NOVEL NEXT B1.CH42: Collecting Sponsors!
Once school was in session, we hit the ground running. All three of us were in separate classrooms. Master Hayashi’s requirements. I guess he had the same thought process as Naomi. School campus was the perfect spot to hunt for food, and these flesh eaters had no problem with blending in with food. The more spread out we were, the more we could cover campus and keep watch for anything sus. As soon as I reached my history class, people started turning their heads. More and more these students were recognizing me, whispering among themselves as I took the empty seat that literally had my name on it. After taking a closer look, I noticed that the wooden plaque was freshly polished with edges sanded smooth. It was as thick as a quarter of an inch, and the closer I got to it, the more the three girls standing there with their black skirts and white knee-high stockings giggled and tittered.
I smirked. I guess this came with the territory of being famous.
Along the corner of my eye, I saw them stare, until one of them walked over to me, having been pushed by her friends. She nearly tripped at the tip of her black loafers, her face getting red already as I slipped my bag on my cushioned chair. Unlike the other wooden ones in the classroom, mine looked like a throne, and the girl approaching me added to that feeling when she bowed to me and whispered something in Japanese.
“Egh, can you repeat that?”
“S-s-s-soo-sorry,” she apologized. “It was wrong of me to presume you spoke the language.”
I clasped my hands together and bowed back. Then I put her at ease. “Don’t sweat it. Name’s Nero.”
“Oh,” she snickered, covering her lips sheepishly. “I know your name. We all do.”
“Seriously? All of you? As in, the entire campus?” I teased. “Am I a name brand around these parts?”
She giggled. “You’re the Airplane Angel.”
So that nickname is sticking, huh?
“Not everyone knows about it, but we do. You saved a lot of people that day. And again in Uppo Beach. I am sure there are other rescues, but those are the ones that got broadcasted in television. I am grateful.”
I smiled. “I’m always happy to help whenever I can.”
“My name is Emi. And those are my friends Nabi and Chiyo.” When I looked over to them, they blushed, their giggling contagious. Emi fanned them down to introduce themselves, but they were too shy. Emi jogged over to them and pulled her friends toward me, forcing us to meet.
“I don’t bite! Despite the fangs,” I said, then flashed them my pearly white, one of the Japanese girls getting weak-kneed.
“It’s nice to meet you all,” I said. “I appreciate you coming over to say hello. I’m still getting used to life here in Japan, so it’s great whenever I meet new people.”
Emi’s friends continued to titter and whisper to each other, until she gave them a playful nudge. “Don’t be so shy! Nero has been brought here to protect our city. The least we can do is have a proper conversation.”
Just as she said that, Chiyo, the taller girl with the straight bangs said something in Japanese to Nabi, the shorter girl with the pigtails who looked more Korean than Japanese. Nabi’s face went flush as she pinned her knees together, the girl suddenly stifling a laugh.
“Hey, what are you two saying?” I asked playfully.
“You two are embarrassing,” Emi turned around to hiss under her breath, and then pivoted back to me with a face of absolute guilt. “It’s nothing.”
“Nah, it’s something. Come on, tell me.”
“Please, don’t make me repeat what Nabi said. She’s a pervert,” Emi said with a deadpan expression on her face. Shockingly blunt!
“I suppose those could do some damage if they wanted to?” Nabi said excitedly.
“Those what?”
She proceeded to gesture her fingers like vampire fangs to the corners of her lips, until Emi’s bluntness shone again as she confessed for Nabi, “She’d said she wants you to bite her in the ass.”
“Nani?!” Nabi gasped, and then raked her hand over Emi’s lips so fast that the poor girl didn’t have time to register her friend tussling her from behind. “Chinmoku! Uso! Uso!”
I laughed as Nabi dragged Emi away in embarrassment, Chiyo capitalizing on the moment to introduce herself with a handshake. “We’ll try American customs, fair? Chiyo. Pleasure to meet you in person!”
I took her offer and nodded. “Likewise, Chiyo. So, are you and your friends always this zany?”
