Several days passed.
Heather gathered us at the running grounds to start our Combat Discipline class.
The wide stretch of green grass sat neatly enclosed by the track, open and bright under the sky.
"Hopefully, you have all familiarized yourselves with your instructors and the school's structure," Heather said, hands clasped behind his back
"Yes, sir, Heather!" we answered in unison.
The response came out sharp and practiced. For a split second, it felt like ROTC all over again.
"Good," he continued.
"I want you to form groups of three. You have ten minutes to assign yourselves. Proceed."
The moment he finished, movement rippled through the crowd.
Nagi looked at me immediately.
I did not even need to turn fully to feel it, her expectation. I could practically read her thoughts without a word being said.
I shook my head slowly and clasped my hands together in refusal.
Her cheeks puffed out. She pointed two fingers at me from her eyes in a silent threat.
I laughed and started walking.
As tempting as Nagi's speed and skill were, what I needed right now was not raw ability.
I needed to make use of this activity as an excuse to have connections with someone.
Someone essential for the future rescue ark.
I had already picked my target.
Before I could take more than a few steps, a hand caught my sleeve from behind.
Cwal was stopping me.
I only briefly glanced at my target just now. Just how observant is this guy?
"Don't," he said flatly. "
You will get blacklisted just by talking to him. His family alone could bury you."
"I will be fine," I replied.
"He is an oddball even among his own people."
I glanced back at him. "Plus, I have you."
He sighed. "Suit yourself."
I slipped free and made my way forward.
Finding him was easy. All I had to do was walk in the opposite direction from where everyone else was gathering.
He stood alone, distant and unmoving. No one approached him, nor did he approach anyone either.
Whispers followed me as I closed the distance.
"Is he serious?"
"That guy has a death wish."
I ignored them.
When I was close enough to speak without raising my voice, I stopped.
"Hey, Kenth," I said. "You probably remember me from the cafeteria. Man, that escalated fast. Hope I did not bother you during that time."
He looked at me briefly. Then he looked away.
After a moment, he replied, "Yeah. No worries."
I smiled.
"So, you do not have a group yet, right?"
I took a step closer and leaned slightly toward him.
He stepped back.
"I am in a bit of a pickle myself," I continued casually. "Want to group up?"
I stepped forward again, closing the gap until I stood right beside him.
He flinched and retreated several steps.
"Um… I do not know…" he hesitantly replied.
"I promise I will not hold you back," I urged back at him.
I broke into a light jog and ended up directly in front of him, eyes bright.
The murmuring around us grew louder.
"That guy really wants to die."
Kenth stared at me, completely baffled.
His expression practically screamed the question.
What the hell is wrong with this guy?
He looked away again, scowling.
"All right, but don't expect me to adjust on your level."
I grinned. "I will do my best to keep up then."
A sharp whistle cut through the murmurs.
Maku, watching from a distance, tilted his head.
"I did not know the Drakemont heir would fold to persistence. That is a good find."
Finster scratched the back of his head. "Aw, man, I wanted to recruit him!"
Competition lit up in his eyes instantly. He scanned the grounds and locked onto someone else.
Tasora.
He walked up without hesitation. "Hey. Tasora, right. I am Finster. Want to team up?"
She studied him quietly. Her gaze lingered on his hair, then flicked back to his face.
She nodded. "Sure. At least this will not be boring."
"Yes," Finster said, clearly pleased.
From where I stood with Kenth, I watched the other groups settle into place.
He cleared his throat. "So… who is our third?"
I scanned the field again, eyes moving over clusters of half-formed teams.
"We are still recruiting. Do you have anyone in mind?"
He did not answer right away. Instead, his gaze slid past the noise and landed on Azalea.
She stood a little apart from the center of her group, speaking calmly while the others leaned in to listen.
"Azalea Blume, do you know each other?" I asked.
"Yes..." Kenth replied.
"Though we are not on speaking terms. We just… keep running into each other during formal gatherings involving the Great Three families of Salem."
"Sounds about right," I muttered without thinking.
