Time Traveling Hero

"Yeah, yeah I'm going! Damn Eris, always breathing down my neck."

It was the end of the school day, and I was reluctantly on my way to the old school building, where the Hidden Club has its activities. I just wanted to go back home to my adorable Luna and her delicious home cooking, but Eris once again gets in my way.

I sighed as I walked outside, passing the various sport teams' practice. Well, at least I'm not stuck with them, getting myself sweaty.

I made my way into the old school building and stopped at the sliding door, which led into the club room. I just had to hope no one was there, and then happily excuse myself.

I opened the door, and found to my surprise Prez waiting for me, drumming her fingers on the table. Her face lit up when she saw who it was, while my face soured beyond belief.

"It's number 1! Or, maybe I should say number 2 this time?" She said playfully, completely full of herself. I ignored her and sat myself down at my usual seat, the one nearest to the door.

Prez didn't let that diminish her carefree attitude however, and slowly made her way towards me, hopping her chair along the edge of the table until she reached me. She smiled as she stared at me expectantly.

This again? Damn, what's up with her obsession towards me? I merely turned away, only to find her in my frame of view again. This time I did a complete 180, facing the other side of the room, only for her to once again show up in front of my face.

"Hey Prez?"

"What's up Hiro?"

"Would you mind telling me what the hell you're doing right now?"

"I intend to observe your every action in the hopes to become number 1!"

I used two fingers to rub my eyes in annoyance before looking back at Prez, who was still watching me. I did have to admit, she was quite beautiful, but her personality counteracts any charm her physical features give her. I decided to try to change the subject.

"So, is anyone else coming in today? Normally Caelus would be here by now."

"Oh, I think they're all doing something else. A project, I think? I'm assuming that number 1 has already finished it?"

"Yeah, I finished it the day it was assigned. The same for you?"

She nodded haughtily, pleased with herself. "Of course, procrastinating school work is something us top ten should never suffer from after all."

"I see..." Damn it, that means I'm stuck with this girl for God knows how long. Please, someone save me!

"You know, I haven't actually thought of anything to do today for activities, so let's get brainstorming champ!" She said, patting me on the shoulder before moving her seat next to mine at the end of the table.

"Now let's see, what would be fun for the two us to do together?" She brought her hand up to her chin and started to ponder on the subject.

Something a guy and a girl can do together, huh? My thoughts started to go down a dirty alleyway before I decided to scrub it clean. Yeah, no way I'm about to do any of that, especially with Prez of all people.

"What do you think we should do?" Her face got dangerously close to mine, and I was shown a view of what was underneath her shirt. I pushed her away, wondering if she had an ounce of self-preservation in her.

"Hey, what was that for?"

"You're too damn close is what that was for," I grumbled, crossing my arms.

She suddenly grinned to herself, probably about to get the wrong idea. "Hey, could it be that you're attracted to me? Fufu, I know I'm attractive, so it's okay to be shy." She brought her face close to mine again, close enough so I could kiss her if I wanted. Note, I did not want to kiss her in the slightest. However, I was still a boy after all, so the tips of my ears went slightly red at the sudden arrangement.

"Ow!"

I flicked her on the forehead, causing her to reel back, holding her forehead in pain.

"Hey, that hurt! Don't you know it's against the gentlemen's code to hit a fair maiden like me?"

"What makes you think you're a fair maiden, or that I'm a gentleman?" I retorted, rolling my eyes.

She pouted, her brown eyes showing signs of being hurt. If it'll mean getting her off my back, it was most definitely worth it. Then, she suddenly did a 180, her face excited at a sudden revelation.

"I've got the perfect idea from that conversation!" Wait, how the hell did she manage to come up with an idea from something as trivial as this?

"Me and you will practice being in our respective lady and gentleman roles!" Oh no, I didn't like the sound of this one bit. "And what better way to do that than go on a date!?"

I blinked, my brain trying to process her last sentence. "Wha?"

She ignored my mumbling and started to pace around the room. "Yes, this could totally work! We would each grade each other on our ladylike and gentlemanly traits! This is what we're doing today Hiro!"

"Hold up!" I held up a hand in response to her crazy idea. "No way I'm about to go on a date with you, no matter how gorgeous you are. I wouldn't be caught dead outside walking around with a weirdo like you. What if someone I know saw us?"

She tilted her head in confusion. "But, you don't have any friends besides us in the club?"

A critical hit! It was super-effective against Hiro! I crumpled down to the ground, holding my c.h.e.s.t in pain at the sudden truth bomb. "It was by choice I tell you! By choice!"

"So, no further complaints?" She asked, about to steamroll her way through so we could initiate her plan.

"Wait, I still have to decline. After all, what makes you think I'll actually act gentlemanly?"

"That's easy! We can have the loser obey one command from the winner!" She said excitedly, tossing out my excuse like it was nothing.

I grit my teeth and got up from the floor. "Well then, I think I'll just leave today." Hey, I did show up to the club, so I'm not in the wrong this time.

She pursed her lips at that, struggling to find a solution to that one. Yep, now I escape. Home here I come! I grabbed my bag and was outside the club room when I heard a word I didn't wish to hear.

"...Cardea."

I froze, and slowly turned around to face Prez, who had a triumphant look on her face.

"If you don't cooperate, I'll tell Mrs. Cardea!"

Damn her for pulling that card. I ruffled up my hair in annoyance before sighing. "Yeah, I guess it can't be helped."

She grabbed my hands in glee, pure happiness on her pretty face. "Really!? Great, let's stop by my house first so I can get changed out of these crappy clothes!"

Her clothes? I looked her up and down before frowning. She was wearing jeans with tennis shoes, along with a green shirt that said, "Stay Green!" along with a picture of the earth giving a thumbs up.

