Festival (2)

Zero's subtle smirk transformed, growing from its initial mischief into a more sinister, almost maniacal smile. His eyes twinkled with an unhinged glee as the anticipation of the upcoming week coiled in his gut. This elation bubbled up, manifesting itself as a low, malevolent chuckle.

'this will be fun,' Zero thought to himself, his chuckling growing more pronounced. "He...he...hehe..."

=====

Calm Mind Rank F+ has detected an unstable mind and emotion, the skill will be activated.

=====

Clara, hearing the unsettling chuckle, turned to Zero with a quizzical expression. "Did you say something, Zero?"

He quickly snapped back to the present, his sinister demeanor replaced by his usual laid-back self. "No, not at all. Just... a bit excited, haha."

She eyed him suspiciously, her lips pouting in faux anger. "Well, you should be excited! Especially after you ditched our dinner last week. You better make up for it big time in the festival!"

Zero flashed a warm, reassuring smile. "Of course, Clara. I promise I'll make it up to you guys."

Her cheeks reddened a bit, caught off guard by the sincerity in his tone. "For real? No take backs!"

Mike jogged over, wide-eyed, and nudged Zero. "Dude, look at these crowds!"

Zero followed Mike's gaze. "Yeah.. exciting isn't it, it would be nice to bully and dominate all these people in front of these large crowds."

Both Mike and Clara stared at him, their eyes widened in shock. "You're joking, right?" Mike uttered.

Zero paused, giving them a sly side-eye. "Of course, it's a joke. You two need to relax."

Orion Hale, overhearing the conversation, chimed in, "They have every reason to be tense. Look at this massive crowd. And don't forget, this is being broadcast live. Be careful with your words."

Aurelia Storm gestured toward the stands. "Speaking of which... Look over there."

Their gaze followed her pointing finger. In the first row, the notorious students of the fifth floor were causing quite the ruckus. Center of attention was Liam, flaunting a bright t-shirt emblazoned with the words "I LOVE ORION HALE" and waving a banner showcasing their "Terrorist Attack Scoreboard."

Orion: "....."

Orion: "....."

Orion's face drained of color. He slapped his face, his cheeks turning tomato red.

Orion: "....."

Orion: "....."

In a deadly whisper, he muttered, "I swear, Liam will pay for this."

Suppressing their giggles proved too challenging for both Clara and Aurelia. "Come on, Orion, he's just joking around," Clara managed to say between fits of laughter.

Before Orion could retort, a voice echoed from the side, "Pft, look at them. Just because their school won last year, they think they can slack off and jest around."

Zero glanced over to see a group of students from Verdant Heights Academy, their leafy tree emblem prominent on their green and white uniforms. Their leader, a tall guy with a sly smile, continued his taunting.

"Maybe they should spend less time laughing and more time practicing," he snickered, drawing attention from the surrounding students and a few hushed murmurs of agreement from his own group.

Clara's laughter died down as her fiery gaze locked onto the boy. "Maybe you should focus on your own team rather than ours," she shot back.

The Verdant Heights' leader chuckled, "Oh, I'm not worried about our team. But seeing NSE's so-called 'elite' group already breaking into laughter before the games even start? That's just amusing."

Orion stepped forward, his face still flushed from Liam's prank, but his eyes were icy. "Maybe you'd like a preview of what's coming for you in the games?"

Aurelia put a calming hand on Orion's shoulder. "Save it for the arena," she whispered.

Zero, still grinning, turned his attention back to the Verdant Heights' leader. "It's all in good fun." Zero look at his teammates, "Well calm down guys, they are not even worth the bother"

============================

Name: Rowan Vale

Age: 13 years old

Power:(F+)16

Intelligence:(F-) 9

Stamina:(F) 14

Talent: Provocation, acting up, lying

========================

Rowan Vale looked at zero while showing his arm, "What did you say kid? Getting too cocky because of last year's win?"

Zero, unfazed, responded with a whisper "Back off if you don't want to amputee" while showing his murderous aura. 

Rowan Vale whimpered and backed off, since he didn't know what happened he just thought it was a fluke.

Mike stepped in, trying to defuse the situation. "Alright, let's just focus on the competition, okay? No need for any bad blood before it even starts."

Clara, not one to back down easily, chimed in, "But if Verdant Heights wants to start something, we're more than ready." She glared defiantly at Rowan.

Rowan smirked, his green eyes gleaming with amusement. "Let's just see who stands at the top in the end. Verdant Heights won't go down easily."

Orion, rolling his eyes, muttered, "Can we just get this over with?"

Aurelia whispered to Zero, "Some people never change. Remember, it's just a game. Let our skills do the talking."

Zero nodded, locking eyes with Rowan one last time before turning away. "Let's go to the main stage."