"I'm sorry, but he's out sick today..."
"Sorry, can I just relay on his missing work?"
"If it isn't too much trouble, could you gather all the things he missed?"
One by one, Elva went through each of Viv's different teachers, nervously excusing and asking by them for his missed work.
Even though Vivillian studied magic technology, because of their young ages, they were still required to learn math and language arts as well, though the intensity paled in comparison.
After getting all of the missed assignments, Elva nervously fumbled into his coat, clicking the pocket watch a few more times to no avail.
Just where could he have gone...
When Elva woke up this morning, he realized that Viv hadn't been seen and seemed to just have disappeared into thin air.
Knowing that he wasn't a morning person, Elva obviously felt something was off, but dismissed it, thinking maybe it was a rare instance of Viv waking up early.
It wasn't until a few hours later when Elva returned after his break that he realized Viv still hadn't returned.
"Don't tell me he's stirring up trouble..."
Nervously muttering to himself, Elva sighed as he made his way to Viv's last teacher, Ms Lilia. As he was doing this, he continued to click his pocket watch to try and contact him, to no avail.
Thankfully she was in her office, as she looked up in slight surprise.
"So that's why he was gone today."
Ms Lilia's honey colored eyes blinked, startled after she scribbled something on the paper she was writing and got up.
Out of all the teachers Viv had, Ms Lilia was certainly the scariest. She was known to have an aloof personality, and strict grading requirements.
However, Elva felt strange as he watched Ms Lilia get all the things Viv missed for the day.
For some reason, the both of them seemed to give off a similar feeling, but with Ms Lilia's edge coming off softer, and nearly not as much compared to Viv.
Therefore, Elva made sure to smile warmly as he handed the neat package of assignments.
"Thank you Ms Lilia, and sorry for troubling you."
Ms Lilia paused, her light green hair swaying in the wind as her expression softened. The difference was so slight that Elva wouldn't have noticed if not for the fact his gaze had been resting on that particular area of her face.
"No no...it's my job, no trouble at all. It's nice to see Vivillian have such caring friends..."
Muttering a soft response, she pushed back her hair, a silver pendant around her neck swaying in the sunlight.
Elva wanted to comment more, but stopped himself after seeing the papers all stacked on her desk. He had heard that Ms Lilia was frequently out, and all the papers were probably all the things she had yet to do.
He bowed his head, taking his leave out of the office.
Ms Lilia spared a single glance at his departure, giving a slight nod back as she began to scribble frantically into a paper.
Walking on the path back to his dorms, he saw an interesting sight on the way back, causing his face to perk up.
Lizzy Youtech, basically a small campus celebrity with her gorgeous idol like appearance. She made a name for herself at the beginning of the year, and her popularity seemed to grow as time progressed. Known for being kind and bright, she was especially popular among the girls.
However, she was right now on the boys side of campus, a small crowd scattering around her as Elva looked to see what was happening.
Ah?
The person in front of Lizzy was an even more famous celebrity, that being William Slachal, quite literally the campus's Prince. There was no need for introductions when it came for such an incredible guy.
No wonder there's a small crowd gathering...
Intrigued, Elva continued down the path, and began to hear bits of their conversation.
"I'm sure he meant well..."
Interestingly enough, William seemed to be slightly flustered as he quickly and gently tried to coax Lizzy from doing something.
"I have a bone to pick with him! And I'm sorry Your Highness, but not even you can stop me!"
Lizzy, who was just as flustered, showed a clearly unhappy expression with her path being blocked, but making sure to still be respectful to the Prince.
"A bone...?"
William was momentarily confused at the slang, but quickly cleared his throat as his composed himself again.
"Maybe we should try to clear some misunderstandings first hmm...?"
The Crown Prince's face had a small smile, as he tried to console the erratic girl, leading to many of the spectators having a round of applause at his patience.
Curious to hear more, Elva's ears seemed to grow bigger as he moved closer.
"What misunderstanding is there? That damn Vivillian almost let me die after I saved him!"
"..."
Elva's ears quickly reverted back to normal as he turned away and kept his head down, not wanting to be seen.
Viv? I never heard of him.
Inwardly, Elva felt a tear shed at the situation. For some reason, his crazy roommate seemed to be involved with a bunch of notable people.
At first Elva thought it was normal because of his status as a top student, but it seems the reason why they were interested in him was different...
People like that would absolutely ruin his dream of a somewhat normal life at Einsvul...
As Elva passed by, Lizzy's eyes suddenly widened in visible ecstasy as she let out a yelp.
"Oi! You there, aren't you his roommate!?"
Immediately, all the eyes at the scene swerved towards Elva, William being one of them as well.
In a split second, the entire crowd's attention had been shifted towards him.
Holding Viv's missed assignments awkwardly in his hand, Elva felt his dream of a normal campus life shattering again.
Just by being involved with him would draw bad luck huh...
Coldsweat ran down Elva's back as he nervously looked around, trying to act oblivious. The clutch on the bag of books tightened, his palm beginning to heat up.
"I-I think you got the wrong person...." He turned away slightly. "I don't know who you're talking about..."
