Max briskly strolled through the hallways of the high school while looking at a flyer for the Graduation Festival. Max raised a fist to his forehead and exhaustedly rubbed his knuckles against his forehead.
"Festival organisation... what a headache; how does Nai manage to manage multiple at once?" Max murmured. Max heard light stomps and separate heavy footsteps, causing a relieved smile to form on his face.
"Nai, Zalroth~," Max exclaimed cheerfully with his hands raised in the air. Max slowly lowered his hands and put on a puzzled expression as he saw Chronia's angry demeanour whilst having her hands firmly planted on her hips.
"So... you found out, huh?" Max uttered. Chronia narrowed her eyes and nodded.
"Yeah, I know about the arranged marriage," Chronia stated disapprovingly.
"Yeah... I was bummed too when I heard the adaptation got cancelled," Max replied. Zalroth paused for a second before he amusedly face-palmed. Chronia and Max panned over at Zalroth with equally confused looks on their faces.
"What's funny?" Chronia asked.
"Oh, nothing. Just waiting for your brains to catch up.". Chronia and Max tilted their heads at Zalroth before the light bulbs in their head lit up.
"Arranged what?/It got cancelled!" Max/Chronia exclaimed. Zalroth leaned down towards Chronia and recommended she not get side-tracked with anime topics again. Chronia swiftly patted her cheeks and smushed them to reign in her focus and clear her mind of any stray thoughts.
"Right... now, Maxomillion Blight, given your reaction something becomes crystal clear," Chronia said with a professional business-like tone.
"My parents still live in the Victorian age?".
"Bingo.". The two groaned in unison at the predicament Max's parents and to a lesser extent Chronia's parents had put them in. Zalroth raised an ear and tapped Chronia's shoulder to get her attention.
"Can't you refuse if you don't want to do it?" Zalroth asked.
"We'd be more likely to become world-renowned heroes before they'd budge on something they've decided on," Max said with a half-hearted joking manner while rubbing the back of his head.
"Heh, just like her...," Zalroth thought to himself with a slight smile on his face. Zalroth shook the smile off his face and looked back at the annoyed duo as they wondered what to do.
"How about we tell my parents you're already engaged to someone?" Max offered. Chronia gave Max a bruh face at him causing Max to sigh.
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"So, is this a: they won't believe you, or you not having anyone to be your fake engaged person?" Zalroth whispered, causing Chronia to blush and look at her feet.
"First one," Chronia mumbled before she sighed and looked up at Zalroth. Chronia reached into her long flowing hair and pulled out her first volume of the manga with the obnoxiously long title.
"So... do you think you can help with this situation also could you hold onto this I can't have Mimi complaining about me having contraband in the student council room again," Chronia requested while saying contraband in a mocking voice as she handed the manga to Zalroth. Zalroth nodded, and Chronia looked back at Max with a discontent frown.
"This convo isn't over, but it seems I have more immediate problems correct?" Chronia asked, to which Max nervously chuckled.
"Heeh... what gave it away?". Chronia smirked as she strolled past Max.
"Oh, I don't know does: oh, Chronia how are you such an incredible organiser and always come up with the best plans, ring a bell?" Chronia asked with a cocky tone while making her voice match Max's inflexions.
"I don't remember saying anything remotely like that," Max remarked as he followed after Chronia.
"Butcha thought it~," Chronia stated confidently. Max rolled his eyes at Chronia's comment.
"You'd make a great journalist with how you embezzle things," Max remarked defeatedly as the two walked off, leaving Zalroth standing in the hallway by himself with the manga in his possession. Zalroth raised the manga to get a better look at it before he sighed.
"She can't be serious, right?" Zalroth uttered before he opened it with one hand and read the manga.
Later that day after school, Chronia entered her home by herself and was shortly greeted by her mother and burly silver-haired father as he attempted to flatten his bushy beard.
"Welcome back, sweetie...," Chronia's mother said before she looked around Chronia.
"Isn't Zalroth with you?". Chronia shook her head while adverting her eyes from her parents.
"No... I haven't seen him since this morning.".
"How odd, he hasn't run off out of the blue in a while," Chronia's father said as he nudged Chronia's mother's arm. Chronia's mother sighed before she placed her hands together.
"So... are you still mad about having to marry Onix Blight?". Chronia raised an eyebrow at hearing the name of Max's older brother. The utter shock forming on Chronia's face caused her mother to groan while shaking her head.
"Should have figured you weren't listening this morning," Chronia's mother uttered with a cold tone. Chronia's mother looked down at Chronia before she hovered her hand in front of Chronia's face, and she snapped her fingers to regain Chronia's attention.
"Look, we know how you feel about Onix, but I'm sure you can get the outcome you want if you talk to him," Chronia's father stated.
"But he's so weird...," Chronia murmured.
"I don't think you're in any position to judge other's pass times those grass snakes of his do look pretty goofy," Chronia's mother retorted. Chronia slumped her head and groaned as she felt a heavy cloud press down on her.
"How long do I have?" Chronia muttered. Chronia's parents looked at each other with nervous expressions before looking at Chronia.
"Until tonight?" Chronia's parents uttered in unison. Chronia's head hit the floor with a loud thud, and she furiously pounded her fists against the ground.
"Their parents really are scum," Chronia uttered under her breath.