66th chapter : do you remember me – 2 – .

One month later.

“Oh!! You’re late!! I thought you weren’t coming!!”.

Layla said as she was waiting on the roof. It became her daily lunch place.

“Sorry, I had to deliver some papers from one teacher to another,” Marco responded as he took a seat next to her.

“You’re still doing these occult jobs!! I thought the work in Shoko san’s place was paying you enough?” She responded as they split both lunchboxes.

During the last month, a lot for both changed as Layla started to take care of herself more and more, she gathered enough spirit to talk back and build a proper look with her friends and other things along.

As for Marco, Layla put some light into his eyes, although he was still hated, but he started to laugh and react to things more as if she tamed a beast.

“Oh right, you wanna go home together, although we’re going to set apart by the main road it’s only half a day today!!” Layla said as she gave Marco a hint that she had some plans.

“Hmm I don’t mind since I didn’t get any other call for the last job outside the town, so I’m good”.

Marco said as both finished their lunch and went back to their classes so they would get their bags.

“Sigh, it’s really getting colder!!”.

Layla was yawning as the two were walking.

“Don’t complain, at least you get to go home first” Marco said as he flicked her forehead.

Layla jolly pouted at Marco as she spoke after noticing something about him.

“Say Maru, aren’t you getting your hair too long? For a boy I mean!!” asked Layla.

She was about to touch his hair but she had another flick coming instead.

“I know but I don’t wanna touch it” he responded.

“Then why didn’t you let me touch it!! Hiss!! Hiss!! Just one touch hiss!!” she replied.

Layla was trying to touch his hair as she was acting childishly like a cat.

“Are you a cat now, stop it or else I’m gonna beat you up!”.

Marco said therefore Layla didn’t want to stop as she found it funny.

In the end she got a beating.

“Fuweeeh!! you’re a mean Maru!! I was just joking!!” Layla said while patting her own head. After getting to continue the walk again she mumbled, “I guess it’s one of your charming points so don’t cut it. I like…”

Before Layla would finish her words, both heard a young girl’s voice calling.

“Maaaarcooo!!!”.

At that moment, Layla realized where Marco got his own reflexive habit to knock down people who tried to hug him from behind as she saw him knocking down Hana who tried to surprise him.

“I’ve been around the city for a while and you didn’t come to pay me a visit!! What kind of childhood friend are you!?!” Hana stood completely fine as she didn’t notice that Layla was there.

Hana patted Marco’s shoulder then finally noticed that Layla was still standing next to them, she started crying silently as Layla was flustered by that.

“Ah!! Are you ok, miss?!!” she asked.

“It’s ok!! I’m just happy!! This pale fish here is a friend of mine!! I was surprised that he made contact with another human and it’s a girl too!! I’m pr-!! Guehee!!!”

Hana was talking, also acting childish though she ended up with a beating too.

“You never told me that you have a friend like her!” Layla helped Hana to get up as she giggled a little.

Marco sighed and smiled at the same time.

“Well I can’t really call her a friend rather than being my sister from another mother” Marco said as he said some nice words for Hana for the first time.

Hana stood shocked for a moment as she said after that.

“Are you his doppelganger?! Marco never said this to me?! Did you kill him!! Who are you!?! I need to save Arthur from you!?!?!”.

Hana responded, completely startled as she was stepping away from Marco. Layla was still finding this amusing.

“On a second thought, I guess talking nicely to you was one of the few mistakes that I admit I made, you’re like the plankton that doesn’t want to leave my boat so beat it no one can kill me in the first place.”

Marco responded as he slapped Hana on the head then waved goodbye to Layla, taking Hana with him.

“Wait!! Since it's just half a day off!! Can I come to your house and spend some time with you and Hana chan!?” Layla said as she barely kept a steady face.

Marco looked at her then saw Hana having a smug face along with saying yes. He accepted and so during that time, Layla met Arthur for the first time although he didn’t really like her.

The days passed more interestingly for Layla one by one during school and as she saw him going on with his life alongside her, Layla realized that she just discovered new sides of Marco whom she never thought she’d get interested in, by knowing him.

“Say, Lu!! You’re spending more time with that boy from third class than us!! Don’t tell me he’s your boyfriend?!” Lynee asked.

Lynee said as the two were sitting in the classroom. She felt a dangerous vibe around her because of that question.

