A single metallic key that shook ever so slightly at the grasp of my hand.

It had a yellow color of the sun, a typical key that you could use to open a gate.

“We really managed to find one.” The girl near me said. Lisa, who was peering at it with full interest expanded her palm and asked for the key.

I gave it to her, wondering if this was the first time she had seen one.

She received it with a thanks and rose the shining key. “So this is what a key looks like.” Her red eyes gleamed for a brief second before handing it back to me, satisfied.

“So this is really your first time seeing one?” I told the girl as I put back the key inside my chest pocket.

“Technically. I only see keys being held by servants from our house.” She said. “Is there something weird about it?”

This girl is the daughter of a noble alright. Ever so often I would forget that students here were wealthy by any stretch of the imagination.

“Nah,” I said. I gazed at the benign park that was built inside the academy.

Students would come here to spend their free time either relaxing or...

“I love you, babe, ~”

“I love you more~”

A love nest for the love bird. The couple that sat on the bench clung their arms around each other, gradually nearing their lips and—

“Let's go.” I could no longer watch this scene before me, calling out to Lisa, who only looked at me with confusion.

“Why the hurry?” She inquired, though she was already sauntering with her slender legs.

“I just don't like wasting time, you know.” I shrugged my shoulder. As if that's the case.

The noise of the pair had gradually faded and was superseded by the hissing trees that were planted at the roadsides.

A leaf came twirling in the air, it glided before my face and smoothly landed on my shoulder.

I brushed it off, clicking my tongue, saying, “Why are you here anyway? Shouldn't you accompanying Rito?” I could only spare a glance at Lisa.

“He said that he will have to leave the academy to find if there's another evil magician who is wandering in this city.” She was ecstatic at the thought of the nice Rito who would sacrifice his own life just to save others.

A faint smile appeared on me, shifting my eyes towards the front. “That's very him,” I said nothing more than that.

We continued with our pace as we surveyed the place for our objective. I touched the two keys that was placed well inside my chest pocket. We already have five hundred points, we were far from being first place, but this was better than fighting an endless swarm of trained swordsmen.

“Is that a key?” Suddenly, Lisa said something, pointing at a yellow metal that shone from sunlight. She approached it quickly, then something emerged from nowhere.

Students that were wielding their swords, they had achieved catching Lisa off guard.

With a rapid burst of an explosion at my feet, I deflected the incoming sword by shifting their trajectory with my battered rapier.

The students only realized that their attacks were countered when it was over.

“Run! There's too many of them!” As soon as I said that, countless swordsmen showed themselves.

“Fine!” She exclaimed, turning her body around and began sprinting.

I fixed my gaze to the other students before running, too. This is bad. First I cleaned the club room, then the evil mage, and now this!?

My strength has been slowly draining ever since I knocked the mage earlier, and it has no sign of getting any better.

I was quick to catch the speed of Lisa. Her skirt was exhibiting a dangerous amount of her bare legs as she worked herself.

Yeah, we should hide, not run. I grabbed her shoulder and told her to stop. We both relied on speed when fighting, so of course, we traveled an inhuman amount of miles in just a minute of traversing.

“We should hide there.” Small shrubs that could potentially cover us received the end of my pointing finger.

“Are you sure?” She said. Though her hair was tied at the back of her head, silver strands loosened up and stuck to her moistened neck.

“We should cool ourselves for a moment,” I said, even if there was no trace of sweat on my body.

“Then I shall take your offer.” Inhaling deeply, fanning herself more than before, she answered.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Under the cover of a certain shrubbery, shadowed by the cool shade of a tree nearby, we sat on the grassy ground.

I laid crossed legged while she used her knees as something like a cushion. Beneath her smooth legs was my white coat that protected her skin from the harsh elements of the earth.

“I didn't know that you're quite a gentleman yourself, Elric.” She said with a teasing smile. She was referring to how I offered her my coat as something to sit on.

“I don't think so,” I replied to her, not interested in what she was trying to execute. It's just doesn't feel right seeing her sitting on something dirty. I will not like it if Claire did the same.

“Even Rito didn't ask me if I'm still fine running. Perhaps you have developed a weird feeling towards me?” She was not planning to stop anytime soon, and that pissed me off.

“Yeah, not happening.” In my irritation, I blurted out some rather cold-hearted words. Crap...

I glimpsed at her from the side of my eye, checking if she was angry or not.

But she expressed no negative emotion. I mean she was shocked at first, leaving her mouth hanging, then she chuckled quite lovely.

“I always have this theory that you're just putting facade when speaking with me. And I am pleased that you're finally showing your real self to me.” She suppressed her smile behind the metal fan.

“Er... So... You want me to continue talking this way to you?” I asked her, I didn't know if she really wished me speaking to her with my usual vexed tone.

“Please do so.” She replied, not minding the fact that my voice shifted into a delinquent sounding one.

I snorted at her and avoided my face. She just laughed elegantly. Her icy atmosphere seemed melted.

Then, when the two of us went quiet, we heard a rustling footstep. It was the student that was desperately following us.

Well, it's not like they'll look here in the bushes. No one will expect that the man who won the competition last year and a woman with the caliber of Lisa would hide here. These thoughts revolved around my head, calm that no one would find us out.

“But this is trouble, isn't it?” When the students had finally left and searched for other places, Lisa spoke with a faint breath.

“This is problematic. This is downright insane. It's a pain in the ass being constantly chased down like we are some kind of animal.” Those words came out naturally from my mouth, and Lisa had no discomfort hearing it... Which made me kind of happy, to be honest.

“We can always fight them head-on, you know?” She suggested the obvious thing to do when you were partnered with someone powerful.

I shook my head with a tired expression. “What will happen after we beat them down? They're likely to try again, but that time, they have a better knowledge about our moves and techniques.”

If this was a real fight, that would not the case, since you couldn't really fight again after being defeated (dead).

“That's true. You really are, indeed, a perceptive individual, Elric.”

“Oi, stop from the praises, it won't earn you anything.” Did I say it as a warning? I myself didn't know, but I was definitely serious when I told her that.

“Aw, that's a downer.” Lisa hung her head, though she was happy for some reason.

I peeked through the gaps of the bushes, then lifted my head high to get a better view of the surroundings.

“It's finally safe. Let's go.” Saying that I stood from the ground, letting out a grunt.

Lisa swayed her body before standing on her feet. She picked my coat on the grass and gave it a good pat, sending the sediment and other small particles resembling them

away.

“Here.” She said, passing me my coat. “Thank you for lending me this.”

I grabbed the coat and wore it the way it was before. “Are you really like this? Or your icy atmosphere is just a facade?”

“Icy atmosphere? Facade? Did I ever do that?” Bewilderment was written in her face as she stared at me, leaning her head to the other side, her fan touching her chin.

So you're not aware? Well, it wasn't like worrying about it would do something to it.

I closed the buttons of my coat, and Lisa recommended something great for once. “How about we search for the first year grounds? I think being there than here—the second year grounds—is a lot better.”

“Hoo...” I muttered in admiration. “So you can be smart if you really wanted to.”

“What do you mean by that.” She answered with a low voice. “I believe I'm smart, even amongst the elders.”

She scowled at me quite intensely. But I accepted it all with a smug smile. “Yeah yeah, very smart, let's go.”

“You're not taking me seriously, aren't you? Just so you know, I aced all of my tests and is currently at the top of my class. I also—”

Listening to her throwing accomplishments at me, we began heading towards the first year grounds.