Sava, having observed the fluid exchange between the two, couldn’t help but be curious. His irritation turned to a more calculating gaze as he addressed Dan and Luck.

“You two fight like experts; most here are not able to counter that. Which arts do you practice?” Sava’s voice was cool, but there was a challenge in his tone.

Dan, barely breaking a sweat, raised an eyebrow and shrugged. “I don’t draw.”

Luck, however, spoke up with his usual deadpan delivery. “Piano and philosophy.”

Sava paused for a moment, as if processing the information. “Ah, now I get it.” His eyes moved between the two of them. “I think I know who you are now. You on the left must be Dan Heinsburg, right? The one who came third on the entrance exam.” He turned to Luck, sizing him up. “And you must be Luck Starborne. Got the exact average score across all students in the entrance examination, right?”

Miria and Celia exchanged surprised glances, clearly not expecting Sava to know so much about them already. The mention of Dan’s consistent third-place finish and Luck’s consistent average score caught them off guard.

Sava continued, his tone carrying a mix of curiosity and skepticism. “In the last exam, you got the class average. Always in the middle, aren’t you?” He smirked slightly, eyes narrowing as he assessed Luck. “And you, Dan, third place. Why do you keep sticking to the same spot? Why not push for first?”

The words seemed to hang in the air, making Miria’s and Celia’s expressions shift from surprise to mild confusion. They hadn’t expected this kind of analysis from him.

“Are you two trying to make some kind of statement here that we’re unaware of?” Sava continued, his voice gaining a sharper edge. “Sticking to the middle? Third place? What’s the point? Are you trying to prove something by not pushing yourselves?”

Luck’s eyes never wavered, his expression blank, as though the questions didn’t faze him in the slightest. He simply remained calm, taking in Sava’s words without offering a response right away.

Luck simply responds,That's a really strange coincidence.”

Dan, on the other hand, gave a half-smile, unfazed by the scrutiny. “What’s it to you? If it bothers you that much, I guess we’ll just have to keep surprising you.”

Sava’s gaze remained locked onto them, clearly intrigued, but his patience was wearing. “You pride yourself on being unique, I see."

Celia and Miria, still processing Sava’s words, remained silent for the moment, the tension between the siblings and the two boys palpable.

Sora glanced at Celia and Miria, a cold smile on her face as she tilted her head. “I’m surprised you even made friends at this school. Although I assumed you bribed him or got the teachers to force him,” she said, her voice dripping with a mixture of disbelief and disdain.

Miria’s eyes narrowed, her usual calm facade cracking as she retorted, “You’re wrong. We aren’t friends—just classmates. I don’t need any friends.” Her words were firm, though there was a slight quiver in her tone, betraying a flicker of defensiveness.

Celia, who had been quiet up until now, quickly added, “He’s just in the same club and house as me. He was forced into it.” Her voice was matter-of-fact, but the way she said it almost seemed like she was trying to convince herself as much as she was convincing Sora.

Sava, standing off to the side, observed the interaction with a slightly amused expression. “As usual, your immaturity is leading you to mistake isolation for independence,” he said coolly, shaking his head in mild disappointment. “If either of you truly want to get your house into first position, you’re going to have to work a lot harder.”

With that, Sava and Sora turned to walk away, the coldness of their departure lingering in the air.

Celia and Miria sat on the bench, sipping the drinks they had picked up earlier, the cool evening air brushing against their faces. Luck, perched on the edge of the pavement, absentmindedly munched on crisps while Dan unwrapped a chocolate bar, settling into the quiet of the moment.

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After a while, Celia broke the silence. "We’re sorry for making you two witness all of that," she said, her tone soft but carrying the weight of the earlier tension.

Luck gave a short nod, his voice neutral. "It’s okay."

