Chapter 19: The World's History, An Open Target
The class was in surprise when they heard the sudden outburst, each of the student's eyes, along with Miss Garnet's shifting towards Elly in shock and curiosity. Benson gnashed his teeth as he snapped the pencils in his arms and cursed in his mind, 'That damn bastard! What did he do to such a find girl for her to react like that?'
Kailyn also bit her lips and gripped a few strands of her natural wavy hair as she stared at Elly with a sinister look on her face, her thoughts unknown to the world.
Nero, the target of the shout, was similarly in surprise, even more so when he saw the pretty young girl seated by his side. He thought she was the prettiest girl he's ever seen, but that didn't mean she could shout at him in such an oddly suggestive manner.
After being dazed by her beauty for a short moment, Nero frowned as he asked, "Excuse me, but do I know you?"
When the students heard Nero's words, they looked at him in even more surprise as they didn't think that a girl would react like that if there were no story between them.
Elly, hearing Nero's words, looked at him in astonishment before shame and embarrassment as she realized that she lost her cool, negatively affecting her image.
'You bastard... this is the second time you've caused me to make a mess. Hmph! Just you wait, I won't forgive you!" Elly shouted in her mind as she glared at Nero with a mean look.
Soon, she snorted no longer staring at him, trying her best to recover her graceful and refined appearance.
Nero felt her actions to be a bit strange, as he saw how she turned away from him with pouting cheeks. He thought it was a bit cute, but her attitude seemed to be a significant problem. As if a warning signal went off in his head, he decided to leave her alone.
No longer paying her any mind, Nero focused his attention to Miss Garnet, as everyone else was in a state of whispers.
Miss Garnet wasn't like other teachers; she found that a good class time drama was quite entertaining, so she was kicking back, waiting to see if some romance plot would have unfolded.
However, it was a pity, as the result left her disappointed; she shook her head, not bothering to pay these kids any mind as she spoke, "Okay, let us begin with history!"
Once they heard those words, regardless of talking, or laughing, everyone in the class had grown serious as they paid attention to Miss Garnet. Even though they acted no different from regular students in a similar setting, one mustn't forget that they were one of the elite classes.
Soon, Nero began to pay more attention to the story of their world, as Miss garnet had begun to speak about the event following the irregular changes of the half-century.
It was said that after the massive ring appeared in the heavens, the entire world had undergone a drastic change, continents merging as one due to some unusual tectonic phenomena termed as the Great Shift.
Previously, the world had been one with seven continents, with a few significant powers having total control of the world's resources. These were the United States of America, China, Japan, Russia, Germany, and others.
Because of the sudden changes, such as the Sky Ring that towers above our planet, the major powers united as one body.
After merging as one, they became known as the UEG, dividing the Earth Continent of the world into four large sectors, each with their districts connected to a central governing body. These sectors were known as the Levier Sector, Maxim Sector, Kailua Sector, and the Vermeulen Sector.
The reason for these names was primarily to represent the core governing family behind each sector, regardless of each change of leadership. These four major powers worked in tandem with the United Earth Federation's central governing body.
As Nero sat and listened to the lecture, he couldn't help but ponder, 'If it's been like such since that time, I wonder how many other Digitizers are out there, could there even be a few among them in my class that I don't know about?'
Nero waited for a while but didn't hear so much of a reply from his older self. He snorted and spoke inwardly, 'Hmph! Fine be that way; I'll figure it out on my own... let's hope I don't die before then since someone didn't want to say anything.'
As Nero was complaining to himself, he noticed at the strange girl was peeking at him with a slightly mean look, causing him to feel a headache as he thought that things wouldn't be simple anymore.
'Just my rotten luck, to be marked by a girl I don't know...' Nero thought as he shook his head, focusing his attention back on Miss Garnet's lecture.
Elly saw that Nero shook his head when she peeked at him; this made her felt enraged as she thought he was looking down on her. She decided to double her punishment the moment she found the right opportunity.
Not long after, the class had ended, along with a few others, by this time everyone had left for lunch. Nero had only now left the classroom, moving towards the dining hall.
However, when he left, he didn't realize that he was being eyed by Benson, Elly, Ryo, and of course, the ever so fawning females that liked his current appearance.
Elly wanted to go and deal with Nero, but she was soon surrounded by a swarm of females, causing her to be trapped as she spoke with them about various things.
Ryo, on the other hand, followed soon after Nero left while still playing with his phone, Benson looked at a few of his friends a nodded as they set out similarly.
As for Kailyn, she had long since left the class; no one knew where she went or what she was hatching.
It didn't take long for Nero to get himself something to eat from the cafeteria; he hurriedly brought it to the roof of the main campus building finding a corner beside the fenced off edges to sit down and eat.
A few others were eating here as well, grouped up in corners as they chatted, some of them couldn't help casting him glances, thinking he was new as they never saw him before.
Heck, there was even a dark-skinned youth who was sleeping on a chair, his back faced everyone as he had a straw hat covering his head, and even his loud snores were ignored as if they were as pleasing as the wind.
While eating, Nero stared around at the campus grounds as well as distant city buildings, observing the vehicles and people that moved by the street as he asked in his mind, 'Have I already been discovered by others?'
A soft wind blew across the roof, resulting in Nero's silver hair gently swaying as he sat silently, awaiting a reply. Soon, Adult Nero gave him a response, "Of course you were, after all, no man... or rather, no Digitizer can hide from certain eyes, especially after awaking in the modern age. The only question is when they will make their moves..."
When Nero heard this, his heart rate increased as he felt a bit anxious; he hurriedly asked again, 'I... what do I do?'
Adult Nero replied, "There's nothing else you can do to change the inevitable, only by seeking power will you be able to preserve your self from those that prey upon the weakest, and those with hidden agendas. My only advice for you is to be more mindful of your surroundings, but as for what you'll decide when that time comes, I will not interfere, for you will be the one to make your own choices."
Nero's eyes grew stern when he heard those words; he knew that things are only in its brewing period and yet to unfold truly. He'll need to keep his head together and become more cautious about those around him.
'If it's as he says, then even right now, I'm probably being observed...' Nero thought as he looked around the roof, noticing that a few other students were eating and minding their own business.
Nero had a suspicious look on his face, even more as he saw that right now, the strange transfer student Ryo was similarly, eating not too far away from him. His face was buried in his phone, as he casually ate a home prepped meal from a lunch box.
Nero narrowed his eyes at this, but before he could even take his eyes away from him, Ryo had suddenly looked up towards him with a smile on his face. His glasses shining in a strange light as his eyes had an unusual glint within them.
The two stared at each other for a moment as the wind blew their hair, causing a strange aura to fill the surroundings. A few students found this sight odd and were beginning to feel a bit anxious, but right before anything unusual could happen, there was a change.