Xano: “Pfff! Ahahaha! Woah, now~ It looks like you aren’t Mr. Perfect in this school! It’s so fucking comforting to know how many people despise you~ Especially after what you did 4 days ago back in the Assembly. Ahh, I feel a little satisfied.”

Noel: “...Rise. Are you looking to die, immediately after you woke up? Ah… how wasteful.

It’s embarrassing that Mr. Abrams even bothered to save you from the big, bad and scary villains; only for you to throw that life away by messing with somebody who you can’t hope to offend.”

Rise: “HUH?! Who can’t afford to offend your scrawny--!”

Noel: “Aahhh, I’m done listening to you now. No matter what you say it won’t get to me anymore. Out of sight, out of mind.

Xano. Why are you here? What do you want? To finish what we started two years ago? Because if I move, it probably won’t even take 1 second to kick you out. I’m not above doing this, either.”

{Literally, I can just scream for a nurse to help and you’d get in trouble. Or I can easily chuck you out of a window, there isn’t really a reason for me to entertain you or your pretentious temper, so hurry up and leave!}

Rise: “…(Two years ago? Then that means these two know each other. And from the looks of it, they weren’t on the same side, back then.)”

Xano: “Haaah…

If I hadn’t been told to keep a low profile…

*Whispers*: I definitely would NOT hesitate to show you how much I’ve improved!! Plus, I’ve gained plenty of real-time experience. Now you can’t scare me as easily as before!! Just you wait! One day…!)”

Noel: “Well? Spit it out! I don’t like somebody like you staring at me THAT long...Especially when that somebody is actually YOU.”

It was a complete miracle that Xano didn’t walk right over and physically beat Noel up for his words.

…Or try to anyway.

Well, It was really a trifling matter. So instead, despite the veins protruding from his forehead, Xano merely tempered himself. Quelling his previous anger, he slowly walked forward, leaned low, and whispered into Noel’s right ear.

Xano: “Listen up, punk. Our parents may have worked up a temporary alliance with each other, but that’s all it is!! TEMPORARY! Once the rituals are done away with, I swear to you that I’ll avenge my earlier humiliation. Until then, hehe… I’ll have loads of fun bullying you in public. Especially since you’re hiding your identity.

…Still, even though we’re allies, don’t act overly friendly with me in public. Not only do I hate you, but you now are probably the freshman student body’s enemy number one! I’m not gonna be dragged down with you in your mess even IF our dads want us to behave! Screw that idealistic bull-crappy nonsense…!”

Noel: “...Huh? What in the world are you on about? Family alliance? Why? Why should we form something shaky and half-hearted like that? Besides, my family doesn’t even need you guys to help us against our enemies. Hmph!”

Xano: “...You mean you don’t know?

.

.

.

…

*sigh*

I can’t say anything here. Look! just be careful with two groups: the Order Alliance, and the newly changed Balanced Lands. They are my enemies. Also, here’s some advice; Don’t be too flashy or anything until the end of this semester. We can’t afford a fool drawing attention to either of us, needlessly.”

Xano didn’t even give him a chance to respond before turning around and swiftly escaping from this oppressive – atmospheric room – much to Noel’s chagrin. Rise just kept silent. He actually heard everything spoken through Xano’s mouth, even though it all had been cautiously whispered, but certain words didn’t enter his heightened hearing. Or it was more apt to claim that the few words he he ‘couldn’t hear’ came out of Xano’s mouth as muffled garbles. Noel heard them perfectly well. They were words like ‘Order Alliance’, ‘Balance Lands’, ‘Ritual’ and ‘Family Alliance’ as well as the sentence both words made up.

Noel’s face appeared confused at the start, then he was clearly deep in thought, before both he and Rise decidedly chose to forget about this matter. One, Rise wasn’t even involved in this special conversation about some… secret plot the two were discussing. Quite obviously, there was a matter that required these former rivals or opposing adversaries to work together – and that Xano was voicing his complaints over that decision. Rise seemed instinctual, and for the most part, he actually is!

