"Ha?"

Kai couldn't hold back his dumbfounded voice.

"What?"

Lion asked innocently.

"Didn't I tell you that I was just browsing today?"

"That, you did. But since you're a black gold member, you can simply put it on your tab. Besides, you wouldn't want to miss out on something like this, do you? You've bought each and every of the items that are this strong. And if you didn't buy it directly, then you would've sent someone else to buy it."

"You've made a mistake. A magic stone that can enhance someone's strength is limited to A-class otherwise the stone wouldn't be able to take the pressure and break. I've told you this before, haven't I?"

"Hooh~ So you're saying that unless it's an S-class threat then you wouldn't bother with it?"

Kai didn't answer and simply continued to listen to the bidding.

"Nevertheless, if I hold this item then even you wouldn't be able to ignore me, right?"

"It'd take you a lot more than one of that magic stone if you want to even touch me considering what happened last time."

"Pfff-"

The figure beside Lion; Fia unintentionally laughed but immediately regained her calm.

From her voice, Kai could determine it was a girl.

"Was this girl watching at that time?"

"More like she only saw a glimpse of it. The part at the end."

"Ah."

No wonder she laughed. Kai thought so but decided against it seeing as how it would cause more trouble to him than necessary.

"By the way, the girl beside you seems pretty beautiful doesn't she? How much for her to come over to me for a night?"

"Not for sale."

Erina was the one who answered before Kai.

"You know what, I changed my mind. I'll bet."

"Hooh~ Why the change of heart?"

"I feel like it. 55,000!"

The girl on the stage was quite surprised.

"And we have another black gold member, Tatsuya betting 55,000!"

The people who couldn't bid were really surprised.

"There are two black gold members betting!"

"I'd heard that Tatsuya only bids on really rare and powerful items!"

"It's my first time seeing his mask in person!"

The masks in this auction were special. Even if Kai only covered his eyes, nobody could figure out his face. Sure, they could see the bottom of his face but unless they actually saw him wear the mask, his identity is fool-proof. Masks are only granted to those with orange cards and above.

The rank of cards from the bottom was green, red, blue, orange, yellow, then black gold. The colors had no specific meanings but each card had a specific price range. A green card was issued to everyone who pays the entrance fee, a red card is issued if a purchase is made, a blue card is issued if a minimum of a 100 gold purchase was made, an orange card is issued if a purchase of 500 gold was made, a yellow card was issued if a purchase of 5000 gold was made, and the qualifications for a black gold were a mystery. There were people who bought tens of thousands worth of gold yet still weren't issued a black gold card.

The number of black gold card members were seven and none of their true identities were known by the general public. Each of the members' masks were symbols of the auction's highest payers. It was even said that these seven people met with the mysterious owner albeit behind masks.

"Now it's on Tatsuya! 60,000!"

"65,000."

"70,000!"

"90,000."

Lion stopped for a second.

"91,000!"

"Ha, running low on funds? You're a black gold member, just put it on your tab."

"95,000."

In this loud place, it would normally need one to shout very, very loud to be heard but through magic, as long as one bids the price then their voice is amplified. It was a special magic formation in the auction room.

"96,000..."

It was obvious that Lion was in pain. Not many people could bring out 50,000 and that surely would've netted him the magic stone. But his attitude actually provoked Tatsuya to push it to its limits.

"99,000."

Tatsuya smiled. Erina made a light giggle as she realized what he was doing.

"Then, 100,000...!"

It was a desperate voice but his will certainly hadn't faded.

"Oh, 100,000? You sure are quite rich. Even though I also have that much money I wouldn't waste it on that magic stone, I'd say 50,000 gold was the limit too. To buy it at twice the price is quite extravagant, don't you think? That's why I'll forfeit, I admit my loss."

It was mockery. Lion twitched and trembled when he finally realized what had just happened. He was provoked into raising the price and now, he lost an unnecessary 50,000 gold.

"Tat...su...ya...!"

