"Miss Ice?!"

After hearing the name Ice, the other customers turned their heads around them. "Oh, it's the Ace," someone whispered as he saw her. Then it was followed by another whisper.

"Woah."

"She's even prettier in person."

"I heard that she's single…"

Murmurs coming from the boys and girls had immediately proliferated inside the pub upon seeing the Academy's number one trainee. The Ace of HCZ7 Academy!

Ice was currently laced in a white and gold dress. She looked so pretty in her attire. And her trademark headdress was on her silver head.

"I knew it! It's you…" said Ice when she arrived at their table.

The other customers started asking the people around them if those people were acquaintances of Miss Ace.

In front of Yman, Yana was staring at Ice with sparkling eyes as she thought of something in disbelief. 'Woah, so many beautiful people know my brother. I can't believe it!' Beside her, Rea was sighing heavily. She wondered if Crimson was popular in this city. Rea frowned when Ice suddenly sat beside Crimson. But it seemed Crimson was unbothered by it. He even greeted her.

"Uhm, hello Miss Ice, long time no see. How are you?" Yman greeted her. He couldn't believe that Miss Ice still remembered him. 

"Fufu, no need to be so polite at me, you know," Ice said and laughed lightly.

"Oh, I see, okay. Regardless, Miss Ice, you look so much better now than the last time I saw you…"

"Oh, r-really?" Said Ice bashfully as she tried to remember their last meeting. It didn't take her long enough to remember it. She made an 'aha' expression on her face before opening her mouth once again. "Right, that time… well uh, you know, I made a huge blunder of myself that time, hahaha..." She laughed but it only made her look so cute.

The surrounding people were captivated by her laugh. And stared at her with flowers around them. This must be just everyone's imagination.

Rea stared at Yman. But noticed that he wasn't charmed by it. She sighed in relief.

Yman was surprised that Ice was not bothered by that incident in the Underground Channel. He wondered if this person was not afraid of dying.

"Well, isn't it about money?" He said with a little tease after remembering her dumb reason for sealing the demon and did not ask for help before dealing with it. 

Right, this Ace of the HCZ7 Academy was just that kind of person.

Though he too was the same in about money, on his part, he would rather take measure first about his safety before going to deal with his enemies. On the contrary, this person beside him had no sense of danger, based on how he looked at her past endeavors.

It must also be because she was confident with her strength. He couldn't even measure the extent of it. As expected of someone who was deemed as number one in the Academy. Sealing the demon for three months, was already beyond what a strong magician could do. Right, Ice wasn't just strong. She was special. Yman wondered if the other Ace's from another human city were also as strong or maybe stronger than her. Although he wasn't the type of person who was bothered by it, he was curious somehow.

Their conversation was put on halt when Seven arrived with their orders on her hands. She placed the foods carefully on the table. Still, Yman was wondering why she was here. Wait, maybe Seven had twins, he doubted.

Regardless, he felt a tingling feeling inside him. It is probably his tenant, the Demon of Possession. Looks like that guy kept his anger towards Ice. He was probably keeping a negative feeling towards her.

He needed to suppress the killing intent that the demon was oozing.

"Ahaha…" Ice laughed descendingly after hearing the Yman's teasing on her. "Regardless, you look so much different as well from before. I almost could not recognize you…" said Ice with scornful eyes. 

"I-Is that so?" He asked while scratching the part of his face.

"Yep!" She nodded with smiling eyes. Yman was surprised at Miss Ice's friendly aura around her.

But Yman suddenly felt an ominous aura coming from the girl in front of her when Miss Ice leaned closer to him and whispered into his ear. He wondered if Rea was still angry at him.

"Hey, are you cheating on my cute little sisters?" She suddenly asked while glancing at the two people in front of them.

Question marks were floating on his head at first before she noticed that she meant Rea and Yana.

"Ehhh… this is Yana, Miss Ice. She's my sister. And the other one is my… She's Rea. My friend…" well, he guessed they were friends. 

"Ouh, she's your sister? She's so cute and pretty. My bad, I thought she's your lover…" Ice's said with sparkling eyes.

"L-l-l-lover of big bro…?" Yana stuttered as her face turned red.

"Right, right," Yman replied, agreeing to Ice's words of how cute and pretty his sister was. But they wondered why he showed a proud face.

Yana was grateful to Ice's words. Yman then introduced Miss Ice to them. Ice whispered to Yman and asked if why Rea wasn't showing her face. He replied she was shy.

In front of them, on the table, Ice's deity was poking on the lying Sistela. Her deity showed a puzzled expression as she was wondering what it was that lying on fours on the table. Sistela wondered who this annoying little fella was. 

A bead of sweat was visible on Yman's face when he noticed the sorry state of his deity. Regardless, he was surprised at Miss Ice's deity. It was modeled from a snow sprite.

Sistela crawled like a worm. However, after noticing her move towards the edge, the snow sprite deity of Miss Ice pulled her tail.

Sistela who had a poker expression continued crawling. But Miss Ice's deity was trying to save her. She must be thinking that this odd-looking deity was trying to commit suicide.

Sistela successfully fell to the edge of the table but she was caught by Yana.

Yman and Ice talked more before they left the pub. She said her good luck to him. But also told him that her younger sisters would be the champion of this competition.

He smiled and told her that he just wanted to have fun in this competition and that he wasn't aiming to become the champion or the next Ace for the first year.

After Ice left, Rea asked him why he was close to her. Yman blinked his eyes twice and marveled if why Rea had to ask it.