16 A girl's plight

'A confession? She's not going to confess her love now, is she? Although I'm really starting to like her, do I love her as well? I don't think so to be honest, not yet at least. Will I just tell her the truth or shall I lie and keep things from progressing too fast? Wait! What if she gets angry and turns crazy again!? I need to be smart about this... This seemingly innocent girl is far from innocent actually, Damn, I almost forgot about that.' Samuel pondered, before speaking out in a very tactical manner.

"Whatever it is, don't worry about it Sarah, you know I'm very easygoing, just spill it out haha".

"Well... the thing is, do you remember that time when I promised you a house?" Sarah asked timidly.

'It wasn't a love confession? Haha damn, was I too arrogant in assuming she would be in love with me? No, not really I guess, with her possessive, borderline psychotic behavior around me, isn't it perfectly normal to make that assumption?' Samuel thought.

"Yes, of course, I remember, what about it? I don't mind if it's something shabby if that's what you were worried about, I've been poor for my entire life after all."

"Well... In all honesty ehm... I don't really have a house for you hehe," Sarah said in an apologetic tone.

"You... don't?" Samuel asked dumbfounded, this was the last thing he was expecting. 'Things could be worse, sure, but wouldn't that mean he would be forced to live with other students? Or maybe with his status as a guest he can make use of other arrangements? That would be plausible is it not?

"I'm so sorry Samuel, it's just that at that moment we were all very afraid you wouldn't want to join us, so without thinking I just blurted out I would arrange a house for you, please forgive me. B-But before you start worrying I have already thought of a solution hehe."

Although he felt a little down when he realized he wouldn't get a house for himself, he didn't mind it that much and was sure he would be able to solve this problem, so not wanting to let her feel guilty about it any longer, he replied in a very forgiving way.

"It's ok Sarah, I really don't mind it that much. The dean made me a guest at the academy so maybe I can stay at a guest house or something? And if not, in the worst-case scenario I can always rent a house in 'Marz' I guess?" Samuel asked.

For some reason, when Sarah heard this, instead of cooling down she started getting even more nervous!

"No!"

"...No?" Samuel asked perplexed.

"Hehe, I mean no, there aren't any guest houses and don't spend your money renting a house in Marz either. Real estate is very expensive in the city and you would be further away from the academy as well, plus it is far from safe over there!" Sarah explained.

"But I rather live alone under those circumstances than having to share a house with other students here. You have your own house here at the academy, aren't there any other houses for sale on the mountain? Will the money from my art be enough to buy one?"

'This idiot! How hard can he make it for me!? I've already told him so many lies I'm starting to feel really guilty here. Is there really no way to keep him safe with me? Ahh whatever, one more lie won't make a difference I guess.' Sarah thought, feeling a little pressured.

"It's a bit complicated if you want to have your own house on this mountain, you're going to need a special permit for that. And that's not something they would give away so easily I'm afraid." Sarah lied.

"Well, the dean knows the truth about me. I'm sure I can work something out with him can I not?" Samuel asked, getting a little tired of the situation.

Sarah couldn't stand it anymore, no matter how many times she tried and lied, he just kept on coming with solutions. It would only be a matter of time before he came to know about the truth and would find out she'd been lying to him. 'Will he hate me if he comes to know about it? Did I just mess up everything with my stupid lies? Will I still be able to keep the other girls away?' When all these thoughts just kept on coming and coming, she just couldn't hold herself back anymore...

"You idiot! I just want you to live with me ok!"

"..."

"Whaaaat!?"

"Y-You... want me to stay here?" Samuel asked dumbfounded.

When Sarah heard this question, her face turned completely red. It was already red before, but now... 'Why... why does he want me to say it out loud again!? Isn't he supposed to be smart? Does he not realize how embarrassing all of this is for me!?'

"Y-Yes..." Sarah answered shyly with her head held down, unable to look into his eyes any longer.

"B-But... Can we even do that? I mean, besides the fact that we're still young and of different sexes, which makes it kinda... improper I think, does the academy even allow such a thing?" Samuel asked a little nervous. He wouldn't mind living with her if he was honest, 'It's just that... Aren't things progressing a little too fast between us?'

She saw a little hope when she heard this, 'he isn't directly opposing the idea it seems, or maybe he's just being tactical about it? Mmm, maybe I should play the pity card now?' Sarah thought schemingly.

And so she did just that...

With her watery puppy eyes, she looked into his eyes and transformed from a fourteen-year-old girl into an eight-year-old whose parents had last minute canceled a promised trip to her favorite candy store.

"Y-You... don't want to live with me?" She asked in her most cutest way.

"I..." 'Damn', he thought... 'How can I possibly refuse a girl like this? I mean... just look at her for heaven's sake, is there anything in life more pitiful than her?'

"Sigh... No, I mean... Yes, No what I mean is, I was just caught a little off guard by all of this, I'm sorry. If you really don't mind me living here then... I-I would of course be more than happy to live here." Samuel said while scratching his head. 'She didn't just play me did she?' He thought.

But before he could think about it any longer, she ran towards him and jumped into his arms. "Really? I'm so glad Samuel, I promise you will like it here! I'm a foodie so there's always lots of good stuff to eat, and the house is very big so there is more than enough room for the both of us, there's even a swimming pool and you will have your own cultivation chamber as well, and there are multiple baths where you can relax, and oh yes, the entire house functions as a Ki gathering formation which will increase your cultivation speed by at least two times, and there's a library with lots of books with information about the world, cultivation, the kingdom, etcetera, oh right, there's even a..."

With a big smile on her face, Sarah took Samuel's hand without thinking and happily took him for a tour around her house while explaining every single detail she could possibly mention, she even showed him around her bedroom and didn't let him leave until he had seen all her different dresses.

'Yes... She definitely tricked me!' Samuel thought. 'Ah well, I guess there are worse things in life than having to live in luxury with a beautiful girl.'

"Sarah? I wonder... Can you lend me the painting of that giant tree for a while?

"Hmm? Yh sure... Why do you need it by the way?"

"I will need it for my cultivation, now that I have finally settled it's about time I started cultivating, I've been waiting for far too long already. I'm already fourteen and while others like you have already reached the golden core realm, I'm still completely mortal at the moment."

"You want to start cultivating... right now? Don't you want to visit the library to search for a cultivation manual first? Or visit some lectures for orientation? Cultivating is a very serious thing Samuel, mistakes are easily made, and often even irreversible." Sarah asked worriedly.

"I know... thanks for your concern, really, but trust me I know what I'm doing, I promise."

Sarah pondered for a while before she answered. "Ok, then I shall trust you. But I'm still a little worried though, can I not stay with you while you cultivate in case anything goes wrong?" Sarah asked, both out of worry and hoping she could spend some more time with him.

"Haha, I'm sorry, maybe another time. I need to be able to focus completely and I'm afraid you will only distract me if you stay with me, so please, just this once ok? I promise you can join me another time.

"Hmmm... It's a promise then." Sarah replied reluctantly. "Come, I will show you to your cultivation chambers."

A little later they arrived at Samuel's private cultivation chamber. It was a big, almost empty, hexagonal stonen room without any windows. Except for a few cushions and candles, there was really nothing else.

"Sarah, do you have the painting for me? Can you hang it up on that wall over there?" Samuel asked, pointing to the wall opposite the entrance.

Sarah took out the painting and hang it on the wall, then she briefly looked at Samuel without hiding her worries, before slowly leaving the room.

When Samuel was all alone, he laid down on the floor in the middle of the room and spread his arms and legs as far as he could, and closed his eyes...

'It's time!'