Chapter 29: Stunned
There was no forewarning to Nero's action. He was completely in the midst of training when, without breaking the flow of momentum, he turned and flung his spear in one swift motion. A spear, despite many misconceptions, was not the ideal weapon to throw. That was the role of a javelin.
A spear's body was much too long, and the spear itself too heavy for an effective throw if the target was far away. But within the confines of the gymnasium, it could still be somewhat effective.
It cut through the air in the blink of an eye, and Nero had not even recovered from his throwing posture when the spear met its target. With a loud bang, the bottom end of the spear hit the light switch which was less than a metre beside the dark figure, immediately illuminating it under the newly lit lights.
Vanessa stood there with her arms crossed and an eyebrow slightly raised. She had not even flinched as the spear was hurled in her direction, nor had she made any attempts to move out of the way as it approached her. When it struck the light switch, it seemed as if she had known all along what its target was.
Nero, breathing heavily from the workout he had just done, straightened his posture and looked at her. She had also changed from her regular school uniform to the sports one, which looked quite flattering on her figure.
A few locks of her hair, which had been tied into a bun, hung loosely over her face. Her light pink lips were slightly arched into a confident smile, and her eyes twinkled with an amused glow.
Her posture was quite relaxed, revealing the confidence she had in her judgement of his throw. But at the same time, she had no openings. If Nero really had hurled the spear at her, it would have been all too easy for her to evade.
Nero had to admit that her aplomb and poise were quite attractive.
"Are you so aggressive with all the girls?" she asked, not allowing the silence to extend too long. "Or just the ones you like?"
Nero wiped the accumulating sweat off his brow before answering.
"I was just getting the lights for you. Since you're new, I thought you might not know where they are. I wouldn't want you to trip over something in the dark."
Nero's eyes darted to the gym door. It was closed.
Vanessa chuckled.
"I must say, Kolar hospitality is one of a kind."
Nero did not respond, and another silence fell between the two. Nero could no longer tell if she had any blades strapped to her body under her clothes, which meant that she either removed them, or hid them better. Likely the first, since he saw no reason for her to antagonise the school administration.
"Must you inspect me for weapons every time we meet? I really can't decide if it's better or worse than ogling at my body."
Nero snorted. She had a lean and slender body, one that could only be achieved through immense training. In short, this young girl's body was hardly different from a boys, at least with clothes on. What was there to ogle?
"If anyone should be accused of ogling here, it should be the person peeking from the shadows," Nero said as he started walking towards her. He had to collect and put back the spear, after all.
Nero's accusation caused her to freeze momentarily, and awkwardness flashed on her face for a brief moment before she recovered.
"I didn't intend to watch you. I came here to train. I was told that the rooms are free to use. But when I saw you, I didn't wish to disturb you. How did you detect me, by the way? I thought I was very quiet."
"I didn't hear you come in," Nero said, as his eyes darted to her feet. She was wearing ordinary shoes, or at least they looked ordinary. "I didn't even hear you open the door, but I felt the draft when you opened it."
Of course, while that was true to some extent, it was not the entire truth.
The doors for the gym didn't really creak, but it wasn't as if it was completely silent either. From the clicking of the internal mechanism of the handle, to the sound of it sliding along its grooves, the doors at school had a distinct sound.
Nero deliberated for a moment about the kind of relationship he wanted to develop with Vanessa. In the morning he had ignored her handshake, not because he suspected her origin and purpose, but out of habit from something his father had taught him. He had to remain wary of pretty girls with unknown intentions.
But now, to a certain degree, he could guess her intentions - assuming he was correct about her being a spy. If that were the case, it might not be such a bad thing to develop some kind of friendship with her. It wasn't as if Nero was her target, and this way he could keep an eye on her for suspicious or strange behaviour. It could tip him off if something was about to happen.
"You felt the draft from the door opening while training that intensely?" she asked incredulously.
"I've been practising with these spears for years," Nero answered, as he picked the fallen spear from the ground. "I am thoroughly familiar with it, and the kind of air resistance I face when I practise."
"That's... hard to believe," she said, with doubt plastered all over her face.
"That's up to you. You don't see me going around asking why you're so quiet with everything you do," he answered nonchalantly as he turned and walked away towards the spear rack. Even if he wanted to build some kind of rapport with her, he couldn't let her know he was interested. He could clearly tell she had some kind of agenda, so he'd let her keep the conversation going for now.
Vanessa was stunned. Twice he'd turned her words against her, and she really couldn't argue with him. After all, she was the one secretly watching him, and she was also the one who had done something out of the ordinary first.