164 Chapter 164

So, he very stealthily, he secretly made off to the one place she would never guess he would be- the university's cafeteria. It was just perfect.

Zavier couldn't help but smile to himself as he eased down the hallway that led out of the male dorms, and intothe outer courtyard. He was grateful that the dorms weren't co-Ed. Not that he wouldn't have liked the adventure of having both genders co-habit the same dorm. But at the end of the day, he knew that it would only complicate things further. That just wasn't worth it.

The truth was, Zavier had actually killed two birds with one stone. As at the last time he and Kacie were together, Nadia had shown just how much she didn't care about Shiranui and Zavier's privacy. In fact, if Zavier didn't know better, he might have said that she had definitely been trying to sabotage their moment. But that wasn't going to happen right now.

Earlier on, upon their dismissal, Zavier and Shiranui had agreed to meet up later that evening at a spot where they would be alone. It was all Zavier could think about as he leisurely bounced along the streets on campus. No interruptions, no peering eyes, and most importantly, no Nadia. It was the ideal date, and he was all in.

About an hour and a half later, Shiranui and Zavier sat in a private booth at the cafeteria, basking in the warmth of each other's presence and enjoying the bubbling evening campus life. It was like their dream. On their table was loaded two full cups of smoothies, and a decent helping of French fires. But dinner wasn't what they were all too focused on. At the moment, they were simply glad to be together without any third party or teacher looming over them.

"It's nice to be out here isn't it?"

Zavier tried to play it smooth by sounding as natural as he could without sounding like a total douchebag; "Yeah sure, it's a nice scene. But what makes it truly spectacular is having you right in the middle of it."

Shiranui giggled playfully. "Come on Zavier! That was corny as hell!"

"Well, if it's corny to tell the truth, then I guess I'm guilty. But honestly though, you're the once true spectacle on this canvas of art. I mean it."

Shiranui's eyes danced flirtatiously. Zavier's flattery was making her glow like a shining pearl under the full moon's silvery arrows. She tried to hide it, but it was more than evident. Zavier adjusted his gear, and throttled down on the pedal.

"You know it's okay to blush right? Your rosy cheeks light up like red ambers when you do?"

Shiranui blushed even harder. Then in her best serious and serious face, she answered him; "Okay mister you need to stop now. Mission accomplished alright? You got me smiling like a heifer, happy now?"

Zavier leaned backwards and shrugged. He knew she was just putting on a front. She liked every bit of how it felt when his honeyed words dripped all over her. She wasn't deceiving anybody. But he decided to indulge her, so he could make it seem like she was actually the one in control of the dynamics here.

"As you wish Shiranui, as you wish. But could you tell me one thing though..."

He leaned in flirtatiously, placing his elbows on the table and holding her gaze steadily with his eyes, not flinching for a moment.

"This is something that I have been meaning to ask you..."

Shiranui's eyelids fluttered like a butterfly as she listened closely to whatever Zavier was about to say. She sensed he was about to say or ask something deep or personal even. She was all up for it.

"Are you going to make me wait forever? Sure Zavier, you can ask whatev--"

"How come you never wear panties?"

"How come you never wear panties?"

His question whizzed past like a fletched arrow through the air. It was direct and spot on. As it was clearly his intention to catch her off guard, Zavier didn't give her a heads up or anything. He didn't want her to have any time to land or prepare an answer. He simply wanted her to squirm in her seat and adjust herself. Because, even in that moment, as she sat opposite him in that seat, he guessed that she definitely wasn't wearing any underwear.

He was willing to bet on it. His confidence showed in his steady gaze and flirty expression.

Meanwhile, on Shiranui's end of the table, all physical evidence pointed to the fact that his question had achieved the intended aim. She had already been blushing before, but Zavier's question made her blush even harder. She remembered their previous encounter during their last battle when Zavier had fondled her, and she blushed even harder.

Shiranui knew what Zavier was trying to do under the guise of being curious. But she made up her mind not to give him any room for his dubious and nefarious scheme.

"Well, if you're asking me why I dress so revealing sometimes, the answer is very simple..."

Now it was Zavier's turn to swallow hard. He wasn't sure what her reply was going to be, but he hoped she would match his wit and make it worth his while.

"As you know, I come from the famous Yamata family, and my ancestors gave me, or rather, all their descendants a very peculiar gift; Black Flame. But what you probably don't know is that this special ability comes along with a price..."

As she narrated, she tried to make it sound as mysterious and as arcane as possible. By the look on Zavier's face, it seemed like she was succeeding in that regard. He was hungrily lapping up everything she was saying. She grinned inwardly, two could definitely play this game.

"But before I explain further, you need to understand that Black Flame is a unique technique that is peculiar only to my family. It is a flame that can evolve and its potential is basically limitless. No one can imitate it or try to harness or replicate it's power. It's one of a kind.

And because it is, those who can harness it have a body temperature that is a little higher than normal. Hence, my neeed to wear clothes that give as much room for my pores to breathe. A ordinary gown may seem ordinary to others, but to me it's like a blanket. You might see a girl in very revealing clothes, but that girl is simply just trying to achieve homeostasis."

Damn it, Zavier thought. He didn't know what that last word. Shiranui had chosen the intellectual answer had purposely ended with that last word just to make him ask her the meaning. He swallowed his pride, and indulged her;

"Wow, I have so many questions. But what's homeostasis?"

Shiranui made no attempt to conceal her smile.

"Basically, it means maintaining a state of equilibrium when it comes to body temperature."

Zavier nodded in deep thought, and asked her a follow up question so she could tell he had been listening;

"But what about in extreme weather condition like in a snow storm or something like that? How does your body adjust?"

"It doesn't. I mean, even in winter I don't feel cold, it's pretty much the same as normal. And when I am in battle, Black Flame can raise up the temperature in my immediate environment. And my worst enemy in those moments isn't my opponent, but my own clothing. Heavy garments can impair my speed and overall battle performance."

Zavier paid careful attention to her explanation. He had started out this conversation on a flirty note, but ended up educating himself on his girl's family like. Shiranui had brilliantly tricked him into actually learning. And honestly, he didn't mind. He didn't mind at all.

"So you need a specific kind of outfit then? Like a costume or some sort?"

"Calling it a costume makes it sound clownish. This dress is a unique Yamata family battle regalia. I wear it all the time to honor them. I wear it all the time to remind myself of who I am.

Zavier knew that Shiranui wasn't lying or over exaggerating about that part being the family heirloom. He remembered his encounter with her sister and recently and recalled some things back then that hadn't made sense at all. For one, she had been sweating profusely in battle. even more than the usual person. At the time, he hand t thought about it too much. In fact he hadn't thought about it at all. Even Kyouko had the same set of revealing clothes.

Zavier had imagined that they were all kind of the same in their clan for no reason.

Meanwhile, as Zavier ran laps through his own memories, he started picking up on a whole new array of negative energy building up around him. He had been too immersed in Shiranui and her narration, that he had completely neglected his immediate surroundings. For a moment, he had been a normal dude out on a date with his girlfriend on campus grounds. But that all changed when he saw that to his side, a couple of boys were giving him the middle finger shamelessly.

They weren't even trying to hide it or even be subtle about it. Even though Zavier was only just noticing them for the first time, they had long been trying to get his attention. And they had been infuriated that Zavier was so blatantly ignoring them. This only pushed the narrative further that he was some privileged spoilt child who cared for nothing or no one else. Needless to say that they aren't all too happy about it.