Chapter 108 Apology

Suzuka's day at the university had been rough, the dark and rainy weather adding to the gloom of the earlier events. But as the day wore on and evening arrived, she was able to shake off the negative energy and focus on her studies.  

Study time was over and Suzuka was ready to go home when she was approached by Silvia, her voice barely audible over the sound of the rain pouring down outside. "Hi, Helen," Silvia said, her gentle tone somehow cutting through the noise of the storm. "Can we talk? I want to tell you something."

Suzuka hesitated for a moment but eventually nodded. "Sure, what is it?" she replied, trying to keep her tone polite despite the sense of dread that was growing in the pit of her stomach.

Silvia took a deep breath and looked down at her feet as if gathering her thoughts. "I wanted to apologize to you," she said finally, her words almost lost in the sound of the rain. "For everything that happened with Sterling and the others. I used you to get rid of him, and I'm sorry for that. I hope you can forgive me."

Suzuka was taken aback by Silvia's words. "Wait what?," Suzuka asked bluntly, her voice hardening. "Sterling and his gang were the ones who caused all the trouble, what do you mean?"

Silvia revealed a shocking truth to Suzuka - that she had used her to get Sterling expelled from the university. Suzuka's eyes widened as she listened to Silvia's confession.

"So, you were just using me?" Suzuka said, feeling betrayed.

Silvia lowered her head and said softly, "Yes, I'm sorry. I saw how strong you were on the first day of school and thought you could protect me from Sterling's harassment."

Suzuka cut Silvia off, her expression hardening. "Okay, not cool," she said sternly. "But you could have just let the monsters kill him and be done with him. Why did you save him from the swamper?"

Silvia's voice was soft as she replied, "I thought maybe, just maybe, I could change his opinion of me by saving him. But his stupid pride only made it worse. He lashed out at me for embarrassing him in front of the class and said he would turn my life into a living hell. So, I had no choice but to come up with a plan."

Suzuka raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "A plan? And what might that be?"

Silvia looked down at the ground, her voice barely above a whisper as she explained, "You see, I knew that day that I was being watched by Sterling's friend. I knew he would go running to him and report everything. That's why I approached you and asked for your help to stand up to Sterling."

Suzuka's eyes widened. "That was a risky plan on many levels. If I wasn't there that day, it could have ended poorly for you."

Silvia hung her head. "I know," she said softly. "That's why I made sure you came to my room. I waited for you at the café and bumped into you on purpose. It wasn't an accident. I'm sorry for doing this. Please, forgive me."

"I apologize for the harm I caused you and the danger I put you in," Silvia said, her voice filled with regret. "But I knew you were the only one who could help me. You're so brave and strong, and I admire that about you. I'm sorry for deceiving you and I understand if you can't forgive me."

Suzuka wrapped her arms around Silvia, pulling her into a warm embrace. She looked into Silvia's eyes and saw the sincerity in her apology. She gently placed her hand on top of Silvia's and gave her a small smile. "It's alright, Silvia. I forgive you," she said, her voice soft and comforting. "But please don't do anything like that again. It was risky, and you could have been hurt."

Silvia nodded, tears welling up in her eyes. "Thank you, Helen. I won't do anything like that again, I promise."

Suzuka's expression softened as she looked at Silvia. "I understand why you did it," she said. "But you shouldn't have put yourself in such danger."

Silvia nodded, her eyes downcast. "I know, and I'm sorry. I just didn't know what else to do. I couldn't let those bullies get away with what they did to me."

Suzuka sighed. "I get it, I do. But you need to be more careful in the future."

Silvia's delicate hands gently wrapped around Suzuka's waist, as she leaned in closer and tenderly touched her cheek with her soft, fragile fingers. She looked into Suzuka's eyes, filled with regret and sorrow, as she apologized for what she had done.

"I'm so sorry," Silvia whispered softly, her voice filled with emotion. "I never meant to hurt you. Please forgive me."

Suzuka could feel the warmth of Silvia's touch, and the sincerity in her words. Despite the pain and hurt she had felt, she couldn't help but be moved by Silvia's gentle demeanor.

"It's okay," Suzuka replied, her own voice soft and filled with understanding. "As I said, I forgive you."