"Huh? I remember your face though, aren't you Vivillian's roommate?"
Unexpectedly, William was the first one to call him out on his lie, much to Elva's dismay. Whether it was on purpose or not, he couldn't tell.
"O-Oh...Vivillian's roommate...? Yeah...then I g-guess I am..?"
"Then can you please do me a favor~?"
Before Elva could react, a pair of glistening and teary sky blue eyes blinked at him pitifully, with fair and slender hands tugging his coat shyly.
Such an action would usually come off as childish and rude, the perception perceived by others because of the pretty face and notable personality let it slide.
After all, the main people there were Lizzy's fan girls, who admired her for her bravery and strength.
In fact they were probably thinking, 'Wow, even our Queen is brave enough to act like this in front of the Crown Prince!'
It was a good old case of perception bias.
The change of demeanor quickly threw Elva and William off, as Elva habitually answered soothingly to an upset girl.
"S-Sure?"
"Great, tell your roommate to meet with me!" Throwing off the shy facade, a bright twitching grin appeared on Lizzy's face.
After years of dealing with reading Viv's emotions, Elva could tell Lizzy was holding back a concealed rage within her at the mere mention of Viv's existence.
I shouldn't have answered..
"N-Now?" Elva asked in disbelief, pointing at the ground.
"Mhm."
A cold glint appeared in Lizzy's eyes, her pink lips stretching into a grin.
"I have a few important things to talk about."
"H-Hey..."
William grit his teeth, trying to step in but not so obviously in order not to arose any suspicions. He had been the one to help Lizzy and Viv on that bad, and got a quick rundown of what had happened with the two when the monsters got loose.
Knowing how fierce the beast like the girl's personality was, William half expected to see a pitiful version Vivillian awaiting him after their "talk".
Obviously even though he couldn't talk to Viv because of their contract, William still had the urge to protect his carefully nurtured talent from all unknown variables that might messed him up.
After all, just imagine what could happen if Lizzy accidentally beat Viv too hard and his little talent he had been meticulously growing became a little idiot afterwards?!
Meanwhile, Lizzy easily retorted back to both guys with a sharp tongue.
"He's sick today..."
Elva tried to make an excuse.
"Don't worry I only need five minutes."
"Lady Youtech, surely this can wait for another time...?"
"Why are you so concerned Your Highness, it's merely a girl's pitiful attempt to contact her savior."
With added emphasis on savior, she effectively shut down all of William's future attempts to stop her.
Inwardly, Elva wanted to just run away, as he tried to slowly back off, but that tenacious girl brazenly began to follow behind him with each step he took back!
Ah man...
—-
There was the awkward clattering of silverware scratching against porcelain, an awkward air surrounding the elegant dining table.
At the head of the table, Sid nonchalantly cut open a piece of toast, spreading it with butter and jam.
On his right, Viv sat, with an uneasy expression as he picked at the food in front of him with small bites. After grabbing a piece of toast, he would carefully lower it underneath his mask to eat.
Across from him, Alamis also surprisingly sat, eating just as well as Sid, treating Viv as if he were air.
It seems he's used to this...
The servants who had set the table and served the food were long gone, Alamis taking the role of pouring and steeping tea.
They were in a sort of patio outside the mansion, in a very beautiful flower garden. Despite the very cared for appearance, the gardeners were nowhere in sight.
The most common flower in the garden was also a strange looking one that Vivillian had never seen before, but he didn't have time to pry as he prepared his excuse.
Setting down his tableware, Viv wiped his mouth with the cloth napkin and turning towards Sid.
"I should really go."
"Dessert hasn't been served yet."
"I think I'll pass."
"Then just wait until the others have finished their meals."
Tilting his head, a hint of a smile appeared on Sid's face as he bit into a piece of smoked ham.
"Not everything should be centered around your situation. I went through the trouble of preparing this all of this, and it would be a shame if the host was rushed to finish by a guest."
"..."
A vein appeared on Viv's forehead, as he let out a sigh and leaned back on his seat, reluctantly relishing the comfy feeling underneath.
After changing into a pair of clothes that seemed to eerily fit his size perfectly, Viv was whisked away to have breakfast without his will.
Everything he had brought along except for his mask had also been confiscated, and he truly had no sense of direction of just where he was, so he could only helplessly wait as he was led along.
I wish I had my pocket watch to contact Elva...
Knowing him, that guy was probably doing him a favor, and covering for why he was absent. He wasn't the type to pry too much so even though Viv had mysteriously disappeared in the middle of the night, just a few words of confidence would be able to resolve Elva's curiosity.
Thinking about it, Elva truly was a useful roommate. Though annoying when he was younger, it seemed he grew more bearable with each passing day.
"Thinking of a loved one?"
Sid asked mischievously, breaking the silence after watching Viv seemed to zone out in the distance.
It seemed he got great satisfaction bothering Vivillian, much to his dismay.
"No."
Not wanting to entertain this madman who kidnapped him back to his home, Viv uncomfortably looked away.
