Who Is Meaner?

[Ai Nightray]

Ai almost screamed in frustration as she continued to look over her books in Herbology, Defense Against the Dark Arts and History of Magic. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't understand plants! No matter how hard she tried she couldn't make names of plants stay in her head! No matter what she did, it seemed like the spell she was doing was somewhat wrong in a way she couldn't point out! Even if it was a spell she learned during her first year! No matter what she did, she just couldn't stick in her head the names and purposes of the different spells present in her book. No matter how many times she read, the names and years of the events just can't seem to enter her mind. No matter how hard she studied, she just can't complete any of the three subjects at hand.

And for her current problem, Ai could only think of one solution. Relaxation. What form? Rule-breaking adventure. As soon as the sun had set and dinner was finished. Ai had crept through the Hufflepuff Common Room, down the stairs, through the dark corridors, with sleeping portraits. She went through the Lawn and the Lakefront, before stopping at her destination. The Forbidden Forest. Ai gulped but decided that it was not the time to turn back. She entered the dark forest and brought nothing with her as a source of light, depending only on her own senses. After walking a few minutes, Ai decided that she was near to getting lost, and had began running the way she had gone through, before bumping into another...... Another human? She hoped it was the case. Both of them falling over and her on top, she began her attempts to stand up and was able to do so without fail. She looked at the person in front of her, her eyes wanting to adjust to the darkness of the forest.

 

[Liam Nightray]

Though it had been his choice to attend Hogwarts New Zealand, Liam Nightray still cannot help but to be extremely bored with how the things had been going. No, being bored didn't mean that he needed to go around and look for some friends just like what those fools were doing. He didn't need friends. They would just pull him down. They'd be burdens. Besides, these people around him are nothing but his pawn, should they not be useful, they wouldn't exist in his world. He need not to bother and try to socialize. Thus, being bored really didn't mean that he should be trying to strike a conversation with his roommates even though they had been trying to talk to him for as long as he could remember. Some had given up already, some had been angry at him being 'a stuck-up little brat', and well, there are still some who weren't getting tried of trying. But then, Liam Nightray just didn't care about that. He didn't care whether no one wanted to talk to him, and he didn't care even more if someone is cursing him and hated him to the point of wanting him dead. He had no use for those kind of people. They were just fleas and pathetic excuses for human beings and are just trashes who had been wasting the precious oxygen around him.

That was actually the reason why right now, the third year slytherin was venturing outside the castle, his wand in hand attempting to conjure some light to serve as his guide as he wandered around the forbidden forest. He was bored, he didn't want to talk to anyone, he can't sleep, and so, his only option was to just have some 'fun'. Well, as much fun as he could make then. He had been walking around the forbidden forest, which, as its name suggests, is a place that students like him should not go to. But then again, Liam wasn't one for following rules, so he could care less about that. The hours of just walking around the forest didn't really appeal to him though as after a few rounds, (he never did get that far inside the forest), he had gotten too bored that he had decided that it would be much better to return to his room and annoy the hell out of his roommates. The boy could be really annoying if he wanted it to. Well, if he's already annoying when he's not meaning it yet, then just how annoying would he be if he intended to do it. He was just about to light his wand again when all of a sudden, he felt something bumped into him and before he had realized he was down on the ground, something heavy on top of him. It was great that that something had been lifted off instantly though. Now if he had been a normal kid, Liam would have shouted in fear and would have ran back towards the castle, but then, Liam had never been normal to begin with. So, instead of shouting in fear, the slytherin shouted in annoyance. "What the... watch where you're going!" He shouted even though his eyes still hadn't adjusted to the darkness and even though he is still yet to see what is that something that had bumped to him.​

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[Ai Nightray]

If Ai hadn't felt the warmness of human flesh and the comfortable clothing that the one she bumped into was wearing, she would have probably freaked out, kept on screaming. Worst case scenario? She might even run deeper into the forest without even knowing. After all, she was afraid of ghosts. Sure, they had ghosts in the castle and they were friendly and all, but then, she couldn't be sure if there was any in the Forbidden Forest, right? And if there was, she could almost be sure that they were not going to be any close near Casper the Friendly Ghost. All in all, Ai was glad that the one she bumped into was human and not any other creature in the dark.

