"Your breakfast will be ready soon, Master," Elizabeth said as she set the table.
Markara walked into the kitchen, still half-asleep, letting out a long yawn.
"Good morning, Elizabeth," he mumbled, rubbing his eyes. "And… thanks for that!"
"Oi, where were you last night?" Mei asked the moment Markara stepped into the kitchen.
"Woah—Mei?" Markara blinked, genuinely surprised. "You're up early today? That's… new."
"Hehe~" Mei giggled, brushing off the comment. "Anyway, where were you last night?"
She stood from her seat and slowly approached him, pointing an accusing finger at his chest like a detective.
"H-Hey, calm down!" Markara laughed nervously, raising his hands.
Then, it hit him.
He remembered what happened the night before—how he and Ren escorted Fah, the Krasue girl, back to her dorm after their strange mission. She'd only told them her name after they arrived, her voice quiet but grateful.
And Ren's warning echoed in his mind:
"Don't tell anyone about the club. It's top secret."
Markara looked back at Mei, still pointing at him with suspicion.
"You told me you joined a club," Mei said, pausing as she crossed her arms. "What kind of club activity takes that long to finish?"
Markara froze mid-step, caught off guard by the question. His mind scrambled for a believable excuse.
"It was… a Literature Club," he said slowly, easing into his seat. "We were… doing research. Last night."
Mei tilted her head, suspicious but intrigued.
"Research…?"
"Yeah," Markara nodded, trying to sound confident. "We're researching… supernatural stuff."
He picked the topic hoping it would throw her off—figuring she'd roll her eyes, call it boring, and drop the conversation.
Instead—
"REALLY?!" Mei lit up like a firework. "I'm a huge fan of that kind of stuff!"
Markara's soul left his body.
"I never thought the Literature Club would do that kind of research! I want to join too!" Mei beamed, stars practically sparkling in her eyes.
"Eh—?!" Markara choked on air.
Panic flashed across his face.
'Oh no. Oh no no no. Ren's gonna kill me.'
He forced an awkward laugh. "Haha… I-I'm not sure if we're… uh, accepting new members right now."
Mei stared at him for a moment, then slowly backed off with a sigh, returning to her seat.
Markara let out a quiet breath of relief and finally picked up his fork, eating his breakfast as calmly as he could. But even as the food passed his lips, his mind wasn't on the meal.
What he'd seen last night lingered like a dream he couldn't shake.
Fah—the Krasue. A floating girl's head with glowing organ-like tendrils. Something he thought only existed in ghost stories or ancient folklore. And yet… she'd spoken to him. She was real.
As he stared blankly at his plate, another memory surfaced.
The girl from the academy garden.
Iris.
He hadn't seen her yesterday, and it bothered him more than he expected. There was something different about her—graceful, quiet, almost otherworldly.
At the time, he hadn't known exactly what she was. Only Elizabeth, the dorm's caretaker, seemed to know anything about her. She'd mentioned the name Iris in passing… and now it lingered in his mind.
What confused him most was what Iris actually was.
A nymph—from Western folklore.
Meanwhile, Fah, the Krasue, came from Southeast Asian mythology. Two beings from completely different cultures, existing in the same school.
It didn't make sense.
But then he remembered what Ren had said.
Fah's parents had sent her here because the academy was protected by Guardians. It was one of the few safe havens left for supernatural beings.
'So this place… it's not just a school. It's a sanctuary.'
That realization hit him harder than expected.
"Come on, we're going to be late!" Mei called out, giving Markara a quick pat on the back as she made her way to the door.
"Huh? Wait—already?!" Markara scrambled to grab his bag, still half-lost in thought.
"Have a good day," Elizabeth said softly, her doll-like voice calm and composed as always. She stood by the door with a graceful bow.
==============================
Class went surprisingly well.
Markara was able to follow along with most of the lessons—the theories and topics were familiar, almost identical to what he had studied back at his old school. Catching up academically wasn't the hard part.
The real struggle… was the language.
While most subjects were taught in English, Japanese still played a major role—especially in daily conversation, announcements, and, of course, the mandatory language class.
Even simple phrases could trip him up. Still, Markara pushed through the lessons as best he could.
Soon enough, the lunch break arrived.