However, even a crow can use its brain when it has to. Needless - to – say… Rise was fully capable of thinking sharply when he needed to. Maybe not as proficiently as Noel or Ian… but that isn’t important. Similarly, it isn’t important for him to dwell on this topic which is, in actuality, completely unrelated to him. So he chose very quickly to put this matter in the back of his head. He only remembered that Noel may still endanger his and his ‘mother’s’ mission: to smoothly transfer citizenship to Herotopia.

As for Noel? Well, he was a bit more skeptical at first. An alliance? Why would his family require something like that? Furthermore, among the twelve, there were naturally small alliances among four groups of three at different time periods or eras. Today, he was in an alliance with the Rowe family. As for the other…

Well, it doesn’t matter. The important part was that even if the other 8 or 9 families moved against them, what could a mere Chaotic Alliance do to help? They were powerful, sure. for him, they were a big power in Spec Nova. But, compared to the 13 families who’ve been around for who knows how many years longer? Yeah… those guys couldn’t help.

That means…

This must mainly be his family extending an olive branch to assist.

{Ah, how kind of us! Father probably didn’t bother telling me because it was going to be a ‘menial task’ for him. That means, brother is probably at school for the same reason. Instead, they’d much rather that I focus on my school life! Father is such a kind and magnanimous…!

.

.

...Pffft. Who am I kidding. They didn’t bother telling me because they think I’m too weak, most likely. I’m not useful enough, as I only barely qualify to become his 57th ‘son’…

Whatever! This type of thing, it doesn’t concern me. Not one bit! I only need to focus on… on improving myself…

...Yeah.}

These thoughts of theirs cut off almost immediately once a series of knocks issued to them that yet ANOTHER visitor arrived for them.

…

{What the heck?! Why were there so many visitors?? I know that I’m not popular after I criticized everybody back then. So then, why?? And almost all of them are-}

*SHAAAK!*

?: “Hellllllooooo *Introduces himself while singing* Hello everyone~ I~ In - Case – You – Don’t - Remember am~ Nikita Abdulov~!!!”

Noel: “...”

Rise: “What the...who the heck are you?”

Nikita Abdulov: “I said that I~ am~

.

.

.

Nikita Abdulov!!!”

Rise: “But WHO is that supposed to be?! Is that name supposed to be one I remember or something??”

Nikita Abdulov: “Only if you haven’t been living under a rock>”

Rise: “...(This guy… no, no. I can’t do that. I need to calm my temper. Especially after that event. I can’t let myself be investigated for any reason)”

Noel: “Are you… perhaps… one of the 10 Kings…?”

Nikita Abdulov: “YES~! Oh dear GODS ABOVE! I was told you both might be suffering from amnesia or something, but thank goodness that it was just a false rumor!”

Rise: “What the heck, who fuckin’ said I was an amn-”

{…So… Suddenly, I gained amnesia? From that level of injury? Even though it didn’t ever reach my brain?}

Noel couldn’t help but release a soft chuckle despite himself. Luckily he hid it very well, so it didn’t catch Nikita’s attention. Only Rise’s. Nikita only followed Rise’s gaze after Noel finished controlling himself once more.

Noel: “Yes, we both suffered heavy injuries from the heads, trying to protect our comrades from the mercenaries. They all escaped luckily, but we weren’t so. Sadly, Rise was the first to fall. Followed by me after stalling them both for ten to fifteen minutes through sheer desperation. It was a good thing Mr. Abrams came on time in order to save us.”

Rise shot a hateful glare at Noel’s smug smile. Ha! Next time, if you don’t want me to talk, then come up with an excuse yourself!

Nikita Abdulov: “Mmm, impressive~ Very~ VERY~ IMPRESSIIIVE~”

?: “Admirable, but foolish. If you don’t want to die, then you should have run far away. Your schoolmate, the referee girl, where was she? If anything; she should have been the one to fight. NOT you.”

Both patients’ heads turned. In a state of shock, even Nikita twisted about in mouth -gaping surprise.

Although it was merely a momentary shock. The rest of his surprise was an exaggeration in order to warrant likability and attention from spectators. Basically; Nikita loves to make people laugh and smile. Even at the cost of his own reputation. It was a strange quirk born from his unexpected genius mindset and desire to socialize with his peers.

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