CHAPTER 61: Everybody Likes Ice Cream

Cracking his back and rotating his shoulder blades, Levi walked through the bustling street. Today, as well, Irina didn't go easy on his training; she almost killed him again. Levi headed to the grocery to buy some fruits. He went straight to the fruit section without looking for anything else.

His eyes were now locked on the single bundle of bananas in the store. Levi increased his pace but didn't run. Though he didn't like bananas or know their taste of it, its nutritional value was non-negotiable. As his hand reached for the bananas and grabbed one, another hand grabbed onto the banana, mainly Levi's hand.

Levi looked to his right. Yuki, shocked with anger and fear, couldn't get her hands off Levi's hand.

'Warm.'

Levi's hands were really warm during this time of the year, and he wasn't wearing any gloves or warm outfits. Snapping out of her confused state, Yuki pulled her hand away, but her feet didn't stop shivering. Levi picked up the bananas and divided them in half.

"Here."

He gave one to Yuki, but her hand didn't move. Her legs were glued to the ground, and her hands were frozen. Levi sighed and put the banana in her shopping basket. Levi went to other sections to buy some eggs, and Yuki only moved after Levi was out of her sight.

Breathing a sigh of relief, she stood in line at the cashier, just to notice Levi behind her, carrying a crate of eggs. Every time Levi was near her, she couldn't help but be afraid. He did bully the person who bullied her, but she imagined Levi to be something even worse. After all, how he dealt with the bullies still ruined her good sleep.

The line ahead moved on, but she didn't walk an inch. The cashier politely called her,

 "Excuse me, can you move for the checkout? Others are waiting."

Only Levi was behind her, and holding the line could piss off Levi. Not knowing what to do, she almost cried. That's how fearsome Levi is to her.

Levi let out a deep sigh again.

 'She is just needlessly a scaredy cat.'

"Hey, can you move?"

Hearing that, Yuki's body considered it another threat and started walking… like a robot. Even after he checked out, she only moved a few meters away. Levi paid for the eggs and bananas and looked at Yuki at the exit.

"Why are you here?" 

Yuki didn't answer; her eyes were on the floor. Levi didn't say anything further and was about to walk away, then he remembered something. Pushing the glass door, Levi said,

 "Follow me."

His words sounded like a death sentence to Yuki. Follow me to hell, that's what her brain thought. Even though Levi opened and closed the door for her, deep fear was still inside her mind. Levi walked fast, and her tiny legs tried to match his. Both walked a few meters without saying anything and then Levi started the conversation.

"It might sound odd to you that I am asking this, but at what time do you train?" 

Levi's training with Irina was going well, but her skill level was too much for him to match. Though she went easy on him, the biggest flaw was she didn't teach him the basics of magic.

Irina being a prodigy easily understood everything, and whenever Levi explained something, Levi had to ask if both were speaking the same language.

"It's so easy. The mana from your body goes swish, and then bam, and then from your hand, and pow."

She wasn't a bad teacher; a prodigy just thinks differently, and Levi didn't have the basics to understand it. So he needed someone to train him on that. Ryan was busy creating the vaccine and other work. So he did need someone's assistance, and Yuki would be the perfect candidate.

'However, by the looks of things, she might not be able to even stand before me properly.'

For a psycho like him, fear was a factor he never had to consider. Even after that, he still tried to understand how others behaved when they feared someone or something. Just by a glance at Yuki, he could tell she was scared whenever Levi was near.

Yuki, on the other hand, even forgot at what time she was scared. She just wanted to say something but choked on her throat and started coughing. Even the calm Levi couldn't help but panic a bit.

'How should I deal with her?'

He was about to pat her back to stop the coughing but stopped; touching her might actually kill her from a heart attack. He looked around to see an ice cream vendor. He took out three Dales from his pocket and kept them at the tab.

"Can I get a chocolate ice cream?"

The vendor took out a scoop of ice cream and put it in a cone, wrapped the bottom in a tissue, and gave it to Levi. He walked towards Yuki and passed the ice cream to her. When her eyes laid on the haven of sweetness in front of her, the coughing stopped, and her hands moved towards the cone.

