The squeak of chalk over the blackboard came to a grinding halt, the purple-haired woman turning heads to the students behind the long counter tables.
Silence was the norm when she was around, yet it was as if the room heated up from the looming thick air.
Her gazes brief, yet filled with observation that she could deduct their moods to only one thing–tension–but what tension? What was it from?
"You guys sure are excited." her flat tone came out as sarcasm, it caught the attention of the students. "Since that's the case," she put down her chalk, "we'll use our remaining time as preparation–for tomorrow." she walked out of the classroom.
A black-haired girl's gaze met an orange-haired, not a single word uttered yet it was as if they knew what they were about to say.
"Eileen, what do you think? About the director's announcement?" the girl's voice, straightforward, tough-sounding and medium-pitched asked with a slight hint of worry.
The black-haired Eileen turned away, her expressionless face coming to life with furrowed brows, conflicted. "I don't know," at last, her gaze met the former, "I can feel a sense of pride knowing I'll be defending the city from danger, but..–"
"It feels grave, right?" asked the orange-haired, her tone hinting at understanding.
Eileen nodded. "I wonder how the others are faring." she observed everyone around, their voices unintelligible. "What about you, Brigid?"
Brigid shrugged. "Don't know, honestly."
The former turned back, her gaze at the empty table in the back. "The three are still absent."
"Didn't you hear? Ms. Minerva returned to Grosville, I think she'll be there for 2 weeks–more or less."
"What about Sanguinex? Pariah Prince?"
Brigid shrugged again. "Wouldn't it be easier calling him Sévir instead of Pariah Prince?"
Eileen shrugged back. "That's what everyone calls him."
Brigid opened her mouth, cut off with the creak of the door–Ardell returned. "I spoke with Professor Danica, she's lending her time to us."
Walking to the middle, she turned to the class with a brow raised and arms folded. "What? Aren't you guys going to rise?"
Upon her asking, they rose from their seats in a heartbeat.
"I'll say this again–I want none of you falling to enemy hands, dead or alive. To avoid that, I'm assigning you all to groups."
She pointed at the very left, moving upwards. "Juniper, your groupmates are those behind you," she pointed beside to another blondie, "Lena, same for you, and same for the rest. Those in the first row are the leaders."
Juniper raised her hand. "But Ms. Ardell, not all of us–like me, are cut out to lead." she protested, though it fell on deaf ears.
"Trust me in my decision, just as much as how I trust you all as leaders." despite the harshness in her voice, her sincerity was in plain sight.
An uplifting silence followed, yet doubt still lingered in the back of their minds.
"We're going out. No need to switch to your fitness outfits–it's too cold for that."
.
Sitting beside the Crimson Girl was the One Shot, watching the swarm of random-clothed men, their heights and appearance varying; shortest to tallest, dull to toned, tough-looking to meek-looking, it truly was a group of random people, and youngest to oldest.
The One Shot drew her gun. "You'd expect them all to look strong and tough, no?"
Sanguinex nodded. "Keep your guns away from the children," her voice, mixed with concern and warning, "we'll just send them to interrogation."
The former smiled with devious intent. "No promises."
The bandits looked in one direction–the direction of an armored man, his armor darker than silver and coated in scratch marks. He would've been mistaken as a Trystan Knight if only it weren't for his red headband and left armband.
"At this point, they're more armies than bandits," Sanguinex commented, "it's weird for them to be this grouped up.. And harmonic."
"My, you sure do have a habit of caring about things that don't matter." she stood up, walking to the edge of the roof. "What matters is finishing the job and having fun~" she leaped off the roof.
Sanguinex scratched her head, following suit.
The bandits looked back as the ground thumped upon their landing. Eyes widened and senses alarmed, they could only do what made sense; "IT'S THE ONE SHOT AND CRIMSON GIRL!" yelled the armored bandit, drawing his sword as the rest did.
Bracing herself, Sanguinex dashed in the blink of an eye, their blood splattering from their throats.
She halted in front of the armored bandit, a slight smile on her mouth. "Your service is over, 'boss'." she swiped her sharpened nails at his throat, cutting open a wound.
"Tamashii no yubiwa–Shuukaku." cocking her gun, she opened fire and released a purple ray that followed the glowing bullet, piercing through six bandits rendering them limp and pale.
Young-looking bandits joined in, yet blatantly avoided by the two. "Bougyo no yubiwa." the right index's yellow ring glowed. She shot the ground, the cobblestone glowed yellow and expanded to their feet. "I'm giving you the spotlight, Crim."
Sanguinex turned to the trapped men, her nails growing even longer and sharper.
.
Zephyr rubbed her hands against her skirt, her breath visible from the cold. It's way colder than I expected.. she glanced down at her navy blue scarf with hints of black. Fortunately, I brought this scarf.
It seemed like the people that passed by shared the same cold shivers and warm relief that they wore their scarves. She walked farther away from them, bringing herself to a place filled with snow and scattered trees, some people here and there walking and minding their own business.
Her steps though normally light and quiet, crunched the snow that coated the bronze brick pathways that led her closer to a pond.
The dark waters' gentle waves were near unnoticeable, yet Zephyr noticed it. The water's darker than I remember. looking up, a number of snowmens' stone eyes and smiles met her, she couldn't help but smile back. They look so cute.
Though the thought disappeared when she passed by them, returning to something from earlier. Who could've written this letter? she pulled a scroll out of her jacket pocket, unrolling to read it a second time.