Ai was suddenly pulled out from her maze of thoughts when the other person in front of her began shouting and it was of pure annoyance. Ai could only sigh and bow down her head, "G-gomenasai (I'm sorry)! I really apologize for bumping into you... And uh... Making you fall to the ground... And falling on top of you," she stammered not sure of what to say next. Normally, Ai would have either burst in anger or stormed away, but now was a different kind of situation, she can't just burst out in anger since it was completely her fault and she can't just storm away blindly in the dark forest. She remained completely still, her head still bowed at him.

 

[Liam Nightray]

Annoyance still building up, Liam Nightray stood up as fast as he could and quickly dusted his pants off. Now, he wasn't really that particular about his looks, but still, he hated looking so unhygienic, and on top of that, what really set him off was the fact that this something, or someone, what ever it was, had dared to bumped into him. He didn't like being touched, specially by those whom he considered to be unworthy. what if their filthiness infect him? He didn't like that to happen at all. Stupidity could be contagious too. Eyebrows still furrowed in annoyance, the slytherin crossed his hands before him and glared at the figure that was slowly being clearer to him, his eyes beginning to adjust to the darkness. He had to raise an eyebrow when he had realized that it was actually a girl who was just about his age. The girl began apologizing to him, she was even stammering as she was doing so. But then, that didn't help to let the slytherin cool down. He's still annoyed. Perhaps even more as he had learned that he had fallen down because of a mere girl. He just felt like he had been stepped on.

Without saying a word and without even bothering to tell the girl to stop bowing and apologizing, Liam kept on glaring daggers at the girl's direction. If his glares could kill, and just how he wished it could, then this girl would be dead by now. As he continued to glare at the girl, he began to recognize who she was. She was actually on his year, though he was quite sure that she was from the other house. Hufflepuff, wasn't it? The house for those submissive and meek little ones. He was quite sure that she's quite intelligent though. A smirk began to grace his features as he came into a realization. The girl could probably be of some use to him. She looked submissive enough, and well, she's probably smart too if he wasn't mistaken. "You should be sorry. What will you do if I had been hurt?" The boy said, his voice as cold as his eyes were. "And besides, wasn't this place forbidden, what were you doing here? Perhaps, you could accompany me to the hospital wing and after that, to your head of the house to tell what had happened." He continued. He didn't care that he was being quite a hypocrite as it was quite obvious that he was in the place too. The girl seemed to be too scared anyway to probably realize such thing. His blackmail would probably work. "I'm quite sure that they wouldn't be too pleased to discover you here."​

 

[Ai Nightray]

If what happened wasn't her fault and is she wasn't lost, he would have most certainly already gave what seems to be a boy, a piece of her annoyed mind. But seeing that it was her fault indeed, she had no choice but to accept her mistake, and she had changed from when she was a first year. If she was still the same, her fault or not, the boy would have probably gotten quite a good beating. She remained silent all throughout, until the boy had said something Ai never really expected.

"I... I'm sorry," she apologized silently, her head still bowed. Ai didn't know what to do anymore. She can't just storm out since she now completely lost all sense of direction when she bumped into the boy. "I... I was just trying to calm my mind," she tried to reason out with all honesty while she kept still. The boy hasn't exactly forgiven her yet, but a certain statement had made her head jolt up. "Wait, Head... Head of House?" the Hufflepuff asked, repeating what he had just mention. Were they going to tell Professor Snow? Ai didn't want that to happen, she tried to think that the boy was also there so he would get punishment too. But Ai was already sent to Professor Snow for a big offense and she can't risk having another big offense, an even bigger one in fact. "C-can we just.... Keep it a secret that I was here?" she pleaded, her head bowing lower than normal. She didn't want to be sent to her Head of House another time. It would be something she would have to avoid at all costs, because she promised.

