My Trash Talent Is Actually OP!

Three days had finally passed, days filled with a few hours of classes and investigation missions on previous dungeon sites that ended up being a waste of time.

Emma had been home since then, getting ready to move, and spent time with her father because it would be long before she returned.

Asher had spent his own free time training with Sinnett since his healing was fast, but for some reason, he insisted on keeping the bandages on... something about keeping him comfortable.

He wasn't oblivious to the attention he was now getting, despite all his efforts to stay unnoticed.

The news about what he did to Naomi had spread, and he got confronted by final-year students.

Especially the guys, who either got beaten by Nova, scared off by the shadows behind Asher, or mysteriously set on fire... Zero's doing.

He hadn't grown his army as well, because... he hadn't gotten the requirements, and he wasn't going to kill an innocent person, not even Naomi, because she was still useful.

Her abilities were useful. He thought of killing Cinder, but Sinnett wasn't done with her yet, and he knew before that time would come, it would take months.

Asher sat in his bedroom, staring at the screen of his laptop and the pictures of the Academy branches Velcrest had.

There was one an hour away, another was shut down months ago as a result of the dragon purge, and that left Velcrest Academy and the international.

It baffled him how only a few students attended the international college, about 50, from the information Sinnett provided.

And they weren't even being trained by regular instructors. The Necromancers there were few and were trained by a Soul Weaver.

Wardens were being trained by a woman rooted in the ground. From what he read... she was permanently there.

The combat classes were trained by a demi-human, a mix of orc, hellhound, and human, which wasn't entirely bad.

A sigh escaped his lips at the work coming his way. He hadn't even finished signing his application for international missions, his uniform and other outfits were still getting made, and he hadn't gotten his weapons from the organization.

Not to mention, he had to submit his reports on the investigations there too.

He already got headaches just thinking about it. He leaned back into his seat after turning off his laptop, and Hannah chose that moment to walk in, holding a bag.

She placed it carefully on his table and crossed her arms. "Are you sure you don't need to take Aly with you? You know you need to eat, right?"

Asher stared up at her blankly and then sighed once again. "Mom, I told you I'll be fine. I can cook myself, and there are two girls moving with us."

She shook her head, refusing to listen. "Look, Asher, I am your mother. I know what is good for you, okay? Take Alya with you..."

"You do know I'm the older one here, right?"

"She's more responsible and doesn't take risks."

"I don't get hurt easily."

"You just got roasted three days ago, and I don't even know how. It's too dangerous out there alone."

Asher groaned lowly and slowly rose from his seat. He held her hand, grabbed the bag, and led her out of his room.

Once they got to the living room, he made her sit and stood in front of her, with his arms crossed. "Mom."

"Yes?"

"I will be fine, and nothing will go wrong. I promised you I'd be back before semester exams. I am not a kid anymore."

Hannah averted her gaze from him, biting her lips hard. Then she uttered, "That's the same thing your father said to me before I lost him."

At the mention of that, and how low her tone went, Asher's gaze softened. He knelt down before her, taking her hands into his. "Mom, I am not him."

"I might be reckless..."

"And stubborn."

He chuckled softly. "And stubborn, but it doesn't mean I don't know how to take care of myself. I've spent twelve years alone."

She turned to him, confused and shocked, but he laughed. He knew she wouldn't understand. If only she knew how long he had stayed without a family and was still able to survive.

He didn't even get into an accident before waking up as her Asher.

"I'm just saying I can take care of myself now, okay?"

She lowered her head, hiding her saddened face from him. When he lowered his head to look at her, he saw her eyes already wet as tears gathered, then he smiled.

"Sometimes I wonder if you're actually forty or still nineteen," he muttered and embraced her. "I'll be fine, Mom, and I'll also keep you and the girls safe. It's nothing difficult."

Hannah opened her mouth to say something, but that only made the tears fall more and more.

She tightened her hold around him until she was sobbing and saying inaudible words he couldn't quite understand.

Zero, who stood behind her, pointed at the roof, giving Asher the signal he had been waiting for. Then he broke the hug.

