Arata's Perspective

Out of the corner of my eye, I was able to see Theodore and the others walking our way. "What are you guys doing?" asked Selkie, bringing both his hands down to his hips.

"Talking about this upcoming third year," answered Ari, scooting aside so that they could take a sit. With little effort, everyone somehow managed to squeeze themselves somewhere. Everyone seemed interested in their topic of conversation except for Hanna who awkwardly sat herself down close to Asmodeus who only acknowledged her presence with a brief sideglance. "We were talking about the Outland Tournament taking place this upcoming autumn."

"Oh? You mean the one with the Canavar expedition in promise?" Theodore asked, leaning closer in interest.

"Yeah, just like the previous years. All the combat class students starting from the fourth year and above are going to battle it out, and the top twenty get to go to Canavar alongside highly experienced adventurers hired by the school," Ari explained, his excitement palpable as he spoke.

Hearing this, I noticed several faces light up with a shared feeling of excitement, even mine. "Asmodeus was the only one who won a spot last year, wasn't he?" Theodore continued, briefly turning his way.

"Yup," I answered, with a nod of my head. "None of us were able to participate except for him and Hanna but Hanna didn't make it," I pointed out provoking an angry grunt out of her.

"Yes, Asmodeus was one of the few fourth years that managed to win," Hansel informed, sounding somewhat impressed. "It's rather impressive that any fourth-year was even able to compete with the upperclassmen for a spot."

"Well, all I know is that I'm making it," I said, leaning back on my seat I crossed my arms while wearing a confident smirk.

"You've been there before too," said Theodore in realization, having barely remembered. "You almost died there once, last you went, you really want to go again?"

"Oh dear Theodore, I didn't just 'almost die there once," I quoted, shaking my head disapprovingly in a sarcastic manner. "Every day there could have been my last however that's not the point." I leaned forward in my chair to emphasize my point. "When I was there, I was faced against powerful creatures that I had no other choice but to get strong myself. Unfortunately, training here isn't doing much for me."

"It is true," followed Asmodeus, catching all of our attention. "When you're on the other side it's as if crossing to a different world, you have to stay alert even while you sleep. Forget about fighting to win or to get strong, you have to fight to survive."

Hearing our words of our shared experience of our time in Canavar, everyone remained silent. Some were intrigued and a bit frightened, but others were eager and couldn't wait to hear more.

"That sounds totally cool!" Shina exclaimed, rocking back and forth with sparkling eyes. "I'm with Arata on this, no matter what I'm winning a spot!" she declared, determined to follow through with her words.

"Same here," Ari spoke. "I've been hearing so much about it, I'm curious to see what it's all about."

"Me too!" came Selkie, both Ari and Selkie's tails wagging behind them somewhat in sync, conveying their shared feeling of excitement.

"I'm confident Arata and Ari can make it," Asmodeus began, his arms crossed and words confident. "Their special magic forms will give them more leverage against other combatants. I know because it was the same in my case."

"What's so special about it anyways?" asked Hanna, her cheeks slightly red as her eyes fluttered away from Asmodeus's.

"Putting aside the sound magic as well as gravity and lightning. Both Ari and Arata are able to disrupt the flow of mana, meaning if they have higher mana control than their opponent, they could basically render them useless," he explained. "In a battle, that alone can tilt the scales in their favor."

"Do you guys really want to go back?" Nia asked, her brow raising slightly in curiosity. Looking my way, she took in my image, worry evident in her eyes. "It's dangerous, aren't you scared."

"At one point, sure, I was scared," I answered, leaning forward in my chair. "But after many scares, it just sort of became normal. I found myself doing things I never thought I'd be able to do and now I'm just craving to do it all again," I spoke, my words conveying my honest feelings and determination.

"Why are you all acting as if Canavar is so dangerous?" Asia began, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "It doesn't sound all that carry from what Arata told me."

"That's because Arata didn't tell you the scary part of the story," answered Ari, his expression turning somewhat serious. "Did he tell you the part when he entered the cave?"

"Yeah, where he found Flare sleeping," Asia replied, signaling to Flare with a brief motion of her hand. Hearing her answer Ari remained quiet as if expecting her to resume with the rest of the story. "Then... he picked her up and left the cave..." she continued, though, Ari remained with the same expression. "What!?" she finally questioned, curious as to what Ari had in mind.

"Is that all he said?" Ari asked, raising his eyebrow inquisitively. "He didn't tell you about the dead bodies?"

