Lunatic

Luna stormed off after Number One with her emotions conflicted. She felt like she was worthy of befriending him yet he completely forgot about her. He didn't even glance in her direction after winning their bet and left just like that.

'Ahhh!' Luna screamed internally, feeling extremely annoyed. One thing she hated the most was being disrespected.

Why did Number One propose a bet in the first place? Was she too weak for him, so he felt bad for taking her money? He could at least accept the money he won like he did with the teachers. Now that she got ignored, everyone would gossip about her which already gave her a headache.

Luna didn't care Number One's Soul Art could destroy a Training Puppet. If that was all he had, she was confident to defeat him if it came down to a real duel.

"Where did he go?" Luna wondered frustrated. She saw the Academy gates in the distance but Number One was still nowhere to be seen.

She was about to run outside in hopes of catching up to him when she heard a familiar voice from the shadows. "Are you looking for me?"

Luna turned abruptly and found Number One leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets. He looked like he was waiting for her which caught her off guard.

"Did you hear me calling for you?" Luna guessed as she approached but Number One shook his head.

"No, but I wanted to talk to you. I figured you will follow me if I ignore you," Number One admitted honestly, causing Luna to frown.

"So you disrespected me in front of everyone on purpose then?" Luna asked coldly and suddenly vanished from her position.

Bang!

Number One couldn't even react when Luna appeared by his side and her crimson fist burst the wall right next to his head.

"Don't think too highly of yourself," Luna hissed while staring deeply into his eyes. "Your Soul Art is powerful but it's useless if you can't hit your target. I could kill you ten times before you can even lift your finger."

Speed in duels was crucial and Luna's Shadow Steps came in handy with both dodging and attacking. Even if Number One tried to shoot her, she could escape with ease.

Too bad, her display of skills meant nothing to Number One who didn't even move.

"Are you done?" Number One asked lazily which irked Luna further.

She momentarily snapped and Soul Energy blazed up from her palm. Her ruby sword materialized in a blink of an eye and she pressed its edge against Number One's neck.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't slice your throat right now," Luna threatened, spilling blood with a small cut on his porcelain skin. She expected Number One to finally crumble under pressure but he shocked her once again.

"Actually, I think you should do it at this point," Number One said jokingly. "Make sure you stare into my eyes while you do it. You can enjoy the look on my face as my soul leaves my body."

A shiver ran down Luna's spine, realizing her attempts were pointless. Number One was completely unafraid of death. Anyone would be anxious about having a buzzing blade up their throat but Number One was numb. His hands were still in his pockets and his smile even widened as if he was amused.

"You think I won't do it?" Luna decided to double down while shifting the sword tip to his chest yet Number One read her like a book. He began walking forward which caused her sword to sink into his torso.

"What are you doing?!" Luna shouted in panic as she jumped back hurriedly. "Do you really want to die?!"

The tip of her sword has already pierced an inch deep into his chest before she reacted. If she aimed just a bit to the right, she could easily cut through his heart and kill him on the spot.

"What? I thought you wanted to kill me," Number One commented with a puzzled look. "I was tired of your stalling so I decided to help you."

"Fucking lunatic…" Luna muttered in disbelief.

Number One was clearly playing with her but there were limits. He could get himself killed if she wasn't quick enough to retreat. That alone convinced her he wasn't the best person to befriend and her desire to know more about him died down.

"You won the bet and I owe you a hundred Yellow Soul Crystals," Luna pointed out and withdrew a small bag from her Yellow Storage Ring. "Take them and stay away from me."

The moment Number One took the bag, Luna turned around with her sword in hand and ignored his stare as she walked towards the exit. She only managed to take a few steps before she heard Number One laugh uncontrollably.

Her footsteps paused as she looked back. "What are you laughing at?!"

"I just find it funny," Number One replied as he forced himself to calm down. "I actually wanted to say the same thing, so you saved me the trouble of keeping you away from me. Thanks a lot, you made it so much easier."

Number One didn't explain further and kept the bag in his Storage Ring. He tried slipping away but Luna was quicker and stopped him with her sword extended.

"Explain yourself," Luna ordered sternly. "Why did you want to keep me away in the first place?"

"I don't think it's important anymore," Number One replied with a shrug and walked around her blade. "I will follow your request. Let's not talk to each other in the future. It will be better for both of us."

Luna felt her body move in order to stop Number One from leaving but her pride halted her steps. She would never lower herself to begging and could only watch him leave without an answer.

It was a sudden plot twist but she got what she wanted, right? Then why did she feel like her interest in him was coming back? It was fine if it was her own decision to not contact him but now that he wanted the same, she felt like ruining his plans out of spite. What kind of reverse psychology was this? Did he plan for her to feel this way? Did he want her to obsess about him like all the other girls?

All those questions caused Luna a headache and she didn't wish to think about him anymore. She glared at Number One's back for the last time and muttered under her breath, "I will find out the truth one way or another… Just you wait…"