“See you tomorrow, students. Don’t forget there will be a Club’s Fair!” reminded Vauren as most of the students left the class. Kane walked toward him who was tidying up his desk and preparing to leave.
“Kane I help you? Heh, do you get it?”
Kane stared blankly. “...never mind.” He immediately turned around and walked toward the door.
“Wait! I was merely cracking a joke. I have been waiting to say this since a week ago,” apologized Vauren.
“My name isn’t even pronounced like that,” he complained.
“I forgot. Ahem! What business do you have with me, Kane?” asked Vauren once more. This time, he pronounced it correctly and his smile had disappeared.
“I’ve been wondering. There are some questions I’d like to ask…”
After inquiring Vauren regarding the teachers’ activities last night, Kane had gained new information. They all lived in a dormitory similar to the students' except much bigger and better in terms of quality. According to him, nobody was absent nor leaving during the night due to the heavy rain.
Of course, it still wasn’t enough. Next, Kane had to ask a female teacher or staff the same questions. Other than Teresa, Kane only knew two female staff in this academy: Maria and the librarian. Since the library was further than the infirmary, he went to the former first.
---
In the training ground, Kane sat on one of the empty benches. Leaning against his back, he watched the students’ afternoon activities on the field. Some of them were trying to control a ball using their feet, some were doing exercises, and other various activities. It was unexpectedly rather relaxing; however, that wasn’t the reason for him to come here.
He took a brief break after asking the same questions to Maria and the librarian. Both stated that nobody left their dorm yesterday night. Thanks to them, the culprit narrowed down to the two class-S students. Kane understood that he had to approach Sharon, but the question was: how to do it naturally? He considered joining the student council, but it seemed not worth the effort. It had been a long time since he had worked together with many people, and the result wasn’t pleasant.
Then, Kane heard two male students discussing something behind him.
“Hey, which club do you want to join?” asked a young male behind Kane to someone.
“I’m not sure. Maybe The Alchemy Club,” replied another male with a slightly higher voice pitch.
“Alchemy? Ha, as if you got a talent for that.”
“Well, Sharon is going to join that club, according to the rumor.”
“Seriously? She's the president of the student council, isn't she? Why would she abandon her position?”
“I don’t know for sure, but I heard that she wanted to step down.”
“Makes sense. She’s already a fifth-year student, after all. Also, it’s been 3 years since she became the president.”
“Alchemy Club, huh? Thanks for the information, whoever you are.” Kane smiled after hearing the conversation. He had to join the club first, then approach Sharon. When he stood up, Kane saw a familiar face walking toward the opposite side alone.
“Is that… Calypso? What is he doing here?” Kane squinted his eyes. At first, he didn’t care too much until he saw the sheathed wooden longsword was carried on Calypso’s shoulder.
“Interesting.” Kane followed him while maintaining some distance and reducing his aura presence. Perhaps he could find something worth finding.
Ten minutes later, Calypso stepped into a lone large square building through one of four opened doors. Molds were growing on the bleached walls. Faint shouts, mostly males, leaked out from there along with sounds of objects clashing with each other.
Inside, there were around fifty people dressed in everyday clothing; some weren’t even wearing a top garment. Half of them were swinging their wooden sword at the practice target. The other half sparred against each other as the referee observed them. The room itself was wide enough for at least hundreds of people.
Kane then approached Calypso who was entering a small chamber — based on the protruding room shape — and greeted from behind,
“It seems you like to come here often. Why don’t you tell me about this place?”
“Kane!? What are you doing here?” Calypso immediately turned around, shocked.
“I followed you.” He gave an honest reply.
“You are even worse than a savage, do you not know that?”
Kane crossed his arms. “By all means, please enlighten me.”
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“A stalker!”
“We’re even, then.” Kane’s lips curved into a sly grin.
“That's…” Calypso opened his mouth, wanting to say something. It took a moment until he came up with an answer. “Fine, do whatever you want!”
Then, a tall muscular man approached them. His long hair waved as he walked. He was the man who led the class S students. “Is this your friend, Calriss?”
“He’s merely a classmate,” he said.
“And a dorm mate,” added Kane.
Calypso glared at the half-oni. “Would you please shut up?”
Hearing the exchange, the man burst into laughter. “You two are close, aren’t you?”
“If there’s nothing else, I’ll go ahead first.” Calypso then entered the room.
“Geez. He’s still as cold as ever.” He then darted his gaze towards Kane. “So, you must be the rumored half-oni, Kane, yes?”
“That’s right. And you are?” Kane asked back.
“I’m Leonard Yalhurst from Yalhurst house, a fifth-year student and the captain of the Weapon Arts club and a class-S student. A pleasure to meet you.” He offered a handshake. His palm was thick and full of bruises.
Raising his eyebrows, Kane grabbed the hand. It seemed his judgment regarding Leonard had missed the mark. “Weapon arts? Do you all want to become magic swordsmen or something?”