Silvia breathed a sigh of relief, feeling the weight of her mistake lift off her shoulders. She leaned in closer to Suzuka, her hands still holding her waist, and gently pressed her lips to Suzuka's cheek.

"Thank you," Silvia whispered, as she turn around and walked away, "You don't know how much this means to me."

It was a long day but after what felt like an eternity Suzuka finally made it back to her room at Mystic Oasis Inn, soaked through from the rain. She quickly peeled off her wet clothes, feeling grateful for the warmth of her cozy room. With a sigh of relief, she made her way to the hot spring bath. The sound of the rain tapping against the window provided a calming background, and the steam rising from the hot water enveloped her.

As she submerged herself in the water, Suzuka felt her body relax and her mind clear. The tension from the events of the day melted away, and she found herself able to fully enjoy the moment of peace. Eventually, she emerged feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.

Suzuka climbed out of the hot spring and headed to her bed. She fell asleep almost instantly, her body exhausted from the day's events.

The next morning, she woke up to a beautiful day. The rain had stopped, and the sun was shining brightly. She felt a renewed sense of energy and purpose and decided to head to the guild to look for a quest.

As Suzuka made her way to the guild, she couldn't help but think about the events of the previous day. Sterling's accusations and Silvia's apology still lingered in her mind. She shook her head to clear her thoughts and focused on her mission for the day.

Upon arriving at the guild, Suzuka was greeted by Lisanna, the quest coordinator.

Suzuka smiled at Lisanna standing at the reception desk. "Hey Lisanna, how's everything going?" she asked, making her way over to her.

Lisanna grinned and replied, "It's going well, Helen. We've got some interesting events coming up this week, I think you'll like them."

Suzuka's eyes sparkled with excitement at the thought of new quests. "That sounds great! I'm always up for a challenge. What kind of events are we talking about?"

Lisanna leaned with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Well, there's one in particular that everyone has been waiting for some time now. It's the Grand Minotaur Tournament this week."

Suzuka's jaw dropped in amazement. "No way! I've been wondering about that! The same tournament that Olivia won? Right? Count me in!"

Lisanna smiled, "That's great to hear Helen. But that's not all, on the same day, there will be an opportunity to score yourself a powerful party member!"

Suzuka nodded eagerly, "Come on, give me the details. Don't make me beg."

Lisanna said, "Remember the ice mage, Isaac? He is hosting a selection for a party member. Right after the fight with the Minotaur. He will not participate in the tournament, he will be the closing fight for the tournament. It is a great chance to find a good party member for yourself. Not to mention he is 5 stars MBPU."  

Suzuka leaned closer to Lisanna and said, "Okay, I would love to try. Where do I sign up? 

Lisanna chuckled. "I knew you'd be excited about that one. You'll need to go to the coliseum for registration, but I have to warn you, a lot of strong guys will be participating for that prize."

"Our Maximus, the guild's number one, is joining the ranks too. But before I forget, Wara was looking for you. He wants to speak with you about something," Lisanna narrowed her eyes as she looked at Suzuka and continued speaking, "Something he didn't want to talk about in front of others, only in private. Don't make me remind you that he is my husbando, okay?"

As if on cue, Wara appeared from the back room and greeted Suzuka with a warm smile. "Hey there, Helen. I have been looking for you?"

Suzuka nodded. "Hello, leader! What's the matter?"

Wara's expression turned serious. "I will cut straight to the point and skip pleasantries. It was three months now, and you can go and increase your box power. I talked to Dr. Jenkins he will have the papers done and submitted to MIS right after we come back."

Suzuka was slightly surprised and asked, "We?"

Wara came closer and said, "Yes, by new acts from MIS there must be a witness of an MIS member or a higher ranking member from the guild, this is to prevent any illegal box power abuse or falsifications of documents and stuff like that. Basically a political Mombo Jumbo. So I decided I will tag along and be your witness." 

Suzuka's fear only grew stronger at Wara's words. "I understand we don't have much time so I have a four-wheeler ready to go at any moment. I can see you're all ready for a journey, right? So let's go."

Suzuka nodded hesitantly. "Yes, yeah. I...I'm ready. We can go."

"Great!" Wara said with a smile, "Meet me in the backyard of the guild, I will grab a few things and we meet in five. Okay?"

Suzuka nodded, "Okay, boss."