"Are you... okay?" I asked, unsure of what else to say.

After a moment, she turned away from me, her expressionless features now tainted with a slight wink of relief. "Why... are you here?" she asked, her voice somewhat hesitant.

"You mentioned you were looking for something..." I remembered, despite everything else. "Is it this, perhaps?" Following my words, I pulled out the necklace, causing the sound of its metal properties to fill the air.

At that, she immediately turned her head to see what it was I held in my hand. As her eyes settled on the image of the necklace, a gasp escaped her lips. The instant shift in her expression revealed something unexpected. An emotion that broke straight through her usual stoic demeanor, providing a rare glimpse into the depths of her true feelings, surprise.

Slowly, she raised her hand, her trembling fingers reaching out to the necklace in my hand as she mumbled, "W-Where did you get that?"

"You dropped it earlier in the library." As I spoke, she stopped and turned to focus on my words. "I picked it up and chased after you but we both took different paths so I never found you. It was when I ran into Aria that I learned you had returned despite it already being time for curfew. That's when I grew a bit worried and set out to look for you." Following my words I held out the necklace for her to take. "Here."

Finally, she took it from my hand and stared down at it for some time. "T-Thank you..." she mumbled, her shoulders slumping. "So much..."

"Don't worry, it's not a problem," I told her, bringing my hand up to scratch the back of my head. I mean... it was a problem, I had to sneak by and without meaning to, got in a fight with Eustus Toma, who turned out to be Katie's... brother. "Anyway, that Eustus guy really your brother?" I just had a difficult time believing it, that I had to ask out loud.

Hearing this, Katie's face relaxed, taking on a more sensitive appearance. "Yes," she answered, hesitant to reveal any more.

"But..." I pressed further, my eyes lingering on her long pointy ears. "You're an elf and he isn't, or at least, he doesn't seem to be."

"Listen," she spoke, her voice following after mine with a firm yet soft emphasis. "It's... complicated and, as you saw, we don't get along very well." Her gaze wandered away and her hands fiddled together as she didn't know what to say. What's more, as she spoke, I noticed her voice holding some level of sadness. "I am very grateful to you for returning this necklace to me. However, please don't pry into my personal life."

Her words didn't retain any malice or hate. She just wasn't comfortable with sharing personal things with me. Someone who she hardly knew. "Right, I get it, I'm sorry." Following my words, I lowered my head with a slight tilt, aiming to convey empathy through the tone of my voice and maintain a comforting atmosphere. "Let's just... leave." Was what I said next, my uncertainty evident in my words. Since I barely knew her I didn't know how to fully interact with her properly. Showing a small smile I continued, "Stay close to me, I'll take us back to the dorms and try not to get us caught."

With that, we took off, our silent strides carrying us toward our desired location. I didn't know whether the student council was still actively surveying the area as we didn't run into anyone else.

Along the way, Katie and I had small conversations. She was mostly curious about my unexpected strength and ability to stealthily move around but, like her, I didn't reveal much. There wasn't anything to reveal, really, every answer led back to training.

After arriving at the dormitories, I walked her to the girl's dorms and left her side, trusting that she wouldn't get caught by the dorm supervisor. On my end, I had no problem sneaking through the lobby and hallways. Before long, I found myself in front of my door.

With a series of metallic clicks and a faint high-pitched creek, the door opened. Inside were three people I had anticipated to see. Ari, Selkie, and Theodore were all standing around and immediately turned my way as soon as I walked in.

"Arata!" Theodore spoke first, his voice coming out instinctively out of surprise.

"Where were you?" said Selkie, all three coming in close proximity to me, their eager expressions conveying their curiosity about where I was. "We were about to go out and look for you."

"Eh..." I breathed, tiredly, my shoulders slumping slightly and my gaze wandering away in disinterest. "I happened to be caught up in something... nothing interesting... but I'm tired." With a long stretch, I unbuckled my sword that was strapped onto my waist and placed it aside.

As I undressed, they asked me a few questions which I answered honestly, not finding any need to lie or hide things. They already knew I had been in the library researching. However, I revealed that I was lurking quietly around the school looking for a lost companion.

Since I didn't seem all that bothered by what I was saying, they eventually stopped asking questions, and the conversation was dropped. In the end, we all turned to bed and laid comfortably, waiting for the embrace of sleep to take hold of us.

