When I returned to the classroom to pick up my bag, Shirohana was already gone.
...Fast as always.
The room had grown nearly empty.
Only one person remained.
The boy seated in front of me.
He stood beside his desk in complete silence, staring down at his school bag without moving. For a brief moment, he looked less like a student and more like someone trapped in his own memories, frozen in place while the world moved on around him.
I walked toward my seat, intending to take my bag and leave.
As I passed beside him, my gaze drifted in his direction for only a moment.
I caught a glimpse of his face.
A single tear slowly rolled down his cheek.
Not the kind of tear that came from crying.
It looked more like something leaking out from the depths of a memory too heavy to hold inside. Or perhaps...
like someone who didn't know how to cry properly.
...
I lowered my gaze.
His name was embroidered neatly onto the bag.
Ravian Edevane.
...
The Edevane family...
Didn't they...
Before I could finish recalling the name—
"I wouldn't appreciate peeking, ya know."
His calm voice suddenly reached my ears.
My eyes shifted toward him behind me.
I stopped.
Then I glanced at him briefly before picking up my own bag.
...
"I had no intention to, but since you were the only one in the classroom..."
I said with a polite smile.
Ravian remained silent for a moment.
Then he gave a faint smile of his own.
"No intention... I see."
"Then isn't it manners to introduce yourself too?"
He extended his hand.
A handshake.
...
Friendly?
That was...
Suspicious.
Someone acting this approachable on the very first day was already unusual.
But a noble?
Being this friendly toward someone from the Common Class?
...
Is he after something?
Or...
Is this simply coincidence?
Or perhaps...
Neither.
Maybe both.
Maybe something else entirely.
"Ah, my bad."
"My name is Katsuhito Kurogane."
I accepted the handshake with a friendly smile.
"Your atmosphere does feels like close to me in some aspects."
He said with a quiet smile.
...
Atmosphere?
What exactly does he mean by that?
Without another word, Ravian turned back toward his desk and picked up his bag.
He slung it over his shoulder and simply stood there for a while, staring out through the classroom window.
The reflection of the sunset spread across his face, painting it in orange-gold light.
Then, suddenly, without even looking back at me—
"Do you think life is worth living?"
he asked.
His voice was serious.
Not casual.
Not playful.
It sounded like he was searching for something.
...
A rather...
particular question, I thought.
Before I could answer—
"Ah."
He slightly turned his head toward me.
"I want to hear what you think."
"Not what you think you should tell."
He faced me again after lifting his bag from the desk, staring straight into my eyes with strangely sad-looking ones.
...
How would he know whether I was lying...
Or telling the truth?
Then again...
This question didn't seem like it could put me at any disadvantage.
And if he had some way of detecting lies...
Giving him a fabricated answer would only make things worse.
...
I may as well answer honestly.
"I think..."
I narrowed my eyes slightly.
"If someone feels there is worth in life, then yes... for that person, life is worth living."
I paused and looked out of the window behind him.
"But not everyone lives because they think life itself has worth."
"Many continue living out of fear."
"...Though not fear alone."
"So..."
I gently closed my eyes, then opened them again.
"I think it depends."
"But life itself may not have any inherent worth."
Silence followed.
Then...
"Ohh..."
His eyes sharpened as they locked onto mine.
"As I thought."
"We are somewhat like-minded."
Hearing that, I looked at him with a clueless expression.
His smile widened ever so slightly.
For the first time...
There was a faint light reflecting in his eyes.
He stepped closer and lightly placed a hand on my shoulder before walking past me.
"Well then."
"Let's meet again tomorrow."
With that...
He quietly left the classroom.
...
What did he mean by that?
...
I remained there, confused by the sudden exchange.
There were...
Far too many possible interpretations.
And none of them were distinct enough to settle on a conclusion.
I couldn't read his intentions at all.
Yet...
In terms of raw strength...
his mana pressure was comparable to Ashrune's.
Perhaps...
Even stronger.
...
There are multiple forms of power.
Ashrune's words suddenly echoed in my mind.
...
Right.
Observation first.
Conclusions later.
For now...
I needed to hurry.
Otherwise...
I'd end up being late for the meeting.
I hurried toward the principal's office.
Using teleportation repeatedly inside the academy grounds would only increase the chances of exposing my abilities.
Better not take unnecessary risks.
Standing before the office door, I took a slow breath before knocking lightly.
"Coming in."
"You definitely can."
A voice answered from inside before I had fully opened the door.
I pushed the door open.
...
The principal's seat was empty.
Instead...
Valerian Ashrune was lazily sprawled across the sofa as if this were his own living room.
"Yooo."