He was grateful that he had been treated, seeing how there was only a small bump on the back of his head, and the purple marks around his neck fading into a light red. Despite it though, the sheer anxiety of having no contact with the outside world made him uneasy.
Surely Sid wouldn't trap me here...
The thought of this made Viv have a chill down his spine, as he brows under the mask furrowed in contemplation. A bad ending already was simply out of the question.
"Whew, I'm done."
Meticulously eating the last piece of food on his dish, Sid wiping his mouth and hands with a handkerchief before tossing it to the side for the servants to clean.
With Sid's announcement, Alamis immediately stopped eating and finished as well, wiping his mouth.
"Then let's-."
"There's another reason why I brought you here." Cutting Viv off quickly, Sid stood up and motioned him to follow. "There's good news and bad news, so it may be better if we go inside and discuss."
Holding back an uneasy expression, Viv straightened up at the sudden development, and obediently followed behind.
Heading inside, they once again ran into no servants as they entered a similar looking study to the one in the Eternal Night.
On the table however, were several papers neatly lined, with different needles and pins and strings, connecting things together.
"Good news, or bad news?"
Sid sat down on the couch, his hair swaying behind him. Clasping his hands together, he looked rather proud of the handiwork on the table.
Whatever it was, the papers must have been there for a while, as a light fine layer of dust had already begun to gather on top.
"Bad news."
Viv sat across, and eyed a strange box sitting on the corner of the table.
"Alright, well...There's no way to find out which black market organization collided with the terrorists."
Sid shrugged after dropping this bombshell. "Well, that's a lie. If I really wanted to, then I could probably find it. However, it's not really beneficial to me right now, so you're gonna have to make do."
'Of course, if you found out everything and left, it wouldn't be too fun then.' Sid thought offhandedly to himself.
"..."
Viv wouldn't expect Sid to put all of his energy into his business, so he wasn't too surprised. In fact he was slightly surprised Sid put in as much effort as he did.
"And the good news?" He asked after a brief pause, processing the news.
"I know where the terrorists are gonna attack, their game plans, location of bombs, and how to defuse them."
"...Huh?"
Vivillian's eyes widened, shaking slightly.
Isn't this absolutely great news?!
"...Tch, I expected a bigger reaction." Unsatisfied with Viv's lack of reaction, Sid lazily shrugged and continued on.
"Oh, and I lied again, there's another piece of bad news."
"..?"
"I don't know what your connection is with Einsvul, but even I don't dare to just trespass in with my men and try to play hero." Sid waved his finger. "I'll give you all the plans and information I gathered, but the matter of actually doing something will be your job."
"Of course." Viv obviously didn't expect such a thing, it wasn't in the contract as well.
At his words, Sid tapped his knee, entertained at Sid's keen questions.
"Since our contract is done, you wouldn't mind if I pry into your identity now, would you?"
"..."
"Haha, just joking...a joke."
Standing up from the couch, Sid waltzed over, towering over Vivillian as he firmly pat Viv's shoulder, swiping off some dust on his collar.
"I'm just wanting to see just how able you are, so please don't look at me with such a gaze. I really don't want you to dislike me, you see."
Unbeknownst to the both of them, Alamis stiffened and dropped the duster he was holding, hurriedly bending down to pick it up and setting it back in its usual spot.
As Sid continued to gaze at the masked face, he seemed to guess Viv's thoughts just from the silence he exuded. A feat extraordinarily creepy as one couldn't even see Vivillian's eyes from underneath.
"Now, let's go back."
With a shine of purple, a big glowing magic circle beneath them began to shimmer and turn rapidly as a disorienting feeling came over Viv.
However it quickly disappeared, and Viv looked around, finding himself in the familiar study in the Eternal Night.
"I have some business to attend to, so you can go."
Pulling on a pair of gloves, Sid handed the strange box on his study table over to Viv, which the magic seemed to also transport along from the mansion.
"Inside is your belongings, as well as everything about the attack."
About to leave, Sid was stopped as a small voice interrupted him.
"..thanks."
It was suddenly uttered with such softness that for a moment Sid thought he had misheard, as his body froze.
Viv didn't seem to be unfazed as he half heartedly muttered his thanks. He had went through quite the amount of trouble to get this information, but he knew it was probably significantly less to the amount of work Sid must have put in to organize everything.
Plus the embarrassment of when he had been severely underprepared when he had first started working with Sid still rang loud. It was to the point that he would sometimes hit at his pillows in the middle of the night and cover his reddened face.
Despite all of his nativity to how things worked, Sid still played along, and even helped him recover when he got knocked cold out. Since Viv was still decently annoyed at him because of his unpredictable and trouble making behavior, it lead to a very soft spoken thanks, if it even counted as one.
Since their deal at been fulfilled, it would probably been a long time if not ever since Viv had no reason to see him again.
Viv turned to leave and walked out the door, not getting a response from Sid to his words. This too, was what he expected as well as he pulled his cloak over his head and left, disappearing into the wind.
However if Viv had turned back, he would have seen a very strange expression on Sid's face, border lining on ecstasy and mocking.
"Wow, does he truly think this'll be the last?"