38 stories of the temple of the heavenly war - 1 (2/2)

”I don't understand,” Lulu said, looking the same confused.

”He can't be with both the teams,” Pratt explained further.

”Especially since we're not interested in teaming up with them, are we?” Dia completed.

The twins shook their heads expressing a no.

Lulu looked the same confused, if not more.

Jerry smiled with grief.

I shook my head, as I stepped in.

”You don't understand what Lulu means,” I explained to the twins. ”She means to say, how is it Jerry's choice.”

Lulu nodded.

”Exactly,” she said. ”Jerry doesn't have a say here. He's not going against Dean.”

There was something about the way Lulu said it. Popped the favourite question back into the twins' heads. I sighed. They looked at Jerry, whose smile was affirmation.

”Wow,” they said in unison. ”You're really amazing,” they said to me.

I thanked them with a bow, and looked at Jerry wearing a gleeful expression. He looked back at me with hurt. I snorted. I was a fool if I fell for that. He shrugged, as if to say he tried.

”Yeah, I'm with you,” Jerry told the twins. ”Let me clarify it with Jessie. But I won't be with you all the time. We're studying other things too back there. Whenever you need me, or whenever you've gotten anything, holler. I'll come right over.”

”Actually,” I said, cutting in. ”I think you should go with them.”

”Why?” Lulu asked, genuinely curious.

”We'll do the work ourselves. We'll call him over to validate our findings, which should fall within his responsibilities as our teacher. With him in the other team, it will also be him fulfilling his responsibilities. Giving us the pressure and the motivation to compete against him, reach higher, be better than him. It would be him acting as a proper and ambitious professor.”

Jerry was confused. It sounded like I was praising him. I was. Lulu was impressed.

”That's why Dean's the best. He can be so objective.”

The twins had to shield their eyes against Lulu's blinding glow.

”So, this is what infatuation is,” Pratt said.

”It's love,” Lulu countered.

”Okay,” Dia relented easily. ”This is what love is like.”

”Yes,” Lulu agreed beaming.

I ignored them. Looking at Jerry, I asked.

”What do you think?”

He thought for a while, and agreed.

”I think it's good this way. Just don't get too bogged down and too hesitant to ask for help when needed.”

”Alright,” I nodded.

Jerry was smiling, and looking at me strangely. I didn't understand. I saw the same expression on the twins, and still I was confused. I looked at Lulu, beaming with pride. And I understood immediately. And I was stunned.

”I'm not the leader,” I said.

Everyone coughed, and laughed. It seemed very much like a rejection of my opinion.

”I'm really not,” I repeated.

”Of course not,” the twins agreed, still snickering.

”Of course not,” Jerry agreed, after a while. ”The leader's on the way.”

I understood immediately. As did Lulu. The twins were confused. No one offered an explanation.

Jerry waved and walked back to the other table.

The twins looked at us, and accepted that we weren't going to explain. They knew what Lulu would say. ”A few days. You'll understand.” They shook their heads dejectedly, and turned to the temples on the table.

”So, shall we begin?”