He casually raised a hand upon seeing me.
"Before you ask where the principal is..."
"She won't be attending today's meeting."
"So I'll be conveying her message to both of you instead..."
He stopped midway through his sentence.
His eyes wandered past me.
"Oya?"
"Isn't your companion with you?"
I let out a sigh.
"You seem to have misunderstood our relationship."
"She isn't always with me."
"Hmm..."
"My information says otherwise."
Ashrune picked up the teacup resting beside him...
And casually threw it toward me.
...
Before I could even react—
The cup froze solid in midair.
Crack.
It shattered into countless glittering pieces of ice.
At the same moment...
A presence appeared behind me.
My body reacted instinctively.
I immediately turned and took a stance.
Yet...
Ashrune remained lying comfortably on the sofa, watching the scene with amusement.
The figure stepped out from behind me.
Shirohana.
"Ara..."
"When did you notice?"
She spoke as though nothing had happened before calmly taking a seat.
Ashrune laughed.
"Intuition."
"...Or perhaps..."
"I simply trusted my information."
...
How long had she been behind me?
More importantly...
How did I fail to notice her presence?
I unconsciously stared at both of them, unable to completely hide the tension in my expression.
Shirohana noticed immediately.
"Cool down."
"I was only teasing."
"I do respect privacy."
...
"Oh?"
Ashrune smiled faintly.
"And what exactly is your definition of privacy?"
...
Shirohana remained silent in response to the question, covering the lower half of her face with a Sensu (Folding fan).
...
"Well, well."
"Enough fooling around."
"Let's begin the meeting."
Ashrune spoke while still lying on the sofa.
As I relaxed my stance...
Shirohana quietly commented,
"...That's not a line someone lying on a sofa should say."
Ashrune smirked.
"Simply sitting doesn't prove you're serious."
"So I'll remain serious while lying down."
"...Maybe we should call the principal after all."
"Is that a threat?"
Ashrune chuckled.
"Unfortunately for you..."
"I personally confirmed she won't be available today."
"So..."
"You two have no choice but to bear with me."
He rolled over to face us properly.
Shirohana sighed.
"I don't have time for your bullshit."
"Get to the point."
She leaned back in her chair.
"Katsuhito-kun."
"You can sit too."
Ashrune poured tea into the cup across from the sofa.
There were already too many thoughts crowding my mind.
Trying to analyze everything right now would only make me more vulnerable.
...
I'll sort them out later.
For now...
I should simply listen.
I sat down opposite him.
Well...
Half-lay down, really.
I picked up the teacup and took a sip.
As I did...
Ashrune shot Shirohana an annoyingly smug look.
She answered with a silent glare.
Satisfied with himself, Ashrune finally sat upright.
The atmosphere shifted.
His expression became serious.
"The principal wants the two of you..."
"...to form a committee."
"They'll become the public face of the student council beneath you."
...
I see.
So she's creating two layers.
The visible student council...
And the real one operating beneath the surface.
A cover protecting another cover.
If something ever went wrong...
Only the outer layer would be exposed first.
...
A reasonable precaution.
Shirohana asked first.
"Are we free to choose anyone?"
"Or are there conditions?"
Ashrune nodded.
"You're free to choose anyone..."
"Under two conditions."
"They must clearly surpass others in whatever they're talented at."
"And..."
"You two must personally vouch for them."
He paused briefly.
"They also must not have strong ties to the upper nobles."
"You know exactly the kind of people I'm talking about."
His gaze shifted toward me.
Then toward Shirohana.
I quietly placed my teacup back onto the table.
"...Hmm."
Leaning slightly forward, I asked,
"What if they discover what we're actually doing?"
Ashrune leaned back again.
"Then..."
"They'll either become our allies..."
"...or wake up the next day seeing the world a little differently."
Shirohana gave a small laugh.
"So..."
"You do value your students?"
"I do."
"Which is precisely why I didn't say I'd kill them."
"If I did..."
"The principal and I would become hypocrites."
"I don't believe a cause automatically justifies sacrifice."
"I believe in costs."
"And trade-offs."
He paused.
"That's why I'll take responsibility."
Silence settled over the room.
Finally, Shirohana asked,
"How much time do we have to form this committee?"
"Two weeks." Ashrune answered.
...
A brief silence followed.
Ashrune stretched lazily.
"Well."
"I've delivered the principal's message."
"The meeting is over."
He promptly lay back down on the sofa as if all his energy had been spent simply speaking.
Shirohana sighed once more.
"...Let's go, Katsuhito-kun."
She stood and headed toward the door.
I followed.
Just before stepping outside...
I stopped.