She chuckled. “Always. But, we mean well. It is good that we go to the same school, where we can see each other every day. You are, how they say, eye candy?”
“Heh. I have been told I’m more on the sweeter side.”
“You’re still new to Utoro. I don’t think you have many sponsors yet, do you?”
“No, actually. None at all.”
Her eyes lit up. “None?” She beelined to her friends and started chatting in Japanese, and then all of them pulled out their cell phone and rushed to me.
My eyes fell on the website they were on, but the text was in a different language. I had no clue what it meant until I put the two and two together.
“We are going to be your first sponsors!” Nabi cheered. “Lucky us!”
I was speechless….
“Chiyo!” Emi wailed. “You finished the registration form first!”
Chiyo laughed connivingly. “That means I am his very first sponsor!”
“I wanted bragging rights…”
“You girls are awesome! Thank you! Seriously. You have no idea how much this means to me.”
“Your sponsor registration has probably just opened up. Seeing as you didn’t have your license yet. At least, that’s my assumption as to why you didn’t have any supporters. Don’t worry though, Nero. The three of us are the very beginning,” Emi said. “I heard a lot of students talking in the halls. Some recognize you. The more who do, the more sponsors you’ll have.”
“I can’t wait to see you perform in the Hunter Games, Nero…” Nabi sang. “And perform some of my tasks, too….”
“Are you planning to give me some sweet items, Nabi?”
“Sure, among other things…” she said, batting her lashes.
She sure had no problem flirting with me full force.
“It’s too bad we have to wait a few seasons to see you in the stadium,” Chiyo pouted.
“A few seasons? I’m joining this season. The one in a few days now, right?”
“What?!” Emi cried. “So soon?”
“Usually year ones like to wait a while,” Chiyo mentioned. “That way they can train up for the tournament, and collect lots of items. People donate items the more faith they have in you winning.”
“Don’t you want more sponsors?” Emi asked me. “When you don’t place, you lose out on fans.”
“That’s if I don’t rank,” I emphasized. “My team and I have our eyes on the grand prize!”
The girls looked at each other doubtfully, until Nabi chuckled. “That’s confidence! I believe in you, Nero-san!” She skipped to my side and softly grabbed my arm into hers. Those big brown eyes looked up to me with promise. “You’re going to win, and we are going to support you every step of the way!” She was cute, until she was frisky, the girl pressing her fingers over my chest lightly to cop a feel. Those innocent eyes blew up twice as wide as she assessed the firmness of my pecs. “Oh wow, I didn’t think they’d be that hard….”
“No shame!” Emi hissed, snatching her off of me. “Sorry about that!” Emi bowed. “We’ll let you settle down now!”
“Wait, I wasn’t done!” Nabi whined. “I need to do a full evaluation!”
I smirked as the girls bickered and shuffled to their seats. Despite their antics, I was thankful for their support. My first three sponsors—I couldn’t be more excited! Once I sat down, more students came trickling in, followed by our history teacher.
Mr. Sato was a portly man with a bristly mustache and a long face. He nodded in my direction, acknowledging me briefly. Unlike the others who kept turning over their shoulders to look at me in the middle of the room, he seemed less enthusiastic. I was grateful for the sliver of normality, until I realized he had a small resentment for me when he said, “A star in my classroom, what an honor,” he huffed. “A hunter at that. This must be my lucky day.” He lowered his thick glasses and looked down his nose at me. “I sure do hope you don’t turn into a big distraction for my students, Mr. Aldeon.”
Distract? I’d be better off blending in the background with all of these stares! Given my title, I still wasn’t used to all of the attention I was getting. When I’d first walked in, it didn’t really hit me. Down the halls, I’d catch some glances, but I guess the crowd hadn’t gotten a good look at me. Because right now, I had a huge spotlight on me that wouldn’t go away.
Mr. Sato gave me a quick welcome by making me stand up. I got a round of applause and then class was in session. I tried to focus on taking notes, but the whispers and sidelong glances persisted.
