Mori had come to join the dispatched group in the interim, having been too interested in the situation to remain behind the screen. His grey armor looked like slate in the dim cloud cover.
"Is this the U-M B-O-Y?" He asked with a serious expression.
Noble nodded. "This is him, yes. His name is Ray."
Ray shrank away from the guards, his aspect taking over again and making him undetectable to anything but sight.
"Heh! Oh no, you don't!" Lovia nudged him forward into the waiting throng.
"Don't go hiding," Noble warned.
Ray complied, stepping forward and taking a deep breath.
When he revealed himself, Noble was surprised at how calm he was. The interaction with Fleur really had boosted his confidence level.
Mori scrutinized the young man up and down. "Did you intend to harm anyone inside the dormitory?"
"No, sir," Ray answered evenly.
"What was your intention in the ladies' dorm?" Mori pressed.
Ray's eyes never wavered.
"I wanted to ask a girl on a date, sir."
The security officer glanced at Noble and Lovia, who both nodded subtly.
"And if she had said no?" The tall officer stared down at the Sleeper.
Ray looked away, a sad expression passing over his face. "Then I would have left broken-hearted and never bothered her again. Fleur is too kind. I would feel terrible if I hurt her."
Mori squinted at the boy so long that Ray began to sweat. Finally, the chief nodded.
"He has no ill intention. My Aspect has confirmed it. He's stupid, not malicious." Mori grinned.
"I agree." The professor nodded.
While Mori's Aspect gauged motive, Noble's Ability made her an emotional lie detector. As long as the boy wasn't hiding from them, they both could discern the truth of the matter. As far as wanting to harm anyone, the boy was innocent.
Ray's confident exterior melted as relief washed over him. "Thank the dead gods!"
"Don't thank them yet. We still have to log all of this," Mori nodded to the ladies. "Thank you both. I'll take it from here."
Noble dipped her head. "I will get you that promised report in the next couple of days unless you need it sooner."
"No, that will be fine. Ray's statement that I will take should be enough for today."
Noble and Lovia watched the soldiers leave with Ray.
They both shrugged.
"Young people. They don't always think with their head, do they?" Lovia chuckled.
"He's lucky things turned out the way they did. Both with us and Fleur. Instead of seeing it as a romantic gesture, she could have seen his headlong stupidity as a red flag. Ah, well, that's love for you." Noble smiled in spite of her words. Stupid or not, her teenage self probably would have done the same as Fleur.
"We are lucky too," Teacher Lovia sighed happily. "I am glad it was just some error like that. That notification nearly stopped my heart. At least it was just a hormonal teen and not something serious."
"That's very true." Noble understood. She, too, had felt fear when her communicator had delivered the strange alert.
Lovia let out a small laugh as she continued her thought.
"Can you imagine if the Academy actually came under attack? We have the cradle of our future here with these Sleepers. If anything happens to them, it would not only be deeply upsetting, it would be devastating for all of humanity."
The professor knew this, of course. Not only had parents entrusted the staff of the Academy with their children's safety and training, but the whole world had also made them the keepers of the next generation during their most vulnerable stage.
Even though that importance had lessened with the ability to awaken early, the value of the training and resources at the academy was incalculable.
To lose that…Noble didn't want to think about it, actually. She had lost so much already, and the world was continuing to fall apart more each day. Sooner or later, they would lose the Academy as it was swallowed by the Dream Realm.
Of course, she could not tell Lovia that. Even if the teacher believed her, what could she do about it? Nothing.
No, until that day came, Noble would protect the Academy against anything and anyone who threatened the people within. Thankfully, today's incident was minor.
"It is good to catch a break once in a while. We certainly need it." Noble pushed aside the dark thoughts.
The Academy was a haven. That, at least, was how it should be.
Bidding the other teacher goodbye, Noble returned to her original errand—a visit to Tamar.
'She's in her room, or close to it.' Noble decided after locating the legacy with her emotional sense.
That wasn't a surprise, but it did make the return easier. Inside the dorm, the ladies were exiting their rooms and talking about the events that had transpired.
Most of them were gathered around a shy redhead, who was trying her best not to reveal more than she intended. She was failing miserably.
Holding up her hands, Fleur tried desperately to backtrack on whatever information had already been provided.
"It wasn't a big deal. It was just a misunderstanding."
"Your boyfriend shut down an entire section of the Academy for you. How is that not a big deal?" A girl with raven hair nudged Fleur's shoulder.
"You are blowing it out of proportion, Gisel. Ray didn't mean to do that. He just wanted to talk." Fleur tried.
But the ladies around her had no interest in the truth anymore.
"It's just like a movie!" Another girl swooned. "A dark, handsome young man defies authority to reach his lover and save her. It's only too bad he was caught by enemy forces. Such a tragic end!"
The girl held her hand to her forehead with a heavy sigh.
"That's a bit dramatic. Ray wasn't caught by enemy forces. He will be fine." Fleur bit her lip. "Anyway, he's not my lover or my boyfriend. "
"At least, not yet!" Gisel chirped as she clapped her hands.
The girls around her made a high-pitched squeal, causing Fluer to blush as red as her hair.
"It's just a date. I don't know what you are all so worked up about."
The gaggle of girls only intensified their excitement as they considered the imminent rendezvous.
"Oh! You have to decide what you will wear!"
"Can I do your hair?" Gisel held out her unusually long, dark locks.
"I have this makeup Memory that will take you from Awakened to Divine!"
The other Sleepers pounced on Fleur. A dozen hands took hold of the hapless student, dragging her into one of the nearby rooms. The door shut in a fit of giggles. Poor Fleur would be getting a beauty treatment that she would never forget.
'Girls are the same through the ages, it seems,' Noble smiled.
The professor turned her attention to the side, where one teen had been set apart from the rest. The ashen-haired student was leaning against the wall away from the gossip, having listened to it with an indifferent expression.
Her eyes watched the door shut as she shook her head.
Then Tamar turned away to return to her room when she noticed someone was watching her.
"Professor Noble?"