Then turned around.
Shirohana also stopped and looked back.
"One last question."
"What is the principal doing..."
"...that prevented her from attending today's meeting?"
Ashrune didn't even lower the book covering his face.
Instead, he answered from behind it.
"Go read the notice posted on the academy bulletin board."
"You'll understand."
...
"I see."
"Well then."
We left the office.
As we walked through the corridor...
I noticed Shirohana quietly watching my face.
...
As an assassin, one should understand that their life is in danger if they lack sufficient information about their surroundings or location, or if they fail to make a quick decision before their target makes a move.
But here I still lacked too much information.
About this academy.
About the people around me.
About Shirohana.
Tch... i can't shake of this anxiousness.
Most of the students had already left the academy grounds.
The once lively campus had gradually fallen quiet, leaving only a handful of figures walking beneath the evening sky. The orange glow of the setting sun had already begun fading into deep blue, and long shadows stretched across the stone pathways.
Shirohana and I walked side by side toward the academy's notice board.
It was almost night.
Neither of us spoke.
When we arrived, I noticed a magical lamp hanging above the board, illuminating every posted notice with a warm golden light. Even after sunset, students would still be able to read the announcements without difficulty.
I stepped closer and began reading.
『Serial Murders Occurring Within the Kingdom』
Dead bodies have been discovered in back streets and deserted alleys that are rarely visited during the night.
The investigation is currently ongoing.
Until the criminal is apprehended, all students are requested to return directly home after academy hours.
Please avoid taking detours or entering deserted streets, especially after sunset.
"..."
So that's why Principal Vivienne couldn't attend today's meeting.
She's probably busy with the administrative procedures related to this matter... I guess.
Considering the situation...
It made sense.
Still...
Hah...
It's already nighttime, yet apparently nobody thought about removing us from the category of 'students.'
Or perhaps they simply assumed everyone deserved the same warning.
...
Although...
I'd actually like to meet this serial killer.
Someone capable of killing people without being caught wasn't someone I could simply ignore.
Information was always valuable.
"What do you think, Shirohana-san?"
I turned toward her.
"..."
She wasn't looking at the notice.
She was looking at me.
Directly.
Her silver eyes reflected the moonlight that had begun replacing the sun, glowing with an almost supernatural beauty.
"...Shirohana-san?"
No response.
She simply continued staring.
"...Ah... Shirohana-san."
I forced an awkward smile.
"What do you think about this?"
This time she slowly lowered the sensu that had been hiding the lower half of her face.
A gentle smile appeared.
"...See you later."
That was all she said.
She quietly walked toward me.
One step.
Two.
Before she reached me...
Her figure dissolved.
Countless glowing petals, white as fresh snow and shimmering like moonlight, scattered through the air before fading into nothingness.
"..."
What...
Was that supposed to mean?
That ... wasn't an answer.
...
I couldn't ask her anymore.
And for some reason...
That smile she gave me...
It didn't sit right with me.
Something about it bothered me.
...
For now...
I needed to organize everything that had happened over the last few days.
After that—
I'll gather more information.
One thing at a time.
I left the academy and began walking home.
The streets were noticeably quieter than usual.
Shops had already begun closing.
People hurried toward their homes.
Even the conversations around me felt subdued.
The serial murder case had clearly affected the city.
...
Silence.
The night had completely settled in.
Only the chirping of insects echoed softly through the darkness.
...
Home.
I quietly reached for the door.
I already knew who was standing behind it.
Click.
The door opened.
Waiting exactly where I expected...
Was my mother.
She wore a smile.
An angry smile.
"...Okaerinasai.(Welcome home)"
Her voice was calm.
Too calm.
"...I'm home."
I stepped inside and gently closed the door behind me.
She looked straight into my eyes.
"And so..."
"Where have you been this late?"
The smile remained.
Barely.
"...I was busy with academy work."
"..."
"Don't you know there have been serial murders recently?"
Her voice grew slightly louder.
"What would you have done if you had run into the murderer?"
"Do you understand how worried I was?"
"..."
Hmm...
I honestly didn't know what to say.
Before I could answer—
"Well... well."
Dad walked out from another room with his usual relaxed expression.
"Let him rest."
"He just came back from the academy."
"He must be tired."
Mom slowly turned toward him.
"...You don't say a word."
"..."
Dad immediately looked away.
"...Yes."
ah...
here we go again .
The lecture expanded from one victim...
To two.
For nearly two hours.
...
After dinner...
I somehow escaped to my room.
Click.
I closed the door behind me.
The room was quiet.
Moonlight streamed gently through the window, painting silver patterns across the floor.
