"So, it's a deal then?" Haruki asked.
"I... I want to test you first," Julis replied, her voice regaining some of its royal steel.
"A test?"
"It's simple. Find the person who just tried to kill me. If you can help me drag that coward into the light and ensure they face justice, then I'll officially accept you as my partner for the Phoenix Festa."
"Fine," Haruki nodded. He was already interested in the sniper; if finding them was the price for a high-tier teammate, it was a bargain.
"Good. Then meet me here tomorrow morning," Julis said, looking away. "Until we find them, we should probably... stick together."
"Makes sense."
The two of them parted ways shortly after. However, they had completely underestimated the speed of the academy's gossip network. Within an hour, a rumor was tearing through Seidokan and the surrounding city of Asterisk: The "Ice Queen" Julis and a mysterious transfer student were seen embracing in the park.
By nightfall, the school's social media boards were on fire.
Haruki had been assigned a single room in the Elite Wing.
While most students shared quarters, his late arrival and "Special Cadet" status had left him without a roommate. Haruki preferred it this way. It meant he could practice his swordsmanship and delve into the complexities of the Fluctuation for an entire night without being disturbed.
He didn't sleep. He spent the dark hours in a seated meditation, his mind a quiet lake reflecting the rhythmic pulse of the city's energy. When the sun finally rose, he stood up, performed a brief series of katas to loosen his joints, and headed to class.
The classroom was already half-full when he arrived. Groups of students were huddled together, whispering and glancing at their phones. Haruki ignored the stares, taking his seat and closing his eyes to continue his mental training.
"Good morning."
The voice was soft, but in the quiet of the morning classroom, it sounded like a thunderclap.
Haruki opened one eye. Julis was standing by his desk, looking slightly stiff.
"Morning," Haruki replied briefly.
To Haruki and Julis, this was just a basic social courtesy. They were partners now, so a greeting was logical. Neither of them possessed a "mainstream" high school personality; they were both outsiders in their own way.
But the rest of the class had gone deathly silent.
"Wait... did the Princess just initiate a greeting?"
"I must have heard wrong. She never talks to anyone first."
"What kind of magic did Aizawa use on her?"
"The rumors were true! They really are dating!"
The buzzing started almost immediately. Julis looked confused, her turquoise eyes darting around the room as she sensed the sudden spike in the atmosphere.
Before she could ask what was going on, a boy with messy orange hair and a camera around his neck slid toward them with a manic grin.
"Hey there! Eishiro Yabuki, Seidokan News Club," he chirped, thrusting a digital tablet toward them. "Is it true? Are the 'Glühen Rose' and the transfer student Haruki Aizawa officially an item?!"
"W-What?!" Julis's face went from pale to a nuclear-level red in three seconds. "What kind of nonsense is that?!"
"Oh, come on, Princess. We have witnesses! Someone saw you two in a 'passionate embrace' in the park last night. And look—" Yabuki swiped the screen to show a grainy but unmistakable photo of Haruki shielding Julis on the ground. "This looks pretty cozy to me."
"That was—!"
"And furthermore," Yabuki continued, his grin widening, "witnesses heard Julis-sama explicitly demanding that Aizawa-kun 'take responsibility' for her. That's a pretty heavy statement for a first date, don't you think?"
"I... I said that, but that's not what I meant!" Julis stammered, her royal composure completely evaporating.
"Aha! You admitted it! You told him to take responsibility!" Yabuki shouted, his fingers already blurring across his device.
Haruki hadn't said a word. He wasn't bothered by the rumor—to a man who had been a literal "Sword Ghost" and a "Corps Commander," high school drama was beneath his notice.
However, he was looking at Eishiro Yabuki.
If Yabuki had photos from the park, it meant he—or someone he knew—had been there during the ambush. And yet, Haruki's Sense of Fluctuation hadn't detected a third party.
Either this kid is a master of concealment, or he knows the attacker, Haruki thought.
Haruki stood up, his sudden movement silencing Yabuki. He stepped into the orange-haired boy's personal space. "Did you see the arrow yesterday?" Haruki asked, his voice low and cold.
Yabuki blinked, his grin faltering for a split second. "The arrow? Yeah... I caught a glimpse of it through the lens. It was a hell of a shot."
"Who fired it?"
