After packing up my backpack, I made my way out of the classroom and headed downstairs to the 1st floor of the building that was made for all 5th year students. I saw Hosuke was waiting for me down the stairs. He waved at me and I waved at him back.

“What’s up, Hosuke?”

“Hey, let’s go to the Library.”

“The library?” I gave a little thought, “Why should we?”

“I don’t know. I don’t have anything to do today other than going home.” Hosuke crosses his arm and said, “And I’m not going back home this early. I think it would be better if I hang around with my friends than hanging around all alone at my empty house.”

“Is no one at your home?”

“Of course there is people there. I just don’t like them a lot.”

I widened my eyes and raised my shoulder, “Well if that’s what you want. Come on, let’s go.”

I made my move and Hosuke followed next to me. Hosuke, who fashions a spiky hair like a character from a ninja-like cartoon was strolling around together with me until suddenly we met up with Sonozaki Wakana.

“Hey, White!” Wakana waved his hand at me.

“Hi there, Wakana.” I felt a little uncomfortable.

“Is something wrong, White?” Hosuke asked me out of concern.

I responded, “It’s nothing. I just got the feeling that Wakana is going to toy around with me like always.”

“Toy around? I wouldn’t do that, White. I’m just your stand-in brother here in school.” Wakana ‘assures’ me while he rested his hands on my shoulders.

“Can you please stop using my shoulders as a resting place for your hands? I know I’m short and all but please, Wakana.”

“Okay, okay. I get it, White. It’s not like we’ve been through this a lot of time, right?”

We’ve had this kind of conversation a LOT of time. I don’t know, it’s like a love and hate relationship between me and Wakana. We’ve been best friends since 2nd year in middle school along with another friend of ours who was now studying on a different school.

“So where are you two heading?” asked Wakana.

“We’re going to the library. But first, we’re going to have lunch.” answered Hosuke.

“Oh yeah. Class finishes around 2:30 p.m.. We only had recess on 10 a.m. The school skipped the usual noon breaks since we already had the recess earlier.” Wakana thinks for a moment and said, “Can I join you guys?”

I looked at Hosuke and looked back at Wakana and said, “It’s not like we don’t allow you to.”

“Awesome. Let’s go get something at the cafeteria.”

Wakana decided to join us eating lunch. I had a hamburger that I bought at the hawker stall right outside of the school main gate. Hosuke bought a hamburger as well but he also bought some other heavy food at the cafeteria. Wakana decided to get the today’s special that the cafetaria had just for this day. All of us had lunch on a table while watching some afternoon shows on the cafetaria television.

“What do you think about The Magic Duel so far?” Wakana decided to open up an interesting topic.

Hosuke swallowed what he was chewing and said, “I thinks it good.”

“I see. What about you, White?”

I put down my hamburger and gave a little thought and said, “I think there are some parts that I think The Magic Duel was kind of…off.”

“And what would that be?”

I looked at Wakana seriously and said, “Why does the school decided that such a fight like when Blax and the others were surrounded by Team Buddyz was allowed? I know this is a competition but what was all of that?”

“All I can say is that, I’m sorry. From the bottom of my heart.” Wakana bowed to me.

“Why?”

“I was too late to prevent that incident.”

“It happened already.”

“But still, why did the school never took some action about those guys. Plus, Team Buddyz also managed to get into The Group Stage as well. I don’t get it.”

“Okay that is weird.” Hosuke interrupted, “How can they enter the duel when they broke one of the rule in the qualifier. Which is fighting an opponent unfairly.”

We were surprised when we figured out that Team Buddyz also got an entry in The Group Stage after what they had done to half of Team Stardust. Is the school being bribed by those guys or something? I really wish The Magic Duel is not corrupt as I believed reading it up in the school’s history book.

Wakana then pointed out, “So you guys are in Group E, correct?”

I noddded and said, “Yeah. You’re in Group A if I’m not mistaken.”

“Too bad. I really wanted to have a taste of your Time Manipulation in battle but it looks like I have to wait for it a little longer.”

“Wait. You expect us to get into the Quarter Final?” I was a bit surprised.

“Of course. And I’ll be waiting for you there.” Wakana continues his lunch after saying that.

Here I thought Wakana would at least joke about how my team will be miserably eliminated in The Group Stage. But apparently not. He’s not that kind of person that’s for sure. But I never expected him to actually said something that was almost impossible. I mean, half of us were already beaten by Team Buddyz that was single-handedly defeated by Wakana alone. The gap in power with Stardust, Buddyz and Wakana alone is too far. Imagine if the whole Team Purity was in it.

