To be Reborn to Meet Once Again {Cylou Fanfic}

Chapter 9: Scary? No, You're Not Scary

She looked over to the young scarlet-eyed man right in front of her. His presence there was kind of scary in a way... But she had to admit it was nice to have someone she knew would protect her, especially because she didn't have her sword on hand. But would it be bothering him? He was a pretty busy person and she could take care of herself.

"Come with me. We'll have to set off now if we want to make it back before nightfall. Not to mention I have to drop these Eremites off at the station." Cyno said as he went and hulled the bunch of knocked-out Eremites over. "Hmm... Change of plans. We'll wait for them to wake up. I'm quite sure they'll cooperate." The General's eyes then swiftly looked over to the dancer who just nodded in agreement, her bright red hair every so slightly swaying as the wind blew soft.

Her ocean-hued eyes slowly drifted to the Eremites who lay scattered in a sort of pile. "That must have hurt... I wonder if maybe the General went too hard on them. I mean, they didn't seem to wield any sort of vision except for the one who seemed to be in the lead of the rest." How painful was it? She'd never want to experience it, not for one second. So she couldn't help but feel pity for the sprawled unconscious bodies. From the subtle scars that spread across their skin, to their newly bleeding wounds. Even though the bleeding was only a small amount, it did make her wonder if they were going to be okay. If anything the biggest impact could be trauma caused by none other than General Mahamatra himself.

Though it was silent, it made her feel like she couldn't breathe because of the intensity of the atmosphere surrounding them. She averted her staring at the Eremites and decided to go back to looking at the General instead. "Uhm... When do you think they will wake up? They seem to be knocked out cold." Nilou asked quietly, a twinge of nervousness evident in her tone of speech. She ever so slightly fiddled with the tips of her dainty fingers as she waited for the young silver-haired man's reply.

"It shouldn't take them too long, at a maximum of an hour. I made sure not to knock them out too hard." The scarlet-eyed man responded swiftly to her question. Nilou let out a soft sigh of relief, she didn't mind hanging out with the General. It was just that... It was a bit too awkward for her. How could she talk to a person like him so casually? It wasn't like they talked much to each other or interacted much. Wait... Was she thinking too much about this? Or was she not thinking enough? Maybe both? Either way, she couldn't just stand there like a forgotten statue in the forest!

After a few minutes of contemplation, Nilou brought her thoughts together and decided to maybe ask him a friendly question. "General Mahamatra... U-um... May I ask if you have any hobbies you enjoy outside of work?" The red-haired girl looked at him, awaiting an answer. Hopefully a good answer, otherwise... She'd be so embarrassed!

"My hobbies? Well, I enjoy Invocation TCG." Cyno chuckled.

"Invocation TCG... Oh!", "Isn't that the popular card game everyone's been playing? I've always wanted to try, but I've never known where to start..."Nilou remarked awkwardly as she started fidgeting with her fingers a bit.

"Y-you've never played it before?" Cyno coughed as a shocked expression spread across his face. The blue-eyed girl couldn't tell if she should have been scared, excited, or anything else at the moment. His personality changed in barely a second, she didn't have any time to react at all! "Do not fret! I will teach you the ways of Invocation TCG and you will become a Master of its beautiful arts!"

"W-wait really? I wouldn't want to trouble you and all- really I can learn on my own." Nilou exclaimed in surprise and her eyes darted all over the place, trying to think of a good response. She was feeling a little overwhelmed by this sudden information given to her.

"It's my duty as a long-time player of the game to introduce and teach new players the best way to win and strategize. There's no need to worry, the crime rate in Sumeru has dropped so I have some extra time to spend these days." The scarlet-eyed General smiled softly.