Respect #3

Sneaking in the boxed lunch in the bag, Arthur entered the library. Upon entering the doorway, Ellis was by the chairs next to the concierge, still diligently scouring her books.

She was busy enough not to notice Arthur's approach.

" I'm quite glad that you're diligent in your studying."

She nearly jumped out of her own skin and glared with adorable fury.

"Don't patronize me, and how dare you sneak up on me?"

"Okay, my bad."

Arthur backed off and took a peak at the tables set in the distance. Each chair was occupied by higher graders focused on their works.

Arthur sighed. "Dang, they're all occupied."

Ellis peeked and nodded affirmatively. "That is unfortunate. There are a few available benches by the garden I believe."

Arthur nodded. "Good idea."

However as they were about to leave, an abnormally loud thunder rumbled.

Da-dummmmm

they flinch at the loud noise and immediately spun around to look at the large windows. The clouds were only bright and sunny a moment ago.

the clouds were morbid and dark as if it were night.

Arthur could only frown. "Well, the garden is a no-go. This sucks."

Turning to the senior students, they were practically unfazed by the sudden weather change, too engrossed in their work.

Ellis sighed disappointedly. "rumors might spread around if I spend a one-on-one session with a boy, that's not the prince."

Arthur sighed, understanding her concern. An idea popped into his head. "Then why don't we go to my secret spot?"

Ellis turned to Arthur in confusion.

"You have a secret spot?"

"yep! it's in the library, secluded, and was where I have headed to anyway."

Ellis had her doubts. "My reputation is at stake, this spot of yours better be as good as you say it is."

Arthur smirked, leading the way with joy in his step. "Then follow me."

Ellis frowned, accepting defeat, as she turned a sharp corner of the library into a small lounge complete with private furnishings.

"So? is this secret enough for you?"

"Shut up." She hissed.

Arthur just huffed, setting his bag down and pouring out the contents, food included. Ellis looked at the items and frowned.

"Food is prohibited in the library."

Arthur raised an eyebrow and spun around. "I see no witnesses."

She crossed her arms. "But I clearly am one."

Putting a hand to his chest and gasping comically, Arthur feigned pain, practically convincing Ellis.

"My own friend sells me out? The Betrayal!"

Ellis sighed, shaking her head. "F-fine, I won't tell anyone."

"Well, that was easy."

"Jokes aside, what do you need help with?"

Ellis frowned, putting her books on the table.

"This part," she said, opening the book to a book-marked page.

Arthur noticed the excessive traces of erasures and smiled. "Look at the amount of effort she put in. The year barely even started." He thought, recalling all the harsh words Ellis had spat in the game.

"Is she really the same from the game? or was my view of her for the past twenty years actually biased?"

"Well, we do this part like this… to solve for this…"

"Oohhh! so that's how!"

"I guess I can find out, I have seven years in this academy after all."

The study session continued on without problems. Ellis actually impressed Arthur with her almost-effortless success. So much so, that he had to stop it short.

"Okay wow, first of all– you're a genius and second, I'm glad you're improving! But, slow down, you're answering tomorrow's lessons."

Ellis sighed with a smile, content with the praise and her work. "Hmph! of course, I'm a genius, I am Ellis Simmons!" she boasted, her pride practically seeping from her tone.

Arthur smiled. "Well, I got nothing more to teach you in this lesson."

Ellis nodded, getting up from her seat. "Thank you for teaching me."

"No worries, you can ask for my help the next time you have a difficult time."

"When that time comes, I promise to repay back for today."

Arthur huffed, patting her head once while her back was turned.

"W-Why did you just pet me??"

"I felt like it, asking for help isn't a matter of pride– so don't feel pressured to pay me back."

She shook her head.

"You don't understand, society just works that way– and I can't… could you stop petting me!? T-This counts as harassment!"

Arthur chuckled. "Okay shorty, I will stop petting you, only if you're casual with me."

Ellis brushed his hand off her hair, fixing any stray stands. "Fine, never do that again!"

[ Ellis Simmons Favorability +00.01] [ 1.09% / 100.00%]

Arthur sighed, still smiling. "Deal. The formality between friends is just outright weird. See you around Milady." He waved.

Ellis sighed, before turning away with a smile on her face. "S-See you r-round…"

Arthur chuckled.

