The council room rustled with the sound of papers, tapping and heavy sighs. Pages, files and spreadsheets were scattered on the wooden table, some hung over the edge
Aki was leaning on the table, chin resting in his hand while gripping one of the pages tightly around his fingers. Strands of his hair covered both eyes, veins popping out on his forehead. His voice came out strained as he looked up, "Why'd you agree to this?"
"There's nothing wrong with taking some weight off the head office's should" Sam answered, arranging stacks of documents, his heavy sighs made Aki look at him twice raising an eyebrow at the obvious lie
"There's a reason they earn salaries you know" he flicked the paper onto the table, lifting his head up, and rubbing his wrists one by one
"Fine" Sam stopped, putting the papers down, "let's take a break then" he exhaled once more, this time longer and heavier. "I've been hearing some news recently"
Aki raised an eyebrow, eyeing Sam with suspicion. "What news?" He lowered his voice just enough to stay confined in the room. "Have you been snooping?"
"What? No." Sam waved his hands, leaning back in his chair. "They're everywhere. Former S rank Hero returns after 3 years out of commission? It's literally all over WebFun" He pulled out his phone, intending to show Aki, but he stopped him
"No need for that" Rubbing his cheek, he thought back to the previous day's events. Although he had not wanted to eavesdrop, hearing his sister's voice made him waver, when it comes to Chloe, he was never as expressive as he was towards Rose, but he always wanted what was best for his elder sisters, the same way they wanted what was best for him. 'That moment' his mind drifted back to the island, how he had managed to prove Chloe's competence
Although he didn't like using his fiancée, that moment felt justified
"VP? You alright?" Sam's voice cut through his thoughts, and he quickly compose himself
"I'm fine" His syllables trembled slightly, but Sam didn't seem to notice. "I need some air"
He got up, opened the door and left, as he reached the stairs, he bumped into a young woman in suit jacket, and a dress. "Excuse me. I'm looking for the student council room?"
He looked up, his eyes meeting the woman's, "Last door to your right" he forced the words out through a dry throat, before stepping beside her and continuing down the stairs
'What's up with him?' The woman watched him disappear down the stairs, then shook her head, before walking towards the council room. 'What a rude individual. He didn't even bother greeting me, doesn't he know who I am?'
He stopped by the second story balcony, gripping the railing tightly, heart racing, his interface flashed in and out of vision, transitioning between red and blue
[SOF]
[WARN–] [ERROR]
[BERSERKER STATE] [ACTIVE | INACTIVE]
Amidst his turmoil, his eyes landed on the kindergarten just across from the academy, the children's carefree smiles, unbothered happiness clung to his senses, his pulse slowly steadied itself, the interface retracting to the corners. Seeing those children had reminded him of his earlier years, how he had also been carefree, enjoying youth through the clouds of expectations
The woman, Elena entered the council room to find Sam stressing over hundreds of files, he pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing heavily as he arranged another thick stack of papers.
"Bad timing?" Elena took off her jacket, wrapping it on a chair, before taking a seat
"Not at all. Sorry for the mess, I've been swamped with work recently" He sat down as well, clearing the table. "The VP is out right now, you don't mind waiting right?"
"That's fine. We can chat for the time being" leaned back in her chair, crossing her legs, playing with her hair.
"I have a question. I heard there's a really attractive guy here?" She smiled, waiting for Sam to answer
"There are tons of attractive people, you'll have to be specific"
"He's a Elite class student"
"Elite class" Sam scratched his head, confused. "That doesn't narrow the number down at all"
"Come on. The silver-haired, red-eyed cutie"
"Silver-haired? Oh, you mean Aki? He's the vice president"
"Really?" She leaned over the table, whispering in a hush. "Have him accompany me in the evaluation"
"Sure. But i wouldn't be too excited" He sighed, "he's not an easy target, I've been in this academy long enough to know"
"Don't you worry. I have my ways"
"You best pray they at least dent his icy demeanor" he stopped as if realizing something. "You didn't ask your father for the role just to see Aki, did you?"
"Don't expose me like that"
"You teenagers are ridiculous"
"Wow, dad, you literally just turned twenty, you aren't even fit to lecture a high schooler yet"
"Don't compare me to your dad, he's too far gone"
Before she could retort, the door creaked open, and Aki walked inside, holding a bottle of water, jersey over his shoulder, shirt unbuttoned at the top, necklace dangling around his neck. "I'm back"
"You?!" Elena jumped from her chair, looking him up and down.
"Me?" He took a sip from the bottle, watching this strange woman with one eye. "What about me?"
"Sam?" Elena whipped around, staring at Sam while pointing a finger at Aki
"Have you two met?"
"Not really met, more like ignored"
"I didn't ignore you" he defended himself, pressing her hand down. "I literally directed you"
"But did you notice who I am?"
"Obviously. Elena Miller, how could I not notice?"
'Wait?! He noticed me, and still ignored me?! I'll make sure to deal with him today'
"VP" Sam cut in, handing over a folder, "Elena here is the evaluator. Everything that needs evaluation has been written down on those documents" he looked at Elena, smiling, "take this seriously, alright?"
Outside. An SUV parked by the academy gates, Rose and Snow were seated in the backseat, the driver pressed a button on the steering wheel, opening the rear doors for them. "Come back in two hours" Rose handed the driver a black card, "Get me a bottle of strawberry milk on your way back"
Suddenly, her phone rang, checking the screen, the name 'Heroes Associates' stared back at her. "Hello?"
"Sorry for disturbing you on your day off, but there's an issue we need to resolve" the voice on the other line sounded frantic, and Rose was immediately on edge. "What is it?"
"Arcane 1C has been breached!"The noises around her blurred, her mind racing, 'Arcane 1C?! How?!'
"How did it happen?!"
"We don't know yet. Luckily no one escaped, the guards managed to close off the gates and barriers in time"
"Luckily?!" Rose screamed into her phone, holding so tightly the screen began to crack. "What the hell was security doing?!"
"Please calm down. We're working on finding the cause as soon as possible"
"You better"