Two days had passed since the Maris Incident.
The Upbringers' Citadel had almost completely recovered.
Massive reconstruction drones hovered through the air, carrying enormous stone blocks with beams of Shuryoku. Cracked walls had already been rebuilt. Destroyed towers once again stood proudly against the morning sky.
Only a few sections of the front courtyard remained under construction.
Workers and engineers hurried back and forth while specialised Shuryoku machines repaired the final traces of the battle.
It was almost as if nothing had happened. Almost.
The once silent halls of the Citadel were alive again. Students filled the corridors, laughter echoed throughout the academy, some discussed arguments, others talked about training, and some were already gossiping about completely unrelated things.
Life had returned.
Inside classroom C…
Students quietly chatted among themselves while waiting for class to begin.
"…Do you think they'll reopen the western training grounds today?"
"I heard they'll be ready by tomorrow."
"The reconstruction speed is insane…"
"Well… this is the Upbringers' Citadel after all."
Then—
The classroom door suddenly slid open.
BANG!
Royoshi hurried inside, slightly out of breath.
"I'm here!"
The entire classroom turned toward him. Silence. Every student stared.
"…"
Then, almost simultaneously, everyone looked away and returned to whatever they had been doing.
Royoshi blinked.
"…Not even one dramatic reaction?"
Only one person continued looking at him.
Ishara.
She sighed.
"How many times are you going to be late?"
Royoshi scratched the back of his head.
"Huh?"
"I've honestly lost count."
She folded her arms.
"This has to be at least the thousandth time."
Royoshi immediately protested.
"It's not my fault."
"My body just refuses to wake up early, okay?"
Ishara tilted her head.
"I think that might actually be your fault."
Royoshi looked genuinely offended.
"I've been betrayed by my own biological clock."
A few nearby students chuckled.
One student whispered, 'He's late literally every other day.'
Another nodded.
"At this point it's part of the morning routine."
Royoshi sighed dramatically.
"None of you understand my suffering."
Before Royoshi could continue defending himself—
The classroom door slid open once again.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Pasithea walked inside carrying several books beneath one arm.
The room immediately fell silent.
"Everyone,"
She placed the books onto the teacher's desk.
"Take your seats."
Royoshi quickly made his way toward the back of the classroom.
His usual seat at the back.
The warning bell rang the moment he sat down.
DING—
Royoshi let out a relieved sigh.
"…Made it."
Pasithea looked at him.
"…"
"I'll pretend I didn't notice."
A few students laughed.
Royoshi scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"Hehe…"
Pasithea faced the class.
"Good morning, everyone."
"Good morning, Ms Pasithea."
A small smile appeared on her face.
"As you can already see, the reconstruction of the Citadel is progressing faster than expected."
Several students glanced out of the classroom windows. Reconstruction drones continued flying through the air. Workers repaired the final damaged sections of the academy.
"Thanks to the Citadel's reconstruction technology, almost everything damaged during the recent incident has already been restored."
She paused.
"In another two days, the remaining repairs should be completed."
A student near the front raised his hand.
"So the western training grounds will reopen too?"
Pasithea nodded.
"They will."
A few students quietly celebrated among themselves.
She continued.
"However…"
"…Construction is still ongoing in a few sections of the Citadel."
"So, for the next two days…"
"…all classes will be shortened by one hour."
Silence.
Then—
"WOOOOOOOOO!!"
Cheers erupted throughout the classroom.
"YES!"
"LET'S GOOOOO!"
"BEST NEWS EVER!"
Even Royoshi quickly celebrated from the back.
"Maybe I'll finally be able to get enough sleep…"
Pasithea smiled.
"Alright, alright."
"Calm down."
The cheering slowly died down.
"There is one more announcement."
The classroom immediately became curious.
"We have two new students joining Class C today."
Immediately—
Whispers spread throughout the classroom.
"Transfer students?"
"In the middle of the semester?"
"That's unusual…"
Pasithea smiled.
"I know."
"It isn't something we usually do."
"But certain circumstances prevented both of them from attending the entrance ceremony."
She looked toward the classroom door.
"You may come in."
The classroom door slid open once more.
A boy entered first.
Copper-red hair. Golden-yellow eyes. A calm, serious expression.
His posture was perfectly straight, almost military-like.
He looked around the classroom before giving a respectful nod.
Behind him walked a girl.
Long pink hair gently flowed behind her. Bright violet eyes sparkled with excitement.
Unlike the boy's composed expression, she wore a cheerful smile that made her seem approachable almost instantly.
She looked around the classroom as though she wanted to meet everyone immediately.
Pasithea nodded toward the boy.
"You may introduce yourself first."
The boy stepped forward.
"My name is Horatio Amos."
His voice was calm and composed.
"I'm from the New Crescent."