 

[Liam Nightray]

To say that Liam was pleased would be an understatement. No, he was more than pleased. Of course, the annoyance was still there, but the satisfaction that the girl was indeed, beginning to fall on his trap, overtakes that annoyance. It wouldn't be too long until he would have that girl wrapped around his fingers, it wouldn't be that long till he was able to completely manipulate her, make her do whatever he orders her to do. "Yes, your head of the house. Professor Snow, wasn't it? Now I assume she won't be pleased to learn that one of little angels had ventured out to this forbidden place. Well, I don't care either way. And don't bother threatening me that you would report me as well, I'm not scared of that. I could simply fabricate a story and I'm quite sure that they'll believe me, with the way that I look now.." He said, gesturing to his still dirty clothes, "I could easily say that it was your fault." He added then, pausing as if to let the words sink in. Manipulating people had always been easy for him. It had always been in his nature. Smirking to himself, Liam watched the girl's face for any kind of reaction. Throughout his life, he had learned to read the simple mannerisms of the persons that he had talked with. The simple raise of the eyebrows, the twitching of the mouth, it all meant something to him.

Just like what he had thought, the girl did give up on his threat. Here she was, begging him to keep what had happened as a secret. He wouldn't make things that easy for her though. What's the fun in that? Besides, he had already decided that this girl could be his new puppet. He'll have to tie the strings tighter to ensure that she wouldn't slipped from his grasp. "Well... you see, I really am angry at you right now, so, don't you think that it would be really illogical if I just agree to what you want?" Liam said, his voice mocking as he tried to muster up an innocent and confused look. He then turned on his heel and walked towards the castle. "I'd be reporting you now. But then, I could always change my mind." He announced, pausing to look at the girl once more before he began walking again. His steps were small and his pace was slow. He didn't really intend to report the girl then, he was just trying to scare her even more. After all, fear and intimidation makes manipulation much easier.​

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[Ai Nightray]

Ai had just stood there, practically frozen at what she was hearing. She straightened her posture, now looking at the boy she apparently bumped into. Her eyes widened as she figured out that the boy knew what house she was in. She knew she was in trouble if Professor Snow did find out about her being in the Forbidden Forest. And seeing that the boy in front of her had dirt all over him, he could well enough say that she had just dragged him into the forest. Ai grew scared of what punishment will be handed to her, certainly it might not only reach Professor Snow but may reach Professor Davershire as well, no doubt about that. Ai's fears increased and increased as she began to realize the situation if the boy really did tell Professor Snow about her being in the forest.

Ai wasn't really thinking much about the situation in front of her. She was more focused on keeping this boy from telling any professor on what he witnessed. But she should have at least figured that the boy won't just make things easy for her. "But.... That's.... No way," were the only words she was able to mutter before the boy began to walk to what she assumed was the direction going to the castle. "No, wait! I... I..." she stuttered. She really had no idea on what she could do to change his mind so instead she had told him to wait on impulse. Knowing that he won't stick around much longer, Ai said the only thing she could at the moment, "I'll do anything... Just, please, keep it a secret," she pleaded. The boy had given her no other choice.

 

[Liam Nightray]

If it wouldn't be too out of character for him to jump in glee after hearing what the girl had said, Liam would have done so already. He was just too proud of himself. Who would have thought that it would be this easy to make the girl submit to him? He had already thought up some contingency plans should the girl do something out of the equation. It was great that she did what he had expected her to do. Turning around to face the hufflepuff, Liam tried to not show any sign of emotion on his face, which was actually really easy considering that he had been doing it for so many years already. It's easy for him to fool other people. Even his whole family believes him. He may have been just a young boy of thirteen, but still, he knew things that even some adults would probably not know. The fact that his family were a bunch of manipulators helped as well. Perhaps, he was able to get that trait of his from them. It was actually quite a shock for him that his cousin was different from him. He tried not to care about her though. "Are you sure that you'll do anything? I hope I'm not hearing you wrong." He said, his voice still flat as he tapped his foot impatiently on the ground, as if signaling that he could leave any moment unless the girl proved otherwise that she was serious on stopping him.

