- Thoughts -

Ever since Charlotte left the Rice Pot, she has been behaving weirdly.

The brown haired girl who was usually lively turned quiet for these times and preferred to spend her time on her own. If the others didn't approach her, then she won't be approaching the others. If the others didn't talk with her then she won't be talking with the others. This sudden behavior made them felt worried of Charlotte.

All of them tried to ask Charlotte about what happened in the Rice Pot but Charlotte didn't seem to willing to tell them the truth. She kept saying the same thing, that she encountered an ugly creature that tried to persuade her to accept the strange power that will put her on the top. When they asked what was wrong with her, she will just answer that she was fine and there was nothing bothering her. She said that she was just thinking about the slayer nominee selection.

Most of them seemed to believe in her. Well, considering what kind of consequence will be waiting for her if they lose later on, it wasn't surprising or strange at all. Perhaps right now she was regretting her decision, they thought.

Noah wanted to approach Charlotte but since his sister, Celeste, kept spending time with Altaira, he felt uneasy and kept approaching them. The same thing happened to Altaira who officially had taken Noah as his number one opponent. Celeste who was in the middle of the two of them couldn't help but to try to stop the two of them.

Bam also wanted to know what was wrong with Charlotte. But he still should busy himself with trainings and he was being watched by Hwaryun who was watching him.

She didn't even let him sneak away just to look for Charlotte a glance.

Charlotte couldn't stop herself from thinking about what the purple lady in white said. It wasn't that her words were wrong or that she disagreed with her, but it was because this involved her identity, her goal and her power.

'Accepting my strengths and weaknesses, huh?'

If there was one thing that Charlotte was afraid then she was afraid to face her own weaknesses. She closed her eyes, thinking about her own weaknesses especially her bad luck.

"What are you thinking about?"

She opened her eyes and then found Khun Aguero Agnes was talking to her.

"Nothing" she answered. "I'm just thinking about the selection."

"Are you worried that we aren't going to win?" Khun asked. "You aren't even worried about that in the Workshop Battle. Didn't you say that you could read the future? Could it be that you are worried that we are going to lose?"

"Hm? How could that be? With brother around, we will definitely win" Charlotte answered.

"Then what are you worried about?"

"......I'm just worried that brother will get hurt" she answered.

She wasn't really lying. Since there will definitely a fight, then someone will get hurt. And the main protagonist and the center of this fight was Bam. He will inevitably get hurt.

Charlotte had thought about it so she could understand when Khun said to her that there was no way that one of their friends won't get hurt in this selection. But at least no one will die, Charlotte could assure him.

Charlotte remembered that Khun was one of the sharpest people in the companion. If she asked him about her weaknesses, then he could definitely help right?

"Oh right, there is something that I want to ask" Charlotte said to him. "Khun, you are the sharpest person in the team right? Then can you tell me about my weaknesses?"

"Why are you asking that question in all sudden?" Khun asked her.

"I'm just curious" she answered.

'Something must have happened in that Rice Pot thing's Khun silently thought.

"Are you sure that you want to know the truth?" He asked her back with a smile. "This might hurt your feelings."

Charlotte licked her lips before pressing it together. Surely, talking about her weakness will not be something pleasant to hear, especially when the one who will be answering it was Khun. She pondered about it for a moment before she said with a playful smile, "Then you can use the.......you can choose the soft words to describe my weakness right? I have a fragile heart, please spare me"

"Well, you are childish, playful, noisy, insensible, ignorant, stupid, reckless, lazy and love to start fights with the others. You are also stubborn, persistent and daring to the point that everyone wants to beat you up. You also don't have any ambition or in another word, simpleton" he answered without hesitance, without pausing for a moment or a second. "I think that sums up everything."

Charlotte, "......"

Every single word that came from his mouth seriously stabbed Charlotte right where it hurts. He made it sound as if he had been waiting for a long time to say all of these and from his smirk, he was enjoying it, didn't he?

"............Your words are a little bit harsh, don't you think?" Charlotte asked him. "I should have asked someone else."

"The others will also answer the same thing."

"Then what about my strengths? My good sides? There must be some right?" Charlotte asked him.

"I don't think there is something good I could mention about you" he replied.

In annoyance, Charlotte lifted her fan and hit him lightly with it.

"Annoying" she said as she put her fan down.

"Ah, that is also one of your weaknesses" Khun added again. "You are annoying, irritating and hopeless."

"I think I'll just look for Noah instead" Charlotte said while looking around.