"Her contractions are so awkward, but she's really a genuine person. It's sad that she's going to be a monster in the future."

Getting up from his seat, Arthur left the private space after packing the eaten meal into his bag.

"I guess I should stop by the Magi-Alchemy club, I still need to show my face."

After a few minutes of speed-walking through the club building, Arthur finally made it room practically estranged from the rest.

He huffed in annoyance, catching his breath. "I've been wandering around here for the past five minutes, looking for a room that's almost impossible to spot."

The doors were closed so Arthur knocked respectfully.

Knock! Knock!

"Hello? May I come in?"

There was no answer except for the clanging of pots, pans, and a small glass object. Arthur reacted to the noise by kicking the door open.

"Is everybody alright!?" He yelled out, looking around the laboratory-esque room

There were five individuals by the tables and counters, all holding beakers and flasks, but two were on the floor. The glasses-wearing second year was pinned on her back, with another glasses-wearing boy on top of her– a boy, Arthur shared a room with.

a brief inspection of their surroundings, there was overhead storage in the center of the room with a missing pot, which was directly overhead the scandalously positioned individuals.

"David shielded the club leader from a pot that fell from the rack heroically, and ended up in a comically scandalous position."

Their faces were millimeters apart and their seeing apparatuses off their faces. It didn't matter if their eyesight were horrendous, Arthur was sure their eyes were locked, lost, together in a trance.

"Ahem! Is everyone alright?" Arthur coughed loudly, making time in the room start again.

David immediately jumped off of the second year and fidgeted with his hands.

"S-Senior! A-Are you alright?"

She stumbled near her glasses for a second before putting them on.

"Mhm!" She hummed, "Thanks to you!"

She turned to entertain Arthur. "Ah! You've come to fill out your form, yes?" she said generally as if that didn't happen.

He gave her a thumbs up. "That's right."

Ellis aimlessly explored the extensive library, as she was a fan of books.

"What book should I read…"

But as she turned the corner, the blonde with a thorn in her side was rubbing shoulders with the prince, the distance between them scandalously close.

With a huff in each step hidden under her professional face, she marched up to the two.

 
"Your highness!" She beamed. "What a coincidence! You're here to study too!"

Prince Albert smiled at his fiance. Ellis smiled back, but it soon disappeared as she laid her eyes on Evangeline. "And what are you doing here?"

"Pleased to see you, Ellis. You're correct, I am here studying." Albert turned to his book.

Evangeline clapped. "Whoa! Ellis! Albert and I are studying, want to join us?" she said, completely ignoring her chaste comment.

Ellis smiled victoriously on the inside. She separated her fiance from Evangeline under the guise of helping them study. "Now tell me where you two are having difficulties."

Arthur wiped the sweat from his forehead, so as not to pollute the potion he was making. Beside him were David and Sasha, both incredibly invested in his work, which was currently flawless.

visibly, it was a colorless liquid, boiling in a pot over a strong flame from the magic stove.

holding a small measuring cap the size of a bottle cap in between metal tongs, Arthur dropped the red concentrate into the colorless liquid boiling over the stove. The concentrate diffused into the colorless liquid, turning it into a rich pinkish-red solution.

"Owaaa!" both of them gasped as Arthur silently cheered. "I can't believe it! A level-1 Health potion!"

Arthur went into the cupboards and procured small square-shaped vials and poured the potion into exactly twenty of them and sealed them all with cork and string. 

Sasha took two of them and rushed off to the faculty to show the work to Mrs. smith. "I need to show this to Mrs. Smith!!" she said, almost stumbling out.

Arthur deposited the remaining eight into his bag. "I'm so lucky since Mrs. Smith oversees this club. She's a good teacher so it gets a generous amount of funding, allowing students to take their creations with them but unfortunately, we aren't allowed to sell them-- which is fair, but sad. Oh well, I can't win everything."

he turned to David who was busy with his own work, trying to recreate the potion he just made. 

"So... Sasha huh?" Arthur hummed, making Him jump. 

"I-I-I have no idea what you're talking about."

Shrugging at his response, Arthur just continued his work scouring the recipe book. "Hey, there's nothing wrong about liking older women."

David's cheeks flare and he glared with childlike poutiness. "...Don't tell anyone or I will poison you."

"Cross my heart and hope to die."