Chapter 997: ..Huh?

"Renna!"

"What the..."

"No, not here. Let us make our way to the next room, my brother from another mother."

"...Right."

Lucy and Arthas have been making their way through the hallways of the Hero Academy, with Lucy just blatantly opening rooms without even any regard for anyone else. He does not even stop or pause to acknowledge the class he has interrupted before moving on to the next one.

As for Arthas, he was just shrugging his shoulders each time before following behind Lucy with a smile on his face; he was even letting out a small chuckle here and there.

"Renna, are you in this class!?"

"Who—"

"Alas, perhaps you and Renna are truly not just fated to meet," Lucy shut the door of the class before the instructor could even utter another word.

"Maybe we should just return to class and wait for the school to end?" Arthas suggested, "This is my first day, and it might also be my last, after all — I want to experience it."

"No," Lucy started wagging his finger, "If this is your first and last day in Hero Academy, then you should, at the very least, experience skipping a class — after all, classes are made to be skipped."

"Really...?" Arthas raised an eyebrow.

"Indeed, why would they make the doors freely openable for everyone if it was not?" Lucy nodded to himself.

"But shouldn't we be learning how to be a hero?" Arthas turned to look at the last classroom they disturbed.

"If you need to learn to be a hero, then that means you are not," Lucy once again placed his arm over Arthas's broad shoulders; Lucy's feet, floating from the ground while his short skirt fluttered with the wind, "Anyway, I suppose you will never get to meet Renna. Perhaps that is for the best, your life will never be the same once you meet her."

"Never be the same how?"

"Ugh, I would not bother telling you all the horrible things you would experience," Lucy covered half his face as he looked at the ceiling, "Where do I even begin? I will not, as I said, you do not deserve to suffer — if fate wants you to meet her, you will. If only Renna and I had a twin connection, but sadly, we do not."

"That is because we are not twins, Lucifer."

"!!!"

Lucy quickly went behind Arthas and hid behind him as soon as he heard the emotionless tone of Renna's voice.

"Why do you insist on sneaking up on me, you witch!" Lucy pointed at Renna while still hiding behind Arthas, "Quick, Arthas! Make yourself unfriendly as soon as you can!"

"Hi," and despite Lucy's shenanigans, Arthas just smiled as he reached his hand out to Renna, "My name's Arthas. I'm your—"

"Brother," Renna just blinked as she looked at Arthas's hand, "And forgive me for not shaking your hand."

"Do not forgive her, Arthas!" Lucy then spun as he left Arthas's back and pointed at Renna, "That woman does not like holding things she dislikes, that means she dislikes you!"

"No," Renna shook her head as she looked Arthas in the eyes, "I have only really known you for 17.4 seconds — that is not enough time to even form an opinion about you, Arthas."

"No, 17.4 seconds is enough time to formulate and create an entire life story. Do not believe her words," Lucy covered half his face again while shaking his head; his long, white silky hair, moving almost like a snake as he did so, "She dislikes you since she is not holding your hand!"

"The only reason I am not holding his hand is that he has been around you," Renna turned to look at Lucy, "And I do not know where you have dipped yourself into, Lucy."

"The... two of you seem really close," Arthas could really only let out a small chuckle as he looked at the two almost identical half-siblings.

"It is inevitable," Lucy nodded.

"Unfortunately so," while Renna closed her eyes, "And forgive me if this may sound slightly pugnacious, it is not — but why are you here, Arthas?"

"I wanted to meet Father, but most importantly, I wanted to meet the two of you," Arthas smiled as he looked at Renna and Lucy, "I don't think it's right that we haven't met each other."

"Then I apologize that you had to meet Lucifer first," Renna let out a small breath before the tone of her voice once again became monotonous, "I am afraid that I would have to cut our conversation short, however, as I still have class and only went out when I found out that Lucifer has been disrupting the entire Academy — again, and we had only been here for less than a week."

"Then, we'll meet later?" Arthas smiled.

"Since it is a weekend tomorrow, we can go back to the house so you can meet our parents," Renna nodded as she turned around, "And I assume that your mother is with you, Arthas?"