"Did you say something?" he asked.
"Nope. Nothing." I waved it off.
"More importantly, we need a third teammate. I have someone in mind as well, but let us try her first."
He hesitated, then nodded.
We walked over.
As we approached, the group composition became clearer.
They were composed mostly of girls, and Waffel was there too.
A few of them noticed us coming, and their voices softened.
Azalea turned first.
She straightened slightly, posture perfect, then offered a polite smile. "Matthew. Kenth."
Her eyes lingered on Kenth for a fraction longer than necessary. He acknowledged her with a stiff nod and nothing else.
I stepped forward before the silence could stretch too far.
"Hey," I said. "Sorry to interrupt. We are forming a group and figured we would ask if you were still open."
Waffel tilted his head. "Oh?"
Azalea clasped her hands together. "I appreciate the offer."
I gestured vaguely between myself and Kenth.
"We are still missing one. Figured we would try our luck."
She glanced back at her group. They exchanged looks, subtle ones.
"I am sorry," she said gently. "We have already finalized our group."
"Completely understandable, thank you for the time," I replied, smiling anyway.
She nodded.
Kenth shifted beside me. I tried to pull him into the conversation with a glance, a slight lean in his direction, but he remained quiet.
Azalea noticed.
She turned to him. "Kenth. I hope there are no hard feelings."
He paused, then answered, "yeah dont worry, none taken."
She smiled at that, a little warmer this time. "Good. I wish you both luck."
Waffel gave us a small wave. "Good luck."
"Thanks, I'll need it soon," I replied.
We stepped away, the noise of their group swelling back into place behind us.
Once we were a few paces away, I exhaled.
"Well," I said, "that was expected."
Kenth glanced back once, then forward again. "Who was the other person you had in mind?"
I smiled.
"Now that is the fun part."
I scanned the grounds again for another loner, but this time searching for a different kind of isolation.
With Kenth, I had gone toward the emptiest space. This time, I did the opposite.
I let myself drift into the crowd, moving where the noise was thickest and where bodies pressed together.
Sure enough, there she was.
Unlike Kenth, she was not alone in the literal sense.
A small circle of students lingered just out of reach, offering smiles, praise, and poorly hidden ambition. They talked at her, not to her.
She was being completely detached from their advances like a literal Ice princess.
She sat on a bench, back straight, hands folded loosely in her lap.
Silent and Unresponsive. Untouched by the chaos around her.
Solaris.
Second princess of the kingdom.
As we approached, the crowd noticed Kenth first.
Then, almost instinctively, people made way. Space opened in front of us and closed behind, like Moses splitting the Red Sea.
I took the opening and sat down beside her, leaving one seat empty between us.
Kenth froze for half a second, then sat down as well, mirroring the distance. One empty seat on his side, too. A quiet, deliberate symmetry.
I crossed my legs and pulled out my phone.
No greeting nor acknowledgment.
I scrolled through the market reports, eyes moving lazily as I checked on my investments. The numbers were up, and they would continue to rise.
As much as I wanted to reap the benefits, now was not the time to cash out. In fact, I might even pour more in once next month's allowance comes through.
The tension was growing around us.
I could feel eyes drilling into the back of my head. Hostility. Curiosity. Outright disbelief.
Beside me, Kenth sat rigid, his discomfort radiating in waves.
He clearly wanted to recruit Solaris, but did not want to do the talking.
Yet all he could do was glare at me, silently begging me to stop whatever madness this was.
I ignored him completely.
Heather's voice rang out across the grounds. "Two minutes remaining. Finalize your teams."
I slipped my phone back into my coat and straightened.
I could almost hear Kenth's sigh of relief.
Then I did nothing.
I sat still, posture relaxed, gaze forward.
Any moment now, I thought.
"One minute," Heather announced.
Solaris stood.
The surrounding chatter faltered.
She stepped forward, stopped in front of me, and looked down.
"May I join your group?" she asked.
Bingo.
I stood and offered my hand, smiling.
"Yes," I said. "I look forward to working with you, Princess."