Excuse Me?

“Are you yelling at me at my own home, you brat?”

Fantasia’s father’ forehead vein pulsates and with a silent, calm voice, he is asking a question that serves more like a mirror for Ravel so that he could look what he has just done.

“I’m sorry!”

Ravel immediately goes from his pissed off phase into a pile of embodied fear. His voice is so thin that the helium balloon couldn’t have done a better job.

Fantasia’s jaw dropped. She is forgetting to breathe and she just quickly shifts her gaze from her father to Ravel and back.

Ravel closes his eyes, not even wanting to know what’s going to happen to him. He’s shaking from his legs to his hands.

Fantasia’s father stares at him for a few seconds that feel like infinity. Then he relaxes his facial muscles.

“Pppftt!! Wahahahahah!!! Damn it, you brat!! You got me!”

He suddenly leans back and busts into a laughter. Fantasia and Ravel loosen up and give him a confused look.

“W-what?” Ravel asks timidly.

“You!! You have balls of steel, let me say that! In my whole life, there wasn’t a single human who would defy me! But YOU!”

He stands up and pats him on the shoulder with more force than he intended, which makes Ravel grit his teeth from the pain.

“You can without a question call yourself a man. If a weak little puppy like you can stand for a woman he cares about even in the face of a strong villainously looking guy like me, then you are a REAL man!”

Did he call himself a villain?

“T-thank you…?”

“Fantasia!”

“Y-yes?!”

“Don’t let this boy go. He is going to take care of you better than anybody else.”

Fantasia and Ravel look at each other and both blink twice. She goes into a warm smile and gives Ravel a look that could be described only as that of a woman who is mesmerized by someone special.

“I know, dad. Ravel is truly unique. Hehe.”

“T-thank you, Fantasia… I will take care of you!” he clenches his fist out of pure determination. Then he looks at the father towering over him. “And thanks to you as well, Mr. …?”

“Huh? You don’t know my surname? It’s Swan of course, just like Fantasia’s.”

“Swan… Fantasia Swan…?” Ravel doesn’t hide his surprise.

“You didn’t know my daughter’s name?!”

“I guess I never told him, hehe…”

Fantasia chuckles like a bad actor out of embarrassment. She didn’t even realize she hadn’t revealed her last name to a boy she stole her first kiss from.

***

Ravel is waiting on a bus stop for his ride home while the sun is ready to set. He can’t help but to reflect on the events that unfolded today.

I got my first official date with Fantasia.

Then we watched that awesome dolphin show with the dolphins that had our names.

We held hands and behaved like a normal couple only a month after we met.

And then… we… I… no. She kissed me. It was our first kiss. Not gonna lie, the way she took the initiative was badass as fuck.

But not only that. I learnt her last name and met her father. I seriously passed a test of courage with the scariest man alive. He even said with happy tears in his dark eyes that I should come visit again and we could watch some boxing matches together.

Talk about crazy.

And then there’s Ares.

Ravel frowns and realizes that if something was out of place about this otherwise perfect date, it would be Fantasia’s classmate.

His father owns the Zoo. He met with me in our class the other day. And there were two dolphins with our names. But what is his goal? He obviously mocked us.

The bus finally comes and Ravel reluctantly boards, looking back as if missing Fantasia already.

***

The weekend flew by, and Monday morning arrives. Ravel is already seated at his desk in the classroom, surrounded by Zhang, Seko and Yutaka, playing Kiwi.

“So how was the trip to the Zoo?” Yutaka wastes no time asking and places a card on the desk.

“It was amazing! I even met her father!”

“Hey, you didn’t want me to go with you and you allowed her to take her father?” Seko asks disappointed while scribbling something on a piece of paper.

“No, you idiot, I met him afterwards.”

“Oh yeah. How was it?” Zhang asked as if he wasn’t even interested in hearing the answer.

“Well…”

Where do I even start?

“R-Ravel?”

A feminine voice resonated from behind, filled with a strong intensity and a feeling of urgency.

“What an angelic voice, it must be a goddess-“ Seko starts daydreaming and imagining a beautiful girl with the angel wings and a halo. When he turns back, he sees Fantasia. “Eh, it’s just you.” Seko says in evident disappointment.

“This is why you don’t have friends except the three of us,” Ravel smacks Seko on the back of his head and turns around to see Fantasia with a worried look on her face. “What’s going on, Fantasia?”

“It’s Eleona! She’s fighting with our classmate Zinia! Please help!”

Fantasia’s voice trembled. She hates violence and her hyena manners are not strong enough to actually stop a fight between two cats.

“What?”

Ravel sprints towards Fantasia’s classroom without hesitation.

“We can’t miss the catfight!” Yutaka starts running after him. “Come on!” He calls out to Seko and Zhang who trail behind him.

***

In the class 1.B, the atmosphere resembled a street fight. Eleona and Zinia, surrounded by their classmates, exchange heated words but hadn't yet engaged in physical contact. Many students record the altercation on their phones.

“I’m gonna beat you and prove who the real Queen is!!”

Eleona reaches with her right hand into the air in front of Zinia, as if trying to intimidate her. She tilts her head upwards, showcasing her signature superior stance.

“Ahahah, don’t make me laugh! Have you seen yourself in the mirror? There’s no way you’re beating ME!”

Zinia, who, despite her slightly bigger ears, is a beautiful girl with long green hair and a tiny birth mark fittingly placed under her right eye, returns the fire in a loud provocative tone which, well, provokes Eleona into rushing at her.

“I hate arrogant bastards like you so much!!”

Eleona lunges at Zinia grabs her by uniform while Zinia grabs Eleona as well by her pink dress, tearing her sleeve a little. Eleona immediately holds the sleeve with a terrified look, trying hard to cover her arm.

Ravel intervenes, pulling Eleona away from Zinia and positioning himself between them, using both hands to keep them apart.

“Stop that! What are you, animals?!”

“As if a Zoo Keeper could call me an animal!!!”

Zinia cuts his hand with her long nails. Ravel winces in pain but refuses to back down.

“Look, it’s the Big Ears.” Seko and the gang arrive at the chaotic scene.

Fantasia looks helplessly at the situation, with her hands clasped together as if praying.

“Please, d-don’t fight, Eli, Zinia…!”

“Shut up, you stupid monkey! This is your fault! You shouldn’t have said that Eleona is going to win the Beauty Queen High School Contest no matter who she’s up against!”

“B-but I…”

“Beauty Contest?” Seko asks while raising his eyebrows.

“Oh yeah, I guess it’s that time of the year before the summer break.” Zhang realizes.

“I don’t understand how that could have escalated into a cat fight, but who am I to complain?” Yutaka shows his darker side. He loves watching girls in not so standard situations like this.

“And you know what? Me beating you would be no accomplishment. But since you bully Fantasia all the time, try to prove you’re prettier than her and beat her in the contest! Fantasia will kick your ass!” Eleona exclaimed, tauntingly.

“Huh?” Ravel looks shocked at Fantasia.

“E-excuse me?” Fantasia tilts her head in confusion.

CHAPTER 8: END