After class, I met up with Reina in the hallway, who already had a swarm of admirers on her tail. She was the popular girl in school again, and I had no doubt that she’d fit right in. When she walked up to me with her posse, she gave me a snobbish look, then waved her hand in the air to dismiss them.
“Finished with your first block?”
“You too, I see. Have you seen Naomi and the other team since?”
“I don’t bother with them, Nero. And neither should you. You should be focusing on getting more sponsors.”
I smiled. “I have three from my class.”
“Oh? Only three?”
Of course, I should have known better.
“Let me guess? You have triple that?”
She giggled. “I’m not going to tell you my count.”
“Or, I can just see it in the system w—”
“Hey!” Reina shouted, snatching my wrist before I could even tap the com unit in my ear. “No cheating!”
“Cheating?” I snorted. “All I’m doing is checking your stats. It’s no secret. Unless of course, you’re scared I’d catch up to you,” I said with a cheeky grin.
She scoffed, flipping her glossy amber hair over her shoulder. “Don’t flatter yourself, Nero. If you absolutely must know, I have well over 30 sponsors. And climbing. My entire class registered for me. Almost.”
“Thirty huh?” I smirked. “That’s not going to stay long.”
Her face dropped. “What do you mean?”
“The rest of the campus hadn’t seen me yet,” I said, boasting a little. Just enough to get under her skin. Reina seemed to be reveling in the popularity, and I wanted her to get off her high horse. In a show of friendly competition to keep things interesting between us, I opened my mouth and continued, “I’m the Airplane Angel. According to my stats, I already have a Fame grade. The more students who see me, the more sponsors I’ll get. And nothing is stopping them from unlisting with you and going with me.”
She gasped. “They wouldn’t!”
“They just might.”
“There’s nothing wrong with supporting two hunters!”
“True, but the likelihood of that is slim. There’s just not enough money for the both of us.”
Her bright eyes narrowed at me, and something flickered in them. Even though she had always been high up in the social hierarchy, she never really had to worry about losing it. There was no one competing for her spot in Acadia High, but now, things were different.
“Maybe,” she said after a moment, her voice tense. “But you’re forgetting one thing.”
“Oh?” I raised an eyebrow, intrigued by her saucy bravado. “Please, do enlighten me.”
“You,” She pointed at me, a hard edge in her voice. “You are the new kid. Year one hunter. An unknown factor. Do you really think people are going to be so quick to trust you with their money when they have better options out there?”
I stared at her for a moment, the smirk on my face growing. “It’s not like they know you either, Reina!” I clapped back.
“But I have a pretty face! And you are just… you!” She gestured with her hands. “You might be able to strike some points with the nerd population, but that’s about all of the luck you’re going to get!”
Just as she said that, Naomi walked up to us, sporting a deep red lollipop in her mouth and her thick black leather book to her hip.
“Naomi, how was your first class?”
She looked at us with her renowned unimpressed expression on her face and said monotonically. “Eventful.”
Reina flashed her a cocky grin. “Scored any sponsors?”
“A few.”
I beamed. “Shit, really?! How many did you get?”
“100.”
Reina and I both choked on our words simultaneously. “100?!”
“Oh no, wait,” Naomi said, checking her H-Tec and corrected, “109.”
Reina’s eyes were wide, the cocky grin wiped off her face. “In one day?” she stammered.
Naomi simply shrugged, rolling the lollipop around in her mouth. She pulled it out with a pop and fixed us both with her cool, indifferent gaze. “They said they liked my face.”
Reina cringed and pointed at her. “That face?”
I laughed on the inside, but I was happy for Naomi. It seemed that she didn’t need my help after all.
“AHHH!!” a scream from the hallway made my head turn. Everyone in the hallway froze, the chatter tapering off into whispers. The scream echoed again, followed by the unmistakable sound of shattering glass. Without waiting another damn second, I darted toward the source of the commotion, brushing past the crowd that started to rush the same direction.
When I got there, I saw a grave scene—the sight of a girl with her throat ripped out….
