Archons of the Elite

Vol.2: Prologue

I felt her gently pull away and stroke my hair.

"Was that okay?" She said gently.

Like she cared.

Like I wasn't just a means to get something.

A small tear came to my eye as I nodded quietly.

I imagined the purple haired girl I used to laugh with was beside me as I held Haruka desperately.

"Can... This not mean anything...?" I asked nervously.

I couldn't be the cause of another person's pain... What if I really had to go back one day...

She looked at me in an almost sisterly way as she spoke.

"Don't worry, I don't have any feelings for you~" She giggled softly as I began to fall back into sleep in her arms.

I let my mind wonder as I drifted.

Maybe I deserve just a little bit of love...

Just this once.

Zhongli POV

I woke up to the sound of frustrated knocking and walked over to the door with a soft sigh before I opened it and smiled politely.

"Hello Kamuro, Sakayanagi."

I immediately caught Sakayanagi as Kamuro instinctively pushed her towards me, momentarily forgetting her illness.

She was quickly reminded however as a cane came crashing into her shin, leading the two to begin arguing.

I chuckled slightly as I watched the scene, being reminded of a handful of gods, such as Makato and Venti, or Rhukkhadevata and Deshret.

I cut into the argument before someone got hurt, most likely Kamuro again.

"Excuse me, but why are you here at..." I checked my phone, "two in the morning."

I saw Sakayanagi go to speak before she was quickly interrupted by the scowling girl behind her.

"Apparently her room had a pipes leak so she came to mine, but I told her to fuck off so now she's here." She said matter of factly, seeming strangely proud of telling a small, handicapped girl to 'fuck off'.

I looked at Sakayanagi disappointedly.

"It's okay Kamuro, I can handle it from here"

She nodded and closed the door as she walked away while Sakayanagi began to look around my dorm, the tired look in her eyes replaced by her smug one.

"Pipes? Really." I said with a hint of disappointment.

"It didn't have to be believable, as long as Kamuro took me here then it worked just fine." She said without even looking at me.

"Why not just come here?" I muttered tiredly, knowing the answer anyway.

"People would get ideas if I just came to your room in the middle of the night."

I turn her around and look at her with a frown.

"Then why are you here?"

She grinned.

"You know your friend Venti?"

I paused as I looked at her.

"You know Venti?"

She grimaced, a reaction I had long since associated to those who knew the bard.

"Unfortunately. You remember that movie that came out in the school cinemas a week or so back?"