Chapter 239: Do You Remember Me?

The next morning, as the girls were preparing for the day and taking turns in the bathroom, Layla kept thinking about Erin’s words.

’I’m not fragile, I can still do my own things,’ She thought to herself.

It frustrated her, and that frustration distracted her. Layla wasn’t paying attention to her surroundings and knocked over a bottle of shampoo in the bathroom.

Layla grumbled, slamming the shampoo onto the sink. This had the unfortunate side effect of cracking the wood underneath, and she quickly remembered that her strength wasn’t that of the average human.

"... Let’s hope no one notices," She whispered.

She left the bathroom, intentionally avoiding Erin’s gaze. Erin entered the bathroom wordlessly, which didn’t go unnoticed by Cia.

"Wow, did you two break up or something? You’d think so with how you two are acting," She commented.

"I didn’t—!" Layla flung her head towards Cia, but caught herself, "We’re just... having a disagreement. That’s normal. Totally normal."

"Sure..." Cia stared at her roommate, "By the way, I heard you break something in the bathroom. Your friend might get even more pissed if its the sink."

Layla nervously gulped, and looked away.

’We don’t have to be joined at the hip, I can still live my own life,’ Layla clenched her fists, ’We’re going to need to split up anyways when the inter-base tournament happens.’

She left early for class, not bothering to wait for Erin. When Erin left the bathroom, she looked around for Layla, but couldn’t find her.

"Are you done with the bathroom already?" Cia said, slurping some water, "At this rate, I’m going to be late to class."

"Where did Layla go?" Erin asked.

Cia shrugged, "I dunno, class? Maybe you should keep a closer eye on her. It’s not my job to watch her."

Erin frowned, but left the dorm to join her in class.

—

During class, the tension was thick between the two girls. Even though Layla and Erin normally sat together at the front, they were now suddenly on opposite sides of the room. It was technically allowed as there wasn’t assigned seating, but there was an unspoken rule to sit in the same spot every day.

"Yeesh, I knew the argument was bad, but I didn’t think it was this bad," Fex whispered.

"Huh? What happened?" Peter asked.

Fex pointed at both Erin and Layla, "You see them? They’re normally together all the time, but yesterday, they had an argument about Layla getting into danger, and Erin not being there."

"Maybe its because the inter-base tournament is coming up?" Peter pointed out, "The whole thing might be stressful for Erin..."

"I guess, but they’re both really competent," Fex responded, "I’ve seen Layla’s skills first hand. It’s hard to imagine her getting taken out so easily, she can take care of herself."

"Quinn was skilled too," Peter muttered.

—

After class, Fex and Layla left to train together.

Erin trusted Fex enough to leave her alone with him, so she left for Logan’s place. There were still some tweaks to her armor that had to be done. In the middle of her thoughts, a familiar cheerful voice called out to her.

"Hey hey hey!"

Erin turned around, and saw a tall boy with short brown hair and a chiseled jaw.

"... Why are you looking at me like that?" The boy said, sounding a little disappointed, "Don’t you remember me?"

Erin didn’t respond immediately, trying to recall his face.

’Loop? Leek? Louve? Actually, why am I bothering with him? I’m on a time limit, the inter-base tournament is tomorrow.’

In her mind, if this was somebody genuinely important, she would’ve remembered their face.

She started to walk away, but the boy stepped in front of her, grabbing her by the shoulders.

"Hey, where are you going? You’re not even going to say hi?"

Smacking his arms away, Erin walked around him, "Don’t touch me."

The boy stared at Erin, and clenched his fists tightly. They turned silver, and a flowing liquid formed around them.

He shot his hand out, and a set of chains wrapped themselves around her wrist.

Erin flung around, and was yanked violently into his arms. Before she could fight back, he whispered into her ears.

"I know everything about you. I know about your ability changing, I know you lied about getting drugged, and I know you’re not fully human."

Those words sent a shiver down her spine. How did he know all of this? How could he know all of this?

Immediately, Erin used the inspect skill to prepare for a fight.

[Name: Luke]

[Race: Human]

[Ability: level 7 Hardening]

[HP 45/45]

[Blood type B+]

’I remember him, he’s the guy who gave me my crystals! But how had he grown so strong?’

In the past, Erin had fought against someone with a hardening ability, that being Hardsteely. It was a unique one that boosted both strength and speed, unlike most others that only specialized in one aspect. At higher levels, it even granted the user a kind of elemental control.

"... How do you know about all of this?" Erin carefully asked.

Luke lifted her chin with a single finger and stared into her eyes. "Why should I ruin the surprise? All you need to know is that I don’t like staying away from loved ones for long."

"And how do you know I won’t fight back?" Erin retorted.

She carefully watched Luke, and held her hand over her rapier. This was something she always carried on her side. Unfortunately, she couldn’t message Quinn for backup, meaning that she had to deal with this situation herself.

Unfortunately, there were other students walking by, meaning she couldn’t openly display her vampiric capabilities.

’Maybe if I can get us closer to Logan’s dorm... Or if Fex finds us randomly...’ Erin thought, then remembered that Logan was a shut in, and Fex was with Layla at the training center.

Luke just smiled, "I’m sure you won’t, not after I’ve given you all of those gifts. Remember the crystals? The flowers? Or the lovely present I left for you on your bed."

It took only a moment for Erin to realize what he meant by a ’present on her bed.’ But when the realization hit, immediate disgust filled her soul. Fear crept in as not even the locked dorms hadn’t been able to keep him out.

’He left that in my room? How was he able to get in?! They have finger print sensors—’

Her eyes widened, and all she wanted to do was escape.

"I’ve done so much for you," Luke slowly spoke, a deeply unsettling look of disappointment contorting his face, "You even wear the armor made using my hard work, and yet, you won’t look me in the eyes unless I force you close,"

He carefully studied her for a moment, then his earlier smile returned, "... How about we go somewhere private then? That way we can get as close as I want without distractions."