The Author's POV

The air around the room was tense. It felt suffocating. Almost as if I was stuck inside of a cramped room with no room to breathe.

The reason for such atmosphere?

Quietly sitting on my chair, a stunningly beautiful young girl with glossy black hair and porcelain white skin devoid of any imperfections, was curiously looking around my room.

Amanda stern.

Someone who I had never thought of interacting with privately.

Seeing her sit on my seat as if it was the most natural thing to do, my eyebrows twitched.

Just what did I do to deserve this?

...no, I knew why, I just wanted to deny reality.

Sighing, I spoke up to try to break the awkward atmosphere.

"Would you like green tea or water?"

Hearing my voice, Amanda's eyes paused on my face for a couple of seconds and after a short pause she said

"...green tea"

"Alright"

Heading to where my teapot was stashed, I took it out and poured steaming hot water into the pot.

After a couple of seconds, I took a bag filled with tea leaves and gently threw them into the pot.

While waiting for the tea to be ready, I turned around and noticed Amanda's obsidian black eyes staring at me.

Taken aback by her odd behavior, I asked

"...Need something?"

Hearing my voice and seeing that I had caught her red-handed, Amanda looked to the side and acted as if nothing happened as she lightly murmured.

"...Nothing"

Smiling, I looked back at the teapot.

What do you mean nothing? You were obviously staring at me!

Even a blind person could tell you were looking at me.

Pinching my brows, I decided to think about this in a positive way.

From the looks of things, it at least seemed that she had no hard feelings against me. Since I knew her personality well, I knew that if she were to have had a grudge against me, she would've avoided me at all costs.

Treating me as if I was nonexistent.

Seeing how she had actively come looking for me, I knew that she didn't hold what happened against me.

...so what did she come here for?

There was definitely a reason for her visit. I sort of had a hunch on what it was, but I wasn't too sure.

Most likely, she came to express her gratitude for saving her.

If so, I better get this over with fast. If someone found out 'the Amanda Stern' who was the talk of the academy was having a private meeting with a boy in his own room, I wouldn't even know how I died.

The fact that she was in my room meant that my life was in danger.

Sigh.

Just when I thought things weren't going to become more troublesome suddenly a new troublesome situation arose.

Looking at the water in the teapot that had started turning murky brown, I carefully removed the teapot from the heater and poured the tea into two porcelain teacups.

Walking back to where Amanda was seated, I handed the steaming hot teacup to her and sat in front of her.

"Thank you"

Taking the teacup with both hands, Amanda gently blew on the cup and took a sip.

Closing her eyes and savoring the taste of the tea, Amanda nodded slightly said

"...it's good"

"Thank you"

slightly bitter aftertaste that even after a couple of seconds lingered at the tip of

what did you want to talk

all the time drinking tea, I decided to get straight to the

stared at me. After a

"...Thank you"

Frowning slightly, I said

"For what?"

"For saving me"

back on

ever recall

"Yo-.."

as she was about to answer, I

seems like you forgot what I had told

'..forget what you saw'

had said, Amanda remained quiet for a little bit. Her brows continuously knit and relaxed, and after a while, she shook her

"I can't do that..."

I placed my teacup down. Her response

eyes that were looking back at

sorry then

reply, Amanda sighed in

relieved

"Okay"

phone, she quickly went to

I couldn't

personality was just like

owing

than herself. No,

she owed so that she wouldn't build any unrealistic expectations of

5 million U

million U?

I processed what she had said, I almost spat all my

did

had just stood up and was looking

million, not

do you mean that's not enough, that's

hand, I

treating money as if

"...so 5 million okay?"

"Sigh, hold on"

my chair, I

that much money, I could pretty much solve the problem of finding a

idea

something else

room temperature dropped and Amanda's demeanor became

she was probably misunderstanding something, I quickly followed up by

any dates or anything

part, Amanda's brows relaxed. Nodding her head she

"...Okay"

relief,

me a

"A sword art?"

by my request, Amanda looked at me

by her reaction, but remembering what had happened

am looking for something to disguise my main sword

"oh"

if she understood something,

like that, I knew she still had a misconception about my strength. In

solve the misunderstanding, chances

or not. At the end of the day, she wasn't the type of person to treat people differently regardless of

she wasn't a blabbermouth. Meaning that

sword art would

a bit,

a sword art that primarily focused on

a second, Amanda

"How many stars?"

you were previously offering me around 5 million U, I

through her phone for a couple of seconds

let me

holographic function on the phone, a long list of sword manuals appeared

from the criteria that you had given

the long list of manuals, my mouth twitched. If I said

the guild master of the number

access to an immeasurable amount of resources and manuals that would