I looked at my desk.
Then my bed.
Two options.
I could organize everything I'd learned over these last few days.
Or...
Sleep.
"..."
...
I'll sleep.
Because even if I forced myself to think now...
I wouldn't reach any useful conclusions while this exhausted.
...
I know.
It's an excuse.
Still...
I threw myself onto the bed.
The soft mattress welcomed me.
No voices.
No meetings.
No Shirohana.
No principal.
Just silence beneath the moonlight.
...
Sleep claimed me almost immediately.
Unbeknownst to Katsuhito...
A shadow quietly appeared inside his room.
It had the shape of a fox.
The moonlight illuminated its outline.
The figure looked at the peacefully sleeping boy.
A soft, amused smile appeared.
"...Ahh..."
"His sleeping face is also irresistible."
The back streets of the royal capital.
Far away from the warm lights of the main roads...
Only three figures stood beneath the pale moon.
The alley was silent.
Cold.
Abandoned.
Only the faint sound of steel echoed through the darkness.
Clang!
A shower of sparks scattered into the night as two swords collided against a single knife.
One man stood alone.
The other two attacked from opposite directions.
Without exchanging a word, the pair coordinated their assault.
One leaped high into the air, bringing his sword down from above.
The other rushed in from the side, aiming a horizontal slash at the lone man.
A perfect pincer attack.
Or at least...
It should have been.
The man with the knife calmly leaned away from the side slash.
The blade barely grazed his clothes.
At the same moment...
He lifted his leg.
Bang!
His kick struck the attacking swordsman's wrist from underneath.
The force redirected the sword's trajectory.
The airborne attacker, already committed to his downward strike, had no time to stop.
His own comrade's sword crashed directly into his blade.
Clang!
The collision ruined both men's balance.
The knife wielder moved.
Without hesitation.
Without emotion.
His knife pierced straight through the throat of the swordsman who had attacked from above.
Thud.
The body collapsed.
Blood spread quietly across the stone pavement.
The surviving swordsman widened his eyes.
"W-What...?!"
Using the dead man's falling body as support, the knife wielder planted one foot against it and spun backward with effortless precision before landing several meters away.
He slowly raised his knife.
His expression remained calm.
Almost amused.
"...Hey."
"How does it feel..."
"...when your comrade dies by your own sword?"
The surviving soldier's eyes trembled with rage.
"You killed him!"
"Don't frame it on me!"
The man merely tilted his head.
"Though..."
"I wouldn't have been able to kill him..."
"...if it wasn't you who blocked his attack."
Silence.
"You made me do it!"
"I didn't!"
The soldier roared and charged forward.
His sword cut through the air with desperate speed.
The knife wielder casually stepped aside.
Steel scraped against steel as he redirected the attack.
"...Though it was you who attacked me first."
"With that sword."
"Shut up!"
The soldier swung again.
And again.
And again.
Each strike became more reckless than the last.
His breathing grew heavier.
His movements less stable.
Then...
The knife wielder noticed it.
His hesitation.
His hands.
They were trembling.
From doubt.
From guilt.
"..."
The knife suddenly reversed in its owner's grip.
One precise movement.
Slash.
The blade stabbed into the swordsman's wrist from the side.
"Agh!"
His fingers loosened.
The sword slipped from his grasp.
It clattered onto the ground.
Before he could recover...
The knife had already circled behind him.
Stab.
The blade entered cleanly through his back.
His body froze.
"...You... damn..."
A quiet laugh escaped the killer.
"...Framing is amazing, isn't it?"
He slowly pulled the knife free.
Blood splashed onto the stone road.
Then...
He kicked the dying man forward.
The body rolled across the pavement until it stopped beside his fallen comrade.
The killer looked down at them.
"...Make sure to spend this time..."
"...with your 'comrade.'"
His tone held neither hatred nor excitement.
Only cold mockery.
He turned.
His black silhouette disappeared into the darkness of the alley.
As if he had never been there.
...
Only moments later...
The sound of armored footsteps echoed through the streets.
"Over here!"
"Two bodies!"
A squad of soldiers rushed into the alley.
The commanding officer stopped before the corpses.
Her sharp eyes swept across the surroundings.
"...He's gone."
She clenched her fist.
"Damn it..."
She immediately drew her sword.
"Find him!"
"He can't have gotten far!"
The soldiers straightened.
"Yes, Commander!"
They scattered in every direction.
The female commander remained standing in the middle of the alley, staring into the darkness where the murderer had vanished.
Her expression hardened with unmistakable fury.
"I won't let him escape."
Even if she had to search every street in the kingdom...
She intended to hunt that murderer down .