Lion's fingers were moving around as he looked at Tatsuya. It was obvious he was angered.

"Oops, look at the time. Me and my companion must now bid our farewell."

Kai looked at his wrist without a watch or anything that would indicate the time and took Erina by the hand as he left with quick steps.

When they were walking back outside the hallway, Erina took off her mask and giggled.

"To think you were so evil, Kai."

"Me and that guy just disagree a lot. I do this a lot of times to him but this is the first time I've increased it that much."

Erina was silent and walked faster than Kai then leaned forward.

"And why did you do it exactly?"

Kai was silent.

"No reason."

Kai took off his mask and walked in front of Erina with quicker steps.

"Can't be honest? Can't you just say that you care for your dear friend being insulted?"

Kai didn't answer and simply walk out the door and back to the others. His glasses were back on his eyes without any indication of him removing them nor putting them back on.

"Hey, where have you two been?"

"Ah, we've just been looking around."

Kenji smiled and began to choose some items to buy.

Arata was still confused as to where they had disappeared for so long but decided to continue his shopping.

In the end, Kai and Arata had taken their weapons for maintenance. Umi had bought a magic stone and the others had bought necessities.

Mariko Palace at Night. Erina's Birthday.

In a beautiful ballroom lit by pretty golden lights, there were people numbering more than a hundred yet it wasn't crowded in the least. There were tables filled with exquisite food and sweets. There was slow music playing and the chattering of people resounding. But even with all that was happening, there was one person that stood out.

In a sparkling white dress, Erina had a smile on her face, a glass in her hand, and was conversing with the many people who came up to her. It was her fifteenth birthday and also the most important birthday for anyone as it was the age where people were considered adults. Most bodies were fully grown by this time because in this world, everyone matured a bit faster. Although there are still people who still need more time for their bodies to mature, most mindsets are already nurtured and proper by this age.

For a noble, one's fifteenth birthday was one of the most important events. A noble must bear many children, it is their duty. And so, engagement at a young age is necessary. Most marriages happen between eighteen and twenty and so does making children.

Right now, she was being courted by many of the nobles. There were already dozens upon dozens of people who had been trying to court her before through letters or word of mouth but it was the first time that they reached this amount in person.

Being a noble, she couldn't just say that she would be rejecting them all and so answered with things like 'Thank you for your proposal', 'I will think about it', and many other common answers to reject them in a roundabout way. She had told Kai to accompany her today but only for the night in the ballroom.

"You look stunning today, mademoiselle."

(A/N: French equivalent of Ms.)

When Erina saw the man who wore a mask on his eyes, she smiled. It was not like the auction mask, it was a regular mask. The man wore a black suit with a white inner shirt which complimented his hair and tie.

"Why thank you."

Erina raised her skirts in response to the man's bow.

The people all around them were surprised to the see the man and began to distance themselves.

"Isn't he...?"

"Yeah..."

Right now, Kai was being Tatsuya. Tatsuya was well-known among high ranked nobles and people who frequent the auction house, but his reputation was immense. His facial features were more distinct as he wore a normal mask when he went outside. He had black hair and black eyes.

It was a known fact that Tatsuya had red hair inside the auctions yet black hair in the outside world. Everyone thinks that his hair had just been dyed normally but his mask was one of a kind. It was simple yet nobody dared use it after he did; fearing that he will get rid of them.

Just as Kai arrived, the music changed into a dance fit for a ball.

"May I have this dance?"

Kai stretched his hand. Erina smiled and took it with grace. She had danced only with the other dukes' sons or on occasion someone she has goodwill towards.

"Did they have any interaction before?"

"No... I haven't heard of it at all."

Even though Erina's silver hair was one of a kind, she still wasn't found out in the auction. Those were the power of the auction masks.

When Erina stepped onto the dance floor, eyes focused on them.

"Aren't you nervous?"

"Not at all."

Kai smiled to reassure Erina and placed a hand above her waist then held her other hand. Erina placed a hand on Kai's shoulder and grasped his hand also.