“It's more of a hobby, you see. We don’t want to neglect our bodies while pursuing the truth of magic. Plus, we’ll be able to defend ourselves from melee attacks. Some of us do want to become one, such as Calriss and myself."
“I see.” Kane scratched his chin as he nodded.
“Say, what brings you here? Do you wish to join us, perhaps? Did Calriss recommend you? He's not a member yet, but he's very welcome to bring anyone.”
“I’m… just checking other clubs before deciding.”
“Alright. You can watch from there.” Leonard pointed at the rows of benches near the wall. “Or you can also try sparring since you seem to have potential.”
“How do you know?”
“The calluses on your fingers. You must’ve done labor work before becoming a student here.”
“Good catch. I used to help my father with woodworking.”
“How is Calriss a member here already before the Club’s Fair?” inquired Kane.
“He came here with his own initiative and requested me to train him. Since I’ve known him for a long time, I agreed without questions asked,” he explained.
“So, you already know his identity,” Kane made a confirmation.
“Ah, of course. You too, eh? Nevertheless, he told me to use the name ‘Calriss’ while in this academy, so I must respect that.”
As soon as Leonard said that, Calypso appeared, and had changed into a black tunic, decorated with white plant motifs. The wrapped two-handed wooden longsword rested on his shoulder. He then glared at the eyeing Kane.
“Why are you staring at me like that?”
“That color combination looks good on you,” Kane complimented nonchalantly.
“W-what’s that supposed to mean, you freak?” Calypso immediately ran off towards the corner. His ears were flushed red.
“I’ve never seen him so flustered before. How amusing,” Leonard chuckled.
“He’s actually easy to tease despite his looks.”
“Seriously?” He laughed heartily. “I’ll have to try that later.”
Then a brief silence descended upon them. Should he ask regarding Sharon? He might get some suspicion, but still, that was a risk he was willing to take. And thus, Kane said, “You know, I've been wanting to ask some questions regarding a certain class S student.”
“Go ahead.”
“How much do you know about Sharon?”
Leonard looked at Kane once more with stern eyes. “Why do you ask that?”
“Just asking for a friend.”
“Oh.” Leonard took a deep breath before speaking. “To be frank, I don't know much about her nor am I interested in finding out. Before becoming a Niflenia student, she claimed to be a daughter of some count family from a faraway place. It didn’t take a long time for her to become the president of the student council thanks to her charm.”
“Then, how did she become a class-S student?”
“The usual fare. Through tests and things like that. However…”
“However?”
“Some say that she seduced the examiners to let her pass. Granted, it’s merely a baseless old rumor, most likely coming from her jealous haters. Come to think of it, she wasn’t that outstanding in magic either, though still much better than Lia—” Leonard immediately pursed his lips. “Nevermind.”
“Lia what?” Kane pretended to not know about her. He said those words to prevent any suspicion cast on him. Not saying anything would be a bad move. Still, why did he stop saying her name as if it was a taboo?
“Forget that, will you? Is there anything else you want to ask? Other than the previous topic, perhaps?”
Kane pondered Leonard’s answer. Based on that, Sharon shouldn't be able to destroy the giant door. That didn't prove much. She could be hiding her true power or something like that, but in the end, the information was too limited to make a judgment. Nonetheless, it was still useful.
Now that he was one step closer to find the culprit, Kane no longer intended to stick around. Inquiring more questions could be dangerous because there was a possibility that Leonard was an accomplice or even the culprit himself.
“That’s all for now. Thank you for your answer. I think I must go now. It’s getting late.” Kane bowed and turned around.
“Hold it.”
Kane immediately halted his steps as soon as he heard that.
“Do you think you can leave scot-free without giving any compensation? If you take another step forward, I will tell every student about our conversation earlier. Of course, Sharon included.”
“What do you want?” asked Kane back, facing Leonard.
“2,000 gold,” he replied almost immediately.
“You’re insane.”
Leonard nodded. “Then, let me change my offer…”
---
While Kane and Leonard were having a conversation, Calypso was busy stretching his limb muscles on the corner far from them. A while later, he unwrapped the wooden longsword and swung it around. It only lasted for a moment. He pinched the garb, then checked in one of the mirrors while still assuming a fighting stance.
“Do I appear better in this color?” he asked himself.
“…”
“What a load of bullcrap! Is he even the type who likes giving compliments?” He swung the sword a dozen times, fiercer than before. Then, Calypso ran his fingers through his hair, pondering once more. “He did compliment me before, but…”
Taking a glance at Kane's direction; he noticed that they were already gone and nowhere to be seen. A couple of minutes later, they had removed their uniform vest, carrying a steel sword each. The crowds halted their activities and opened a path for the two to the center. This caused whisperings between the crowd.
“The captain’s going to fight that half-oni!”
“This gonna be brutal!”
“I already feel sorry for him.”
Calypso managed to get a clear view in the front. Both Kane and Leonard stood face to face.