"I missed the entrance ceremony due to some family matters."
He gave a respectful bow.
"But now that I'm here, I hope to make many friends."
Polite applause echoed throughout the classroom.
Pasithea then looked toward the girl.
She immediately stepped forward with an enthusiastic wave.
"My name is Bela Furi!"
"I'm from Enlightment's Index."
"I was admitted recently, so I'm joining a little late."
She looked around the classroom with a bright smile.
"I can't wait to become friends with everyone here!"
She paused before adding,
"So… please don't ignore me!"
For a brief second…
The classroom fell silent.
Then several students burst into laughter. Even Pasithea couldn't help smiling.
Whispers immediately spread around the room.
"They're both really good-looking…"
"They look like models…"
"I wonder how strong they are."
"They're probably gifted."
Pasithea raised a hand.
"I hope everyone will help your new classmates settle in."
She looked toward the empty desks.
She gestured toward the empty seats.
"Horatio."
"Bela."
"You may sit wherever you like."
Without hesitation—
Horatio began walking toward the back of the classroom. Straight toward Royoshi.
He stopped beside the empty desk.
"May I sit here?"
Royoshi blinked.
"…Uh."
"Sure."
"Thank you."
Horatio quietly took the seat beside Royoshi.
Almost immediately—
More whispers spread across the classroom.
"He chose Royoshi?"
"That's unexpected…"
"Why him?"
Royoshi awkwardly scratched the back of his head.
"…Don't ask me."
Meanwhile…
Bela happily skipped toward Ishara.
Nearly everyone avoided sitting beside the Citadel's strongest student.
Not because she was rude.
But because she always looked cold.
Bela stopped beside the empty chair.
"May I sit here?"
Ishara looked at her for a moment before nodding.
"Sure."
Bela smiled brightly.
"Thank you!"
"I can't wait to become friends with you!"
The whispers returned.
"They're complete opposites…"
"But somehow…"
"It kind of works."
Royoshi quietly overheard everything from the back of the classroom.
"…Look at the double standards…"
Pasithea picked up a piece of chalk.
"Now then,"
"Let's begin today's lesson."
The classroom gradually settled down.
Outside, the reconstruction drones continued repairing the final scars left behind by the battle.
Inside—
Life at the Upbringers' Citadel had finally begun returning to normal.
The lesson continued like any other day.
Calculations.
History.
Shuryoku Theory.
Even practical combat strategies.
The atmosphere inside the classroom had completely returned to normal.
Students answered questions.
Some struggled to stay awake.
Others hurriedly copied notes before Pasithea erased the board.
As for Royoshi…
He stared blankly out of the window.
The reconstruction drones continued moving across the Citadel's skyline.
"…"
"Royoshi."
His eyes widened.
"Huh?"
Pasithea stood at the front of the classroom.
"Would you like to answer the question?"
Royoshi slowly looked at the blackboard.
"…"
"…What was the question again?"
The classroom erupted into laughter.
Pasithea let out a small sigh.
"I thought so."
Royoshi scratched the back of his head.
"My bad…"
Ishara quickly covered her mouth, trying not to laugh.
Royoshi noticed.
"…You're laughing too?"
She immediately looked away.
"I'm not."
"You definitely are."
"I'm not."
"You literally smiled."
"I didn't."
Royoshi narrowed his eyes.
"…Liar."
The morning classes continued without incident.
Before anyone realised it…
The lunch bell rang.
DINGGGG—
The classroom immediately came alive. Students packed their bags and hurried toward the cafeteria.
Royoshi stretched his arms.
"Finally…"
"I'm starving."
He stood up and began walking toward the classroom door.
As expected…
He was one of the last students to leave.
Outside the classroom—
Ishara was already waiting.
She glanced at him.
"Took you long enough."
Royoshi shrugged.
"I was waiting for the crowd to leave."
"You say that every day."
"Because it's true every day."
Ishara shook her head with a faint smile.
"…Let's go."
The two walked through the bustling hallways together.
Around them, students chatted excitedly. Some discussed the new transfer students. Others talked about the reduced class hours.
Meanwhile—
Horatio and Bela had already become the centre of attention.
"He's from New Crescent?"
"I heard Enlightenment's Index is amazing too."
"I wonder which one is stronger."
Neither Horatio nor Bela seemed bothered by the attention.
Royoshi simply glanced at the crowd before looking forward again.
"Glad that's not me."
Ishara looked at him.
"It never has been."
"…Thanks?"
"I wasn't complimenting you."
"That somehow hurt."
For the first time that day—
Ishara quietly laughed.
"…"
Royoshi stared at her.
"What?"
"You laugh more often nowadays."
Ishara blinked.
"…Do I?"
"You do."
She looked away.
"…Maybe."
The two eventually arrived at the cafeteria.