'Come meet me at Gramma Central Park, I have something to tell you.
– Someone you know'
She looked up again upon hearing the faint call of her name–before her sat Percival on a bench, who wore the uniform as well with a long and dark green scarf.
"Mr. Percival?" He was the one who wrote this letter? the thought of it being Percival never crossed her mind. She walked closer, stopping right before him.
"Hey." he waved in greetings, gesturing to sit down after.
She nodded and sat down, though from a distance. "Were you the one who wrote this letter? What for?"
He nodded back. "I just wanted to talk to you about some things."
She raised a brow, his unspecific answer leaving her curious. "Some things? Like?"
"How are you feeling with the director's news?"
She recalled the director's announcement, which at that moment, she too felt the cold air getting colder as he laid out the details. "Well.. I was shocked and still am. When he made that announcement, I felt like the air around me grew cold–I felt something grim about it. What about you?"
"I felt some disappointment."
"Disappointment? Why?"
"I've been studying hard for the academic examinations, so it came as a shock that he said our battle with the gangsters will be our final exam."
A smile formed from her lips. "You really do seem to be the type to be concerned about that only."
He folded his arms and shook his head. "That's the main thing, but of course I'm worried about the battle itself–we'll fight bandits–those regarded as the worst criminals," his worried gaze met hers, "do you know what that means? We'll have to kill."
Her gaze turned away. "..I know, I'm definitely not ready for that."
"Exactly, nobody's ready for that, yet not even the Octet are openly vetoing the directors' decision–Princess Trysta mainly." his brows furrowed. "That damn princess, she's been starting to show how much of a teacher's pet she is than a princess." his contempt caught Zephyr's attention.
"By the end of the day, she's still a student, right? Even if she's the most powerful student.. She can't go against the director's wishes." she replied, her response making it clear she didn't want to take any sides.
Percival realized the sheer silence of their surroundings, nobody was around, and this only reddened his cheeks amidst their serious discussion. "..Let's not talk about that anymore," he stood up, "do you have any plans today?"
She shook her head. "No, I don't."
"Then let's stroll together." he offered his hand to assist her up.
She smiled, standing up by herself. "Alright, let's go."
He dug his hands in his pockets, his heart stinging from how she rejected his assistance without any intent.
W-Whatever.. But from how it's looking, I think I can somehow call this a date..? I must take advantage of the time we have before the battle arrives and Sévir returns.
They treaded the snow-filled path together from where she came from, as if planning to leave the park already. The air was cold and unforgiving, yet the warmth that surrounded Percival was undeniable.
.
A mountain of lifeless bodies piled up The Forbidden's sole fountain, its streets once filled with light and life, dimmed with eerie silence, its atmosphere dead. The Forbidden was never a happy place, but whatever happened made it grimmer.
The mountain only grew, a familiar girl tossing carts of bodies with the assistance of civilians and armored men–not that she needed the help, but it made the disposal faster.
"It's surprisingly easy to find those against our leadership, but it's even more surprising there's a lot of them." said Ayuna, unshaken from the terrific sight before her.
"Ms. Ayuna, if you allow me to ask, just how exactly do you find out who are against us?" asked an armored man, his voice neither passive nor aggressive.
She smiled, pulling out a golden set of glasses. "These are the Eyes of Candour, when you ask something, such as who is with or against you, it shows such." she unfolded the temple, tucking it above her bridge and ears. "Tell me, are you guys with, or against the new administration?"
They all stopped, nodding to her answer. "Ooh, let me see if that's true..–Eyes of Candour, open your eyes and divulge the truth;" the lens glowed a faint white, translucent enough to see her eyes. "Are the men of five before me against the new administration, or not?"
From her vision, a translucent red coated their figures. She smiled and took off the glasses, keeping it within a pocket. "Oh, I love how honest you guys are~" she stepped forward.
"You see, these glasses were given to me by the new leader, and I know it tells the truth and nothing but the truth, so then why when you all said yes," she thrusted her hand and grabbed the one closest by the neck, closing her hand and crushing his neck like paper. "did it say no?"
They froze on the spot, fear overwhelming them as both the man's head and body fell separate from each other. Her smile kept intact, so much so that it sent even colder chills down their spines. "The very thought of it is a sin, and so you all must be punished."
Her steps grew louder as she inched closer to them, ready to throw fists. She retracted her right against the next closest to kill him with one blow, yet as she thrusted it forward, her arm abruptly halted, her wrist and elbow held tight by something wet.
She turned around–standing from a distance was a girl–soft blue-haired, she wore a teal sleeveless coat with a grey tunic and thick brown gloves beneath, and under were dark brown pants and leather boots. Her gaze sharp with determination, and her aura filled with hostility–Ayuna's eyes widened in surprise in realization of who this girl was.
"..Minerva Grosvenor!" she swung her arm back, dissolving the water wrapped around it. "What a surprise to see you here~"
Minerva stood straight, her cutlass' side tilted forward. "I could say the same thing for you, and don't call me a Grosvenor here–I'm Minerva Rio." it was evident that although she went along, her voice had a hint of hostility.
"An alias? I guess your real name would cause a stir here–if they know you, that is." her right foot took a step forward. "Tell me, why did you stop me?" the nonchalance in her voice faded away, replaced by a growing menace. "Do you want to join this mountain? If you want, I can make you the peak."
"If you can kill me." said Minerva, who braced herself to fight. The smile was no longer in sight in Ayuna's face who braced as well.