Emery walked towards class 1, clutching at her bag. She had her jersey inside, but with some luck she wouldn't have to even get changed. Though she wasn't sure what exactly the emperor had planned for her, she hoped she could get out of it.
She had expected most of the students to have left already, but class 1 still had many loitering students. She stood outside of the closed door, unsure if she should wait for him to come out or if she should go in. She finally made up her mind and reached out for the door handle.
The door opened before she could reach it. She raised her head and met black eyes she was starting to more easily recognize.
There was a moment of silence as Jun stared down at her before he said simply, "Let's go."
"Wait, where are we going?"
"To my house." He didn't wait for her to say anything else as he grabbed her sleeve and started dragging her down the hallway. She struggled to keep up with his long strides.
Emery felt her head spin. Why were they going to his house? When he'd told her earlier to meet him at his classroom after school, she thought they'd go to the sports field and she'd become a sacrifice for his training. She absolutely, completely did not want that. But what could he do at his house that involved training?
"Why are we going to your house?"
"To continue what we were talking about before."
Which part? If it was the part about him wanting her, then no way! Of course she couldn't say that aloud to his majesty.
If it had been any other person who had found her handbook, Emery wouldn't have worried. But there were three people who were completely and totally avoid-at-all-cost people!
Tomas Garcia, Claire Roux, and the emperor himself. They were all S rated individuals. The three people Emery could not deal with, the only other S rated powers in the school.
What Jun had said to her earlier was right. She really did think of most of the students around her as harmless. Class 1 students were a little difficult to deal with. And these three individuals from class 1 were impossible to deal with. For one of these troublesome people to have found out her secret was her terrible luck.
She had avoided them all until today. Tomas was a freshman, so he never interacted with the third years, and Claire had been in the same school as her all last year but they'd never met even once. She had even avoided Jun for two whole years, but he just had to be the one to find her handbook.
Her peaceful high school life was slowly slipping away. Her luck must be black.
----------------------------------------
Emery didn't know if she should feel disappointed. Jun's house was entirely normal. Nothing like the Korean palace she had secretly been imagining. Alora would definitely be disappointed. The great emperor lived in a normal neighborhood, in a normal two story house.
"Coming in?" Jun was looking back at her from the open front door. Emery hurried to follow him in, glad his power wasn't something like reading minds. She didn't want him to know what stupid thoughts she'd been having.
Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
The inside was just as normal as the outside. Jun led her into a simply furnished living room. It was clean and decorated just like any other family's living room. There were family photos on shelves with other knick knacks and books.
Normal, it was too normal!
Emery sat. Jun had disappeared into the kitchen and returned shortly with two waters. He placed one in front of her and then took a seat across from her.
Seriously, too normal!
She picked up her water and took a small sip of it. Jun was staring at her again with those black eyes. She could feel her palms starting to sweat. The emperor really was the emperor, able to make people nervous with just his gaze.
Emery grew desperate to fill the silence. "What did you want to talk about?"
"I told you before, I want you."
She nearly choked. "And as I said before, that, please explain!"
"I want you to be my partner."
"...What?" Emery had been agonizing over his intentions for hours. She had thought he wanted her for nefarious reasons, but... partners?
"The rules for the inter-school tournament have changed. No single entries are allowed. I need a partner from the Kino area."
"Why me?"
"You're S rated."
Emery could feel a headache coming on. "I'm not the only S rated person in our school."
"Claire and I don't work together."
"What about Tomas?"
"Claire's partner."
Emery let out a sigh. "Ask someone else."
"No."
"You don't even know what my power is."
"Tell me."
Emery couldn't believe how overbearing he was being. "Why do you need to compete?"
"College."
She wanted to slap him. Couldn't he answer with more than a few words at a time? But she guessed she could understand his reason, even if he only said one word. The top colleges for professions involving power usage did look at inter-school competitions. And judging from what little she knew of the emperor, Emery guessed he was trying to work for the power association in the future. Or possibly become a professional competitor. Since they were in their third and final year, this year was his last chance to really hit home just how strong his power was.
"You've never met me until today. How do you know I'd be a good partner?"
"Don't have to know."
Emery felt her eye twitch. "What do I get out of it?"
Jun paused at that. He stared down at the table for a few moments before he raised his head to meet her eyes. "What do you want?"
Emery hadn't expected him to directly ask her. She thought about saying something absolutely ridiculous, but she would feel bad. The emperor was looking at her so earnestly, as though he honestly wanted to make sure she benefitted from being his partner.
"...Let me think about it." Emery sighed. "And as for my power, I won't tell you its name until I've decided."
Jun nodded. "Can you show me, at least?"
Emery hesitated. There wasn't really a harm in showing him. It wasn't like she hadn't ever used it in front of other people. She'd used it a couple times in front of Alora and Ivan. Of course, they had no idea what her power actually was. She could show him just a little to get him to leave her alone for a few days.
She looked at the glass of water in front of her. Using her power after so long was like letting out a breath she had been holding. She exhaled at the same time she let her power release.
----------------------------------------
Jun's eyes narrowed as he watched the water and cup on the table begin to float. One moment they had been resting peacefully on the table and the next second they were free from all gravity. He had made guesses as to what Emery's power might be based on her hair, but this had nothing to do with her appearance.
So then why the white hair?
He poked at the sphere of water and watched as it broke apart into more spheres, the bubbles of water drifting off into the air. He blinked and the cup landed back on the table with a bang, the water splashing all around it.
Zero gravity was her power? But if it were that simple, she wouldn't be S rated. Not to mention she wouldn't tell him the name of her power.
"I think I should be going then." Emery stood up and grabbed her bag. Originally he had wanted to convince her to be his partner and then take her out to train with him. He hadn't imagined she wouldn't immediately accept his proposal.
He stood as well. "When can I know your answer?"
"Give me one week." Emery held up a single finger. "And until that week is up, you can't come looking for me. Or tell anyone about this."
Jun nodded. He didn't care about any restrictions, as long as she would agree to be his partner. He had no other options besides her. If she wouldn't agree, he would have to enter the competition with someone who was A rated and that would mean he wouldn't get to fight any of the other S rated competitors.
He saw her off to the bus station near his neighborhood before returning home. When he saw the puddles of water still on the coffee table, he couldn't help but smile. He had found a great surprise this time. His luck must be really good.