THAT ARROGANT SMILE

(Gods, must I keep waking up every morning? Haven't I suffered enough?)

Thoughts like these would usually comically pop up in my head when waking from a restless sleep, it seemed as though that was the only kind I'd been getting for the past decade.

(Alright, so, wait… where'd I put my uniform again?)

Somehow getting myself dressed I made my way to the dinner table.

Granny Lia: "Oh sweetie! Well, look who's finally up."

The only thing I could count on these days was that no matter how early I got up granny Lia would always top my record.

Grandpa Radyon: "Eeh! Enough now Lia, serve the boy his food, at his age, he might as well be a skeleton with how little food he's getting."

Granny Lia: "Oh now really? Keep going on about how I take care of my boy and you'll be the one not getting any food!"

Grandpa Radyon: "Haha, I see, so he's just yours now is he?"

Granny and grandpa seemed to enjoy bickering together every so often. I saw that their love for each other had not diminished an ounce, even in old age.

I sat down, and we all enjoyed our morning breakfast together. I wouldn't see granny again till I came home for dinner and I'd perhaps not even see grandpa till the next day, depending on his work. Even now he was sneakily eyeing up his note pamphlet, careful not to rouse granny Lia's wrath.

We ate in silence as usual.

Suddenly granny Lia started "You know dear, you rarely tell us about how your studies are going lately."

My eyes went wide at her sudden remark, what I'd said before was the truth to be sure, we've been eating our breakfasts in almost complete silence for the past several years "I guess I don't really have much to say about it… still, I doubt I've been as chatty as you remember before."

Grandpa Radyon: "Hahaha, don't mind your grandmother Tifon, she's merely reminiscing over your childhood."

"What a different boy you were!" he hurriedly added as if in fear of coming off as too grim.

Granny Lia: "Well, I suppose you're both right." I felt a sudden change in the atmosphere as those words dropped, from the looks of it so did grandpa, completely leaving off his notes for a moment he fixed his tired gaze upon me. Then dropped it and suddenly, as if adding onto granny's words said: "Well, I suppose do quite miss it too."

These words left his lips as if without him even knowing. I urged myself to ask with some hesitancy "Missed… what?"

Granny Lia: "Oh hush now you old bag, must you always mimic me?"

Grandpa Radyon: "Haha, you see how quickly she turns on me, Tifon boy? That is why I always say not to turn your back to a woman!"

The air in the conversation had finally settled to normal and remained so for the most part. But almost out of nowhere then, once again grandpa Radyon steeled himself and finished what he'd said before out loud, now under his breath.

"I seem to have started missing that arrogant smile of yours."

I left for school that day as I'd always had, hastening my stride only a little so as to not be too late. Getting there, I saw that there was absolutely no one at the gates yet, which, admittedly was to be expected, it was around 2 hours before school would even start after all. Well then, what was I hurrying up for you ask?

!!! : "TIFON, YOU'RE LATE!"

"I swear on the Gods I'm even starting to hallucinate her voice now."

Aurora: "You're not hallucinating, dumbass!" Aurie's voice rang over me like the alarm I dreaded whilst half asleep every morning.

"I might as well be with how much you drag me along to do your errands with you."

Aurora: "Hey now what is this ungratefulness I hear? You ought to thank me for all this free work experience as a secretary I'm giving you." Giggling Aurie finished visibly proud of herself, and literally dragging me by the arm took us to our first destination for the day.

That being a meeting with one of the early morning club's representatives.

The winner of this honor was the archery club's Head Mitsuno, a short yet formidable-looking girl. She had pale skin, brown hair, and flared-up, blacker still eyes. She stood out with her crooked canine tooth, which dripped down her lower lip. The tiny fang gave her a much cuter appearance.

Mitsuno: "Ohoho, if it isn't the bloodsucker herself, the prep team and I were just talking about how much of a stingy bastard you are!"

Aurora shrugging at the insult answered her enraged assailant with a calm and collected air to be expected of a student council president. "Well, there's just not much we can do about it I'm afraid Mitsuno, the fact is the more practical clubs have always taken a priority in our budgeting."

From the nonchalance and gravity that Aurie held while dealing with our esteemed 'Monster Mitsuno', I gathered that this exact outburst had happened a number of times before.

Mitsuno: "Oh yea? Hah! Well this time, to your regret, I've actually come prepared!"

Aurora: "Aha, really now?"

Things seemed to be getting interesting, man, of all the days not to have brought popcorn…

Mitsuno: "You see our, err… (What was it?) Re-Fe-Ren-Ces, yeah, references here indicate that, on average, clubs with physical activity in them score higher at getting members and, and! Attract more student body to them, so, speaking factually that is, it makes sense to prioritize said clubs! AND also… Oh yeah! Our heater's been broken for the past two terms too!"

Mitsuno finished already expecting victory, the speech she had prepared had no holes in it to her knowledge, and this time she would surely conquer the 'Malicious Queen' Aurora once and for all!

Aurora: "Well, what can I say you're quite right… that's exactly the case for all sports that aren't as archaic as archery that is, and besides, when was the last time you even recruited a member?"

Mitsuno: "Gahh! Damn it all (victory was so close too), HEY, you there, lanky lookin' guy!"