"I'll call you once we get to the city, is that okay?"

She nodded and raised her hand to her face to wipe away her tears. Then Asher rose up and made his way to his bedroom.

A minute later, he walked back out with his guild coat on. He kissed her gently on her forehead, hugged her one last time before exiting the room.

Asher didn't wait for a second because he couldn't bear seeing her cry. The weather was warm, since it was midday, and the wind was moving fast to the north, the exact direction they were going.

It was like taking a holiday trip, but instead of it being for a holiday, it was like taking a trip for more work, outside your comfort zone.

Asher followed Zero up the roof where the others were waiting for him.

Alya sat beside Sinnett, fiddling with her nails, while Ria played with Sinnett's hair. Emma stood with Nova and Tay, already set to go. In fact, the entire group already had their things on the roof, waiting for him.

"Is everyone ready?"

"Yeah?" Tay replied. "The Academy provided transport and food for us."

Sinnett glanced at him. "Is it a car or an RV?"

"An RV. You don't expect us to be traveling from place to place with a car. Where do you expect us to eat and sleep?"

"On the ground like actual soldiers."

"It's crazy how much sense you've lost to your living hair."

Sinnett scoffed and smirked. "You're just jealous because you don't have peak hair like mine... I could help you if you want. At least you'd stop looking like a cotton candy."

Asher heaved a sigh. "Stop it, you two," he said before Tay could reply, and he dropped his bag.

"Orin," he called lowly, and a figure materialized beside him. It bowed deeply and stretched out its hands, causing a smile to appear on Asher's face.

"Take these documents to the Academy and the Organization reception office. Submit two of these documents and trace your way back to me."

"No problem, Master," Orin replied as he collected the files. He gave one last bow before vanishing again.

Then Asher turned to the group. "Are we ready to go?"

"Yeah," they said in unison and all left the roof almost immediately, leaving just Asher, Alya, and Ria behind. He wanted to leave as well, but he opened his arms wide.

"This is your last chance. You want to keep up the tsundere act or watch me leave without saying goodbye?"

Alya averted her gaze, but after a moment, she left her spot and ran into his arms, almost knocking him over.

Asher chuckled and wrapped his arms around her tiny frame. "See, it wasn't that hard."

"Shut up, idiot," she mumbled against his chest and exhaled. "Ria is going to miss you... a lot."

He laughed again. "I know she will. I'll miss her too. And you... more than you think."

"Tch." She shoved him away and crossed her arms. "Get going before Ria starts crying."

"Ehhh... I'm not crying!" Ria yelled from where she sat, but Alya told her to shut up as well.

"You're mean!"

Asher laughed. Without warning, he leaned in and kissed Alya's forehead, then did the same to Ria before walking over to the edge of the building.

"I'll see you guys before your semester exams. Don't forget to call me."

"Hmph." Alya turned away, hiding her face that was already getting wet with tears. "...I won't."

"I'll call you every day, big brother."

"I'll be waiting," he replied, picked up his bag, and leaped off the building to the next before reaching the ground.

As he landed, he made his way to the black RV. Sinnett was waiting outside.

Asher handed his bag over to Nova by the window, who had asked him to, then got into the front seat with Sinnett.

But then he slowly turned to him. "Are you sure you can drive this thing?"

Sinnett smirked. "I've been using cars since I arrived here. It shouldn't be a surprise to you."

Asher shrugged. "You don't seem like the type of person that drives cars in this world."

Sinnett smiled. "Well, there's a lot about me you don't know."

While they spoke, Naomi arrived as well, with her bag and crutches. Emma helped her into the car despite her protests and told Sinnett to start the engine.

The engine soon roared to life. Asher stayed silent and shifted his gaze to his apartment floor and the roof, where Alya and his mother were watching from, and he smiled.

Then suddenly, his phone rang. He didn't hesitate before picking up, but Alya screamed into it.

"Don't die out there, idiot!" She paused, then whispered, "Please."

Asher smiled warmly for the first time, especially concerning her. "I won't. Take care of yourself and Mom for me."

"I will."