Chapter 167- Aria Vs Evelyn (Part 1)
Then, for the next few days. Rin and Elise continued to train non-stop as if they had no tomorrow. Wearing the suits, pushing the boulder up, reaching the peak, and then going back down to do the same thing, again, and again, and again.
Each time, the difficulty was increased a little bit and each time, they had to exceed their limits to be able to accomplish the task. Hours and hours of continuous, rigorous, and almost impossible training didn't show any mercy on them.
However, for better or worse, this kind of training somehow started becoming enjoyable. It's not the pain, nor the continuous suffering and exhaustion that made it feel great, neither of them was a masochist, after all. It was the feeling of power growing fast that turned this seemingly cursed training regime into an amazing experience.
At the end of each day, Rin and Elise would feel as if they were reborn again. The surge of power coming with each increase in stat was an addictive feeling that they can't grow bored of.
Especially Rin, he had somehow broken any predictions he had for his growth. It was actually amazing how such a very straightforward training could actually create such a burst of improvement.
In the span of a week, his strength, agility, and dexterity all increased to D- or D. The difference between Rin a week ago and rin after the training was so drastic that he almost couldn't recognize himself.
He even tried to experiment with his powers hunting some monsters in the forest near the location of their training and all he could say is… It was shocking.
So much so that he was horrified of himself. Each monster he faced was killed with one single blow. Not even a single creature dared to fight him as they all tried to escape as fast as possible.
He didn't even have to use his shadow manipulation skill in order to catch them
On the other hand, Elise was way calmer when dealing with her powers. She wasn't someone to show strong reactions to things but it was still impressive how composed she was even when she saw how she was able to massacre tens of monsters without breaking a sweat.
All this was before they even had to start joining the other students. They had entered into some kind of seclusion that in the end was definitely worth it.
Finally, when they finished the 100 times, the training was over… for the time being. Emilia then instructed them to focus on their weapon techniques and their elements in order to keep up with their strength.
A strong individual with no technique to make full use of that strength is merely a savage animal. Not only that, but the techniques are also a form of strength boost as they give the upper hand in tough fights.
The first few days of school were pretty average, and although the level of students here was way higher, Rin and Elise didn't find any difficulties to keep up with them. In fact, it was quite easy with how much they grew.
This time was the most peaceful Rin and Elise experienced in a while. No problems arise, no cult news, no Top 10 ranker tried to wreak havoc and no hellish training that can break the spirit.
However, that piece was broken by something.
"Riiiiinnn~~"
Rin opened the door to his dorm room and something soft welcomed his face instantly along with an incredibly soft sensation as two arms and two legs latched into his body.
"Oh, Aria!!" The all-too-familiar smell of his sister made him smile widely as he hugged her back.
"I missed you, I missed you, I missed you." She said as she rubbed her face on his shoulder.
"To not see my dear brother for such a long time. It has been months, years even. How can you forget about me?! Did you grow bored of your dear sister, Rin?! Huh? Do you hate me now?!" She exclaimed.
"But, didn't we meet like 3 days ago?" He asked with confusion. He didn't understand where all this dramatic stuff she said came from.
"No! 3 days are like 300 years for me! How can you take your sister's feelings lightly?! Do you want to get punished?" She pulled her face away and pouted visibly like a spoiled little girl.
"Hmm, fine, I'm sorry." He said as he tried to stop himself from laughing.
"No! Your apology is refused! I want you to compensate me for this torture. The damage has been dealt and now I need to heal." She replied.
"Compensation? Hmm, what kind of compensation?" He asked.
It has to be noted that the whole conversation was happening while Rin was carrying her in his arm like a baby. This was a weirdly normal interaction between them at this point.
"Hug me for two days straight!"
"Two days?! My arms will be numb! That's absurd!"
"I don't care. I need two straight days of hugging to be able to recharge my Rin-o-meter."
"Rin-o-meter, seriously?! What the hell is that, hahahaha!!" Rin busted out laughing.
"What's so funny?! Dummy!!"
Aria then started punching him on the chest playfully as she protested. From an outsider's point of view, the two looked like a married couple bantering and flirting. They didn't even try to hide their intentions even if it was for the most part innocent.
As the two were like that, suddenly, a small gush of wind reached them from the direction of the window. Instantly, Aria jumped in the air and landed with her sword in her hand while Rin pulled out his dagger and faced the intruder.
It didn't take more than a second for the two of them to quickly take a fighting stance. The process was fast and swift.
"Oh, so scarrryyy~~" The playfully devilish voice that Rin had heard many times before slightly surprised him.
'What the hell is Evelyn doing here?' He clenched his teeth as he looked at Aria from the side.
The latter, not being aware of his gaze was still pointing her sword at Evelyn as her aura was slowly seeping out, ready for a fight to break out. Aria had never met her before so in her eyes, this overly-seductive woman is nothing but a potential enemy.
'Fuck! Why did she appear now when Aria is here?! Does she want to create a disaster?!' Rin's mind raced to understand what exactly was going on.
Till this point, neither Aria nor Emilia nor even Elise knew of the existence of Evelyn. Hell, even Rin to this day has no information about this woman. All he knew was that she was incredibly strong, a charm user, and a Jack of all trades when it comes to skills and talents.
Other than that, he had no idea about her past, her identity, and even whether her name was actually Evelyn or not.
"Ohoh, who is this lady over here, Rin?~~," Evelyn asked as she smiled playfully at Rin.
"Rin?! Do you know this woman?" Aria asked seriously.
"Mmm…" Rin couldn't understand what to do.
If he lied now and denied that, Aria could potentially discover the truth eventually and then would lose trust in him. But, also, if revealed that he knew Evelyn, he can't even predict what his big sister would do.
Either choice could end up in disastrous outcomes and it was all because the woman in front of him decided to finally reveal herself to one of his loved ones.
'Why?!' He wondered.
"Rin, do you know her or not?!" Aria asked as she grew more and more agitated by the second.
She most likely sensed that Evelyn was by no means a weak enemy and that if a fight broke, it can end up with dire consequences.
"Mm, yes, I do. Well, I met her recently. You can put down your weapon, she isn't an enemy… I think." He said as he sighed and rubbed the back of his head.
"Yes, yes, put down your weapon, Aria. How can you try and kill your little brother's girlfriend, hm?~" Evelyn said with a beautiful chuckle. Her huge breasts moved along with her laugh catching Rin's attention.
"W-What… did you… just say?"
Just one word was more than enough to turn the situation that was about to calm down from bad to horrible… really horrible.
Aria stared at the woman with a renewed cold glare, an even stronger one than before.
'Oh shit!!'
"Oh, he didn't tell you about me? How unsightly of me not to introduce myself. I'm Evelyn, Rin's lovely girlfriend. It's nice to meet you, Aria~~. Rin told me a lot about you and I couldn't wait to meet you." She said as she bowed elegantly.
"No! Wait, this is a lie! We aren't dating! Trust me, Aria!" Rin tried to quickly defuse the problem before the misunderstanding could grow any bigger.
Whatever could happen now is not something Rin was ready to deal with.
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