“It’s not like that!! I mean I spend time with him but he’s only a friend! He just acts funny all the time and I got interested in watching him more!!”.

Layla spoke, answering as the girls around her got hooked the second that Lynee said the boyfriend word indeed.

“Like I said!! We are only friends!! He doesn't have the time to date a person like me!!”.

Layla was all blushing as her friends teased her about her friendship with Marco.

And so the teasing didn’t stop even at lunchtime.

“Aren’t you going to meet him?! I thought you liked to cook for him!! Layla is really going to be a good wife for him!! Tehehehe!!” they said as she was taking a seat with them.

“Don’t say that!! Plus he has exceptional cooking skills! He lives alone with his brother so he takes care of everything besides the studies! He’s like a superhuman!”.

Layla said as she was eating not noticing that most of them had a smug face therefore she figured that they would tease her again, so she continued talking about what was on her mind.

“It’s not like I don’t like him, but I decided to be the better of myself to be able to say that I can date him, And yeah I don’t think that I’ll deny that I love him, ok, so keep your voices down!!”

Her response made them shut it as she smiled at them.

At that moment they smiled back as they saw a new side of the shy bookworm, Layla, just right at that moment.

“Huh? You really don’t mind!! Plus how did you hear all that!?! I made sure to check if you were around!!” Layla said, flustered about what Marco told her the next day.

“As I said I don’t mind if it’s you, also it’ll be like a shock to the girls friends of yours, right? So I don’t mind them calling me your boyfriend or even calling you my girlfriend” Marco responded as he was eating.

Layla flustered as she kept silent for a moment then stood.

“Is there something wrong?” he asked.

“N-no!! We'll meet tonight at work!! So have a good day!!”.

She responded and rushed with everything she got.

Marco looked at her then calmly continued to eat as he figured what she wanted to do on her own. Soon after he passed by her class, he saw her laughing with her friends like usual. It eased him, so he left it be until the night would come around.

“Is that so? You’re one cheeky kid Marco!!” Shoko said as she was helping him, cleaning before she would open the bar.

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“You say that but It’s not like I was the one who proposed, I bet she’ll come today” Marco responded.

“In the first place I’m surprised how you got to know such a lovely girl like her and I’m surprised how the police didn’t come to arrest me by now, making you work in this place and at night time too” Shoko said, making a ridiculous expression.

“I can call for them If you want, but I have to get my pay for the next month” Marco said as he gave her a drink.

Shoko looked at him as she sighed, responding.

“You know, I was surprised that you got so good at this work without drinking a sip, are you the god of bars by any chance?!” she said as she was looking at the watch on the wall.

“I just follow what you usually do and get more notes on how people react when they drink each drink, mostly, it’s because this man there too, thank him that he distributes a good expression about each particular drink” Marco said as he pointed at Dalian who came with Layla.

“You really don’t like this kind of thing, huh!! Thank you for your usual care for my daughter!!”.

Dalian said, greeting the two as he was about to pat Marco’s head but he didn’t let him do it.

Gradually a lot of things happened and so Layla’s birthday arrived.

“Happy birthday!!”.

Marco said as he did the same for her like what she did for him except he prepared a big cake. Layla looked at him as she realized that she had a fine smile.

“Thank you!! Maru!! It’s really wonderful!!”. Layla said as she ate a piece of the cake.

Looking at her Marco realized that she wasn’t ok and so he asked about it.

“Lu, are you sure you’re doing ok? It’s not like you to smile like that without crying over what I cook”.

Marco said on his own as Layla let out some tears with a smile.

“Man!! This is really not good, for the first time you’re acting as my proper boyfriend and caring about me, and here I am ruining the moment!! You know!! My father got a job overseas!! So I’m gonna also move overseas to study!! I don’t have a proper goal but I guess I can get a license and start teaching!! so I don’t think we will meet each other again!! Hicc, sniff!! I don’t really know what to say but I guess you always said that it’s your favorite line of some book!! And so!!”.

Layla was crying over her words as Marco realized that they’re words of departure. Over the entire friendship they had, Marco knew how to read the room, he understood well how Layla reacted and felt so he stood there accepting those words. She smiled at him, wiping her tears.

“Always seek the sunny side of the story!! Even if I’m not around!! I’m sure that people will be taking care of you too!! So make a lot of friends too!!”.

