As the light appeared and dissipated within a certain office, Chris slowly opened his eyes, seated on a couch with tea laid out before him.
"Sir," Chris began, his gaze focusing on Hugo who still had a knowing smile tugged on his lips. "May I know what you wanted to talk about so discreetly?"
"I'm not sure I understand what you mean by that?" replied Hugo as he then sipped on his own cup of tea.
"I'm not so foolish as to think that you don't have a personal agenda, sir."
Hugo studied Chris for a short moment before giving a response.
"You are correct. I do have other motives for allowing him to attend the academy."
"Which would be?" Chris inquired further.
"Simple observation. He is, in the simplest terms, an anomaly after all. You more than anyone would be conscious of that, wouldn't you say?" Hugo elaborated with serious and determined expression. "Now tell me, would you really say it is safe to leave him be considering how much of a mystery he is?"
'I know what he means by that. Even though it's already been a few months since Ace started living with us, I still can't figure out what he's thinking. Even when we talk to each other, I've never seen him smile or laugh. I never have any idea of what his real thoughts are. I can understand the dean's concern. In fact, there's probably no better place to keep an eye on Ace than the academy. But still…' Chris's thoughts raced as he then voiced his concerns.
"I think he should still be allowed to live a life with a bare minimum of freedom. I don't like the idea of simply seeing him as a potential threat who needs to be consistently observed. We might become the cause that turns him into a real monster at this rate."
'…Truly, he has grown splendidly,' Hugo's serious expression slightly softened with pride and joy as he remembered Chris's student days at the academy, and how the old man that he is was once a professor doing what he could to teach his students, including Chris, all that he could.
"You needn't worry. As the Dean of Therion Academy, it is also my responsibility to care and protect my students with all I have," reassured Hugo, though unnoticeably, his eyes seemed burdened.
"I see…" Chris muttered, trusting Hugo's words blindly as he stood up and bowed towards him. "Thank you for your understanding."
"Hahaha! You should probably be off to see that young lad. He should have arrived at the dorms by now. I'll send someone else to guide you."
"Thank you for your hospitality."
As a staff member from the academy entered the office and led Chris out, Hugo looked out the window with a sorrowful and serious, the burden in his eyes now fully evident as he let out a sigh.
"Even with all being said and done, the next school term will be quite chaotic."
---
---
---
"So, let's see, room 407, 407…" murmured Ace, as during that time, he looked around the dorms, searching for his own dorm room. "That staff member did say it was around here—Oh! Found it."
As he opened the door with the key he was previously given to his eyes slightly widened in astonishment as he beheld a surprising sight.
Standing before him as she bathed in the soft glow of sunlight streaming through the window with a bottle of water close to her lips, a towel seated on her shoulders and sweat dripping down her face, making her clothes slightly drenched, Emilia stood before him.
Staring blankly at each other, Emilia, her voice calm but confused, broke the silence.
"Who… are you?"
"…"
"Oh! I'm sorry, but I need to take a shower first. Mind waiting for a moment?" said Emilia, not even letting Ace answer as she headed straight for the bathroom as if running away from the situation, leaving the boy with his own thoughts.
'Huh? What's going on here?'
While Ace grappled with the situation at hand for a few minutes, with her body enveloped by the warmth of the water and the soothing scent of soap, Emilia now took her time relaxing in the bathtub, organizing her thoughts.
'A uniform with a white band. Is he the rumored Special Admission student Mira was telling me about? I certainly didn't expect to run into him before classes even started, and… I might have gone a little overboard,' she thought, staring at the ceiling while embarrassment gripped at her.
With a sigh from her, "But still, what am I supposed to do here? With how things are going, it's obvious what's happening even if no one says it," her words stopped as they hinted at an expected outcome.
In the meantime, Ace took out his smartphone and called Chris.
The phone ringing, Chris picked it up. "What's up Ace? I was on my—"
"Why is there a girl in my room?" coldly interrupted Ace, going straight to the main point without even letting Chris finish his sentence.
"You know it's quite rude to suddenly cut in like that, right?"
"Yeah, yeah. We'll talk about my behavior on the phone another time. Why did I find a girl in my room?"
Chris with a sigh, "If you found someone inside your room, that probably means that they are your roommate, don't you think?"
Ace also sighed on his side. "I get the point. But why is it a girl?"
"Well… The academy dorms have a co-ed system, so it's not that surprising to see a boy and a girl sharing the same room. Normally it would stir up some trouble, but the dean doesn't really differentiate between boys and girls all that much. In his own words: Students should explore more synergies since when in battle, they won't have the luxury to choose who they fight with. Hence, he thinks this is good practice to reinforce cohesion between students beyond gender or age," Chris explained, keeping his own thoughts to himself.
'I can understand his surprise. Though I never really experienced this kind of situation myself, I can understand he finds it troubling.'
Meanwhile, Ace, on the other side of the call, had a blank, deadpan expression on his face. 'I knew he was a weird and shrewd old man, but I didn't expect him to also be crazy.'
With another sigh, "Fine. I get the gist of it," Ace said, his unexpressive face carrying a tinge of exasperation.
"Anyway, you don't need to come and say goodbye to me," Ace added, making Chris halt in his march.
"Why?"
"I think it'd be better to go home and tell Ellie and Shaw that I've safely arrived."
'I kind of expected it, but…' Chris stiffened, a hint of disappointment and frustration in his eyes. 'I didn't expect him to still put up barriers between him and us.'
"Okay. I got it. I'll go back home then."
"Have a safe trip."
"Sure," Chris stopped for a moment. "Ace?"
"Yeah?"
"Hope you enjoy your stay at the academy and that you'll have fun," Chris said, his voice deep but full of warmth.
Ace felt a pang in his heart. It wasn't a painful one, but a warm and fuzzy sensation that made him clench his fist as a dark pull gripped him and his distant gaze descended on the floor.
"Be careful and take care of yourself. And whenever you feel like it, remember to come home once in a while. I'm sure Shaw and Ellie would be happy to see you again."
"Sure," Ace replied, his voice low almost as if he was being choked alive.
After a moment of silence, Ace released his breath, and with it…
"Okay. Enough with the sassy and cheesy words. Just get going already," Ace returned to his normal self.
"Sure, sure. Geez. Can't you act a little more moved? It also made me cringe, you know," said Chris with a mix of embarrassment and exasperation on his face.
"Your fault, not mine," coldly said Ace.
"Cheeky brat. Well, goodbye."
"Sure."