Rias looked with interest at the newcomer who had written his name on the class board. For someone who looked anything but Japanese, his handwriting was... Well, what can I say — too perfect! Perhaps this Castor had lived in Japan since childhood, so the local language had become second nature to him. Did his parents move here a long time ago? Perhaps. But his manners were like those of the old aristocracy, and that was very difficult to find, especially among humans.
"Add these dark glasses indoors to the list of oddities..."
Exactly! This Brinel wore sunglasses right in class as if it were the most natural thing in the world. This surprised Rias, as well as the teacher, who squinted at the boy facing the class. The girls in the class immediately stared admiringly at the blond boy, whose expression seemed frozen. A perpetual small smile without a hint of emotion. As if stuck to his face like a parasite. And while Gremory, who was used to seeing something similar on her brother's face, quickly understood everything, in the eyes of her classmates, Castor quickly turned into a kind of doomed heartthrob.
"How silly," the girl thought to herself and looked at her friend and queen at the same time. Akeno looked at the boy with a predatory smile, like a cat looking at a small mouse. Rias sighed and shook her head. Sometimes, even Rias, who knew Himegima well, was frightened by her tendencies, especially her sadistic tendencies. However, Gremory did not consider Brinel an easy target for her friend: he was too... The girl frowned slightly, placing her hand on her chin. Detached? Yes, detached from the world. Of course, she was seeing him for the first time, but her intuition told her exactly that.
"My name is Castor Brinel. I was born in Europe, but I moved here due to circumstances beyond my control," the boy introduced himself calmly, ignoring the sighs of his classmates. "I wear glasses because of a congenital condition that makes my eyes sensitive to light," he continued, and the class filled with sympathetic and encouraging sighs, while Rias quickly nodded. Now the reason was clear, but why was he explaining himself in such detail? It was too much, too... It was like he was reading an encyclopaedia.
"My main hobby is enriching my knowledge and cultural education, which is why I am fascinated by the heritage of the peoples of the world, their history, as well as their cultural layer and influence on global society.
Rias blinked in surprise, and the class fell silent after the boy's words. Wow... Greemory didn't expect this from a boy who came to a former girls' academy. Usually, everyone either wants to find love, become an athlete, or a businessman. The desire to become smarter and more cultured is so rare among people that it involuntarily commands respect. But why is he talking like THAT? She hadn't even spoken to him for a minute, and her head was already starting to ring alarmingly!
"So, class, any questions?"
Rias wasn't surprised by the forest of hands. After all, new boys always attract too much attention from the female students, no matter what kind of person they turn out to be in the future. Usually, everyone would be flustered by such attention, but this Castor... He silently put his hands behind his back, stood at attention, and raised his head. His frighteningly calm smile never left his face, which made Gremory feel uneasy. There was something about him... Something strange, attractive and yet frightening. It was as if... With a smile like that, you could either greet an old friend or cold-bloodedly kill an old enemy.
"Please, madam. What question are you interested in?" Castor looked at Akeno, who rose too gracefully from her seat, clearly trying to attract the boy's attention. But he didn't even flinch."Do you have a girlfriend, Brinel-san?" her friend asked coquettishly. Rias sighed wearily. This sadist was always tormenting new guys with her words and actions. Like a snake that had caught a mouse in its coils. Reveling in the suffering of her victims. Gremoire smiled. Apparently, the spell didn't work as it should have this time.
"At this point in time, that kind of relationship would only be an obstacle to my goal. I'm sorry, madam, but I must decline your offer," the guy replied in an even tone without a hint of regret. Rias couldn't help but smile mockingly as a shocked Akeno sat down in her seat and the class fell into a deathly silence.
"How interesting..."
***
Training at the Kuo Academy was radically different from that at the Guilds of Arcanum. There was no supervision by meticulous inquisitors or senior mages, virtually no restrictions on movement within the building, and no chains. In Castor's case, of course. The other students were much more... predictable and safe than he was. After all, when a teenager is capable of telling important people the date of their death, it's best to keep him away. It's a pity that this didn't save those who didn't believe his words.
"So you're still able to predict the future?"
"Those were spontaneous explosions caused by the mind's unpreparedness for such information, as well as an inability to control the flow of data within the brain," Brinel whispered, looking around his desk. His little plan had been a success — most of the students now avoided him. Publicly rejecting and even humiliating an idol in front of their fans instantly turns you into an outcast. But how can you tell if someone is an idol? By their eyes. Castor looked closely at the others and went back to reading. The eyes are the mirror of the soul. Even if your face is as stone as a wall, your eyes can give you away. And this... He saw almost in every glance an inhuman contempt.
The most important thing is the tone of voice. A lot depends on how you say certain words, with what "temperature" and with what emphasis. Emphasising certain parts of a sentence can convey much more information to the listener than it seems. That's how he did it with Akeno. A specific tone, specific emphasis on certain words, and a short sentence turns into a ghostly cold blade, cutting flesh with particular sadism.
