Ch. 17 Give and Take

"Warm…"

This was the first thing Ana murmured as she woke up. As her senses returned, she noticed her mana circuit working furiously. Energy surged within her body and she practically jumped out of bed.

"Good morning sleepy head. Or, should I say evening?"

"It's about time."

An unknown boy was teasing her and Ethan was as rude as ever. With a serious expression, he was pumping her full of mana. It felt like she had eaten nothing but greens for the past month.

"Stop that! I feel like sprinting; there's too much energy."

"You sure? There may still be damage somewhere."

"Yes!"

The pair eventually calmed down. Oliver explained what happened on their end, and Ana was about to do the same. But then, she noticed Ethan's expression. The goofy, cocky boy was gone. What replaced him felt… darker.

"What will you do if I tell you who hurt me?"

"Kill them." Ethan saw no reason to beat around the bush.

"Then, I won't tell you."

Ana crossed her arms and eyed him carefully. He shrugged.

"It doesn't matter. I'll find out eventually."

After a long tense moment, Oliver broke the silence.

"Ook… How about we all calm down and talk things over. I'm sure there's a reason Ana wants to keep it a secret. Let's hear her out."

Ethan's face remained stone cold.

"I won't let you do something reckless." explained Ana. "That guy's a noble. If you attack him, his family will come after you."

"So, it's a guy and a noble."

Oliver frowned.

"Calm down Ethan. Killing isn't the only solution."

"Of course it is." The mage spoke as if to a toddler. "Will Sir. 'Noble Guy' stop harassing her if we do nothing? If I threaten him, will he stop? If I beat the shit out of him, will he stop?"

"Then, I'll stop attending the Academy." said Ana firmly. "He won't be able to hurt me and you can train me in secret."

"No. Entering that place was all you've talked about for the past 2 months. I won't let you give up on it. I would join you in the fighter class, but then you'd feel all guilty and crap."

Ana tried to refute his statements but couldn't find the words. Ethan took this as confirmation that he was right.

"So, the only solution is to kill that prick. If his family gets riled up, I'll kill them too."

After delivering this conclusion, the boy grabbed a bowl of grapes and tapped out of the conversation. He was quite pleased with his logic.

"You…" Ana was getting annoyed. She knew he was wrong but couldn't articulate why. Murder wasn't uncommon in Last Heaven, but it was definitely not the solution right now. Besides, who was he to risk his life for her?

Ever since she could walk, Ana was doing chores and helping her household. At 12, her mother got sick and she learned to fend for herself. Soon, she was the sole breadwinner of the family and she was doing just fine.

But, here was someone so set on protecting her that he was willing to spill blood. She was flattered, of course, but she was not some helpless baby.

"You're going too far, Ethan." She finally spoke her mind.

"Really, then do you have a better idea?"

"I don't know... I just know it's… f**ked up!"

'Since when does she swear?' Ethan began paying attention.

"Weren't we supposed to be friends? I don't feel like your friend. I feel like your stupid child who can't do anything.

I… I don't want you to always solve my problems for me. I want us to be equal, yet you keep doing more and more and more… "

"But… that's what friends do, right?"

Ethan was confused. He didn't have to deal with all this sentimental crap in his past life. The closest he ever got to someone was to his pet dragon which died in a volcano. Sadly, a dragon's scales did not live up to their reputation.

"No!" Ana raised her hands in frustration. "Friends help each other, but it's a give and take. So far, only you've been giving and I've just been taking."

"You gave me an apple… Wait, are you actually complaining that I'm being too nice to you?"

"Yes!" It sounded stupid even to her, but she had to say it.

'Uauu…' Ethan was actually speechless. "too nice" were not words people used to describe him, ever. Trying to process what she said was such a pain he felt a migraine setting in. The boy shook his head vigorously and threw himself on the bed.

"I'm out. My skull will split open if I keep arguing with you, so I'll just follow your lead."

They were back at square one. For all her big talk, Ana was clueless on how to solve her problem. She had to deal with Charles but without making an enemy out of the entire noble class.

"Actually…" Though feeling like the third wheel, Oliver awkwardly raised a hand. "I might have an idea."