Eustus's Perspective

Following my encounter with... Arata, I met up with the other student officers. Everyone took turns to make their report, mostly declaring their area to be clear. However, when it came to me, I hesitated slightly before speaking, a detail everyone was quick to pick up on.

"Eustus," Arel spoke with measured patience, his words flowing evenly. Yet, underneath his calm exterior, I could tell that he demanded me to hurry on and express my thoughts. "I believe it is your turn to speak."

The air grew heavy as all eyes fell on me, everyone waiting patiently for me to make my report. After a bit of contemplation, I realized it had become too late to hide what happened. "I came across Arata."

Hearing my words, Arel's usual calm and undisturbed face twitched, his brows furrowed for a fraction of a second. Beside him, Alexander's face contorted into one of disgust. "Arata?" Alexander spat, not bothering to hide his annoyance. "What was he doing?"

With his hands clutched at his sides Alexander took a menacing step forward, seemingly wanting to squeeze every word of our encounter out of me. However, Arel stepped forward and raised his hand, causing Alexander to calm down and take a step back. "Tell us what happened," Arel spoke, his attention firmly fixed on me.

With no other choice, I let out a breath and obediently did as he asked. I spilled down to the tiniest detail that occurred only moments earlier. From me finding Katie who was looking for some insignificant piece of jewelry 'that woman' had given her, to Arata arriving from his search for Katie. I also explained Arata's words and, most importantly, the statement he had made regarding his special privileges due to being from a high-standing family, hence the reason I let them go.

"Is that what happened," Arel mumbled, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "You should have sought me out immediately. I would have put that fool in his place right then and there." His words were followed by a smirk revealing his hunger for dominance. "But oh, well, you did what you thought best." With a pause, he continued, pressing for additional details. "Anything else?"

"In some way or another, we found ourselves in combat," I continued, wanting to put this matter separate from the rest. "And, I am ashamed to say that, his strength was greater than my own. Even though our exchange was brief, his eyes seemed to trace every move I made. His body moved with ease, effortlessly evading and countering every move I made," I paused, my words lingered in the air as I recalled the moments of our fight. "And it only took one blow for me to want to back out. The strength behind his attack was so unexpected that it left me barely standing, yet... he held back." As the recollection unfolded, a lingering ache persisted in my abdomen, a testament to the unexpected potency of that restrained blow.

Arel listened closely to my words, his eyes drifted away as he contemplated something in his head. An audible sigh marked the transition of his thoughts back to the present, and he directed his attention back to me and asked, "Is that all?"

I remained silent for a moment before uttering my following words. "Judging by the direction he came from, I'd guess he passed through the library and history buildings," I spoke, my tone serious as I looked Arel in the eyes. "The area that you were patrolling."

Hearing this, his eyes widened slightly, his calm demeanor cracking once again. "Impossible." He murmured, his figure shifting slightly. His disbelief resonated through his words. "There's no way a fool like him would go unnoticed by me."

Seeing his actions, I once again remembered the type of person Arel truly was. A person driven by an unyielding thirst for superiority, putting those he deemed to be weaker than him, beneath him. This trait is one that extended to us in the student council, though he exhibited a degree of leniency in our interactions. The truth of his personality became more apparent with each subtle shift in his demeanor, at least to me.

"Well, whatever the case is, we can't prove it for certain," I continued, aiming to calm his inner raging fire that was currently engulfing his being. As I pressed on with my explanation, I sensed the internal turmoil within Arel, an inferno of frustration and discontent subtly reflected in his otherwise composed exterior. His posture remained stoic, but the intensity in his gaze betrayed the storm within. "With that, I conclude my report."

"Hmmm?" The sound of a curious hum reached my ears. Shifting my gaze toward her, I found Alice with her head slightly tilted, an expression of contemplation etched across her delicate features. Strands of her snow-white hair cascaded at an angle as a result of her actions. "Arata..." she murmured, her voice as cold as ice.

The air was quiet as we waited for further instructions. There were six of us standing together in a group. Me, Arel, Alexander, Alice, and another two members who handled more trivial matters. A palpable tension lingered, discouraging any casual conversation.

Snapping out of his reverie, Arel's figure shifted again, and he spoke, "That's it for today, everyone is dismissed." His words carried a weight that left no room for objections.

Without further explanation, Arel turned around, walking purposefully toward the dormitories. The remaining four of us lingered momentarily, allowing Arel a solitary departure before following a step behind.