"How would I be sure that you're not lying?" Liam said again, bringing his hands to cup his chin as if he was thinking hard about something. It was all just an act though. "You know, long ago, when someone lies, they got their tongues cut off. Now, I don't want that to happen to you, You don't want that too, do you Ai?" He continued, a smirk now playing on his lips. He was actually just fishing around for the name of the girl, but then, judging from how scared she was when he told her that he'd report her to her head of the house, he could assume that he had been in trouble before. There had been few students from Hufflepuff who had been involved in some fights during the latter years, and he could vaguely remember someone named Ai being one of them. Who had told him, he never did need to know the name. He had his sources, but he never did bother to know the name of those sources. He could also be wrong though, but should he be wrong then. he could always make up excuses. ​

 

[Ai Nightray]

Ai had frozen there on the spot. She practically gave herself to the boy in front of her. She had no choice but to offer him just that since she doesn't really know what the boy wants in exchange for keeping the secret. All she can do was pray that this boy, which she still didn't know the name, have some mercy on her. "I'm sure. As long as me being here stays a secret," she could barely say, fear contained in her voice. She can't afford to get caught by the professors once again, not after the pie incident during her first year.

The question that the boy brought up had made Ai really think. She wasn't lying. She was a bad liar and something as serious as this was not a certain situation where she would find safety in lying. "Uhm..." she bit her lip as she tried to think of what can she offer to prove that she wasn't lying. "You can start now, and you can take any assurance you want to," was what she finally decided upon. There was no turning back anymore. She would be this boy's puppet, like a property. Ai hated the thought of it, but she can't go back on her word. "No... I'm not lying, I promise," she said as she barely contained the gasp as her eyes widened knowing that the boy in front of her knows her name. She was in real trouble, bad enough that he knows her house, but knowing her name had set the deal. She was stuck with the boy until he had his fun with her.

 

[Liam Nightray]

It was done. The girl was completely under his control. And that fact pleases him so. Smirking, Liam crossed his hands in front his chest and looked at the girl. He looked at her the same way that he would look at their maids and slaves at home. In a way, the girl would be his slave too. As long as he could blackmail her into doing what he wanted, it would be fine. But Liam did know as well that the fear of being reported to the heads would not last long. He'd have to think of a way to make the girl fear him more. Whatever that way would be, he'll be bound to discover it in some way. Right now however, he would just enjoy his new pawn. Now, there were a lot of things that could annoy the h3ll out of the slytherin, but there were only a few which could make him feel..well.. happy. And one of those things is the fact that he's stepping on another people. Not literally of course. But the feeling that he had gained another pawn, it was satisfying. He's the king in this game of chess. He's the king in this game that he had chosen to play. He would never let go of this pawn unless he found another one that would more useful.

"Now I hope that you wouldn't regret those words." He said as if he did care about her when in fact he does not. Liam might appear bored and annoyed most of the times, but he had already learned the art of acting like someone that he's not. He had learned to act so he would be able to manipulate someone. "Hm, let's see, first things first, I would like you to state your name, kneel down, and apologize again. And when I say kneel, I mean it." Liam ordered, bringing his left hand to his chin as if he was contemplating about something. "And I think it would be better if you would bow your head so low that it could already touch the ground. Now, you said you weren't lying when you said that you'd do anything, right? I would like to believe that now." He continued as he paced in circles, emphasizing every single word that he had uttered. "And I must say too, I hate it when people lie to me. If you don't believe me, I guess you could as those liars that, well, that is if they'd want to talk about it at all. I assume they don't want to remember that they had ever associated themselves with me anymore."​

 

[Ai Nightray]

Ai couldn't stand to see that the boy in front of her was smirking. Possibly glad that she was now under his control. She averted her gaze, somewhere where she couldn't even get a glimpse of the boy. She was mad and scared. Mad because she can't escape out of the situation she had gotten herself into. And scared because she didn't know what to expect. She had practically given herself to a boy she doesn't know. She began to think that fate really hadn't enough of her. Fate was still trying to get a chance to toy and make her life miserable. She hated it.

