The sun came up the next day, normally the bringer of a new day, but to the awakened, it was reminding them of the impending trial.

Slowly, the time trickled by, and noon came, so Aren decided to head to the adventurer's guild. Even if the trial was coming, he still had plans with Kira; they had agreed to see the city together today.

Leaving the inn, dressed in a casual hoodie and trousers, he made his way there, and right behind him was Zero.

"You seriously can't come with me," Aren said as they walked.

"Hmm, I don't see why I can't," she replied. She walked over to his front, hands behind her back, while walking backward, facing him.

"Unless this is something romantic, my father told me that romance is between two people and should be shared together till they die," she said.

Aren froze when she said that. He opened his mouth and then swallowed what he wanted to say.

"No, it's not something romantic, I think so," he said, sounding unsure.

"You don't sound too sure. When people aren't sure, it means they might be lying, or not sure if what they know is even true.

So it's possible that you have feelings for this Kira, but you aren't believing what you feel," Zero said.

"Can you stop analyzing my feelings like it's some science project?" Aren asked.

"Nope, that's the only way I know how to do things. Also, I've come to like pissing you off. Your reactions allow me to see what you truly are thinking," she said.

"Oh? Then what do you think I think about you?" he asked.

"Oh, that's simple. My presence worries you. To you, I am not stable and extremely unpredictable. But then again, you find it interesting, which is the reason that you have allowed me to stay," she explained.

"I allowed you to stay because you threatened to stalk me," Aren replied.

"You are Shadow. You can suppress or even kill me," she said.

"I don't kill, not without a need to," Aren said.

"Oh? Is that the morality you cling to?" she asked, turning around and walking by his side. "The trials took a toll on everyone, and they changed the way most of us see things. Some of us are now cold-blooded murderers, while others cling to what little morality they have," she said.

"And where does that put me?" Aren asked.

"Oh, in a new group—those that think it will go the way they want," she replied.

Her reply shocked him. He looked at her with a confused expression. "What does that mean?"

"You think you get to choose. You believe there is a choice that will soothe you every time. Not killing the false Shadow, for instance, there was no reason to kill him, or not to kill him.

But one would have made sure she never takes your name again, and the other would leave a fake walking around and dragging people along his lie, which might get them hurt," she said and then looked at him.

"If one of those people that follow him because they believe he is Shadow gets hurt, who does the blame fall to?" she asked.

"Themselves. They made their decision," he replied casually.

"I can argue that it's your fault for allowing them to follow a lie that was yours to fix. They could have been saved if you had just pushed self-morality aside and removed the issue.

Our want to preserve what we believe as humanity sometimes causes more harm than good," she finished saying.

Aren found himself stunned by everything Zero had just said—every word she spoke, every concept she threw out. It made him pause and think, trying to process it all. But before her words could fully settle in, they had already arrived at the guild.

Standing right outside was Kira, waiting for him. She wore a simple black hoodie and blue jeans, casual and unassuming, her hair tied back in a neat ponytail. She glanced around, and the moment she saw Aren, she waved and called out.

"Aren!"

Her voice snapped him out of the thoughts he was drifting into.

Zero looked at Kira and tilted her head. "Oh, she's quite cute," she remarked.

Aren shot her a sharp look. "Please don't make this weird," he said.

Zero only smiled and followed behind him.

"Hey, Kira," Aren greeted.

"Hey," she replied.

"It's been a while," he said.

"Just a few days," she replied with a small smile. "But yeah, it's been a bit."

Her eyes then shifted to Zero, who was standing slightly behind Aren. She looked confused, trying to understand who this other woman was. Her gaze flicked back to Aren, silently asking for an explanation.

Aren noticed and quickly spoke. "This is Zero. It's a long story… I'll tell you as we walk."

Kira seemed hesitant, clearly unsure about the unexpected addition. Who was this lady he had brought along at a time that was supposed to be just the two of them?

But she masked her unease with a smile. "Okay… that's fine then. Let's go," she said, leading the way.

As they walked, Aren did his best to explain the situation with Zero, but not let anything about her being a true born slip. Other than that, he narrated to her everything that had happened, even concerning Shadow.

"Oh yeah, I saw the post of the fake Shadow," Kira said. "To think someone would steal your identity. Either way, I guess it's fine now," she said and then looked at Zero. There was still some hesitation in her eyes, and she didn't like the fact Aren was with a lady, but she swallowed it.

"Nice to meet you, Zero. I'm Kira, Aren's partner in a way," Kira said, making sure to put emphasis on partner.

"I'm Zero, and it's nice to meet you. Aren told me a lot about you and the trials; you must really be close to him," Zero lied. She had already deduced that Kira was jealous, so she wanted to help a little.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.