nero though to here, a cool wind blew across the roof, flipping the skirts of many inattentive girls causing them to cry out with red faces as he leaned back, taking in the sights in silence.

Avollo, who pretended to sleep, glanced at Nero from a small crack in his straw-hat and snickered as he spoke, "I see now that you are also a youth of culture..."

Nero leaned back and spoke in a matter of fact tone, "I may not be interested in relationships for now, but that doesn't mean I'm gay."

Avollo chuckled, saying no more, as the daytime wind continued to create a feast to the eyes of many.

****

Far away from the campus compound, within an ordinary coffee store. Two individuals sat by each other's side, one of them as one being a mature beauty of charming grace with bangs, and the other was a slender man with a long face and straight features as if like a stick.

They both wore casual wear and seemed no different from a couple dating. As they sat, the two seemed to be reading a paper, but if one paid close attention to their eyes, they would notice that their strange contact lens flashed with vague digital numbers every once and a while.

Not long after, the slender man shifted the paper revealing another set of paper underneath it with Nero's face as he spoke, "Ma'am, he should be the one we're looking for, based on the energy readings we got two days ago. Are we going to meet him today?"

The woman shook her head as her eyes stared fixedly at Nero before she spoke, "No, he should already be under watch by a few other powers in the union. Let's wait and see, for now; we also have to use him if necessary, to draw out those darn Bit Hunters, I refuse to believe they won't try to attack him..."

The slender man sighed before he spoke, "Ma'am, it's already been two days, it's not in their style to wait so long, what if he's already been attacked but is merely protected by another force from the union?"

The woman hesitated before she bit her lips and spoke, "Alright fine, we'll wait two more days; after that, we'll contact him directly. Now go make notice of our preparations..."

"Understood," The slender man said as he got up from his seat, leaving the store.

The woman stared at Nero's form, which was clearly magnified in her lens as she smirked while thinking, 'Such a handsome little fellow, he almost reminds me of someone...'

As if she recalled a sullen memory, the woman shook her head, not bothering to think about it as she got up and left the store. The scene here remained indifferent to their presence as if from the very start, no one was there.

****

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