"It’s ti for to head back already. The next lesson is about to start." Belian said as he stood up from the bench located behind Mika’s cell.
"Sure, thanks for coming." Mika replied with a faint smirk.
Thus, Belian left the place and headed back to the academy.
"..."
Mika stared at the grey ceiling.
With Belian away, he had nothing to do.
In addition to that, there were only a couple of prisoners here with Mika, however, Mika rarely talked with them.
One may call it a jail, but originally this tower served as a place for detention. Students, who were branded as troublemakers or who broke the rules, were reported to the disciplinary committee, which in turn took them into custody here.
Currently, it seed like most of them were also black class students, who were victims of the previous incident involving all first-year classes.
But Mika heard that there was another person here aside from them. Apparently, that person’s cell was one floor beneath the disciplinary committee’s headquarters. And based on the rumors here, the person was not a student.
When he asked Lisa about her, she only told him that it would be better for him to not know. Even other mbers of the committee remained silent, despite them not taking their jobs seriously most of the ti.
"Hey, system. Do you know anything about that person?" Mika whispered cautiously.
[Are you so bored that you want to eagerly know sothing about another person?]
"Yes...! I’ve got nothing to do here, okay?"
[...]
"So do you know anything?"
[Yes, of course I do.]
"I don’t like your tone but either way... Can you tell sothing?" Mika replied, uttering the first part barely audible.
[For now, it doesn’t matter to you who that person is. However, I can tell you that the person is a pretty interesting individual.]
"Huh? It’s rare for you to praise soone so highly."
[You will eventually find out soday.]
"Hmm... I see."
[But I have to say, it is hilarious for that person to be here of all places.]
"What does that an?"
[I understand that as a person affiliated with the academy, the person had to be thrown into this tower. Still, it is very weird. After all, the person is regarded as a threat to the entire world.]
"?!"
"What?!"
His eyebrows furrowed.
[I cannot say more about the person for now.]
"Hey, you can’t stop on the good part!"
Mika did not notice, but he unconsciously began to raise his voice.
"Jeez, who is it this ti...?"
"Can those damn first-years not take a break from their constant fights?"
"I was told that the president’s little brother was attacked."
"Huh? Really? What kind of fool did that? A black class student, again?"
While Mika tried to squeeze out more information from the system, multiple committee mbers passed by his cell.
They did not really look like they were in a hurry, but it seed like they were about to head out.
"Another incident...?" Mika wondered, not having heard their previous talks.
"Yes. According to the report, a silver-class student went on a rampage." Lisa, who appeared out of nowhere, replied seriously.
"!"
He flinched for a mont.
"Can you announce yourself when you’re here?!" Mika complained with a lightly reddened face.
"It’s your fault for not noticing."
"..."
"Are you going as well?" Mika asked slightly annoyed with crossed arms.
"Yes."
"Isn’t it a bit overkill for just one silver class student?"
"In the past, I would have thought so as well, however after fighting you, I learned that I shouldn’t underestimate the situation or the enemy."
Lisa walked away.
"Well, since Xander is absent again, it’s my job to look out for those guys." she stated with a hint of exhaustion in her voice as she waved her hands at Mika.
"Have fun while I’m away."
"As if I could do anything here..."
Irritated, Mika gritted his teeth while he stared at her back which got smaller and smaller until she was nowhere to be seen anymore.
He sighed.
"What should I do now...?" he muttered to himself bored.
Mika sat on the cold and hard ground, leaning against the equally cold and hard wall.
Then, he smirked faintly.
"Well, I guess it’s also nice to have monts like these, where I have nothing to do or think about."
Usually, he would have to deal with quests, problems or other things that occupy his mind.
[Don’t forget. You still have that one side quest.]
"..."
His expression soured imdiately.
"Thanks, for reminding ." he said slightly mad.
[No problem.]
"That was sarcastic, you know?"
However, in that mont he sensed a new presence outside.
"Since when did this bench beco so popular...?"
He clearly heard the sound of the grass rustling.
"So tired~"
"..."
"That voice... That yawn... Rachel, it’s you, right?"
No response.
"Don’t tell that you already fell asleep..." Mika stated baffled.
The person behind the wall was indeed Rachel. And just like Mika assud, she slept on the bench.
An entire hour passed.
The dispatched disciplinary committee mbers still did not return.
Mika, who was too bored, also decided to take a short nap.
It was only when he heard another yawn coming from outside that he woke up.
"Huh...? The sun is still up...? Maybe I should sleep more~"
"H-hey, wait! Rachel?!" Mika said hurriedly.
"Mika~?"
Rachel turned her drowsy face to the wall behind her.
"What are you doing here~?"
"What I’m doing here? Are you still asleep? Rather than , what are you doing here?" Mika replied confused.
"Oh, right... You’re imprisoned~"
She stood up and stretched her body.
"Did you co here to visit ?"
"Huh? No." she responded bluntly and imdiately.
"..."
"I was just taking a nap here."
"Why would you take a nap beside the academy’s jail...?" Mika asked taken aback by her free-spirited way of thinking.
"Hmm... Because it’s a lot calr here than anywhere else on the academy grounds?"
She answered with a question.
"I-is that so?" he said while sighing.
Rachel sat down again. She kicked her legs in the air.
"Belian was here already, right?"
"That’s right."
"I see."
"..."
"..."
It was silent again.
"Hey, could I ask you why you don’t participate in the promotion tournant?" Rachel asked.
"Promotion tournant? Ah, you an the tournant for the first-years."
It was the tournant ant as a promotion exam for the first-year students, who wanted to change classes.
"I don’t particularly desire a class change. Therefore, I see no reason to take part in the tournant." Mika replied.
"Then why did you accept Xander’s challenge? Belian told about it."
Mika cast his gaze low.
"For personal reasons, I guess..."
"..."
Rachel was mindful enough to not ask about his reasons any further.
"What about you? From what I’ve heard aside from Sylvia, none of you white class students participate in the tournant."
Rachel took a mont before she responded.
"I guess Belian wanted to focus on the match against Xander and Cail."
"Harik has his own circumstances."
"And I..."
She took another pause.
Her eyes narrowed a little as she looked down on her thighs.
"I’m just not built for that." she added.
Her mouth ford a smile and yet, her eyes seed sad.
"Hm?"
Mika tilted his head.
"What are you talking about? Doesn’t being a white-class student prove that you’re strong? If you’d enter the tournant you would be easily one of the favorites to win."
"That may be true..." she answered softly.
"But it takes too much energy from ."
Then, Mika rembered the conversation he had with her a few days ago.
"Sorry, that was insensitive of ."
"It’s fine..."
Rachel looked up.
Since a few years ago, she began to use up twice as much energy as an average person her age for everything she did.
"Isn’t there... Isn’t there anything that could help you?" he asked nervously.
"No... Sadly not."
She stood up again.
"It’s really a bumr, isn’t it? If it weren’t for my condition, then I could do so many things I wanted."
She walked around with a smile on her face as she imagined an alternative version of herself.
"I could hang around with friends. I could be outside for much longer. I could attend lessons normally."
"..."
Mika could only listen behind the wall that separated them.
"I could even participate in the tournant week. And not to ntion the upcoming Opening Ball. I can only fantasize about dancing all dressed up at the ball."
Her lonely eyes shifted from the sky to the ground.
"This is reality. All I can do is act out these things in my imagination." she said before she vanished from the place.
Mika bore a mournful expression on his face.
However, he was not mournful because he thought that he could not help her.
"Hey, system. I have a question."
He was mournful because he pitied her current state and mindset.
[What is it?]
And after hearing her thoughts, he wanted to try sothing.
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