Strongest Superhuman System

When playing the game, Luna knew what buttons to press, when to turn, and when to slow down. Even when to allow herself to die so that she could respawn faster.

Watching her was like watching a master at work.

The game started with Arit leading Talia by ten wins to nothing, but after Luna came, Arit only managed to beat Luna once. Luna came out of the gaming session with nine straight wins after she got used to the game again. Arit won by eleven to nine, but everyone knew that if not for the fact that they were all getting tired, Luna would have taken home the win.

"That was actually really impressive. I didn’t even know you could do some of those moves in the game. I didn’t see anything like that in the tutorial."

Luna was sitting beside Arit, and Luna felt her cheeks heating up in embarrassment at all the praise she was getting from everyone. She was not used to showing her gaming skills so much, so hearing people praise her for it like this was a bit embarrassing. Luna nodded to Arit and explained that some of the moves were hidden.

"They don’t show everything in the tutorial, so you have to go online to learn some moves. They’re really useful."

Arit chuckled.

"No wonder. I couldn’t believe that spinning backflip that you did at the end of the second game. It seemed illegal somehow."

Luna joined Arit in laughing, and Mark couldn’t help but smile as the two women seemed to be getting along at that moment. During the gaming session, Mark could tell that Arit was not happy that Luna was there at first.

Arit had this look of intense anger in her eyes the moment she saw Luna joining them in the gaming session, but as the game progressed, the two of them started to mellow down, and Arit somehow ended up becoming closer to Luna than before.

Mark couldn’t say that they were friends, but Arit was close enough to Luna that she wasn’t even angry that Luna was here with them.

Mark went to check on Talia when he noticed that she was no longer making any noise, and he chuckled once he saw that she had somehow fallen asleep halfway through her rant. Mark told the girls that he would take Talia back to her room, and he carried her off while leaving Luna and Arit alone on the porch.

Once Mark left, the tension in the air seemed to grow a little. Somehow, both Luna and Arit were no longer as comfortable as they were when Mark was there. Mark was the one acting as a buffer for them. So now that he was gone, it felt like a wall dropped between them, and they were facing each other directly again.

Honestly, Luna didn’t have anything against Arit anymore. Luna initially wanted to beat Arit and somehow find a way to get rid of Arit so that she could be alone with Mark, but throughout that gaming session, Luna wasn’t able to find a single fault with the girl. Arit was polite, smart, and kind in a way that was just impossible to hate.

It felt like Arit was the quintessential wife that every man was looking for, and Luna couldn’t find anything that Arit lacked at all. It grated on Luna’s nerves, but Luna couldn’t deny that Arit was a good match for Mark.

They were something like friends now, but that does not mean that Luna was happy about it.

"So, uhm, how long have you known Mark? You met him out in the hall, and he invited you in for the games, right? Doesn’t that mean you two must know each other really well?"

Arit suddenly spoke up, catching Luna completely off guard, and Luna turned to her in surprise. How long have I known Mark? Luna sighed. Where the hell do I start?

Luna knew that it would be a bad idea to say anything about what she and Mark went through in the Game of Gods to Arit. Since Mark hasn’t said anything to his girlfriend, Luna didn’t feel like she had a right to say anything either. And in some small part of her heart, Luna had this feeling that what she and Mark went through in that game was special.

She didn’t want anyone else knowing about it because she wanted it to be something that she and Mark had alone. A secret that was just for the two of them.

"Well, I met him when he was being chased by that superhuman killer and again when he was doing his assessment. We spoke a lot during our meetings, mostly about you."

"Really? Mark talks about me? What does he say? He… doesn’t talk much about his feelings, so it’s a little hard to know what’s going on in his head sometimes. I’m just curious."

Luna chuckled.

"Yeah, I can get that. Whenever we talk, I feel like he is the silent, brooding type that always shoulders things without showing it on the outside."

Arit couldn’t stop herself from laughing as well, as she knew that this was the exact description she would use to explain Mark’s personality. Mark was strong and reliable, and he was the sort of person that never really showed his feelings that much. He was more than willing to just shoulder everything to protect the people around him.

Arit liked everything about Mark, and she wouldn’t want to change him for the world, but sometimes, she wished that he would share some of his problems with her. Even if she couldn’t really help him, she was willing to listen.

Luna saw Arit’s face drop sadly as the silence stretched on, and Luna suddenly felt like she had to say something to bring up the playful atmosphere again. She leaned a little towards Arit and spoke conspiratorially.

"Alright, don’t tell him I told you this, but when he was talking to me, he was always talking about how much you mean to him. One time, he even stopped in the middle of our conversation just to call you. I think… No, I know he really loves you a lot."

Arit blushed and laughed.

"R-Really?"

Luna nodded.

"I don’t think I’ve seen any man talk about a woman the way he talks about you. He might not express himself a lot, but you don’t need to doubt the fact that he cares about you. Honestly… I can’t help but envy you."

Luna added the last part in a low voice, but Arit still caught it. Arit felt her body tense up once Luna said that, and Arit suddenly asked a question.

"Are you in love with Mark?"

Eh?

Luna turned to look at Arit in shock. The question caught her so off guard that she couldn’t stop her mouth from dropping open. Arit was staring right at Luna with a hard gaze while leaning back on her hands, and Luna could see the seriousness on Arit’s face. Why the hell was she asking something like that!?

Arit asked the question because she just wanted to know once and for all. Ever since the two of them spoke in the school corridor, Arit has been feeling this intense competitiveness from Luna, as if Luna was trying to be better than her somehow. Arit couldn’t think of any reason why Luna was doing this other than the fact that Luna might be trying to take Mark from her.