"Mind?"
"Are you kidding?"
With a girl this cute showing up, they'd be rolling out the red carpet—and she's asking if anyone would mind?
Yeah, right.
Every guy there was thinking the exact same thing.
"Hey, everyone…"
"My name's Lyra."
She paused for a beat, then added with a small smile, "No—I don't play the lyre."
Yuri blinked.
"…Man, I was about to ask."
Ethan stepped in immediately, grinning.
"Shame. You look like you would."
He tilted his head slightly.
"Though I do play an instrument."
Lyra glanced at him, curious.
"Oh?"
Ethan smirked.
"Yeah… the lyre."
…
A brief silence.
Yuri turned his head slowly.
"…You're trying way too hard."
"Uh—hey, Lyra. I'm Yuri."
"Victor."
...
The others quickly introduced themselves as well.
Aaron just curled his lip slightly.
Seriously… these guys are hopeless around a pretty girl.
Still, out of basic courtesy, he gave a small nod.
"Hey. Aaron."
Lyra's bright eyes landed on him, her smile still sweet.
"So you're Aaron…"
"My cousin says you're strong. I'm curious if that's actually true."
Her tone was gentle—but there was a clear edge underneath.
Aaron just smiled, didn't answer, and dragged over a chair before getting back to the grill.
Lyra's smile faltered for a split second.
A hint of irritation flickered in her eyes.
He just… ignored me?
No way he's actually that strong. My cousin must've exaggerated.
There's no way he's better than me—I'm ranked 15th on the Hidden Dragon.
The more she watched him casually grilling like nothing mattered, the more it got on her nerves.
Grace noticed immediately. She lightly tugged Lyra's sleeve, then sat down beside Aaron and started grilling Farfetch'd leeks.
Meanwhile, Aaron's cooking skills were on full display.
Everything he touched came out perfectly—rich, aromatic, impossible to ignore.
The smell alone had everyone swallowing.
The second the food came off the grill, it was gone.
No hesitation.
No mercy.
Even Lyra—who had been annoyed just moments ago—gave in without a second thought and joined the chaos.
Aaron could only sigh and keep cooking.
What was supposed to be a chill get-together somehow turned into his personal barbecue shift—and by the end of it, everyone was completely stuffed.
...
Stuffed and completely satisfied, the group stretched out on the grassy slope in the courtyard, staring up at the night sky.
Stars shimmered overhead, calm and steady.
"…Crazy. We're actually graduating."
"Yeah… three years felt long at the time, but now it's like it all flew by."
"I'm really glad I met you guys."
"…Same. Wouldn't trade this for anything."
"I owe a lot to Aaron, honestly. He's the one who showed me what having real friends is like."
"Before that, I was just messing around all day… kinda embarrassing when I think about it."
"Haha, same here. If it weren't for him, I'd probably still be stuck in dumb rivalries."
"And because of Aaron, my family actually won that competition… otherwise…"
...
A cool night breeze drifted across the hill as they kept talking, trading stories and memories.
Victor and Simon glanced at Aaron beside them, their expressions sincere.
Aaron just smiled and shook his head.
"You're giving me way too much credit."
"I didn't do anything special… just helped when I could."
"And seriously—quit thanking me."
He paused, then added with a faint smile,
"We're friends, right?"
Under the moonlight, a soft silver glow fell across his face.
There was nothing forced about that smile—it was real.
"…Yeah."
"Of course we are."
"Yeah—we're friends."
Victor sniffed lightly as he raised his hand toward the sky.
The others followed.
"To us."
"To our squad."
Off to the side, Lyra watched quietly, something unreadable in her eyes.
She had already figured it out—
Aaron was the one holding this group together.
Everything seemed to revolve around him.
Even Grace—who rarely acknowledged anyone—had clearly accepted him as the center of it all.
So… he really does have something going for him?
Is it just strength? Is that what earned him all this?
A small seed of doubt crept into her thoughts.
But she pushed it down almost immediately.
Even if he's strong… there's no way he's stronger than me.
I'm ranked 15th.
Her gaze shifted slightly, and that sweet smile returned to her face.
"So… how about a Pokémon battle? Let's make things a bit more interesting."
"Huh?"
"Oh, I'm in!"
"Lyra, let me take that—I'm pretty solid, you know!"
"Get lost, I'm going first! Been waiting for this!"
"Move—this is mine!"
"You only scored 3,000, sit down. I'll handle it!"
...
Yuri and Victor immediately started going at it, arguing back and forth like idiots.
Just seconds ago they were talking about friendship—and now they were ready to throw hands over who got first.
In the end, they settled it with rock-paper-scissors.
Yuri won.
And just like that, he got the first match against Lyra.
...