The room was quiet again, the only sound being the soft scratch of Harry's pen against the parchment. His grin was already in place, the kind that promised whatever he was writing was both ridiculous and important. Max and Tess exchanged glances, settling in to watch the chaos unfold.
Harry leaned back for a second, tapping the pen against his chin, then dove in.
1. First of all, hats off to Max, the man, the myth, the legend, for resisting that one assistant girl for so long. I mean, really, give this guy a medal. I was starting to think she'd glued herself to his shadow with how often she popped up. But, alas, it wasn't just our dear Max being disturbed.
Nah, turns out most of the students got paired with these oh-so-friendly assistants. But here's where it gets fishy—suspiciously fishy. Every single pairing was boy-girl, girl-boy. Like some cosmic matchmaking service was working overtime. I mean, c'mon, I was starting to think these locals weren't interested in their own people. But I guess foreign candy tends to look shinier. Go figure.
But here's the kicker:
Some assistants were way too assisting, if you catch my drift. Not just hovering like gnats, but practically glued to certain students—mostly the ones with flashy Fragments or who flexed high stats on their Status screens. Even I got one tailing me. But I guess it was because I'm just that charming.
But seriously, there's something more to it. Either they've got a way to peek at our Status—like some Appraisal skill—or maybe our Essence Awakenings were just that impressive. (Looking at you, Max. And yeah, yeah, I know I'm amazing too.) Big Sis Tess and the others on your side must've felt it too. Bet they've got their own clingy shadows.
Harry snickered to himself before continuing, the pen dancing across the parchment.
2. Here's where it gets real interesting:
I'm starting to think the locals can see more than they let on. Like, a lot more. Our Status, potential, maybe even personal info—who knows? If they've got Appraisal-type abilities, we're practically walking open books.
But think about it—what do we actually know about them? Nothing. Zero. Zip. Nada. How strong are they? Could one of them just snap their fingers and poof—there goes a city? Is there an archmage hiding behind those friendly grins? Could they squash us like bugs and we wouldn't even see it coming?
Fun thought, right?
Harry paused, giving Max a playful side-eye, as if expecting him to squirm. Then he chuckled to himself and scribbled on.
3. Oh, and guess what?
They could be watching and listening to us right now. All. Day. Long. Ever hear of skills or abilities that let you spy from a distance? Like a magical CCTV? Yeah, that's why I suggested this little game of ours—swapping info on paper instead of chatting out loud. Pretty sure they can't read our language in writing, even if they can understand us when we talk. Found that out the hard way.
So, smile for the invisible cameras, folks.
Harry leaned back again, a smirk tugging at his lips, but his eyes gleamed with something sharper beneath the humor. He twirled the pen between his fingers, then leaned in for the final touch.
4. One last thing.
These assistants? They're asking a bit too much about our world. Like, way beyond polite curiosity. I don't know what it is exactly—just a feeling—but it doesn't sit right. Maybe it's nothing. Or maybe it's everything.
Harry dropped the pen with a flourish, sliding the parchment to the center of the table with a satisfied grin. "Alright, kids. That's my masterpiece. Try topping that."
Tess leaned in first, her expression unreadable but eyes sharp, while Max's brow furrowed as he scanned the words. The room felt heavier now, the laughter from before fading into thoughtful silence.
But Harry? He just stretched his arms behind his head, grin still firmly in place, like they weren't potentially surrounded by people who could obliterate them with a flick of the wrist.
Max's eyes darted back and forth across the parchment, his brows slowly knitting together. At first, it was just confusion—the kind that comes from trying to decipher Harry's chaotic mix of jokes and actually important information.
But as he read further, that confusion deepened into something more… unsettling. Every few lines, he'd glance up at Harry, then at Tess, then back down, as if expecting the parchment itself to explain the madness.
"Wait… what?" Max mumbled, his finger pausing on the line about foreign candy. He shot Harry a look, somewhere between disbelief and amusement. "Seriously?"