Grabbing it, she licked the ice cream, delving into the sweetness of the ice cream. On her instinct, she carried the grocery bags in her left hand. Not even bothering to ask Levi, she felt as if she committed a felony. In a panic, she said,

 "I'm sorry, I didn't even ask if it was for me."

Shaking his head, Levi took one of the bags from Yuki and started walking, 

"It is for you, now let's go."

His plan worked quite well; after all, which psycho doesn't like ice cream… well, this psycho. Yuki now calmed down a bit but still hesitated to drown in the sweetness.

"You still haven't answered my question."

 Levi's words finally made her realize the question. Yuki thought about her routine, which often would be to train, study, and work all day.

"Umm… I train in the morning and after the academy ends, and if I am fr-free, maybe before dinner as well."

Nodding his head, Levi started to think about what time he could convince her to train with him. Yuki, on the other hand, couldn't stop her urges when the ice cream started melting. Like a child, she started devouring the ice cream. Now she felt truly calm and didn't hesitate to talk with Levi.

"Why do you ask?"

She didn't find a reason why Levi would ask about her training time.

 'Will he come to bully me in my free time? No way, right? He bought me an ice cream after all.'

Truly a childlike analogy. Yuki noticed mana fluctuating in Levi's hand and the most beautiful magic circles she had ever seen in his hand. But before anything happened, the magic circles broke into dust.

Yuki, waiting for something to happen, felt disappointed.

 "Why didn't you complete it?"

Levi shook his head and looked at Yuki.

 "I am just unable to do so. I wanted to learn ice magic, but you see, my magic theory is worse than a child's, and I need someone's help. I was hoping if you could help me with it."

Yuki looked at the ice cream like a bribe and trap. She was scared of him, helping him didn't make any sense, and Levi knew it. 

"I will give you five hundred Dales for every hour you help me."

Yuki, shocked, looked at Levi's eyes. Those hollow but never faltering eyes spoke more. He was telling the truth, and she started considering if she should help. Five hundred Dales for a commoner like her would be game-changing. And that too for every hour. If she helped him for two hours a day, then the money she would get would be more than what she was currently earning from working in a cafe.

But the person she had to help was Levi. She couldn't help but hesitate a bit. Levi then again put in another proposition upfront. 

"It's okay if you don't want to do it. I can ask someone else for it—"

"No," Yuki interjected him and shook her head. "I will do it, I mean help you. But promise me… you will give me the money."

"You have my word."

If she helped him daily, the money she would get would solve so many of her problems.

 'How many ice creams can I buy if I work for a whole month straight?'

Her greedy self was taking in. Levi pleased he got her help, started thinking about when would be the perfect time to train. Because in the evening, he had to train with Irina, so the morning was the best.

"Let's meet at the academy's training centre at 7 am and train for an hour daily, except on weekends."

Yuki, busy with the ice cream, just nodded. Both kept walking without talking anymore and reached the academy gate. Though both of them were commoners, their dormitories were separate. Yuki savoured the last bit of the ice cream cone as she took the grocery bag from Levi's hand.

"Tha-Thanks for carrying it and for the ice cream as well." 

Nervousness took over her voice, and she stared but didn't fear him so much anymore. About to walk away, Levi pointed at her lips.

"There's still a bit of ice cream on your lips."

Yuki, embarrassed by it, used the tissue given with the ice cream and wiped her lip but at the wrong spot. Levi again pointed at her lips. "Not there, a bit on the left."

"Here?"

"No, a bit on the right."

"Is it gone now?"

Levi took the tissue from her hand and gently wiped the ice cream. Yuki, bewildered by his behaviour, felt her cheeks grow hot as she ran to her dorm. Levi realized his doings and just walked away, hoping nobody noticed him, but to his bad luck, two noticed it.

Gabriel, wondering what he just saw.

 'He didn't look like the guy to make such moves. I am going to have fun teasing him… though I shouldn't do it too much.' 

He too remembered Levi pricing a person's head without any hesitation.

The other one to see it was Flynn, walking to the training grounds. At first, he just didn't understand why both of those were together, but after Levi's behaviours, he clenched his fist unconsciously.