"It's hell," Haruto said with a sly smile, prompting everyone to glance at him.
"What?" Kenya asked, looking at Haruto, while the others fell silent, waiting for his response.
"The rule of S・A... They wouldn't be called upper-rank students if they were normal, right?" Sei remarked, her voice low.
The others nodded in agreement. Suddenly, Shinji moved closer to Sei, scrutinizing her as if she were the subject of Jin and Takeru's previous conversation. He adjusted his glasses and examined her.
"What?" Sei turned slightly, confused by Shinji's gaze.
"Those two were talking about you," he said, pointing at Jin and Takeru, who widened their eyes in surprise.
Sei stayed silent, her gaze shifting between Jin and Takeru, suggesting a close friendship with Takeru.
'You might wonder how they became so close. In the Peculiar Realm, people can sense each other's Quantum auras, discerning friends from foes through aura power and guardian magic.'
"What are they talking about?" Sei leaned in to whisper to Shinji, and they moved a bit away from the group.
The others exchanged confused glances as they watched Sei and Shinji converse intimately.
Meanwhile, Kenya and Kenjuro exchanged glances as they stood together, nodding and trading stones.
"What's that stone?" Keigo asked, intrigued.
"Hmmm? Ah! It's called a message stone!" Kenya replied, holding up a white stone for Keigo to see.
Keigo's eyes sparkled with interest, but Harutowho from the stone section and exuding a Quantum stone bender's aura was even more captivated. He approached and took another stone from Kenya's hand after Keigo. They examined it closely as if researching its details.
"Where did you get this stone?" Haruto inquired.
"We don't know... It's Sei's stone," Kenjuro answered, pointing in Sei's direction, where she was seriously discussing with Shinji.
"Ahh! Speaking of it!... I saw her run away quickly from Dean's building!" Keigo said, glancing at Jin, who was eating with Kaito.
"WHAT?" Jin exclaimed as Kenjuro moved closer to Keigo.
"Can you give us more details?" he asked.
''It's nothing serious, just a run,'' Haruto says, and Keigo nods in agreement.
''Ugh!.... Wait!... Guys! What are they doing?'' Takeru, who was eating, turns to Sei and Shinji before looking back at them.
He sees Shinji and Sei jotting down notes, their expressions resembling villains who think they've found treasure.
''Hmmm?'' Other asked, and they turned to look at two of them as Takeru pointed in their direction.
They felt ashamed of their behavior and froze, exchanging glances when Sei and Shinji looked at them.
"I sense danger approaching," Jin whispered to the others.
"Don't reveal your original technique to Shinji! He's known for being a tough coach!" Keigo added, he glanced at Shinji before looking back.
Kenya and Kanjuro, who grew up with Sei, understand Jin's words, while Kaito, Haruto, and Takeru exchange puzzled glances, unsure of their meaning.
"Emm!" Shinji and Sei turned to the team and sneezed lightly.
"Tomorrow at 9 am, we'll meet at the Ice Quantum training ground! Good night!" He nodded and left, while the others exchanged confused glances and turned to Sei.
"You guys are looking forward to teaming up, right?" she asked, and they nodded in agreement. She continued,
"Let's meet at the training ground, and We'll share the plans!" She nodded as if asking, 'Can I go now?'.
As Sei walked away, Kenya glanced at the others before following her, with Jin and Kenjuro nodding and trailing behind.
---------------------,
After class in the morning, they followed Shinji's directions to the training ground, where they met up with the others from yesterday's activities, forming a familiar gathering as they prepared for the day ahead.
''Huh!... Why don't they meet in other locations? The training ground at this academy is overcrowded,'' Sei remarked, her eyes narrowing as she spotted the same group of boys who had argued with them yesterday.
The first to arrive were Sei, Shinji, and Takeru, each of them wore expressions laden with discontent and annoyance, particularly as they caught sight of the boys casting glances in their direction. It was clear that this situation was not making any of them feel comfortable or at ease.
"Okay, don't disturb them and wait for the others!" Takeru, ever the optimist, said to Sei whose serious expression only deepened, a mirrored reflection of Shinji's equally intense demeanor.
"By the way! Ishigami-san!" Takeru exclaimed, suddenly refocusing on Sei with a curious expression.
Sei glanced at him, slightly frowning. "You can just call me Ishigami or Sei," she replied, her tone curious, silently urging him to continue,
''What?''
"Are you truly a water bender?" he asked earnestly, his tone expressing both curiosity and wonder.
"No! You seem more like a fire bender than a water bender, given your occasional hot temper and moments of calm, as if you're free to express your feelings about how others have treated you. It's like looking in a mirror!" he explained, meeting Sei's gaze.
"Arh! By those words... Isn't that water? It reflects like a mirror," Sei replied.
''Hah?'' Both Takeru and Shinji froze at Sei's words, their faces displaying surprise as they turned to her.
"I'm not familiar with the rules of the Oedo or Shiba Clans, but I have some old books at home," Sei said more seriously. "They speak of an aura splitting into two."
''....!''
"So, it's mean.... In this Realm, any Quantum Bender can have multiple auras!"