"I have regrets and it's has been a half a flower yet,' he had recently stepped off the cart in the town near his school and was getting ready to buy a few things before he headed back to school. but it seems that this was not his day as while he was getting some temporal flower seeds when he almost ran face-first into someone from school. they instantly asked him to second meal, if it hadn't annoyed him so much Aero would have been impressed by her courage but he side-stepped her and continued shopping needing some hygiene products.

"That was very rude! young man," aero turned to the older female who had maybe forty sixty years on aero's mother. "if you're not interested, you should let them down gently!" they started at each other for a moment before aero responded to her.

"that was gentle, for me anyway," then he moved to leave but the lady was not having his tone and immensely calling it attitude, it was! "look I commended you for living so long but that doesn't mean I have to atomically listen to a stranger!" he interrupted when she brought up the fact that she was his elder. she looks like someone slapped her, sucking in a breath she turned away, aero sighed relieved that it was over.

only that five petals later she returned with her daughter, how did aero know that well their armor was very similar." so you went for reinforcements!" aero commented after paying for his soap," I have to respect tactile retreats."

"I heard what you said to my mother, that was completely uncalled for!" aero was unfazed," what uncalled for is her butting in my personal affairs! also, do you two really wanna make a scene about this?" at this rate it was gonna be a very big scene.

"yes we do wanna make a scene, I will not allow you to insult my mother!"

"When did I insult her?" he just told her his opinion but if she took that as an insult that said more about her than it did him." you told her that she didn't have your respect she's your elder!"

"and once more I congratulate you for living this long but that does mean I should listen to everything you have to say, nor should I immediately cower!" his tone was unwaveringly making it clear he had no intention of backing down. they were all mostly matching, the sense moved while aero did the rest of his shopping.

"would you focus on the matter at hand!" the daughter screamed while aero tried to decide between what kind of lotion he wanted."I don't need to give you two a drop of my attention and I'm sure as the zalts not gonna stop buying my things!" he didn't turn away from the locations, after taking a smell he decides on the one that smelled like spice.

"do you really think so little of this conversation?"

"yes! You're trying to argue about how I respond to advise from strangers! also you've following me around which is weird, to begin with!" then he went to pay for his lotion thankful they didn't immediately follow him, but they did follow him from the cart clearly trying to find a way to argue with him.

'my lord if I may help, this is a matter of pride now,' that actually helped a lot, he hurt their weak pride so he either had to soothe it or he could more damage until they retreated. he chooses violence! now he should figure out how he was gonna do this,' I mean I could probably get away with just clocking them both but.' he wasn't dealing with local law enforcement again, these women had long grown tired of him.

'maybe I should strike them somewhere out of sight?' aero considers while deciding which kind of mouth wash he should use. when the mother and daughter tried to start with him again, aero hummed. they stopped and backed away getting the message he was ready to beat their asses, he was unimpressed when they both got into fighting stances."fine if you wanna go," aero planted his feet just in time for a whistle to be blown.

"Okay that's enough of that!" a woman wearing a two-colored sash pure white for Batia the zaltess of justice and grey for the Dredara the zaltess of fairness. these two were said to be friends or mortal enemies because justice wasn't always fair, but being fair wasn't always just. but if they were together many people were pleased.

"well, that's the end of that," aero gather his thing paid for his mouth wash, and walked away. the law enforcement stopped the mother and daughter from following him while another followed him so he didn't double back to get them. this was a smart choice. as aero headed back to school he held a conversation with his helper about more methods to attack people's pride.

"developing one melody was hard enough but now more of them," he groaned putting away his last purchase. he's not even that familiar with the first one he made and now the helper suggested he make more of them, mostly to grow more familiar with his pride's energy. that or he could use the melody for five thousand flowers, this was an insane amount of time.

"I can do five thousand flowers," aero said feeling up to the challenge. there were 13 flowers in a day, about 3-4 of them he lost to classes, and 4 definitely lost to sleep. that meant about five flowers to do whatever he wanted counting meals and bathroom. "a thousand days!" use the melody for a thousand days, since its effects faded when he lost focus he just had to maintain focus for about five hours a day.

he started now readying his staff, he had to go slow it being his first time doing this. he went a bit faster the next time, by the time he was getting ready for slumber he had reached a decent pace. he continued the next day during his free time. activating the melody multiple times and holding it for as long as allowed aero to get a better feel for the energy. he could start to feel what gave birth to the pride, it was nice to know that he wasn't that single-minded. his pride wasn't just from his fighting skills, even though that was a large part.

he took pride in his mother, he took pride in how he doesn't bend to anyone's will but his own and occasionally his mother. plus dozens of smaller things, it gave him a head feeling them but it lightened his heart but also made it heaver because his pride's energy was dense as metal. he couldn't tell you what kind of metal but it was metal all right.