"What's wrong with you're wearing right now?" It wasn't like I was much better after all.

She scrunched up her face, glaring at me. "Hmph, I know you forget sometimes, but I am a girl after all. Look, I even have b.o.o.b.s to prove it!" She thrusted her c.h.e.s.t out, trying to showcase the hills on her c.h.e.s.t to me.

"I didn't forget, so there's no need to proclaim that so damn loudly!" Seriously, how the hell was I supposed to respond to that?

"Great, now let's go Hiro!" She walked past me, marching the way to lead me to her house. I could only put up a hand to my face. Oh, what Trials would I go through today?

I scowled, my brain trying to make a connection somewhere. Trials? Why do I feel like I'm forgetting something important? I pondered for a bit before shrugging. Ah well, if I can't remember it, it probably wasn't important anyway.

"Hey slowpoke, hurry it up! We're burning daylight here!"

"Yeah, I'm coming! Damn is she persistent." Well, I'll probably remember it later. I rushed off to catch up to Prez, and thus I got wrapped up in the Prez's "Date" idea. And what a weird idea it was...

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"So, how is he progressing?" asked Astraea, looking at the monitoring screen.

"Well, he hasn't realized he's in a Trial yet, which is normal for everybody. He was pretty close to figuring it out a little bit ago, but it seemed he gave up in the end," a nearby researcher responded, paying close attention to the results.

A giant screen showing Hiro's perspective was displayed in front of them on the one sided window, and on the smaller screens showed his thoughts and vitals.

"It's always interesting to see how one's Present is displayed in the Trial," Mars commented, observing Hiro's interaction with the girl nicknamed Prez.

Both Hebe and Deimos were lulled into silence at the sight of the screen. "I didn't think this was possible," Hebe said, her lollipop almost falling out of her mouth.

"Hmm? Oh right, this is your first time seeing someone make it this far in the three Trials, right?" a researcher commented, grinning at their reaction. "It surprises everyone the first time you see it."

"How does it work?" Deimos asked, his eyes glued to the screen.

"Oh, well we don't really know the specifics, but it basically simulates your everyday normal life, and it sees how you react once you find out you're in a Trial."

"React?"

The researcher winked at him. "Ah, you'll see eventually. He'll eventually reach a crossroad, and whatever choice he makes decides whether he passes or fails."

Anna was silent the entire time, watching from the back, her yellow eyes focusing in on the screen in anticipation, waiting for her chance.

Astraea scowled as she continued to watch the screen. "It seems like he may have gotten one of the hardest ones to complete. Will he prevail, or will this be all that he's capable of?"

Hebe looked over at Astraea, wondering what that could mean. "Astraea? Do you know what choice he'll make?"

Mars sighed at her question before looking back up at the screen. "As far as I know, only one person has passed a choice like this and became the Time Traveling Hero. She was the previous Hero, so it's pretty easy to see the signs this time around."

"Mars?"

"But still, why are their choices so similar? Hmm..." Mars trailed off, ignoring Hebe's call to him as he continued to watch the events unfold.

Soon, the room was hushed into silence as they all watched his progress, wondering if Hiro would pass the Trial...

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"We've arrived!"

Yes, according to Prez's words, we had indeed arrived at her house. However...

"You actually live here?" I asked, shocked by her living conditions. We had stopped in front of an apartment complex, a rather fancy looking one at that. She twirled around and leaned forward, grinning at me.

"It's pretty impressive, right!? The school pays for it all, since I'm the Student Council President and the number 2 in academics! Come on, I live on the top floor!" She skipped her way into the building, happily humming a tune as I reluctantly followed her into the elevator.

She pressed the button for the top floor, and the doors closed, leaving us two in there alone. She was still humming, quietly swaying back and forth, occasionally rubbing her shoulder against mine. It was strange, but I felt as if she was acting weird, well, weirder, than normal. I wonder if she has an ulterior motive?

I chuckled to myself. Yeah right, as if this girl could actually plan something elaborate out. The elevator dinged, and released us onto the top floor, where the fanciest rooms were held at. She led me down the hallway until we reached the corner of the complex, and she fished out the key from her pocket and unlocked the door at the far end.

"Pardon the intrusion," I muttered as I walked in behind her, leaving my shoes at the door before walking in.

The place was huge, probably one of the biggest rooms in the entire place. It had an upstairs and a downstairs, with windows leading up to the ceiling on two sides of the apartment, with a large balcony outside that had multiple chairs and tables scattered around. The downstairs had a kitchen, which was underneath the lower part of the ceiling (caused by the second floor), a living room with a massive T.V., a dining room near one of the large windows, and stairs that led up to the second floor.

"Well, don't just stand there and gawk, sit down on the couch while I get ready!" I felt her push me forward toward the couches. I quietly sat down on the couch and watched as Prez happily went up the stairs two at a time before disappearing into the second floor. While I was waiting, I decided to marvel at the huge apartment the school got her. Like seriously, how the hell can they pay for this without getting bankrupt?

"Everything in here is so new..." I murmured, glancing at the sleek appliances and flat-screen television. Although, something was rather strange.

"It feels empty somehow," I commented, looking at the sparse decorations. It lacked any sign of being a home and felt more like a place she just stayed at. Do her parents not come here often? I guess I could relate to that. My parents are mostly on business trips most of the time, so I mostly had the house to myself along with Luna.

I sighed before laying down on the couch, yawning. Maybe I'll just take a quick nap...

And I was suddenly woken up by a loud yell, coming from the top of the stairs. Startled, I quickly shot up from the couch and quickly looked around, trying to find the source of the yell.

"Sheesh, I can't you believe you actually fell asleep! Was I really gone that long!?"

I turned toward the voice and found the culprit before my jaw dropped at the sight of her.

All I can say was that it was going to be one interesting "Date," that's for sure...