"You have been separated from the friend of yours for quite awhile" Khun said to her. "Are you sure his judgement will be better than mine?"

Charlotte looked at Khun. After a moment, she said to him, "Hey, don't look down on my friends! He is skilled, you know."

"You make it sound as if he knows you for a long time when he wasn't there to help you when you were hurt."

"Who said that-"

Charlotte who was about to argue with Khun paused for a moment on her own sentence. She pondered about something for a moment.

What Charlotte was about to say to Khun was "who said that Noah wasn't by my side when I was hurt?". But if she say those words, then it will surely clash with the story that they made together. It might, no, definitely attract his suspicions more.

He was already suspicious of them. She can't make him feel more suspicious.

"That's because he was sealed in this damn train" Charlotte said to Khun. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"Of course no" Khun denied. "But I'm a little surprised that FUG will allow you to be friend with someone."

'You're testing me again.'

"Teacher allows me to make friends with anyone" Charlotte explained to him. "And besides, if we weren't allowed to be friends with anyone, then what about Sweet and Sour? Your question is a little bit weird."

"No matter how weird my question is, it can't be weirder than yours right?"

'Does he notice something?'

"What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing particular" he answered.

When he lifted his hand, Charlotte closed her eyes tightly because she thought that she was going to be flicked on forehead again. But when she opened her eyes again, she was taken back when Khun patted her head with an unreadable expression.

It wasn't unreadable. It was just that Charlotte couldn't understand what was the meaning from his expression. His solemn and serious expression seemed to be a little different than the usual.

Khun patting her head was something that she would never expect to happen. Why would he suddenly pat her head out of blue?

"You are supposed to be a simpleton who easily trusts others" he said to her in which Charlotte listened clearly. But for his next line, Charlotte can't hear it clearly since he said it in a low voice.

"But why do you hide so much from us?"

"What?" Charlotte raised one of her eyebrows.

Khun lowered his hand and then stood up, "Nothing. You should be getting more rest. I'll go and check on Bam."

Charlotte just nodded her head and hummed. She watched how the blue haired male walking away and heading to somewhere else, to look for her brother.

Charlotte touched her head right on where Khun patted her. It was strange, very, very strange. But it can't probably mean anything right? Perhaps he was just being sentimental for a moment, that must be it.

Charlotte sighed and closed her palm.

"It would have been better if you don't say those weird things.....now I'm getting more curious what you mean."

≪ ◦ ❖ ◦ ≫

"She asked you her weaknesses?" Altaira looked surprised when he heard that.

In the middle of Khun's way to look for Bam, Altaira approached him and asked the conversation that he had with Charlotte.

"Yeah" Khun answered.

Khun thought that this probably had a special meaning considering that Altaira looked like he was pondering something. But when he heard the next line, he knew that he shouldn't have put such a high expectation on his half-brother.

"I didn't expect her to grow up so soon!" Altaira said with a happy smile. "I think she begins to understand her own mistakes and wants to fix it!"

Khun, "..........."

"What's wrong? Why do you look disappointed?" Altaira asked Khun.

"...it's nothing" he said. "I will be leaving first."

Altaira watched how his half-brother was walking away with both of his hands inside his pockets.

Altaira smiled and crossed his arms. He knew what Khun wanted to know, but he pretended to not know about it.

Being Charlotte's older brother, no one could understand her better than him. He was the one who protected her, took care of her and taught her lots of things. He knew her weaknesses and strengths better than anyone there, perhaps even better than Charlotte herself.

He approached his younger sister and asked her, "What are you thinking, my good little sister?"

"I feel that everyone has been asking what's running on my mind lately."

"Really? Then what do you answer to them?"

Charlotte smiled for a moment before she replied to him, "Nothing important actually. I just said that I'm worried about the slayer nominee selection game."

Altaira propped his cheek with his right hand.

"Is that so? You aren't hiding anything from me right?"

"What could I possibly hide from you? I'm afraid of you."

"But you are so disobedient. Are you sure that you feel afraid of me?"

He was the one who watched this young girl grew up. But like what the adults said, the older a child became, the harder to guess what was running on her mind. Altaira understood it now, since his sister had learnt how to keep secrets from him.

Altaira didn't mind Charlotte kept secrets from him. Although it was annoying, but sooner or later she will be telling him. Until she was ready to tell it to him, he will watch Charlotte grow up again, just like in the past.

He will watch his little sister and assist her no matter what happens.