"guess that why I was a candidate for the succession," he was currently stretching who knew repeating motions several dozen times could make your muscles cramp. groaning he stretched out his legs before getting up and letting his blood flow to every inch of his body." there that's better!" he could get back to work practice with his flute staff, he keeps that it to third meal and his trip to Onna's realm.

it was a nice trip and he was refreshed the next morning he made this his routine for several days before he took another mission, reluctantly a team one. ' I hate that the helper is right that I need practice working with people!' Aero grumbled about this as he returned to the training ground after dealing with the teacher on mission counter duty.

"can these people not learn!" he grounded out wailing on a training dummy. once again people thought they could get him to stop him from doing what he wanted. he was too strong and too stubborn for that to happen, "when will they learn!" it was seriously burning what remained of his little patience." at this rate I might as well head into the wild and spend my life there!" but he couldn't do that his mother would cry.

'are you feeling better my lord?' the helper asked when Aero pated hands on his knees, the lord just grunted trying to balance his breathing. 'i should find another way to live," while he was pretty sure he could fight his way to the top no matter who or what stood in his way it would surely be a test worthy of Zalt status.

'thoughts for another day,' stretching out aero used the pride melody to coat his body and weapon in the energy once more. 'my lord I have a suggestion about changing your lifestyle!' Aero didn't stop them from talking,' it will even help you as a lord. One of the biggest problems with how people treat you is because you're a special case. this makes them think there's something wrong with you.'

"those amour less, child harmers!" there was nothing wrong with him.

'you're an odd case so to them means something is wrong. The way to change that opinion, show the world you're not the only male willing to work, those who are tired of the glass treatment. find them and then lead them!'

"Zavad, he wanted to learn something people would disapprove of!" when he started this path aero didn't care if he was alone so he never bothered to see if he was. the chance that multiple guys were willing to go against what was expected of them filled him with an emotion he was unfamiliar with.

'is this hope? excitement?' he didn't know but it would be the first time in a long while that spite or pride didn't fuel his actions." where should I start looking?" he didn't know many people his gender or were his age that would hang out." ah! by the blood of beast!" he knew exactly who he could talk to, but frankly, he would rather get knocked up.

"three years and I was able to avoid asking that beast fuckers help but now I need it because I refused to interact with my fellow male." this was hindsight moment wasn't it, sighing he returned to his training ignore how the thought of asking for that man's help made him sick in the stomach. putting it out of his mind for the next few flower made him feel a lot better but he felt sick again when he had to write the letter to that man.

thankful he could get away with a very short but barely polite letter, there was a good chance that his mother wouldn't see this. but if she did he was in an ass load of trouble, his lord grumbling the helper asked his lord a question.' my lord does your plant have much in the way of profanity?' it was a simple curiosity because his lord didn't curse. though he did say some very violent things under his breath if his rage didn't stem from pride he would have been meeting the lord of wrath.

"no, there use to be a lot more but social reform by this Zaltess who was not only really stuck up but prim and propper." he could never say much on her story as he smelled nothing but arrogance." even after several hundred lifetimes her influence is still strong!"

'would you like to learn universal swears?' aero could feel them smirking

"what do you want in return?" his helper wasn't shy of manipulating him, 'think of it as a reward for leading people you will probably never like!' aero took it and asked what universal swears were like?

'well, this one, moon heart. sounds nice but moons are generally cold lifeless rocks. just like some people's hearts, they look pretty far away but get closer and they can be pretty ugly and that before you get to their darks sides!' aero loved this and could really think of several people who he thought had a min heart! "I'm so using this from now on!"

he went to sleep in a better mood than he usually did, but woke up in his usual mood of prepared for people's shit! scrubbing down he did his weekly care of his exco skeleton, this was usually filing old growth, checking for cracks, applying medical cream, polishing, and completing painting it so it matched his skin better. as usual, as he finished polishing and decided not to paint his armor not wanting to change himself to become more compelling to others.

'why don't you want to become more physically appealing to others,' the helper asked curios as Aero left the cafeteria. "I refuse to bow!" that actually made a lot of sense to the helper, by changing his appearance to fit the views of others aero felt he was bowing to them. giving them a kind of control over him, which he refused to give. plus the boy was probably proud of his appearance in a way.

the way went by as usual, except for the fight aero almost started during second meal, then training which helped him calm down, and he no longer felt like starting a fight. unless that girl made a reappearance, then all bets were off by some zalts name!

during a pause where he was stretching out to remain limber aero felt someone approaching, looking he groaned seeing one of the teachers." what can I help you with miss!" he asked curtly as he turned his back to her to continue wailing on the training dummy."I'm here to talk about your recent team mission and the one you plan to take soon."

"and what of it?" he unleashes a combo to several points on the dummy with his staff." yes your teammate from last mission said you did a good job as a leader despite the amount of force you used." Aero didn't speak know there was no way that was all," but we have concerns about the stress of leading." there it is grumbling aero turned to the teacher.

"keep your concerns to yourself," he walked straight into her face," I know my limits you don't and don't act as you do! what I can do is far beyond what you think