After the interclass training, Emi was walking through the halls of the academy with several thoughts on her mind. Even though the interclass training involved all the classes, it was not normal to have as many people as today's session had. This could only mean one thing. Edward had done something to gather such a crowd. The way things were going, Emi was sure that Edward wanted to humiliate Ren in front of everyone. Even Emi wasn't foolish enough to not understand why Edward was planning such a thing. Clearly, it was because of her.
But far from being humiliated, Ren managed to turn the tables and achieve victory against Edward, who was said to be a fencing prodigy. Emi had never seen such clean and polished fencing as Ren's. It was truly beautiful to behold. As she walked down the hall, Emi heard a voice that caught her attention.
"Emi"
As soon as she turned, Emi saw a boy with blond hair and blue eyes, quite similar to her father. That was her second brother, Lucas Tulipal Solaris. Just like him, Lucas was also called a fencing genius, just like Edward.
"Lucas onii-sama, it's a pleasure to see you. Do you need me for anything?"
asked Emi in a respectful tone. Emi's whole family was warm and kind to her, so she loved her siblings just as much as she loved her parents. Just like Emi, Lucas was also 14 years old.
"Not exactly... I saw your friend fight against Prince Edward, and I can't contain my urge to duel with him. I was trying to find him"
Said Lucas with a wild smile on his face. Emi found this characteristic of her brother quite unique. Although he wasn't very good with subjects that required intelligence, he was quite strong physically.
"If you're looking for Ren, then he's not with me. He went to Susy-sensei's lab a few minutes ago"
Emi said.
"So, his name is Ren... I'll remember that"
Lucas said with a mysterious smile on his face. When Emi thought the conversation was over and she was ready to leave, Lucas spoke to her again.
"Oh, and by the way, Asia onee-sama said she wanted to talk to Ren sometime. I was planning on telling him that if I met him, but please pass on the message for me"
Said Lucas, leaving Emi a little confused. She couldn't see a reason for her older sister to want to see Ren.
"Alright, I will pass your message on to him, Onii-sama"
Emi said.
"Thanks, Emi. See you later"
Said Lucas, turning and walking away. After Emi separated from her brother, she started walking again, heading towards her dorm. On the way, Emi spent a lot of time thinking about Ren. Several people were becoming curious about him. For Emi, it was also a surprise to discover that Ren was skilled in fencing. Emi had thought that Ren's strong point was his intelligence, but from what Ren had said, intelligence could also be used as a form of self-defense as long as one had the necessary knowledge.
With these thoughts in mind, Emi continued walking until she reached the girls' dormitory. In general, it was up to the student's preference whether they wanted to stay in the dorm or go home. As Emi found it tiring to go back and forth, she opted to stay in the dorm. As soon as she opened the door to her room, she ran into her roommate, whom she knew very well.
"Emi, you took a while. Did something happen?"
Flora asked, looking at Emi with a worried expression.
"I ran into my brother on the way, so I was a little late"
Said Emi, walking over to her bed. As soon as Emi sat down, she noticed Flora looking at her with a strange expression.
"What happened? Is there something on my face?"
Emi asked, confused.
"No... it's just..."
Flora seemed hesitant, unsure whether she could ask her question.
"It's okay. You can tell me what you're thinking"
Emi said with a soft smile. Hearing her words, Flora's mouth twitched before she asked her question.
"I know it's rude to ask, but... do you like Ren?"
The question took Emi by surprise. She wasn't expecting such a direct question. But upon hearing Flora's question, Emi also wondered about the nature of their current relationship. They were friends, weren't they? But Emi knew that Ren had feelings for her. She didn't know why, since they had never seen each other before, but she could quickly tell that he loved her. And that's why Emi couldn't respond to Ren's feelings. Although Emi didn't know if she loved Ren or not, one thing she did know was that she held him in high regard and wouldn't mind marrying him, even if it wasn't for love. Ren was an extremely valuable asset to her parents, and Emi knew that.
"I... I really can't say. I have a great appreciation for him as a person, but I don't know if I can call it love. I'm sorry for giving such an unsatisfactory answer"
Emi said.
"Oh, you don't have to worry about that. This kind of thing is too personal to ask anyway"
Said Flora, seeming to think for a few seconds.
"Okay, I will tell you a secret I have been keeping for years to make up for my unreasonable request, Emi"
Said Flora. After taking a breath for a few seconds, Flora finally said the words that Emi had been waiting for.
"The truth is... I like Eric since we were kids"
Said Flora, her face turning completely red. Emi burst into laughter and spoke.
"I guess we're even now"
Emi said, smiling.