Markara and Mei made their way toward the cafeteria, chatting casually, when he spotted a familiar figure waiting by the food kiosk.
"Ren!" Markara called out, raising a hand. "How's it going?"
Ren looked up with a bright grin, waving back.
"Who's that?" Mei asked, glancing at the younger boy curiously.
"Oh… he's a member of the club," Markara replied casually as he started walking toward Ren.
"Senpai! Have you checked the payment?" Ren beamed, practically skipping over as he pulled out his phone.
"Huh? No?" Markara blinked, confused. "We get paid?"
"You know, it was a simple task," Ren said, shaking his head in disbelief, "but they paid us a lot! Look!"
He held out his screen proudly.
"100P!"
Markara leaned in, and his eyes widened.
"100P? That's like… 150 USD!"
His brain did the conversion instantly—old habit—but this time, it wasn't about numbers.
It was about his first mission, his first real step into this strange world... and somehow, he got paid for it.
Markara tried to play it cool, but his excitement slipped through in his grin.
"Not bad for saving a floating head," Markara said with a smirk.
"Floating… head?"
Mei's voice suddenly cut in, her head poking between the two of them from out of nowhere.
"AHH—It's nothing!" Ren blurted, nearly jumping.
"Just… just our submission from yesterday's research!" Markara came up with another excuse.
Yeah!" Ren continued, nodding furiously.
"Hmm… your club's starting to sound really interesting," Mei said, arms crossed with a proud grin. "I want to join! Take me to your club president!"
Suddenly, an awkward silence fell between the three of them.
Ren and Markara slowly turned to look at each other…
Then, at the exact same time, both pointed at the other.
"He's the president," Ren said.
"He's the president," Markara blurted.
Mei blinked, her expression caught somewhere between amused and confused.
"Ehh… wait. Which one of you is it?!"
Somehow, before Markara could even begin to answer Mei's question, another presence approached from afar.
"Fah-senpai!" Ren blurted out, immediately noticing her.
Markara turned to look—his eyes widening in surprise.
Fah was walking toward them.
But not as a floating head.
She had a body. A full one.
Clad in the standard school uniform, Fah walked toward them as gracefully as any normal student. Her long black hair flowed gently with each step, catching the sunlight just enough to shimmer.
And on her face, a big, bright smile.
Markara couldn't believe his eyes.
Just last night, she was a floating head with trailing organs, hiding in the shadows. Now… she looked like a perfectly ordinary schoolgirl.
He was surprised to see her in a complete human form—because Markara hadn't done any proper research or asked Ren more about what a Krasue really was.
In truth, Krasue was said to be a beautiful girl by day, blending in like any ordinary person.
But at night, her head would detach from her body and float through the air, trailing her glowing internal organs beneath her like something out of a ghost story.
"Markara-senpai!" Fah's soft voice lit up the moment she reached them, her smile bright and innocent.
"Eh—"
"EH—!"
"U-Umm—"
Markara, Ren, and even Mei all responded at once—each in their own mix of confusion, panic, and stunned silence.
Markara stiffened, unsure whether to respond normally… or just quietly scream inside.
"Umm… Fah-senpai, what are you doing here?" Ren asked, his face twisted in confusion.
Fah brought a finger to her chin, tilting her head thoughtfully.
"Hmm…" she hummed innocently. "To see Markara-senpai, of course!"
She beamed at him with a bright, pure smile.
"Oiii—who are you?!" Mei snapped, quickly stepping in front of Markara like a protective older sister.
"I'm Fah. From Year 10," she replied sweetly, giving a small, polite bow.
"This guy is under me !" Mei said while pointing at Markara.
"I'm under you or anything !" Markar blurted out quickly.
"So, what are you !" Mei asked her again.
"I'm a Kra—"
Before Fah could finish, both Ren and Markara lunged forward and clapped their hands over her mouth.
"Ahaha—what she meant to say," Ren said quickly, sweating nervously, "is that she's also a member of the club!"
Fah blinked, her voice muffled behind their hands.
Mei stared at them with narrowed eyes.
Then, she puffed out her cheeks.
"Ehh? That's unfair! I want to join too!"
She stomped lightly in place, throwing a mini tantrum that made nearby students glance their way.