"I... I won't," she said barely inaudibly. But in truth, she was already starting to regret what she did, but she promised, and broken promises are unacceptable even in a situation such as this. Ai stood there listening to what he said and could barely hold back a cry that was tempting to release, but nevertheless, she kept it to herself. "My... My name is Ai Edogawa," she said before getting on her knees, kneeling down before the boy she bumped into. Listening to him, Ai couldn't help the one tear that escaped her eye, but she managed to hold the others back, as she bowed her head so low, it seemed that she was worshiping a god. "I... I'm sorry... Sorry for bumping into you and making you fall to the ground... I apologize for everything I've done wrong to you," she said as tears make a failed attempt to escape her closed eyes as she was bowed down and kneeling to a boy only about her age.

 

[Liam Nightray]

Liam watched as the girl did what he told her to. Despite knowing that the girl was actually quite smart when it comes to academics as what he had seen when he had the same class as her, she was quite stupid too. It was quite easy to make her submit to him, to make her do what he wanted him to do. He felt great really. He felt just like a king that had just conquered a new kingdom. The girl would be his new toy and until he got bored and tired with her, he'd use her around. Now he knew his childhood acquaintance, as he didn't want to call her a friend at all as such word was not in his vocabulary, would get angry at him. But he could care less about that. He didn't care what others think of him. What mattered most is what he think of himself. No one else matters. "Good girl," the slytherin said in the same way that he would talk to a dog if he ever had one. He brought his hand on top of the girl's head, patting it as if he was patting an animal's head. He then withdrew his hand and wiped it on his pants, as if was afraid that he had been infected by the girl's filth. He didn't really like being physically in contact with other people. He views himself as special, and as such, only special people acknowledged by him could touch him. "Stay on that position. Don't stand up unless I told you to." He ordered. To others' eyes, it may appear so ridiculous that a boy of thirteen years of age like him could order someone around just like what he was doing. To others, it might seem funny. But then again, he didn't care.

"Now, it would be really mean of me if I won't introduce myself when you had already stated your name, right? I'm not that rude you see. My name is Liam. I would prefer that you call me that name and nothing else." Liam stated. It was quite silly that he had just announced that he wasn't that rude when all he had done since he had met the girl was nothing but being mean. He was quite sure now that the girl hated him, but that fact made him feel great too. He didn't care if he's hated cause he knew that the girl fears him too. "You can raise your head now, but I do not want you to get up yet. Now, I want you to promise that you would do everything that I would want you to do. That you won't tell anyone, not a single soul, about me. As soon as we enter the castle, you won't talk to me unless I talk to you. You won't do anything that I do not like. Understood?" He told her, voice flat and his face serious. His eyes had that glint of a predator that was watching his prey, making sure that his prey won't be able to escape him in any way.​

 

[Ai Nightray]

It was stupid of her. And she only realized it now. Ai let her impulsiveness get the best of her once again that led her into a more complicated situation than what might have happened if she just went on to Professor Snow and tell her what really happened. But now, she had no choice. Even if she were to back out now, she was sure that the boy in front of her would be able to fabricate a story that would lead to her being the one fully at fault and maybe worse than what she had originally done. Really, when she felt the pat on her head, she wished that Ryuuji was there with her, if nothing else, to give her advice on what she supposedly had to do. But it was too late for that now. She now had to stick up for her promise even though she didn't want to.