I was only a foot behind Aurie but Mitsuno called out to me as if I were at a distance of a hundred feet and counting.

"Yeah? Hey, I've got nothing to do with thi-"

Mitsuno: "You wanna join the archery club, don'tcha??"

The question was so unexpected to me It took me nearly a minute just to understand it.

"H-huh..?"

Aurora: "Hey now, no coercing my associates Mitsuno, even for a savage like you intimidation is quite below the belt, wouldn't you agree?"

Mitsuno: "Why, you little-" Aurora continued through a giggle, already anticipating how she'd overcome her enemy.

"However, about your little heater problem, I'm sure we can figure something out."

Mitsuno, visibly cutting her losses, decided to settle for baby steps towards the glorious realization of her archery club, one heater at a time.

Seeming to have finally subdued the beast, Aurie lead me towards the inside quarters of the archery range, where her every stride was followed by the gaze of all the club members, apparently already starting to prepare for the practice session's start.

Bringing me to one of the malfunctioning heaters she suddenly exclaimed.

Aurora: "Well, Fix it."

Tifon: "H-HUUUUH?!"

Aurora: "What? Aren't you a man?!" Seemingly completely dropping the earlier façade she held while talking to Mitsuno, Aurie started vehemently pushing me down to get on the floor next to the heater.

Tifon: "Gods what do you take me for, a house call?! I can't fix that thing!"

Aurora: "What kind of an assistant even are you?! You incapable piece of-!" Before I could even find out if I had the winning guess for the 'Insult of the day lotto' (it was definitely garbage) Aurie seemed to finally notice that, although we were in the storage room, her shouting had attracted quite the crowd behind us.

Aurora: "A-Ahem, I mean, that's just quite disappointing Tifon, I truly expected more of you." Almost without missing a beat, Aurie had instantly recovered her former esteem.

Tifon: "Alright here's a suggestion." Usually, storage rooms inside clubs have a bunch of loose screws, well hopefully loose screwdrivers too, so if the only reason it was malfunctioning was a popped-off bolt, then I could probably handle the repairs on my own.

Tifon: "Let me just take a quick look at it, then I'll see if there's anything I can do to help." Our audience suddenly started to disperse, probably in part thanks to Mitsuno angrily ordering the club to start practice, what, 30 minutes before any activities were scheduled? Either way, noticing the deficit of people outside the cramped storage room Aurie responded.

Aurora: "Ah alright then, I'll give you some space in that case." Saying this, Aurie stepped out, leaving me to my methods.

(Some air would be nice right about now.)

Thinking to herself Aurora stepped out of the club's quarters and, finding a nice bench not too far off to sit on, looked on at the students already practicing in the archery range.

###: "Woah, look who I just found out in the middle of nowhere!"

(That obnoxious and conceited voice could only ever belong to one person.)

Aurora: "Oh, Eion? What could you be doing here at the archery range? Don't tell me Mitsuno managed to recruit you through a death threat too." Straining a laugh Aurora wore the usual friendly persona.

Eion: "Hah! Me, archery? Not in even in that bitch's dreams!"

Aurora: "Haa- yeah, was there something you wanted?"

Eion: "Oh ya sure, some quality alone time for once, hopefully," Eion snickered through his words, growing warier by the minute of Aurora's displeasure with him. He continued.

Eion: "I'm guessing that's why you're here too eh? I mean, I love all my friends, honest! It just takes a lot out of me to keep up that façade, you know what I mean?"

(You don't have to tell me.)

Aurora: "I'm sure it must be tiring getting all that nonstop attention."

Aurora answered in an almost barely audible tone, she wanted the conversation over as soon as possible but couldn't feign to have to be somewhere else, seeing as she was still waiting for Tifon, besides, Eion might've even seen her just exit the range and sit down for a break.

Eion: "Oh, by the way, you never did mention what you were doing here, Aurora."

Aurora: "Just the usual club issues, Mitsuno had filed her hundredth complaint in towards the archery club's budgeting."

Eion: "Aha, no rest for the wicked, am I right?" Eion almost purposefully followed each sentence with a hardy guffaw, as if constantly trying to get under Aurora's skin.

Aurora: "Yeah, I might even have to pack up soon-"

???: "AHHAAAHA! AURIE, YOU WON'T BELIEVE IT, I ACTUALLY MANAGED TO FIX THE THING. YOU SHOULD'VE SEEN THE LOOK ON MITSUNO'S FACE!"

Tifon waved and shouted to Aurora while walking towards the company, only recognizing her between the two from the distance. Aurora all at once eased up and recovered herself.

(The shit's depressed all day at school but when she's around he's nothing but laughs?!)

Eion could barely stifle the intense hatred he felt towards Tifion's tone, almost even visibly shaking.

Aurora: "Ha-ha, Better have! With all that time you made me wait here."

After finally reaching them Tifon recognized the person standing next to Aurora on the bench

Tifon: "Oh, Eion? What're you doing here of all places?"

But Eion hadn't the capacity to answer him, only suddenly looking away from them both could he muster a few words.

Eion: "…It seems I have to be on my way as well now." And even that stank of malice. While Tifon hesitated with a goodbye Eion made his exit from them both.

Aurora: "Well? You ready for our next order of business?"

Tifon: "Oh Gods help me…"