"Yes, Karina's here as well... somewhere," Arthas nodded as he waved Renna goodbye.

"Our eldest sister?" Renna blinked a couple of times, "I would very much like to meet her. But for now, please..."

And with those words, Renna just bowed her head and left. However, she did not even take 3 steps forward before she glanced at Lucy.

"And do not think that I am ignoring the fact that you are wearing my uniform, Lucifer — wait until we get home and I will burn that dress with you still in it," and with those words, Renna left.

"Be very wary of her, Arthas." And as soon as she was gone, Lucy just slid close to Arthas while whispering in his ear, "She likes bossing people around."

"From the stories of Mom and the others..." Arthas looked at Lucy, "...Is Renna the most like our dad?"

"Ah, you utter words of blasphemy, brother..." Lucy covered half his face again as he took several steps back, "...Our father is much cooler than her — but I would lie if I said they did not talk the same. The way their words whisper out from their mouths is quite similar in some aspects."

"I... see."

"And I would like to believe that I have inherited our father's flair for the dramatic," Lucy then grabbed the side of his skirt and flailed it to the side while spinning in place.

"Our father... wears women's clothing?"

"He might have," Lucy then shrugged.

"Should... we return to class now?" Arthas blinked a couple of times as he looked around the empty hallway, "I've already experienced skipping class."

"If we return to class, then we've merely hopped, my dear boy," Lucy let out a very long and deep sigh, "Come, let us just explore the campus and maybe visit the Association while we are waiting for Renna...

...Let us leave and experience the world of adults together!"

***

A few hours filled with all sorts of nonsense and roaming around aimlessly later, Riley's children all left the Academy walking side by side... before just flying straight back to Riley's building and stopping by the restaurant.

"Ah, Renna, Lucy — what brings the two of you here?" One of the waiters in the restaurant quickly welcomed the two as they entered the restaurant, "And you're with a... friend."

"Is Father here, Mr. Habibi?" Renna bowed her head before scanning the restaurant. And as soon as the diners spotted them, the diners quickly stopped eating as some of them even waved their hands at the siblings. Renna ignored all of them, while Lucy gave them a graceful curtsy.

"I'm afraid he went out," the waiter, Mr. Habibi, let out a small sigh while shaking his head, "I believe your mothers should be home, and Miss Esme too. I believe... you have guests?"

"Aunt Esme?" Renna's emotionless eyes slightly glimmered as soon as she heard Esme's name, "And... guests?"

"Ah," Arthas raised a finger, "That's probably Aunt Kat and Karina."

"Then let us waste no more time here," Lucy waved his hands at the diners as he stepped back, "I am on a diet, I shall not let the temptations of our father's food lure me to indulgence."

"Diet...?" Arthas could really only blink a couple of times as he followed Lucy out, "But... I think you're already fine."

"Do not bother with him, Arthas," Renna shook her head, "Lucifer has this mission to be more beautiful than me, even though it is impossible as I am literally a woman and he is a man."

"A mistake, my dear Renna..." Lucy scoffed as he covered half his face again, "...Nothing is impossible for Paragon's children."

"You still should not have been born, Lucifer."

"Then you would be lonely, stop it — I do not want that fate for you, you have no friends as it is."

"I do not need friends."

Arthas could really only look back and forth between the two as he followed them; the smile on his face almost stuck there as he truly found the two amusing as they never stopped talking to each other — even when inside the elevator, the two would just have the most random topic.

"Do you know that if you eat mostly eggs, you—"

"Renna!"

Sadly, Arthas did not hear all of Lucy's words as the elevator doors opened. And as soon as it did so, a small boy, barely the size of a chair, leaped into the elevator and onto Renna's arms — and Renna very carefully caught him, caressing his short white hair while and wiping the small tears trailing on his pale white cheeks all the while embracing him tight.

"Oh..." Lucy then noticed Arthas's bewildered expression,

"...That's Enel, Aunt Esme's little spawn...

...our youngest brother."

"...Huh?"