As it turned out, Nakama’s class had decided to do an exhibition of art, titled ‘Supreme Display of Talent’, in what clearly was a supreme display of megalomania and unbridled arrogance. Of course, Gaius knew that the name definitely wasn’t thought up by Nakama, but he was rather curious — who was that self-assured to come up with such a name?

“What an obnoxious name,” Isabelle said. Her eyes were focused on the giant banner that hung outside a bright, cheerful garden. There were many, smaller tables laid out inside, most of them occupied by two students on one side, and some members of the public on the other. The latter had looks of concern on their face, and for good reason too — these children were wielding carving knives with what looked like a modicum of skill.

The fact that there was a medical point set up inside their exhibit, at a prominent location, probably didn’t reassure the worried adults either.

Cutting a stark contrast, however, was a table on an elevated area. It was distinctly larger, and ten-odd sculptures were standing proudly there. There was a small audience watching the artist work her magic silently, their eyes focused on the display of the little girl’s knife-wielding talent.

“Still,” said Gaius, “to think that there’s someone else who is almost as talented as Nakama in sculpting.”

“I was surprised, too.” Isabelle looked around. “Still, since she’s probably the best in this school, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that she occupies the most prominent place of business.”

Her eyes flitted over to the middle of the garden. There were no tables there. Instead, life-sized humans and beastfolk, all carved out in richly-coloured wood, were lined up neatly around the area, each of them nearly-distinguishable from the real thing at first glance. The boy was beginning to understand why the garden had to be brightly-lit; if it wasn’t, it was very possible that the visitors to this particular exhibit would be alarmed upon stepping in.

Behind the contingent of sculptures, a little girl was wielding two knives, each of them weaving and carving out their own little piece of life. Chips of wood fell off slowly as the adoring audience around Nakama continued to gasp and stare at her efforts. It didn’t take long before someone in Mei’s likeness appeared, each of Nakama’s strokes and cuts bringing the sculpture closer to life.

“Incredible! Kishi Gakuen is truly a school of multi-talented students!” a man exclaimed, as a sculpture with the exact likeness of Nakama’s math teacher was completed.

“It’s probably the new Institute of Rational Development now,” said a woman, who was carrying a child. “I had been vacillating between Feng-Lang’s Wu Shi and Mi-Zu’s Kishi…but I don’t think the former has teachers able to teach such intricate knifework.”

“Miss, do you take commissions?”

Nakama, who was stretching her fingers, turned to look at the speaker and nodded. Gaius couldn’t see who the speaker was, given the crowd, but it was more than enough for him to know that she was developing in ways that were once out of reach for her.

“Feels good to watch her grow,” Gaius said.

“Grow?” Isabelle asked.

“To know and understand that her existence has value,” said the boy. “Affirming your own existence is one of the greatest joys anyone can have, and I am glad that she has one foot across this particular door. It’s something that people who came from underprivileged backgrounds deal with, in the dark beyond their dreams.”

Isabelle glanced at Gaius. “Isn’t value innate to all life?”

“It is,” said Gaius. “But people who struggle to live have a tendency to lose sight of that. They define themselves through the people they support, while negating their own existence.”

“And that’s a bad thing?” Isabelle asked. “I don’t agree.”

“No, it isn’t a bad thing,” Gaius replied. “But I believe it is easier to give in into despair in such a state. I’m no expert in this, after all, but this is truly what I think.”

The glance Isabelle sent at Gaius deepened into a piercing stare, one that lasted for a few more seconds, before the Knight shook her head. “I suppose this topic is one too heavy for a social function, isn’t it?”

“You’re probably right there,” Gaius replied. “Let’s continue with the—”

His voice trailed off as the boy caught sight of the sculpture Nakama was busily working on. As the sculpture was made from wood, it was brown in colour, but even without her eye-catching white hair, Gaius could recognise the patterns on her clothes anytime.

“Gaius?”

“She’s here,” said the boy. “The Phantom Blade, Xanadu. Why is she here? What festivities is she intending on enjoying?”

“The Phantom Blade’s here?” Isabelle asked.

“Yes,” Gaius replied testily. “Let’s get closer, in case she decides to do something odd or insane to the crowd or Nakama. Do you have your weapons?”

“No, just some personal protective artefacts,” Isabelle replied. “It’s not like I can stand a chance against a Paragon-killer, after all.”

Gaius gripped Isabelle’s hand tightly and edged his way through the crowd, until he got close enough to the cleared-out area. As he drew closer to Nakama, he couldn’t help but wonder if Xanadu’s mind was addled — after her incredibly public assault on Scorpio outside Tekkadan Central Pagoda, she had shown up to Kishi’s school festival in her combat uniform without any changes whatsoever.

And sure enough, he soon caught sight of the familiar armour and flowing white hair, and Gaius slapped his forehead mentally. Even without that iconic energy sword of hers, her appearance was striking enough to the point that anyone could probably identify her. Is she a fool? Or did she do something to the crowd to make them ignore her entirely?

“Gaius,” Isabelle whispered. “Where’s the Phantom Blade?”

“There?” Gaius flicked his thumb at her general direction.

“She looks…different from the posters and this sculpture, though,” Isabelle replied. “She dyed her hair or something; it’s not white.”

“It isn’t?” Gaius took a good long took at Xanadu, whose hair was clearly shining in the false lighting. “It seems that we are seeing different things, then. At this point, there really isn’t anything that could surprise me.”

He thought back to Stone, Nakama’s pet knife, and shook his head. “Let’s wait for Nakama to be done, and then we’ll talk to Xanadu.”