Following orders given to her, Ai remained still. She listened as the boy introduced, or rather, just tell her plainly that his name was Liam and then order her around to just call him by that. Ai was near to hating the boy in front of him. Ai had always been very careful of whom to hate, it was what her parents thought her, but in the situation she was in, it was getting pretty hard to not hate Liam. She raised her head and felt the pain of suddenly changing positions, in hurt indeed for her muscles, but at the moment, she couldn't bring herself to complain. Ai was just about to listen to Liam only halfheartedly, until she caught a glimpse of his eyes, and ultimately Ai was a bit frightened and decided to listen properly. She nodded in agreement, "I promise to do everything you want, to not do what you dislike. Not to tell a single soul about you and not speak to you unless spoken to," she said as she gave him a bit of a shorter version of what Liam had just said, but then again, it probably contained everything he wanted to hear.

 

[Liam Nightray]

A pleased smiled appeared on Liam's face as soon as he heard those words from the girl. It was quite creepy, really. He had such an innocent face that looked like he couldn't harm even a small fly yet his personality was from from that. One of his aunts, the one that he didn't really like to the point of it being on the border of hate already, would often tell him how cute of a face he had, if only she knew what was running on that 'cute' little face, she would most likely not say the same thing to him again. But then Liam didn't bother to correct her. He would have shouted at her and told her to bug off, but then, he realized that he could use her too. That aunt of his didn't really have a family of her own so she dots on her nieces and nephews. She had thought that Liam needed her the most considering how he ha dlost his parents at such a very young age, and so, she had given him all her attention and would give him all that he wanted. Being the manipulative kid that he was, he had learned to act to his aunt's wants, be an innocent looking kid and she'll give him whatever he asked from her. Though in reality, he really hated her for being so naive and just believing him. She was quite stupid really, and somehow, this girl in front of him reminded him of her. They were both so easy to manipulate.

"You're quite an obedient kid, aren't you? You see, I really am pleased, really really pleased." He said, patting the girl's head once more. For others, such gesture might seem like a sign of comfort, but in reality, the slytherin was doing it simply because he wanted to make her feel inferior. It was the same thing that people would do to their dogs, right? Though he never did own one, having this girl with him would do. She'd be like his own personal pet and toy. It would be good if she wouldn't be so boring though. It wouldn't be fun if he would get tired of this toy that easily. "Since I am happy with what you're doing, I'll give you the chance to say what you want to say to me right now. Now, this is the only opportunity that you got to ever say what's on your mind. Use it wisely. I'm giving you a minute to say everything, anything more than that , you'll have to pay." He said as he inspected his fingernails, looking whether there had been some dirt on it after having fallen on the ground earlier. He didn't like being dirty after all.​

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[Ai Nightray]

"An obedient kid," was the phrase the kept ringing on Ai's mind. She didn't feel so happy about it, in fact she felt a bit insulted, seeing that she was being obedient to the boy because she was in a very, very tight situation. And being called a kid by someone her age was probably a bit annoying as well, but then again, she had no certain right to complain. But her annoyance had completely changed to sadness as she felt the boy pat her head. She didn't care if it was to make her seem lower or inferior compared to the boy, instead, she could only think of how she wanted that she could run off now and search for Ryuuji or Heath or Kate and cry. But, now, it was most certainly impossible.

Ai had tried perfectly well to listen to Liam, and hearing that he was happy didn't make the situation more comforting to the eyes of the young Hufflepuff. In fact, it made her confused as to how she had made the mean boy in front of her happy. Was it the fact that she was still kneeling? Or was it something else? "How did I make you happy or pleased or whatever you call it?" she asked pausing for a while before she remembered that she only had one minute to say everything she wanted. Her anger had already calmed down, and indeed she had some things to say. "Etoo. I'm really sorry for bumping into you and making you dirty and all. I didn't mean it though, I promise! And, also, if I come to hate you because of certain reasons, I'm sorry for that too, since you're not that bad of a person after all," she said with a little smile, almost invisible to the dark forest. Even if it was only a minute, at least she was given the chance to speak. "Oh! And can you please teach me the way back to the castle? I kind of got lost," she added fast as she could hoping that her time limit was not over yet. And hoped that the boy named Liam would teach her the right direction to go back to the castle.