"Ari!" I snapped, shooting up in my seat. In turn, Ari's figure diminished resembling that of a scolded pet. Looking around, everyone looked at me with curious eyes.

"Dead bodies?" questioned Flare, catching my attention. Turning her way, I saw her staring at me with a slight tilt of her head, her wide eyes shining with innocence.

There was a small moment of silence in the air until I noticed Lize standing by the wall some distance away holding two gifts I had asked her to retrieve from my room. "Oh wait a moment, I'll be right back."

There is a reason why I left out certain details about the things I experienced up in Canavar. I never planned to keep them a secret but back then they were just little kids. How was I going to tell a ten-year-old child that I took a person's life and stumbled onto a room with piles of dead bodies?

Noticing my approach, Lize came my way and handed me the gifts. After thanking her, she bowed before making her way somewhere else. Turning around I walked back to the guys and said, "Let's forget about Canavar for now. It is Theodore and Nina's birthday, which is why..." I paused, handing one of the presents to Theodore. "I got these gifts." Moving away from Theodore, I faced Nina and gave the other to her.

I got some skeptical gazes from everyone but in the end, the topic was dropped and we moved on to something else.

Nina's Perspective

I thought it was weird when Ari mentioned the cave and something about Arata finding dead bodies. I thought it was highly unlikely since Arata hadn't mentioned it back when he told the story but his response made it look as if Ari's words held some level of truth to them. Now, I can't help but think that Arata is hiding things, more serious, darker things.

But apart from that the rest of the party went well, I can't express how happy I was to have been surrounded by my close friends. Unfortunately, all that is over. The party had ended which meant everyone had left home. So what am I doing?

With the help of one of the maids, we carried the presents I had received up to my room. After we were done, I closed the door to my room and my gaze immediately settled only on one out of them all. It was the one Arata had given me. Eager to know what was inside, I reached for it and quickly began unwrapping the small package.

Underneath all the gift wrap, I found a small black box. My fingers trembled with anticipation as I carefully opened the small black box. The soft white interior cradled a delicate, shimmering necklace. It was a beautiful piece of jewelry that sparkled under the soft light of my room.

The necklace had a silver chain, and at the center of it hung a pinkish gem surrounded by silver designs that added to the overall look. Gently, I picked up the necklace, feeling its coolness against my fingertips.

This is... I paused my train of thought as I looked closely at the neckless, my head tilting in curiosity. Wait! My eyes flew wide as I came to a realization. I just remembered.

Flashback to A Couple Of Days Before The Party

This morning after waking up, I carefully combed my hair, and now sitting in front of the mirror I neatly tied my hair into two buns, a hairstyle that looked okay and was easy to do. Just as I finished, I heard a knock at my door.

"Come in," I called, curious as to whom it might be, I turned around to see.

Slowly, the door creaked open. "Hey Nina," it was Arata who quickly peeked his head through at the same time that he spoke, startling me slightly.

"A-Arata?" I questioned, curious as to what he might want.

"I have a question?" he began, his expression serious, making me feel a bit of worry. "It totally has nothing to do with your birthday that's coming up in a couple of days but, tell me, what is something that is not so important yet you'd like to have?"

Hearing his question, my head tilted in curiosity. Not only because of his question but at his sudden appearance and reason for asking it. However, above all, I knew I needed to answer what he asked.

Something that's not much of importance yet I wouldn't mind having... I don't know... What should I say? Looking at Arata, I saw him patiently waiting at the door for my answer. "A neckless," I said, unsure of what to say.

"Neckless! Got it! Thanks!" was the only thing he said. Showing a smile, he left, just like that, and closed the door behind him.

That was weird, I thought to myself as I continued to get ready for the day, I wondered what all that was about.

Back To The Present

I should've expected something like this would happen, he's always bad with gifts, but even so. I couldn't help but smile as I traced the pendant with my fingers, admiring the craftsmanship and the thought that Arata would want to give me something that I would be satisfied with. To me, it was a truly special and meaningful present. I knew I would cherish it, always.

With a sense of gratitude and warmth filling every corner of my heart, I carefully placed the necklace around my neck and fastened the clasp. Now that the pendant rested comfortably around my neck, I looked at myself in the mirror and noticed that the pink gem matched the color of my hair, another thoughtful gesture of Arata no doubt. Somehow, I felt a sense of connection to the necklace, as if it held a piece of Arata's self, which made me feel closer to him.