Dan, still chewing on his chocolate, raised an eyebrow with a grin. "Honestly, it’s sort of a relief to see you two acting like normal high school girls for a second, and not some kind of—"

Both girls shot him a deadly glare, their eyes narrowing into cold, unwavering stares that cut through his words. Dan immediately shut up, holding his hands up in mock surrender. "I didn’t even say anything that bad," he exclaimed, feigning innocence.

The awkward silence that followed was thick. It was Miria who finally broke it, her voice quiet but clear. "I’m impressed by your skills," she said, glancing at Luck and Dan. "I didn’t think you two knew how to fight that well."

Dan smirked, leaning back on his elbows. "Well, we’ve got a few tricks up our sleeves," he said, giving a teasing grin. "Not all of us are just ‘book-smart.’"

Luck, barely looking up from his crisps, simply shrugged. "It’s not about fighting," he said, his tone as emotionless as ever. "It’s about understanding the situation and responding accordingly."

Miria gave him a pointed look, clearly intrigued by his composure. "So, you both have been trained in something?" she asked, her curiosity piqued.

Dan shrugged, chewing the last bit of his chocolate. "I wouldn’t say 'trained'... more like self-taught," he replied, glancing at Luck as if for confirmation.

Luck didn’t respond immediately, but his eyes met Miria’s for a brief moment, signalling a quiet understanding between them. It seemed like the weight of the earlier confrontation had been acknowledged but not entirely dismissed.

Celia shifted in her seat, clearly still puzzled. She turned to Luck and Dan, her expression serious. "How do both of you manage to doctor your scores in all of the entrance exams? Now tell me the real truth."

Dan chuckled awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. "Just pure coincidence," he replied, looking away as though he hadn’t quite worked out how they always seemed to land in the right spot.

Luck, as usual, remained unfazed, his eyes still fixed on his crisps. "It just happened," he said flatly, as if it were the simplest explanation in the world.

Celia stared at them for a long moment, clearly not convinced. "I don’t get you two at all," she muttered, shaking her head. "You’re such weirdos." Her tone had softened a bit, as if a small part of her was starting to understand that they weren’t just ordinary students, but she still couldn’t quite figure them out.

Dan glanced at Luck before responding. "What can I say? We’re just that good, right?"

Celia raised an eyebrow. "You’re not good; you’re suspicious," she said, her voice a little sharper now. "How do you even end up in these situations and act like you don’t care? You're just like... a mystery wrapped in an enigma or whatever. It’s like you both have some secret code you’re following and no one else gets it."

Luck shrugged again, still with that impassive look on his face. "Not a code. Just... how things go."

Dan clearly enjoyed the mystery he and Luck presented. "Yeah, who needs to be normal when you can just do this?" He gestured vaguely with his hands, the air of casual confidence not lost on him.

Celia’s frustration only grew. "So you're telling me all of this just... happened? I don't buy it." She crossed her arms, leaning back on the bench. "I’ve been here for days, and you two act like nothing ever bothers you. I don’t know if I should be impressed or just plain irritated."

Miria, who had been quietly sipping her drink, finally spoke up with a thoughtful expression. "They definitely don’t act like the rest of us... but there’s something to that."

Celia glanced at Miria, still skeptical. "I get it. It’s like they’re living in some other world."

Dan leaned forward a bit, his tone teasing. "Maybe you’re just jealous, Celia. After all, we’ve got the best of both worlds. Good scores, good everything."

Celia glared at him. "That’s not the point, and you know it." She looked between Luck and Dan, frustration still evident in her eyes. "How do you get away with acting so... so weird all the time and not caring about what anyone thinks?"

Luck finally glanced up at her, his face still unreadable. "Because we don’t care what anyone thinks." His words were simple, but there was an unspoken weight behind them, like the answer was both obvious and final.

Miria let out a quiet breath, still reflecting on the whole situation. "I’m starting to understand why you two get along... in your own way."

Celia didn’t respond right away, just staring at them in disbelief. She shook her head again, trying to wrap her mind around everything. "You two are seriously something else."