Gift Zero

Her silence only reinforced my suspicions even more. Firstly, that she was probably trying to think of an excuse or argument to counter what I had said. But since she couldn't find anything relevant to say to me, this leads to the second option: perhaps I was the first person to notice the façade she was keeping up and, even worse, to confront her about it. Either way, she was either moping around in shame or just trying to find something plausible to answer me.

Her silence only reinforced my suspicions even more, but this time I knew exactly what to expect. I started counting mentally.

"One... two..."

Mira kept her head down, as if trying to control some reaction.

"Three."

And then it happened. Mira suddenly raised her head and let out a loud, forced laugh, as if trying to mask any discomfort or embarrassment she might be feeling.

"Well, it looks like Gift Zero is smarter than I expected."

Mira commented, while stretching, but still keeping that cynical, fake smile on her face.

As soon as Mira made that comment, leaving aside any effort to hide her true personality, Astrid's reaction was almost spontaneous, as if she had been expecting it to happen. Probably, in her mind, her friend would have been able to sustain that theater for longer.

"That's much better now..."

I commented quietly, still concentrating on my book. However, before I could continue, Astrid, still shocked by it all, asked a question.

"How did you know?"

Astrid asked, still looking at me with a shocked expression.

I sighed and closed the book calmly, keeping my attention on Mira, who still had the same cynical smile on her face, now not bothering to hide who she really was.

"Simple. Just look at her face, she was practically screaming that she was suffocating from pretending so much."

I replied, still not really caring, as I put the book away in the pocket of my backpack. However, before I did, I turned to face the albino, who was still glaring at me with a smile on her face.

"If I were you, I'd put the mask back on..."

After I said those words and turned around, they both looked at each other, not understanding anything.

"Why would I...?"

Mira even tried to question my comment. However, before she could finish her question, she heard footsteps and noises coming from the corridor.

Realizing what I meant, Mira closed her eyes and sighed deeply, clearly getting herself together to wear her "mask" again. And I was right. After doing so, I saw her expression soften and, soon afterwards, that same fake smile return.

When I witnessed that scene of Mira smiling warmly at everyone who entered the room and went to talk to her, I couldn't help myself and let out a small cynical laugh, which only went unnoticed by Astrid, who had just sat down next to me.

Astrid gave me a quizzical look, probably curious about something. If I had to guess, I'd say it was about how I managed to spot her friend's "mask" so easily.

After greeting everyone who had come to talk to her, Mira started walking towards me. Still with that cynical smile, she sat down across from me, leaving me in the middle of the two.

"Can you wipe that smile off your face?"

Mira asked sullenly, probably annoyed that I had discovered her secret so easily.

I could have kept to myself and done nothing more, but I decided to play along. As soon as Mira asked me that question, I jumped out of my chair and, feigning surprise, put my hand to my mouth, as if I had just heard something shocking.

"So..."

I began, letting my voice trail off with deliberate theatricality as I leaned back in my chair, looking alternately at Mira and Astrid.

"What do you two want from this simple Gift Zero?"

My intonation was deliberately exaggerated, as if I were the protagonist of some fifth-rate tragic play. I made a point of using the words with enough disdain to underline the sarcasm.

Mira frowned, clearly annoyed by the way I'd spoken, but it was Astrid who reacted first.

"I just want a friend."

Astrid said.

I could feel the sincerity in Astrid's words.

Mira, on the other hand, didn't seem interested in giving simple answers. She crossed her arms, and her still-sinister smile stretched, with a glint of superiority in her eyes. She didn't feel any malice, however.

"I want... a slave."

Mira's answer, as well as coming out with a tone of disdain, was accompanied by a sweet voice, which made me let out a short laugh.

"I'll think about it. I'll let you know."

I replied with a joking tone in my voice as I lowered my head. Then I raised it again to introduce myself properly.

"Nice to meet you, Sid Vāmirion."

I made the comment, without looking away from the two.

The first to speak was Astrid, as I had expected. She gave a quick and brief introduction of herself, without beating around the bush, something simple and direct.

"Astrid Orlando."

Astrid said, her voice soft.

As soon as Astrid had finished introducing herself, Mira barely let me say anything and introduced herself.

"Nice to meet you, all my friends call me Mira Airīn, but since you're a special person, you can call me master."

Mira replied with a cynical smile on her face as she stared at me. Since I was used to this kind of situation, I just arched an eyebrow and, with a relaxed posture, decided to continue with the joke.

"Of course, Airīn-sama."

I spoke in a relaxed manner, letting out a light laugh, but without losing the sarcastic tone, while pretending to bow. The smile I offered wasn't that of someone intimidated or surprised, but the kind of smile that said: 'I'll play along.

Astrid, seeing the expression Mira was making, couldn't help herself and burst out laughing.

Before we knew it, two girls entered the room. The first had golden eyes and light pink hair, with a few white strands at the ends. The second had long black hair, also with white highlights, but her eyes were emerald green.

The two of them approached us and sat down on the empty chairs in front of us. Somewhat disconcerted, I lowered my head, not knowing exactly what to say, pretending to have gone back to sleep.