 

[Liam Nightray]

What the girl had said was something that Liam had not expected, and that fact had annoyed him so. He had honestly thought that she would explode on him and tell him how he was a monster and how she wished that he'd die. He had heard the same thing from different persons before. He knew that it was one thing to hate a person and another thing to wish someone dead. But then, he had already gotten used to people telling him how he should have died together with his parents, how such a 'brat' like him doesn't even deserve to live anymore. He had learned to build a shell and not care about those things anymore though, and besides, those people that had told him that had long suffered anyway. His family had a lot of connections and they were quite affluent too. It's not that hard to have the parents of those little kids get kicked out of work should he request it from his aunt. It's not that hard to pretend that someone had done him any harm though it was actually the other way around too. For him, it wasn't that hard to bend the truth. Thus, he had really expected that the girl would react the same way as the others and when she didn't, it caught him quite off guard. He didn't show it though, doing so would only make her think that he's being weak. The fact that she was telling him that she knew that he wasn't that bad annoyed him too. He didn't need to hear that from her. In fact, it insulted him.

"Do you really think that I'm not bad at all? Now, you see, I'm quite insulted." He said, his voice laced with venom as he went on his knees and put his hand on the girl's chin to force her to look at him. Though the darkness of the forest almost made it almost impossible to miss that smile on her face, the slytherin noticed it anyway and it made his blood boil so much. The girl reminded him so much of his cousin, of his childhood acquaintance, of his aunt, and that irritated him so much that he had wanted to plant the girl's face down on the ground and step on her just like a rug. But alas, he couldn't do it. Though he wouldn't say it, should he leave even a tiniest wound on the girl, the girl might use it against him and say that he was the one who had dragged her to the forest and that he had attacked her. No, he couldn't let that happen. That was why he had let himself be wounded on the first place anyway, so he could say and pretend that this girl attacked him should a professor learn that they had been at the forest. "And why would I teach you the way back to the castle? You got here on your own, you should get back on your own too. You said I'm not that bad, right? Then I should probably show you how mistaken you was, should't I?" A smirk then appeared on his face as he let go of the girl and stood up. He was ready to leave now, he didn't really care whether the girl find her way back or not. But her begging would probably make him change his mind then. People begging for something is one of the things that he rather liked after all.​

 

[Ai Nightray]

How the boy reacted had indeed frightened Ai. How Liam had held her chin and forced her to look at him while he spoke with cold words. Indeed, Ai was scared. But confused and curious. At first, she did not dare speak, but confusion and curiosity combined had defeated fear. "Sooooooooooooooooooooooo....................... If I called you bad you'd be happy, and if I tell you you're not so bad, that would be an insult?" she asked filled with curiosity, looking at the eyes of the boy while he held her chin. She wanted to know the answer. Not just to know how to please the boy, but to know him better. And even if the boy had lied, now that they were in a close distance, she knew her lie-detecting ability would tell her which was the truth and which wasn't. After all, only Ryuuji, her family and no one else knew of her ability so she might be able to use it without Liam knowing, and she had the confidence to use it at this point of time.

Ai had indeed grown nervous when Liam didn't want to tell her how to get back to the castle. Now, she was in trouble. The young Hufflepuff was just about to stand when she realized two things. First, she wasn't told to stand yet by Liam. And second, even if she was told to stand, her knees hurt too much that she wouldn't able to stand well in a few minutes. And now that she was paying attention, it seemed that her knees were growing bruises from supporting her body weight for too long, and since she wasn't wearing pajamas and just her usual shorts, it provided no protection from any possible sharp objects on the forest floor. The young Hufflepuff was plenty glad at the time that the forest was dark enough to hide her legs at the moment. But her gladness quickly faded as she realized that Liam was ready to leave. "N-no! Please! D-don't leave me yet........ Please tell me the way to the castle...... Please," she pleaded once more. Although now, she had nothing more to offer to the boy, as she herself was already his puppet in exchange for keeping a secret.