"I don't know, man. The woods were thick, and the range was huge. I was more focused on getting the 'money shot' of you two on the ground." Yabuki looked Haruki in the eye. "If I knew who it was, I'd have published their name too. A story about a secret assassin is just as good as a romance."
Haruki studied him for a long moment. He didn't sense any deceit. The "vibration" coming from Yabuki was chaotic and mischievous, but it didn't match the sharp, focused killing intent of the sniper from the night before.
Satisfied, Haruki sat back down and closed his eyes. He ignored the rest of the tabloid-style interrogation, leaving Julis to fume and stutter in his wake.
The rest of the day was a blur of lectures and pointed whispers. Haruki noticed that Julis spent most of her time trying to hide behind her bangs. He also noticed that Ayato Amagiri seemed unusually interested in the "assassin" part of the gossip.
The moment the final bell rang, Haruki stood up and looked at the Princess.
"Let's go, Julis."
"G-Go?" she squeaked.
"We have a job to do," Haruki reminded her.
Julis realized he meant hunting the sniper. She wanted to agree, but then she saw the eyes of every student in the room. If she left with him now, right after school, it would be the final "confirmation" the gossip mill needed.
She bit her lip, her face flushed a deep pink. She stood up, grabbed her bag, and followed him out of the room, ignoring the collective "Oooooh!" that erupted behind them.
They ended up back in the academy's central park. Haruki noticed that Julis was keeping a significant distance from him—about five meters—as they walked.
"What's with the gap?" Haruki asked, looking back. "If someone attacks again, I won't be able to reach you from there."
"I... I can handle myself!" Julis snapped, though her eyes immediately darted toward the treeline.
The memory of the mana arrow humming toward her throat was still fresh. She knew Haruki was right, but she was trapped between her fear of the assassin and her fear of the school rumors. If she walked too close to him, the "dating" talk would never end.
Eventually, logic won out. She sighed and closed the gap, walking half a step behind him.
"Any leads on the attacker?" she asked, her tone returning to a business-like coldness.
"Not directly," Haruki said. "But I ran some searches on the campus database last night. There's been a string of 'accidents' involving Phoenix Festa candidates over the last two weeks. Different methods, different locations, but the common factor is that every victim was a Page One Twelve member from Seidokan."
"So someone is trying to thin the herd before the tournament?"
"Exactly. And given that the Festa is weeks away, they'll likely strike again soon. We're currently the most visible targets on campus."
"So we're acting as bait?" Julis smirked. "I've been called a lot of things, but 'worm on a hook' is a new one."
"It's the most efficient path," Haruki replied.
They spent the evening wandering the "blind spots" of the academy grounds—the areas where security cameras were sparse and the woods provided cover. But the sniper didn't reappear. Perhaps they were wary after Haruki's display of bullet-parrying skill, or perhaps they were waiting for a more chaotic moment.
As night fell, they gave up for the day.
"Guess they've got cold feet," Haruki said as they reached the dormitories.
"Or they're just smart," Julis muttered.
She paused at the entrance to the Elite Wing. "Aizawa... about today. Thank you for... you know. Not making the rumors worse."
"I didn't do anything," Haruki said honestly.
"Exactly. That's why. Most guys would have used the attention to brag. You just... ignored them." Julis offered a small, hesitant smile. "I owe you one. Please... let me repay you somehow."
"There's no need," Haruki said, turning to walk toward the elevator.
"There is a need! My honor as a Riessfeld demands it!" Julis shouted after him.
Haruki didn't stop, but a faint, nearly invisible smile touched his lips behind his mask. "Then win the Festa. That's all the repayment I want."
Haruki reached his room and found Student Council President Claudia Enfield waiting in the hallway.
"Haruki-kun, I hope your first day of school was... eventful?" she asked with a playful tilt of her head.
"It was noisy," Haruki replied.
"Hehe. Well, I have some paperwork for you. Tomorrow is a big day." She handed him a tablet. "We've scheduled your compatibility test for the Pure Stellar Lux. And after that, you'll have your formal ranking duel to determine your position in the Nameless Records."
Haruki looked at the schedule. "Ranking duel? Against who?"
"Against the current Rank 1, of course," Claudia smiled. "I thought you'd want to start at the top."
[System Notification]
[Quest Updated: Reach Rank 1 of Seidokan Academy]
[Reward: High-Grade Manadite Core]
Haruki's eyes sharpened. "I'll be there."
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