It had been a gamble on Liza's part to ask Yohan for help but he was her last choice to go to for help. It had been tough to make this decision but Liza had caved in under pressure.
After all, how could she face her father's disappointed eyes if she failed to come first in the cultural festival? Her brother had managed to do so in his first year and every year since then.
Liza needed to do just as good, if not better, to appear in her father's eyes and not be abandoned. It was something she had been obsessed with forever and now there was no way for her to stop anymore.
"So, what do you want us to do first, partner? The cultural festival is not too far and I am afraid we don't have much time to whip you into shape."
That was an agreement if Liza had ever heard one and her heart skipped a beat all of a sudden. For the first time, she had managed to get someone on her side all on her own.
It had taken almost all the resources Liza had and then some more to hush people's mouths. And by the end of it all, she had managed to exhaust all her resources. But it had all been worth it in the end.
This man in front of her was her ticket to an ensured victory.
"First of all, you are close with professor Diantha, right? She's one of the council judges at the cultural festival so I need you to put in some good words for me. Unlike you, I know that she is not involved with the temple so I cannot threaten her."
'Besides, she had the central chord's protection and was also rumored to have special powers. She was not someone Liza could touch with her current authority.'
Liza looked on in anticipation as Yohan thought her words over. Whether he would agree with her or not, would all be decided here.
"Alright, I got it. I will talk with Liza but I cannot guarantee that it will work in your favor. I am close with Liza, but I am not that close as to influence her actions."
Yohan's tone seemed to be true but Liza has heard things about how Professor Dinatha adored her younger brother. She was sure that Yohan's words would work.
But even if it did not help, then came Liza's second plan. And it was much worse than her first one. (For her opponents and Yohan. She would not be a causality unless Yohan babbled.)
"Just out in a good word for me with professor Diantha is the first step. You also need to make sure that other contestants that are aiming for first place do not show up. How you make it happen is up to you."
Liza was trying to hide the fact that she had not thought of this far in her attempt to gain first place. She was a little clumsy when it came to figuring out what she could do.
Yohan looked at her and noticed her hesitation. He could see how undecided she was about everything and all her fears as well. That was why he decided to cut her some slack for the time being.
He was not sure what had thought at first to consider Liza as a threat, but she was nothing more than an annoyance at this point. And the best way to deal with such annoyances was to kill them.
__________________
Ding
Should the system add a reminder for this task?
__________________
Yohan was not surprised to see his system acting up now. It seemed to be getting annoyed with this foolish human as well.
Liza was ambitious with how she wanted to break Yohan and see him work for her exclusively. But Yohan would not make it that easy for her. In fact, he had no desire to bend to her will at all.
"So Yohan, I can count on you, right? You will not disappoint me, right? For the sake of your well-being, I hope you do not cause me trouble."
The more Liza talked, the more confident she seemed. By the end of her speech, it seemed like she had gained her lost confidence back. Her eyes were sparkling with her victory, unaware that she had just doomed herself.
"Alright, I will help you out where I can. Just keep me updated on everything that you are planning and should not have a problem among us."
Yohan watched Liza's happy expression carefully while also keeping an eye o his surroundings. He did not miss Marvis's sudden stopping as he watched Liza talking with him.
Yohan had no idea that he was sending the wrong impression to the other teen with his hair and his neck all bruised up like this. But Yohan could care less what Marvis thought of him and his relationships.
There seemed to be no need for Marvis to join them before Liza decided to put her hand on Yohan's arm and take his hand into her own. For some reason, that was the tilting point that forced Marvis to step out.
"Hey guys, what are you doing? Can I join your conversation as well?"
Marvis did not even try to hide his hostility at seeing Yohan holding Liza's hand. There were too many misconceptions happening but Yohan was too tired to correct them.
Not that it would help since Marvis seemed to have already formed his own opinions. He could just hear the gears in Marvis's head snapping while trying to find out what kind of relationship Yohan and Liza had.
The sound of Marvis gritting his teeth was very prominent and Yohan was sure that his teeth were going to fall off if he continued it any longer.
"Marvis, calm down. Both Yohan and I were talking about a matter that we cannot say in public. I would appreciate it if you would stop prying into our private affair."
Liza was making it out to be worse than it was and Yohan could swear that he could hear the sound of Marvis's patience snapping. Liza needed to keep her mouth shut if she was not going to be of any help.
But it did not seem like Liza even noticed all the hints Yohan was giving her. It frustrated Yohan to be making a deal with such a free person.
"I think I had enough of human foolishness for today. Liza, I will cooperate with you on this matter so do not approach me again with your request. The same goes for you Marvis. We have nothing to do with each other."
Yohan did notice that he might be making things worse for himself by egging the two rotten eggs like this. But this was a thing he noticed quite late.
By that time, these provoking words were out of his mouth already and his intended targets had heard what he had said.
So Yohan did what was best in this situation. He did not let them know that his actions had bothered him and quickly made his exit. He had a feeling that Liza would keep his secret as long as she was determined to use him.
But now he had two people he had to get rid of.
"How troublesome. I should have stayed in bed had I known all this would happen."