We finished lunch later on and headed to the library. While we were on the way there, Wakana opens up another topic.

“Have you guys ever thought that this school was a little bit different ever since the new principal got in early last year?”

“What do you mean?” asked Hosuke.

“I thought everyone could notice it.” Wakana was confused.

“What exactly are you talking about, Sonozaki?” Hosuke continues to press for answers.

Wakana sighed and explained, “You see…remember when we had our old principal? When it was good back then?”

The old principal. He was a good man as far as I can remember. He made sure we were safe throughout the entirety of The Seven Month War. He even put his faith on a number of his student to lead the task force in that war. He believed in his own student. Unlike the new one. He never ever interacted with us except when he was giving a speech to all of us and that was just it.

The old principal will sometimes have a walk around the school and interact with all of his workers and students. There was a time when our teacher couldn’t make it to the class for emergency reason for a week, he came in to our class and temporarily replaced our teacher that whole week. We learnt a lot about him when we finally get to know him at a closer distance. He was not just someone who is in the top and the most respected person in our school. But he was our educator. Our teacher. His warm heart made the school feel a lot like a safe place.

“How good do you mean? I just transferred here last year by the way.” said Hosuke

“You wouldn’t know it, Hosuke. But White and I surely knows that the old principal was a better principal than the current one.”

“Why is that?”

Wakana gets a little serious than he used to, “He was a nice guy…but I heard he is dead…”

“Wait. What?”

The old principal is dead? How can I not know about this? Does Rulend or Zone even know about this? They would tell us though. Especially when it was something very important like this. I mean he was an important person as far as our memories remember.

Wakana continued, “After he declared his resignation, he might be murdered by an unknown Organisation. I don’t like where this is going but I heard rumors that the new principal have a lot of influence in the political world. He has a lot of influence from other people. Who knows what he could do with that many acquaintance with the government.”

“Why are you over thinking about the new principal.” I asked him.

“It’s just too big of a coincidence for the old principal to be found dead after he resigned. I think he was assassinated.”

“Have you ever consider talking about this with Rulend and Zone?”

“I haven’t yet. But maybe later.”

Hosuke then suggested, “What if it’s a suicide?”

“I think that is impossible unless he was forced to commit suicide…” said Wakana.

“That could be it.” I wondered.

“Let’s just end this conversation for now. I’ve had enough of speculations ever since this morning.”

“Since morning? You mean when they announced The Group Stage?”

“Yeah. It’s too fishy. I need to have a talk with my president.”

“You’re going to talk about it with the Prefect's President?”

“Yes. That’s what I said. You don’t have to repeat it for me. I’m going now. Bye.”

Wakana left us in a hurry. I understand that he is also one of the prefects. Those guys are like the student body who takes care of the well-being of other students in this school. They are the law-abiding people who will find and capture those who break the school rules. That’s what the prefects are.

The Librarians is different though. Those guys work inside the school library along with an adviser who watches over them and guide them. The adviser was also a teacher of course. Mrs. R is her name and as far as I know, she was a nice teacher. She knows everyone in Team Stardust including our juniors.

Speaking of juniors. Kaym is finally back in action after a week inside the hospital. We saw him waving at us from the balcony of the 2nd floor as we approached the building where the school library is located. It looks like he was 100% fine now.

“Hi there. Welcome back, Kaym. How are you?” Hosuke greeted Kaym.

“I’m fine, thanks a lot. But I’m a little bit sad that I couldn’t get to watch you guys in the qualifier round.”

“At least you got in knowing that we actually got into The Group Stage.”

“Yeah. But somehow, I knew you guys would be able to win the qualifier.”

“Oh really? That’s interesting, Kaym” I slowly said that.

Kaym laughs and said, “Alright. That’s enough. How about we go inside and talk about this in a more comfortable space?”

The three of us entered the one and only place where I feel at peace. Which was the library. Any library can be peaceful for me. Why? Because I prefer peacefulness over chaos. Not a lot of noises in these kinds of room. I hate noises. In addition to that, I love reading. That’s what I call killing two birds with one stone. I grabbed the latest newspaper and we sat down near the study tables that the library prepared. Just as I was enjoying the peacefulness. Someone came in and ruined it…

TO BE CONTINUED