With their postures complete, they moved. The eyes that were directed at them were mesmerized. A silver haired girl and a black haired boy dancing together according to the tempo of the music. Their movements were so in sync that most people would assume that they had practiced together before. Each and every one of their steps were perfect and precise, no wasted movements.

"How are you so good at dancing?"

Erina asked Kai who had been matching her movements.

"I've danced many times but in truth, my eyes are just following your movements and matching my body along with it. It would be difficult but I've already mastered it. Even if this became a dance at ten times the speed, I would still be able to mimic each and every one of your movements."

"Amazing."

Erina smiled as the song was almost over. When the song had neared its climax, Kai spun Erina once then a half spin once more and his arm entangled around her abdomen, the song ended.

Many applaud from the spectacle that they had just been shown. Although the man wore a mask, the womn's beauty was still overwhelming.

"That should remove at least most of your suitors, am I right?"

"Nn. Thanks. But you promised to accompany me tonight not just for a dance, so stick around until this party ends."

Erina and Kai separated but unlike before, Erina wasn't surrounded by a lot of people anymore. There were only a handful of brave souls who still thought they had a chance. Of course, Erina humored them the same way she did the others.

Kai was also approached by many women but he answered them accordingly. That dance of his actually attracted more girls than before. The atmosphere around him was cool and mysterious so it was hard to approach but when the girls saw his dance, they were mesmerized.

When Kai had finally gotten rid of the persistent ones, he headed for the buffet and began eating.

"Sir Tatsuya, good evening..."

There was a speechless man who had gone up to greet Kai, it was a tall man with blue hair in a violet suit. Kai raised his index finger to indicate him to wait. When Kai swallowed his food which was a large bite of meat, he turned to face the tall man.

"Good evening, Sir Cthulhu."

"Were you informed of what was happening tonight?"

"Hm?"

"You weren't? The other five had been informed and attended this. Oh look, Sir Lion is over there glaring."

Kai followed Cthulhu's gaze and saw Lion there trembling. The seven knew each other but Tatsuya's face was hidden from even among them. They were faces known by many but their alter persona's were hidden.

"Nevermind him, what's the news?"

"Well apparently Ms. Eri- Oh, I guess it's time."

During Cthulhu's sentence, the sound of people talking and the music playing disappeared. Everyone paved way for a single person, Duke Hyosuke.

"Everyone, I have a special announcement to make."

Following his words, another person came behind him.

"As most of you know, this is Sakamoto Gen, the son of Sakamoto Palace. His father and I have talked amongst ourselves and decided that my daughter's husband shall be him. The engagement party will be held next week at Friday, I hope you all attend then."

With those words, the focus on Hyosuke were removed and all eyes darted towards Erina. Her blank eyes changed, they were trembling and her face was in total shock.

Erina jogged lightly to reach Hyosuke and appeal to him but when she reached him, he faced her and unleashed some pressure.

"This matter has already been decided so do your best to treat your future husband."

For everyone, Hyosuke's expression was normal and none of them could feel the pressure nor hear his words.

Erina's expression crumbled as she forced a smile up her face but it was evident for someone near like Hyosuke that her smile twitched. But Hyosuke didn't care and simply left the room.

Erina was silent as she looked at her father's departing back and the people once again began chattering.

"But didn't she dance with THE Tatsuya like he was her partner?"

"Isn't she already dating him?"

"They aren't together?"

"So it was a forbidden love."

"What a sad story."

Kai looked at Erina's back and just when she was about to turn around, she stopped herself and decided to walk out of the ballroom. Kai watched her flee and decided to depart for the night. Cthulhu was handed Kai's unfinished plate and Lion stopped his glare with furrowed brows.

"...But his appetite is enough to eat several of this amount, I wonder if he was upset with what happened to Ms. Erina?"

Cthulhu was confused as he looked at the plate with one of each kind of food in the buffet which was enough to fill three adults' bellies.

"So that's the case, Tatsuya?"

Lion was going to do something about the matter but decided against it.