Harry just grinned, wiggling his eyebrows like he'd just penned the greatest joke in history. "Hey, you can't deny the accuracy."
Max shook his head and kept reading, but when he reached the part about them possibly being watched all day, he froze. His gaze snapped up to Harry, lips parting like he was about to ask something—then closed again. He swallowed hard, realizing the implications. Right. The game. No talking.
Max stayed quiet, but his eyes flickered between Harry and Tess, hoping for some kind of cue.
Tess had been reading quietly, her expression shifting with every paragraph. A small smile tugged at her lips at Harry's first joke, but as she read further, her brows furrowed, eyes narrowing slightly. She paused midway, lifting her gaze to Harry with a sharp, inquisitive look.
Harry wiggled his eyebrows again, his grin widening. "What's wrong? Are you charmed too?"
Tess didn't even dignify that with a response. She simply returned to the parchment, finishing it with a thoughtful hum before finally speaking—but her tone was light, casual, like they were discussing the weather.
"Well," she said, tapping the edge of the parchment, "I guess Max isn't the only one with a fan club, huh? Seems like some of us got special attention."
Max's brow furrowed in confusion for a second, but then it clicked. Special attention—right, the assistants. He nodded slowly, trying to keep his expression neutral.
Tess continued, her voice still casual. "Though, it's funny. Not everyone on my side got that VIP treatment. Makes you wonder what the criteria is, huh?"
Harry snorted, lounging back in his chair like this was all a joke. "Oh, you know. Some people just have that natural charm. Others…" He shot Max a teasing look. "Well, they resist too well."
Max rolled his eyes but didn't respond. He was too busy trying to piece together the hidden meanings.
Tess's expression shifted, her smile fading into something more thoughtful. "As for the… CCTV thing," she said, her tone dropping slightly, "I didn't really consider it before. Guess I was… distracted by other things."
Harry leaned forward, grinning like a fox. "Ooooh, what other things could be distracting you, Big Sis Tess?"
Tess ignored him, her eyes sharpening. "But if we take that into account… it's pretty big."
Harry threw his hands up in mock exasperation. "I know, right? But most people are just walking around like everything's normal. Blind as bats."
Tess's foot shot out under the table, connecting with Harry's knee.
"OW—!" Harry yelped, clutching his leg. "What was that for?"
Tess arched an eyebrow. "I'm one of those bats, huh?"
Harry immediately straightened, face contorting into an exaggerated look of guilt. "I—I was just joking! You're, uh… the wise owl of the group!" He shot Max a pleading look. "Right, Max?"
Max just smirked, wisely choosing to stay out of it - the best thing he learned when interacting with others.
Tess nodded, satisfied, and moved on. "Now, about the whole… background noise issue." Her voice grew quieter, almost hesitant. "It's… a little too valid for comfort. Good thing I… never mind."
She coughed, and both Harry and Max turned to her with identical looks of confusion.
"Wait, what do you mean 'never mind'?" Max asked, leaning forward—then froze. Right. Don't ask out loud. He sank back into his chair, pressing his lips together.
Tess waved it off, her expression unreadable. "Doesn't matter. Let's move on."
Harry raised an eyebrow but didn't push it. Tess was good at deflecting when she wanted to.
Tess tapped the parchment again, focusing on the final point. "But you know," she said, her tone light but her eyes sharp, "some of these questions we've been getting… they're a little too curious, don't you think?"
Harry's grin widened. "Oh, definitely. You'd think they were writing a book about us or something."
Tess chuckled softly, shaking her head. "I'm even shocked you noticed. Are you sure you're the idiot and low-ranking student everyone says you are?"
Harry puffed up like an offended pigeon. "Who said that?" He crossed his arms, chin held high. "If I wanted to, I could've won a Nobul Prize, you know."
Tess snorted, her first real laugh of the night. "Haha, you don't say."
Max chuckled too, the tension easing for a moment.
'What's a Nobul Prize?'