Klo's group returned to the academy where they were studying. After passing through the entrance, Klo bid farewell to his group under the excuse of an important talk with the headmaster.
"Ah, I'm sorry about that but I have an important discussion with the headmaster."
He turned as he tried to leave, but Mari grabbed him by the collar and pulled him towards her.
She brought her lips close to Klo's ear and whispered with a warm breath near him.
"Who is that girl, Luna? And why are you so friendly with her?"
He stepped back to hold her shoulders with both hands. His silly expression shifted into a serious one.
"My sister!"
A heavy, dark atmosphere spread around them. A faint glow rose in Marcilia's crimson eyes.
"I am her husband."
Klo thought there was no escape, so he forced himself to confess to Mari, because the day she would realize it was bound to come.
Mari's lips trembled into a twisted smile. She sighed lightly as she stared at the determined Klo.
"You're joking, right, my brother?"
"And why would I joke about this?"
"What Klo said is true."
Luna stepped forward to stand beside Klo.
Mari's eyes became dim as she continued walking towards the academy entrance, the one leading to the student council room where she worked.
Klo didn't turn his head, he felt the shock that had overtaken his sister.
He looked ahead to find a strange girl staring at him with a smile. Pink hair and pink eyes.
He kept staring until she began waving at him. After Klo blinked once, the girl vanished.
He hesitated and stepped back.
Damn it, who is this stranger?
Klo looked at Luna beside him, who tilted her head.
"Are you alright? You look like you're scared."
Klo raised his arm, hitting his chest.
"Why should I be afraid when I'm a man?"
Luna stared at him for a while, and Lumi kept laughing at him for that reaction.
"You look like an idiot."
"Shut up, Lumi."
Luna left as well, and Klo headed toward the headmaster's office, which was in the same wing as the student council.
He kept walking until he reached the headmaster's door. Without asking permission, he opened it.
"You weird headmaster."
Klo opened the door just enough to see inside.
He found the headmaster leaning on his desk, apparently asleep, drool sliding onto the desk… he was asleep.
Klo walked toward him, tapping his own head with his fingertips.
"Wake up, we're all drowsy."
The man rose, rubbing his head. He half-opened his eyes to see Klo standing in front of him.
"Oh, it's you."
"Hello?"
The headmaster crossed his arms and shook his head, letting his glasses slide down his eyes.
A heavy silence filled the room.
"Are you trying to look cool?" Klo asked sarcastically.
The headmaster cleared his throat, staring at Klo.
"What are you after, Klo Yuthnir?"
"I may be stupid or hasty, but…"
Before finishing his words, Klo extended his hand forward as if to shake.
"Can you appoint me as a member of the student council?"
The headmaster leaned back, resting his hands behind his head.
"Hmm, let me see."
He stepped forward, rising from his seat toward Klo, snapping his fingers together.
"Did you make up with your sister?"
"Yeah, you could say that."
Klo pushed him back to his place.
"As long as you're the top student and I'll be proud before others to have a student like you in my institution, I can't reject your request… except under one condition."
Klo shivered, swallowing hard. All the prideful atmosphere he built crumbled with a single word.
Oh my god, please don't let it be a tough demand.
The headmaster snapped his fingers and winked at Klo.
"Participate in the Genius of the Continent Competition."
Klo's mouth opened in surprise.
"Haa?"
The headmaster waved his arms, shrugging.
"As you heard. If you want me to promote you to the student council."
Klo turned his head aside, away from the arrogant man before him, cursing under his breath.
"Damn you."
"What did you say, Klo?"
"Nothing."
Klo looked at Lumi, seeing the spark in her eyes.
He wanted to take revenge for her, but if he did, it would be his loss. Klo felt like he was standing between two bridges: one leading to tragic events for himself, and another to tragic events for others.
If I accept his offer, it would mean Luna and the others' death… If I accept, he'll betray me.
Klo stared at him.
"How about an agreement from me this time?"
"What is it?"
The headmaster nodded, smiling. Klo also smiled, his red eyes shining brighter.
"We'll make a contract, and the paper will decide whether you keep the promise or not."
Klo's gaze turned sharp.
"And breaking the contract equals death."
The headmaster nodded in agreement.
Klo pulled out a paper from his system shop.
He placed it on the desk as they discussed their terms.
"If I leave for this competition, you will not touch any of the students in this institution. Even if I leave, you don't lay a finger on me."
A drop of sweat slid from the headmaster's hair as he tried to hide his unease.
He swallowed, trying to state his own rules.
"You, Klo, will use all your strength in this competition… even the ability you've been hiding."
Klo sighed.
"That's it?"
Both of them signed the contract, where breaking it equaled death.
They imprinted the paper with their mana and soul energy.
When they finished, the paper floated in the middle of the room, burning into ash that gradually disappeared.
Klo felt like his nose clogged from the smell and smoke.
Both Klo and the headmaster exchanged a nod.
Klo stood up and left the room as if nothing had happened.
He headed to the academy courtyard and sat on one of the benches there.
Klo clutched his chest tightly, bending forward and backward several times.
His expression mixed fear and anxiety.
He was drenched in sweat, trembling from fear.
What if I die, or even worse, what if they die? I know breaking these rules equals death, but the pain of death itself is terrifying.
Lumi sat beside the pale-faced Klo. She patted his shoulder, staring at him.
"Eithan."
Klo shifted his expression into a smile.
"What is it, Lumi?"
"You're worried."
Klo waved his hands, denying her assumption.
"Worried? Of course not, I'm proud and excited."
He laid back on the bench, staring at the dark sky.
"I'm just thinking about how this competition will be… from someone unwanted, to someone they bet on."