After that small meeting on the roof to eat a cake for her birthday, both went back to the classes as if no goodbyes were said.

It was their last meeting and Layla went overseas the next day.

Present time.

“By the day that I returned she was already gone. Don’t say this to him but I knew that she awakened and got a serment, he’ll be mad if he knows that I knew”

Hana said, telling the red mermaid members shortly the story of Marco as they all returned to the table to check on him, after seeing him with her in the balcony.

“I see”.

Carla had a calm reaction as she heard a part of Marco’s past for the first time.

“By the time she went, Marco nii returned to being expressionless but he kept smiling from time to time at me so I won’t feel the difference, he even started to care about himself more. More or less, she’s Marco nii’s first love” Arthur said as they all looked at him.

“That’s why I felt like she was similar at some point, well by the time we met, Layla was already so much changed and you say some genuine stuff, once in a while though” Sam said as he tried to tease Arthur.

“It was a good thing but I doubt she’ll accept his current self” Arthur responded.

“What do you mean?” they all asked.

“It’s not about whether she loved him or not, it’s about how hard she’s gonna accept that she won’t surpass him no matter what and that’s what Cedric san said” Alex responded as they looked at her.

Arthur sighed as he confirmed what she said afterwards.

“Cedric nii means that she won’t really accept what happened to him until now, the scar on his body, our family’s curse and many other things. She’s from the council too, red mermaid for the council means a lethal poison, no?”

Arthur continued as they all heaved a sigh, seeing how Arthur was worried about his own brother.

On Marco’s side.

“So you do remember huh? the way you were acting and how you got into the red mermaid made me worried you know!!” Layla said as she was discussing the past with Marco.

“My memory isn’t that good but I can remember that much!” Marco responded as the two giggled at each other’s words afterwards.

“Haa!! Now I think!! What do you think!! I finally got ahead of you in something!!” Layla said with a self satisfied face.

“You mean the euro society thing?” Marco asked.

“Of course!! I can release a second release and I’m the public figure of the council!! So as I said earlier I’m more like your senpai now!!” Layla said, wanting to tease him.

“Yeah, like how you couldn’t hold it and came to attack me when I was shopping with Shoko san?” Marco broke her expectations.

“Guehee!! That was an incident plus I didn’t remove my limiter so you won’t be injured” she responded.

“Actually even without your limiter, you won’t be able to beat me.” Marco said as he flicked her forehead.

“Hmpf!!” she pouted “We’ll settle this with a match later, anyway!! How heavy that sword of yours is!! I wasn’t expecting that it’ll blow me away like that!! More importantly, who taught you to fight in such a manner!!”. Layla wanted to get answers from Marco as she got closer to him.

“His name was Lenoard Alba, Alba sensei was the one who taught me my current way of fighting”.

Marco calmly responded as Layla looked at him with a composed glare then she held his face straight.

“You mean the world war criminal Alba!! Where did you meet him ?! He’s dangerous!! Wait!! Isn’t he dead in the first place!?!” Layla said in a rush as she acted worried about him.

Marco didn’t like that act somehow so flicked her forehead again.

“Alba sensei isn’t dangerous and mostly he’s the one who took me in when I reawakened because I happened to be thrown in the toss realm for some reason” Marco spoke then got interrupted.

“You were thrown into the toss realm!!! How did I not hear about this!! Are you really ok!? That place is for criminals!!” Layla said, making Marco more annoyed.

Due to her sudden interruption, Marco gave her a hard chop on the head. Layla endured it a little before rubbing the top of her head silently.

“Don’t interrupt me when I speak, and the council did wrong by neglecting the toss realm, the people there aren’t what you guys think, there’s innocents people and lovely people too, I spent there about six months before joining the red mermaid and returning home, a lot happened after that and here I am here now. I realized that my grandpa or my parents might be still alive and figured that my family had a long lineage with the euro world so it’s kinda like I figured what to do next, After winning this, I’m sure that there’s a lot of realms outside the human realm, I’ll start by figuring away of how to trespass them and search about my parents, I kinda!”

Marco was talking on his own as Layla was listening silently, therefore he stopped as soon as he saw her grabbing her hands worriedly.

“Is there something wrong?” he asked.

“No , I’m just surprised, you know!! I worked hard for four years yet you still got to this level in no time, I guess that’s why I fell in love with you.” she answered.