"I don't understand when you find the time to come up with your plans," Drayg sighed wearily, to which Brinel shrugged his left shoulder without looking up from his reading.
"Real plans are nothing more than improvisation. Any algorithm devised in advance is an attempt to deceive oneself and others."
Castor silently turned the page and continued reading about feudal fragmentation in Europe. He saw no need to explain objective facts to the dragon, which had been confirmed by numerous "tacticians" who had created dozens of plans, ultimately leading to collapse and numerous deaths. Yes, creating some kind of framework would be a great help, but there was no point in building it up in advance: the wolves would devour it faster than you could say "Wolves!" Brinel stopped reading and looked out the window. Hundreds of souls lost because of incompetent commanders and orders flashed before his eyes... His smile lost all its warmth, becoming colder than space.
"Death is an integral part of the life cycle of any matter. But why does the realisation of this fact make my heart so cold?"
"Ara-ara, ten yen for bad thoughts.
Castor exhaled softly and turned his head towards Akeno. What could he say about this girl? A model Japanese beauty, according to many local polls, a dangerous "predator" and one of the two beauties of Kuo. Their positions constantly changed, and the fans of both girls almost fought for the attention of the queens. Castor... He couldn't understand these preoccupied teenagers, although he should have, given that he was the same inside. Brinel noted with surprise that Ddraig did not start swearing or sulking like a little ancient lizard.
"Because it's useless," the dragon replied with a hint of resentment, and Castor sighed inwardly. His companion had not yet lost his mind.
"Miss Akeno, have a good day of training," the mage nodded. "Did you want something from me?"
"To get to know such an unusual guy, of course," the girl smiled coquettishly, keeping some distance from the young man. If you consider a couple of centimetres to his hand, in which he was holding a book, to be distance.
"Castor Brinel, it's nice to meet you again.
"How cold!" the girl exclaimed in a sickly horrified voice, continuing to smile. "But I think it's charming. Akeno Himejima," she introduced herself fully. "You can just call me Akeno."
"Then you can call me just Castor," the wizard silently returned to reading his book, considering the dialogue over, but judging by his dissatisfied snort, this conclusion proved to be false. Unfortunately. Brinel, objectively speaking, did not know how to interact with society, nor did he want to. He had far more important things to do than socialise.
"A sociophobe."
"An elderly pervert, maniac, and paedophile."
"Anything else?" The mage decided to continue the dialogue so that the girl would leave him alone and stop hovering over him.
"Damn, you're so cold," Akeno pouted, but her eyes were "dancing with imps," if you can put it that way. Consequently, there was no real offence behind her voice or facial expression. But the question — why did you come up to me? — remained unanswered. But did Castor want an answer? Honestly, no. Some things should remain a secret.
"Women... I somehow forgot that most of them are always a problem..."
***
Rias watched closely as her friend tried to shake Castor out of his calm state, which he had managed to achieve by isolating himself from the others. And, judging by everything, that was exactly what he wanted: there were no signs of sadness. The boy listened silently to the teachers, answered questions and took detailed notes. During breaks, he read books and completely ignored those around him. On the very first day, he was disliked because of his behaviour, but Brinel continued to smile emotionlessly and look through the dark lenses of his glasses.
Too strange, in her opinion. For a human, the boy was too calm, even inert. Throughout the entire day, Gremory did not notice any changes in Castor's facial expression or tone of voice.
"People don't behave like that."
The girl frowned as she watched Brinel listen silently to Akeno, his smile unchanged, but her intuition told her that the guy didn't like the conversation. That was strange too. Her friend was very beautiful and hot, capable of attracting guys and girls with just a glance and a smile, and here she was, so cold and indifferent. Rias shook her head. If Castor was planning to get rid of Himegima this way, he was seriously mistaken. The brunette was the type of girl who seemed tough on the outside but sweet on the inside.
But Gremory couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. He seemed like a normal person, but her instincts told her that something was off. She needed to find out more about him to either confirm her vague fears or calm down and stop looking at him, otherwise those around her would misunderstand.
"Well? Did you freeze your hands?" Rias smiled maliciously when a disappointed Akeno fell behind the boy and approached her.
"Um... The ice cream is too cold to eat," the brunette smiled her usual "mommy" smile, as the other students called it. "And you, from what I can see, are staring at the new guy.
"Something tells me Castor is not a simple man. And no, it has nothing to do with him ignoring you," Himedzima smiled a little wider.
"I can try to find out something if you want.
"Yeah...," Gremory said sceptically, folding her arms across her chest.
"Forts aren't taken in a couple of hours, my lady," Akeno said seriously, her smile turning into a straight line. "And my feelings also tell me that there's something wrong with this man's aura.
"So we'll keep an eye on him. Carefully.
"How interesting... What are you hiding, Castor Brinel? I would like to know..."
***
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