Miss Aya lounged in her office chair, cigarette dangling between her slender fingers.
Wisps of smoke curled upward, forming hazy patterns against the afternoon light filtering through the half-drawn blinds.
Her office smelled of cigarettes and the faint scent of the jasmine perfume she always wore.
'What are the professors thinking, directly trying to get involved?' she pondered, tapping ash into a small crystal tray on her cluttered desk.
'Who would have thought they'd pull a stunt like that.'
"Honestly, it's all a pain," she muttered, irritation evident in her voice.
"All this fuss over one student." She took another long drag from her cigarette, letting the smoke fill her lungs before slowly exhaling.
Just as the cloud of smoke dissipated, the door to her office swung open without warning.
A familiar figure stepped inside—Arashi stood there, his uniform impeccable as always, his eyes sharp and calculating.
'Speak of the devil...or should I say think of the devil,' she thought, eyeing him carefully. 'And he entered without knocking. How bold.'
"Shouldn't you knock before entering?" she asked, raising an eyebrow but making no move to put out her cigarette.
"Well, you also aren't supposed to be smoking on academy premises," Kuroyami countered smoothly as he approached her desk.
His footsteps barely audible on the polished floor.
"Mhm, fair point," she conceded with a slight smirk. "What do you want?" Her fingers drummed against the wooden surface of her desk, betraying a hint of curiosity.
'She folded quickly. This might be easier than I thought,' Arashi noted to himself, maintaining his composed exterior as he settled into the chair opposite her.
"I need you to do me a favor," he stated, his voice calm and measured as he leaned slightly forward, elbows resting on his knees.
"Why?" she asked, blowing another plume of smoke toward the ceiling as if confused by his directness, though her eyes remained sharp and attentive.
"To have my cooperation," he replied simply.
'He sure is an arrogant one,' she thought, clearly amused by his boldness.
The corners of her mouth twitched upward ever so slightly.
Her gaze intensified then, the playfulness vanishing as she studied him.
"Why would I want that?" The question hung in the air between them, weighted with unspoken implications.
"Well, strange things are happening around the academy," he said, his tone shifting to something more serious, more foreboding.
The way he said it caught her attention immediately.
Her eyes widened almost imperceptibly. "Aren't you the cause?" she replied, taking another drag from her cigarette to mask her interest.
"Well, it's strange how the academy—which is guarded like something made out of glass—was infiltrated so easily," he said as he stood up, pushing the chair back with practiced smoothness.
He began walking slowly toward her side of the desk, each step deliberate and measured.
"It's strange how a student disappeared and the administration acted like nothing happened," he continued, moving closer.
The temperature in the room seemed to drop with each step he took.
"It's strange how a girl who was injured showed up at my house and refused treatment but still insisted on meeting me." His voice became softer, yet somehow more intense.
"It's strange how that same girl was almost killed in my house by the student who disappeared." He was standing over her now, looking down with eyes that missed nothing.
He placed his hands on her desk and leaned forward, bringing his face uncomfortably close to hers, making direct, unwavering eye contact.
"Clearly, how could such strange things happen? And what would happen to this academy if word got out? How would the royal families react?" He paused, letting his words sink in. "It's all so strange, don't you think?"
Miss Aya didn't flinch. Her face remained calm and composed, a perfect mask hiding the tumult of her thoughts.
'He's so close to my face,' she thought, impressed despite herself. 'Talk about audacity. This boy is interesting... clearly, he's seen beyond the surface.'
"What do you want?" she asked flatly, not giving him the satisfaction of seeing her unnerved.
He straightened and returned to his seat, the tension in the room shifting but not dissipating.
"Well, it's just something small. Check the note on your table." He gestured toward a folded piece of paper that hadn't been there moments before.
She reached for it cautiously, unfolding it with deliberate slowness.
As her eyes scanned the contents, they widened perceptibly. A smile played at her lips—not one of amusement, but of genuine surprise.
"Are you sure about this? You can't be serious," she said, looking up at him with newfound respect and wariness.
Meanwhile, at the House of Shadows training ground, Kaito stood motionless in the center of the open space.
Several other members had gathered around the perimeter, watching him with various degrees of interest and admiration.
The afternoon sun cast long shadows across the worn stone floor, highlighting the intensity etched into Kaito's features.
His eyes were closed, face a mask of concentration. His hands rested lightly on the hilts of his twin blades, ready but not tense.
Autumn leaves drifted lazily through the air around him, carried by a gentle breeze.
Then he took a deep breath, the rise and fall of his chest barely visible.
What happened next was almost imperceptible—his hands moved in a blur, crossing over each other as he drew both blades simultaneously.
The leaves that had been floating peacefully in the air seemed to disintegrate, cut into pieces so fine they resembled dust scattering in the wind.
'Still not good enough,' Kaito thought, his jaw tightening in frustration.
'I need to be faster. This is still nothing.' His grip on the swords tightened until his knuckles whitened.
Memories of Elias's fight replayed in his mind—the speed, the precision, the overwhelming power. Each recollection fueled his determination.
'After what happened yesterday, I was hoping to learn more about what's going on at the academy,' he thought, resheathing his blades with practiced precision.
'But Arashi simply handed those two over to the teachers like it was nothing, and he didn't bother to explain himself.' The thought irritated him, like a splinter he couldn't quite remove.
"Woooow, did you see that?" one onlooker exclaimed, eyes wide with amazement.
"Nope. Nothing. All I saw were the leaves dispersing," another admitted, squinting as if that might help him see better in retrospect.
"What kind of technique did he use?" a third wondered aloud, leaning forward eagerly.
"No technique was used," a calm voice explained from behind them. "He simply drew his twin blades, cut the leaves, then resheathed them." Selene had appeared silently behind the group.
Her sudden presence startling them as they had been too focused on trying to catch Kaito's movements.
"What, for real? So all that was just his speed?" one boy asked, turning toward her voice.
"Wow, amazing. Well, that's the best dual wielder of our grade for you. He's truly exceptional," another said with admiration.
"Wait, so you were able to see what happened?" The first boy turned his head back to question Selene further, but found nothing but empty space where she had stood.
"Wait, what? Wasn't there someone behind us? Where did they go?" he wondered aloud, looking around in confusion before shrugging.
"Nevermind," he muttered, turning his attention back to Kaito, who had already begun preparing for another demonstration.