“Please pardon this Sun’s offense, but would the supervisor’s office have any information on Supervisor Meng’s disappearance?”

The old Scout looked down upon him, literally and figuratively, shuffling a stack of papers.

“Get lost, scum. We don’t need any more of what you did to old Ba Shou happening.”

Kiro squinted, indignant. He thought to bring up Seira, but decided that he couldn’t rely on dragging her name into things whenever he didn’t get what he wanted.

“Honored Scout, I will remind you that it is a Sun’s duty to follow their assigned supervisor, and my supervisor at the time commanded me to meet him. I am simply following through to the best of my ability.”

The man groaned, motioning to the Torch seated next to him.

“You. Look into it. And get this Sun out of my sight.”

With a relieved grin, Kiro followed the assistant out into the square. That was one thing taken care of, at least. He stretched his arms, basking in the afternoon glow. Supervisor Ping might not have been as laid back as Supervisor Meng, but at least he let them finish at the normal time. That was one luxury Kiro relished to the fullest.

He took a quick walk to the market, browsing the variety of alchemical herbs for sale. Frostfrond, heaven’s glow, steelthorn, and a slew of other products caught his eye, demanding that he spend his hard-earned spirit stone on them. While it was certainly cheaper to pick them straight from the gardens, he didn’t mind splurging a little right now. After all, he had just gotten a raise!

Or, rather, the Suns had collectively decided to donate a small amount to his efforts to buy a house. His open and ferocious rebellion, combined with Seira’s ruthless disposal of Supervisor Ba, had endeared them both to farmers, who were now eager to demonstrate their gratitude. For the first time in what he thought to be the history of the Hong clan, the Suns had made friends with a Brave.

A few hours later, he left the markets, arms full of various herbs and ordinary foods. The rough burlap sacks rubbed against his forearms wrong, but he hardly paid attention to them. It was a good day! With a skip in his step, he made his way home, debating in his mind what his next elixir would be.

Suddenly, he felt a powerful presence arriving. He didn’t know how mystics saw mana, but ever since the incident with Supervisor Ba, he had started paying closer attention to the subtle pressure in the air that came from aura. This time, though, he didn’t have to focus on it. It was powerful, even more so than Seira had been when she told off the supervisor. He jumped behind one of the thicker trees, not wanting to provoke an enraged Elder. However, when he looked the direction it was coming from, it wasn’t an Elder. It was something even more surprising.

Seira and Rynn ran along together, engaged in conversation. That in and of itself wouldn’t have been too terribly shocking — she loved to say hi to his group every once in a while. No, the shocking portion was that he was keeping up with her. A Sun, with absolutely no mana power, was keeping up with a Brave, However, when they neared, he found that to be false. Rynn emitted his own pressure, more powerful than some Warriors Kirop had seen. What was this?

His mind raced, and while he almost went out and confronted them about it, he stopped himself. One distinct possibility emerged in his mind: forbidden love. Was this why Seira had been so reluctant to tell him where she was going every day at dusk? Was this why Rynn had been absent from the harvests this entire week? If he stepped in right now, would it ruin the moment? Still, he couldn’t help but feel a bit envious of Rynn. Not because of his relationship with Seira — ugh, even thinking about it made him want to throw up — no, rather because of the aura surrounding him. She had been teaching him cultivation exercises!

Something that was forbidden in the clan, something that she hadn’t done even for him, she was doing for Rynn of all people? Then again, he supposed it made sense. Of course with Rynn’s incredible luck he would not only end up in a relationship with the most admired, powerful, prestigious person in his generation, but also glean from her secrets that she wouldn’t even teach her brother.

Feeling dejected and a bit betrayed, Kiro nevertheless decided to follow them, hoping to witness more of this romance unfold. As both a friend to Rynn and a brother to Seira, he owed it to them to make sure this match was worth the risk. Suns weren’t legally allowed to marry anyone, much less the clan prodigy.