The familiar aroma of freshly prepared food filled the air.
Royoshi walked straight toward the serving counter.
"I already know what I'm getting."
Ishara sighed.
"…Chicken again?"
Royoshi proudly nodded.
"Chicken again."
Royoshi grabbed his usual meal.
A large serving of grilled chicken.
A bowl of rice.
And a glass of water.
Ishara looked at his tray before shaking her head.
"You really never change."
Royoshi proudly smiled.
"Consistency is the key to happiness."
"I don't think that's how it works."
"It does when chicken is involved."
Ishara let out another quiet laugh.
The two collected their meals and walked toward their usual table near the cafeteria window.
As always—
It was mostly empty.
Royoshi sat down first.
"It feels weird."
Ishara looked at him.
"What does?"
"The cafeteria."
She looked around. Students filled nearly every table.
Conversations echoed throughout the room. Some laughed. Some argued over food. Others challenged each other to training matches after class.
"It was quiet two days ago…"
Royoshi quietly muttered.
"…I'm glad everyone's smiling again."
Ishara looked at him for a brief moment.
"…Me too."
The two began eating.
Royoshi happily took another bite of chicken.
His eyes lit up.
"I swear…"
"This is the best thing they've ever served."
Ishara raised an eyebrow.
"You say that every single day."
"Because every day it's true."
She sighed.
"You should really eat something different once in a while."
Royoshi swallowed another bite.
"I know…"
"But chicken is just toooo good."
Ishara couldn't hold it anymore.
A small laugh escaped her lips.
"Heh…"
Royoshi immediately looked up.
"Hey!"
"Why are you laughing?!"
Ishara quickly looked away.
"…It's nothing."
"It is absolutely something."
She avoided eye contact.
"I said it's nothing."
Royoshi narrowed his eyes.
"…You're impossible."
For just a moment—
Neither of them noticed the students gathered around the cafeteria entrance.
Then—
A loud burst of chatter echoed through the room.
"Look!"
"The transfer students are here!"
"So that's Horatio!"
"And that's Bela!"
Royoshi and Ishara turned toward the entrance.
Horatio Amos and Bela Furi had just entered the cafeteria.
Within seconds—
A crowd surrounded both of them. Questions came from every direction.
"Is New Crescent really that advanced?"
"Were you top of your class?"
"Can you show us your Shuryoku?"
"Are you two friends?"
Bela answered every question with a smile.
Horatio simply replied with short, polite answers.
Royoshi watched for a second before returning to his meal.
"I'm glad that's not me."
Ishara nodded.
"It never is."
Royoshi laughed.
"Fair enough."
The two quietly continued eating.
For a brief moment—
Everything felt peaceful.
Until—
Royoshi suddenly froze.
"…!"
A sharp pain surged through his chest. His breathing caught for an instant. He grabbed the edge of the table. The piece of chicken in his mouth nearly went down the wrong way.
"Cough…!"
"Cough!"
Ishara immediately put down her utensils.
"Royoshi!"
She stood up.
"Are you okay?"
Royoshi covered his mouth as another cough escaped.
"Yeah…"
"I'm fine…"
But deep inside—
The Corrupted Shuryoku he had absorbed during the battle with Maris had begun to react once again.
"No."
"You're not."
Royoshi forced a smile.
"I said I'm fine."
Another cough escaped him.
"Cough!"
He pressed a hand against his chest.
The pain disappeared almost as quickly as it appeared.
"…"
Royoshi slowly exhaled.
"It's gone."
Ishara remained standing. Her expression didn't change.
"You've been pushing yourself too hard."
Royoshi looked away.
"I'll be okay."
"You said the same thing after the fight with Maris."
"And I was okay."
"You collapsed right after."
"…"
"…Details."
Ishara sighed.
"You absorbed far too much Corrupted Shuryoku."
Royoshi froze for a split second.
"…"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
She narrowed her eyes.
"You really think I didn't notice?"
"You kept forcing yourself to fight."
"You were coughing before the battle even ended."
Royoshi quietly looked down at his tray.
"…I just didn't want anyone else getting hurt."
Silence settled between them.
After a few moments—
Royoshi spoke again.
"Speaking of…"
"How's Maris doing?"
Ishara finally sat back down.
"She's still in the med bay."
"The healers say she's stable."
"They're keeping her there for a few more days."
Royoshi let out a small sigh of relief.
"…That's good."
Another moment of silence passed.
Then Royoshi looked up.
"Should we visit her after classes?"
Ishara nodded without hesitation.
"Of course."
"I'm sure she'd be happy to see you."
Royoshi smiled.
The two quietly finished the rest of their lunch.
Outside—
The chatter of hundreds of students continued filling the cafeteria.
For the first time in days—
The Citadel truly felt alive again.