Harry and Silica were first unnerved by this boy staring down at them. Rumors were told about him at the school. Rumors that were too scary to even think about without sending a shiver down your spine.

Harry was about to hold out his arm to summon his shield. To tell Silica to step back. After all, it was his job as her guard to---

"Look, I know what you're thinking." He sat down between then without asking, placing satchel around him on his lap. "And they're not true okay? It's because I'm the only Gnome here."

Harry's arm snapped back. His face felt like it was burning from the embarrassment. Open mouthed, he stared at the red eyed boy staring back at him with a stern gaze.

He hadn't thought about that before. But this boy was the only Gnome here.

A race that was even more hostile and hateful than the Hobogoblins. A race that wanted nothing more than to crush it's rivals, mainly the stronger Shapeshifters, into dust.

Of course the children here, who'd been trained never to mess with the Gnomes for fear of starting a war, would hate him.

And what right did Harry ever have to trust their rumors?

"It's because I'm the only Gnome here..."

Just like how Harry was the only Hybrid, with a shield for a "Weapon".

But... Rumors or not, the dark shadows over this boy's gaze was something Harry couldn't ignore. He knew he was the only one to notice it because of his hidden gift. A gift that'd gotten stronger with age, and the more people he read.

He'd seen that look back at his old home in the Giant village. Mainly from the children, but also from some of the leery adults. And the looks he saw from the hostile students here.

A look that meant something darker lurking within. Which usually turned into sneers, or physical harm.

Getting over his feeling of embarrassment, Harry sat up straighter as the boy gazed out at the front yard of billowing grass in front of him. Heaving a long sigh, he flipped open his satchel.

"Look, believe me or not, I'm not the weird kid that likes killing animals. That's actually... Well, nevermind. I came here to make an offer. Choosing to believe the rumors or not is up to you."

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

"O-Offer...?" Harry and Silica looked at each other in confusion. First, this boy was younger than Harry, six or seven. Second, he was talking way better than most students his age. Even better than his senior Harry.

It was something Harry picked up on immediately. Because it reminded him of Silica. She was three years older than him, and eleven at the time. But at that age she was speaking as concisely as the boy.

Which meant...

He had to come from a house of power. Where they made sure their children were taught by the best tutors and spoke as sweetly as a true aristocrat.

So what kind of offer was he about to make? Something with money? Silica wasn't allowed to boast her social stature, mainly for her safety. But it wasn't unlike the Gnome race to flaunt such a thing, even if it meant using their children to do so.

If so, what kind of thing would this boy be asking?

What could someone with such a dark gaze need? Harry held his breath as the boy reached into the satchel. What was about to happen?

"I want you and her to be my big siblings!"

"..."

Harry and Silica's mouths dropped open. The boy pulled out a giant red crystal from the bag, twice as big as his small hand.

"Us... Your... Siblings?" Silica raised an eyebrow. "And... You're going to pay us with that?"

"H-Huh?"

The boy looked down at the crystal. "This isn't money. This is my Weapon."

"H-Huh...?"

Since when was someone's Weapon placed inside a satchel? Only Warriors could summon them out of thin air, using the special Channels inside themselves. The only time it left their hands was for a Weapons Master to repair them, who were a special class of Warriors themselves, using the crystals on their foreheads to do any fixing.

Never once was anything placed inside a satchel. Everything was held by a Warriors' hand constantly.

How was this even possible?

"You see, I'm like you, Mr. Sakami, even more now. I don't have a normal Weapon either."

Harry felt like he was about to fall over. This whole time he'd thought he'd been alone. Only for this boy to be right under his nose the whole time he'd been at the Academy?

Because I'd believed the rumors...

Harry felt sick to stomach then. "You feel like... No one understands you. That all they see is a lie everyone tells them, to make them hate you. You just want to be loved like everyone else. You just want one kid here to call your name with joy instead of hatred. And you chose us, because I'm like you. And Silica is the most loyal person you've ever seen."

Silica blinked at Harry in confusion, while the boy's head snapped up.

"Th-That's exactly why..."

"Then... Welcome to our family!"

The boy's eyes glistened. Harry reached out his hand. "Oh yeah, what's your name?"

"Hayato. My name's Hayato."

And from then on, their little group became a close trio. Hayato's dark gaze that only Harry could see still remained. But he stood by his little brother through everything, making sure the darkness didn't overcome him.

But even being right beside him couldn't keep Hayato safe in the end. Harry had failed at his job.

And now the same fear he'd had when first meeting Hayato came back with that poor girl...