Layla smiled at him as Marco felt it was a sad smile, but for some reason it didn’t feel that sad either. Layla wiped her tears a little bit then stood, smiling again.

“Then it’s settled!! Since we don’t remember saying that we broke up or anything!! This is a dare!! whether you lose or win!! I’ll make sure that you present me to the rest of the members as your girlfriend!!”.

Layla said as she returned the flick from before then kissed him on the forehead. Marco smiled at her then sighed a good grief like sigh.

“I don’t mind doing that since the red mermaid is the one that’s going to win and I’ll also change that attitude of yours too. When we get a match against each other!!”.

As he answered her words, Marco pushed her off the roof then caught her and leaped to the other side of the balcony while holding her. Layla was about to piss herself from the shock.

She felt startled as she wasn’t waiting for him to do that, to the point where she barely kept a steady face.

“You have no taste in romance!! plus I’ll be watching over you!! closer than what you think!!” she said with a smug face, thinking that he didn’t know about how she marked him back then during their small fight.

“If you’re talking about that mark thing then I don’t think you’ll do anything good because I already erased it! See you later Lu!”.

Marco said and went on his way to let her be more blushed and annoyed by how he teased her in his own way. She got more reddish as she saw that the mark was really erased from his body.

“Just how different you got during the past four years! Damn ! I really missed my chance in getting his first kiss!! I’m dumb!!” Layla was mumbling to herself as she went inside after staying outside on her own for a while.

Since the red mermaid all returned to their table, Marco saw that the people were looking at him with disgusted glares, let alone hearing their badmouthing. He sighed, heading to his seat on the table.

“You!!” Carla said as she slapped him hard “Insolent!! Why didn’t you tell me that you knew Layla Leigh!!” Carla said as she tried to change the mood for him.

Layla went inside at that moment and saw that slap as she was surprised by what Carla just pulled on Marco.

“Oi, I’ll hit you back if you do that again and it was just a meeting between old friends”.

Marco responded then made Hana shut it before she would say a thing, although he thought that she didn’t know that Layla was his own girlfriend.

“I’m glad that she’s your old friend but that’s not the problem right now!” Emilis said as he came to the table.

Everyone looked at him acting fidgety, rather suspicious so they didn’t want to just rush into conclusions before asking.

“What’s the problem then?” Zack asked.

“The first game will start today so you guys need to prepare yourselves. Unfortunately I’ll be on the table with the rest of the masters so you guys do your best, ok!!” Emilis said it as encouragement, seeing them glare at him with plain poker faces.

“Don’t worry master cause this time!” Sam spoke as the rest followed him.

“The shining spots will be ours!!”.

They all grinned a confident smile at him before he would return to the masters’ table.

Emilis left, returning to the guilds masters’ table since it wasn’t allowed for them to interact with their members until the end of the first game. By the time he was out of the vision for the others, the red mermaid let out a heavy breath out of anxiety.

“Damn it, I really should’ve expected that we would end up ruining those dresses, and I spent so much time on my hair too!!” Alex complained.

“You say that when you’re the last one that people expect anything from so take it easy Alex, it’s us who will be in a problematic area”.

Xavier responded for what it seems to be the restlessness of being watched that finally had struck them.

“Why though, you guys have been doing alright this whole time!” Iris had her way with compliments.

“She got a point, we’re no longer the same from the moment we stepped out alive from that hellish training. So let’s look at it that way!” Sam added at last as the eyes turned to him.

“You don’t understand do you? It’s not the council or guilds that worries us, it’s the fact that this will be broadcasted to the entire world” Carla interjected, heaving a sigh deeply.

Sam and Iris finally understood what those anxious looks were coming from. Hana found it amusing.

“So that’s why-!”.

As she was about to give her side of comments, Marco plunked her face onto the table.

“Don’t try and ruin this moment for them”.

Marco said then reached his fist to the center of the table, clenching it with a grin.

The others all followed him with complete confident grins as Alice spoke.

“Today marks the start of the change! The start of the games that would get us to the last step! A world where we live our lives to their fullest!!”.

Alice’s words weren’t that of encouragement but that of confirmation. The seven seats of red mermaid weren’t the only ones who joined up into that response fist-bumping each other as all the guild members took it at heart roaring

“Hell yeah we will!!”.

The festival had begun.

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