"None of them… at all?"
My head was arched back as I stared at Aquarius, who remained unmoving behind me. She had her arms crossed, and while she had no set expression on her face, the vibe she gave off was disinterest.
"Yes. They're all well below the standard."
Hearing Aquarius' dissenting words, I was caught at a weird impasse. According to the rest of the Constellations, some individuals were already catching their eyes, so what was this?
"Oh, I wouldn't mind Aquarius, Jared." Virgo suddenly intervened, causing my several thoughts to reach an abrupt halt.
I changed gears and looked at Virgo instead.
"You won't get anywhere with her." She added, muffling what sounded like a snicker.
'What does that even mean?'
"Pfft! You better let him know that early." Leo added, his own deep voice accentuated with a slight chuckle.
It seemed like there was a running joke among the Constellations, and I was being left out of the loop. The moment Virgo and Leo established their words, other Constellations began to speak and even laugh.
"Aquarius still hasn't changed, huh?"
"Hahaha! Even now, she's still the same…"
"Hahaha!"
I watched them all say all sorts of things about the Constellation before finally realizing what made them so amused.
'Aquarius has very high standards. Too high compared to the standards of the others…'
I stole a glance at Aquarius, and she seemed to be unmoved by the entire fiasco going on in the group.
Until…
"Hey! I'm standing right here, you know?" She raised her voice, causing the room to fall into an absolute lull.
For a while, no one said anything.
The Constellation space was even quieter than a graveyard, and it seemed like everyone within it was frozen solid.
All until one voice leaked out.
"Virgin…"
My eyes bulged the moment I heard it, and the entire room erupted into uncontrollable laughter at that point.
All the Constellations burst out laughing, and I was too shaken to even move.
Suddenly, it all made sense to me.
'A-ahh… so it's like that…'
Aquarius was a 'Virgin' by Constellation standards because she had never gotten a Host before!
Perhaps she was just too conscious of who her first time would belong to, or she simply had a very condescending perception of her potential Hosts, but she didn't seem to be trying very hard to get her first Host.
'T-that's a little embarrassing…'
However, it wasn't like I didn't understand.
'Aquarius is the oldest and most mature of the group. It's only natural that she would be the most picky and mature. However, with all her siblings already having many Hosts, maybe she doesn't see the need to? Maybe she… ahhhh, what am I even saying?'
Why was I trying to understand what went on in the min of a Constellation? It was hilarious!
"Hahahahahahahahaha!"
I joined everyone in laughing, and even though I felt a strong pressure rise from behind me, I knew the Unwritten Laws would protect me from certain death.
As a result, we all giggled and cackled at Aquarius' expense.
"This is stupid…" I heard her sigh, and she shrugged slightly.
At that moment, I stopped laughing. I had to admit, I felt a little bad for her. I knew it was all fun and games, but who knew what was going on in her mind?
'Let's cheer her up a little!' A smile formed on my face and I drew closer to her.
"Hey, Aquarius, would you consider me as a Host? You did say I impressed you back then, right?"
I could spot the faces of the other Constellations forming surprise at my statement.
Why?
Because every one of them had offered me a spot, but I refused to be the Host of any Constellation. They must have been shocked to see me ask Aquarius about being her Host of my own volition.
I let out an awkward smile, letting all the attention on me and Aquarius sink in… not expecting what would come next.
"No. You are not my type, Jared."
Yeah, rejection!
"Pffft!"
"Puahahahahahahahaha!!!"
"You shouldn't have asked her, Jared!"
"We told you already… there's no hope for her!"
"Her standards her not just too high… they're impossible!"
"She even rejected someone like Neron. What did you expect?"
"I'd say Neron and Jared are equally valuable in their own way. I would pick any of the two, or even both, any day!"
"Yeah, yeah! Tell that to Aquarius!"
"Sucks to be you, Jared!"
"Hahahahaaha!"
Before I knew it, I became the butt of the joke and laughter, and all the mockery was directed at me.
'All because I tried to cheer you up, Aquarius…' With watery eyes, I stared at Aquarius and leaked out a small smile.
It wasn't like I was even being serious about the proposal. I had my own reasons for refusing to be a Host, and instead dueling all the Constellations.
There was no way I would throw all of that away now!
'Still… it is what it is…'
I closed my eyes and accepted my fate.
'So this is how it feels to be mocked by Constellations…' My smile broadened.
They thought they were doing me a disservice, but it was quite the opposite.
This was an achievement for me!
'I can brag about this! They have no idea!'
"Don't feel too bad, Jared." Aquarius' voice suddenly cut my thoughts short, and I ignored the snickers of her peers as I stared at her.
"If you insist, I am willing to establish a friendly pact with you and allow you to borrow my power and wisdom. O-of course, this is only if you desire it…"
My lips parted in slight surprise when I heard this.
"Ohhhh? She's going that far for him?"
"Whoah! That's crazy!"
"I can't believe this!"
The Constellations began gushing over this new development, making it very clear that this was an extremely rare opportunity.
Anyone in their right state of mind would accept it instantly.
"I refuse." My grin became broader as I stared at Aquarius.
Perhaps I was the crazy one.
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[A/N]
Thank you all for reading!
What do you think Jared's engame is? Fighting Constellations, refusing their support… I wonder…
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