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Before that, however, I briefly pulled the twins aside and spoke to them.

"As for bringing friends over, you can bring whoever you want. I trust you two to not reveal your powers or let any outsiders into the underground levels, but other than that, there is one rule."

Crouching down and placing a hand on each of their heads, I looked them in the eyes alternately and mustered a stern yet gentle tone.

"You remember the blonde girl from today, right? I\'m sure you\'ve seen her around school occasionally."

They looked at me and slightly nodded their heads.

"Yes, I\'ve seen her."

"We know, Ciphy."

I nodded.

"Good. Then, the only rule I want you to stick to no matter what is this:"

My eyes narrowed ever-so-slightly.

"Do not interact with that girl under any circumstances. She is our enemy."

Our enemy.

Someone not to be interacted with.

"If she tries to talk to you, ignore whatever she says and get away immediately. If she continues to pester you, you have my permission to \'do whatever it takes\', be it withdrawal from the area or elimination of the pest entirely."

I did say I felt no threat from her, but the reality is still unknown.

Araceli Arévalo\'s true threat level hasn\'t yet been determined, so there is still a need to be cautious around her.

She doesn\'t seem to hold any individual power outside of her Measurement of Protection, but that doesn\'t make her utterly powerless.

There is no way to know if she might go for the people around me in order to target me, and since her objective in all this remains to be seen, I cannot risk having her approach the twins, who serve as my essential lifeline.

These two are fundamental to my future and my survival, and I cannot jeopardise that by exposing them to potential harm or corruption.

So, I would let them bring some friends over if that\'s what they really wanted, but there must be precautionary measures in place.

"Do you understand?"

They were smart girls, so it didn\'t need much explanation.

"Yes. Thank you..."

"Thank you, Ciphy..."

I could sense the girls\' suppressed excitement through the veil of their blank expressions as they lowered their heads away from my sight and expressed their gratitude shyly.

"You\'re welcome. If you ever need or want anything, don\'t hesitate to come to me; I\'ll do whatever I can, no matter the problem. Just keep in mind that, if things get too risky for you at school, I might be forced to pull you out until the issue is resolved. You understand, right?"

""Mhm...""

"Good. I just want the two of you to stay safe. Also, I\'m very proud of you girls for making friends and growing close enough to them to invite them over. You two did well."

""Mn...""

"Ah. My, look how far you two have come."

Showing a smile as I gently stroked their hair, they lowered their heads even further.

However, even though my smile was warm, my eyes were cold.

They, who couldn\'t see my eyes with their bowed heads, couldn\'t tell, but this was just the beginning.

From now on, I had to grow the bond between us even more than I have up until now, and for that, I need to treat them exceptionally well.

Giving them lots of affection and commendations like this was only the start of that.

To ensure that their loyalty towards me is truly unshakeable.

Once they had received enough affection for now, I let them get on with their usual leisure time activities or training and we parted ways.

Then, I made my way down to one of the underground levels containing a series of connected rooms that resembled a chemist\'s laboratory.

Even though the day was long and exhausting, I still had a revolutionary drug to refine, after all.

❖─────❖─────❖

The weekend passed without incident, and Monday quickly arrived. Likewise, January had come to an end, and February took its place.

After entering the school grounds together with Sophie, we parted ways and walked to our respective classrooms.

Returning to school after the weekend, I didn\'t expect much to happen for a while following the successful end of the incident in the park, though I could still hear passing murmurs of the traces left by the battles.

A vast swathe of grass transmuted into impenetrable permafrost; waves of scorched dirt that was almost burnt black; and extensive, deep fractures into the ground as if the earth itself had ruptured apart.

Of course, they were the remnants left behind by the twins, those pair of fire-breathers from the Wardens, and Saburou respectively.

I had wondered if the Wardens would try cordoning off the park for a while to cover up what had gone down, but it appears they felt no need to.

Well, almost everyone who could figure out what happened was involved in one way or another, and those who weren\'t, likely wouldn\'t care.

They took care of the scene enough so that there was no evidence of someone dying, anyway.

Nevertheless.

There was a particular person who would undoubtedly know what occurred, and yet who wasn\'t involved at all in the fighting.

Of course, if that was all, then it would be fine.

The problem is, this is a person who cares.

They were also the type of person I don\'t mesh well with, in more ways than one.

Clack-!

As I opened the door to my classroom, what greeted me was not the usual high-spirited and lively atmosphere one would ordinarily expect, but rather, one of pressured silence and subtle disquietude.

It was completely unlike the class 3-B anyone had ever seen or known.

"..."

Quietly making my way towards my seat as per usual, many classmates cast glances at me, perhaps in wonder at how I seemed so unperturbed by the air that starkly contrasted the class\' usual mood.

The reality is that I somewhat expected this, although I didn\'t quite anticipate it to be so bad.

The reason for the class\' state of extreme tension, as if they were about to be scolded for something naughty, could be seen at the head of the class.

Our teacher, Haruka Hayashi, sat at her desk in front of the class.

Her elbows were placed on the desk with her fingers interlocked together in front; her head lowered and leaning on her clasped hands.

It was difficult to make out what expression she wore due to the position and angle of her head and the long hair that cascaded down to cover her face, but it was certain that her eyes were closed.

A gesture that, in and of itself, clearly indicated what kinds of emotions the person was feeling.

A look that demanded order and peace.

Class 3-B, who loved their kind and tender-hearted teacher, were all silent as a collective act of consideration towards her, who clearly wasn\'t feeling well the moment she entered the room.

Haruka Hayashi.

A gentle and mild person?

I had to prevent the ends of my lips from curving into a smile at the preposterous notion.

Our teacher.

If the rest of the class knew what kind of person she really was, I wonder how they would react.

If they would remain caring for her and looking up to her as their teacher.

Or, if such things would be replaced by consternation and fear.

Well, nothing good would come of such a scenario, at least not right now, so I don\'t intend to answer that question.

It\'s mere food for thought.

Ring~!

Soon, the bell sounded, signifying the official start of the school day.

There was no registration taken, and only five minutes after the bell had rung did Haruka Hayashi rise from her seat.

The second she did, the thick dark circles under her bloodshot eyes were revealed.

"...Alright, class. Apologies for the delay. First period is mathematics, so let\'s get started, shall we? We can do registration later..."

Everyone could feel the weakness in her voice, causing an air of sympathy to make its way around the room.

"Miss, are you sure you\'re feeling okay?"

Some students, inevitably worried for the health of their beloved teacher, asked.

But, there was no way she could confide in them and say what was really on her mind.

"Yes, I\'m alright. Thank you for worrying, Izumi, but I assure you."

Thus, she only responded like so, and the students had no choice but to act as good-natured as they could to try and relieve some of the burden she must have been feeling.

What good kids.

As class continued, the teacher walked around to see how everyone was getting on as usual before she got to my seat.

"Oh my, Oscar; you\'ve completed everything already? I suppose that\'s to be expected... Well done. If you would, I\'d like you to stay behind after class."

There it was.

The moment I was anticipating had finally arrived, so I responded positively.

"Yes. Thank you."

She wore a smile as she nodded at me and made her way to the next seat, but it was effortless to see through such a flimsy visage.

Eventually, the phenomenally quiet lesson came to an end.

With everyone else bowing their heads respectfully towards the teacher as they left, the two of us were soon the only ones remaining.

"..."

"..."

I sat in front of the teacher\'s desk, with Haruka Hayashi on the other side.

One moment, she wore the same warm smile as always.

And then.

"Oscar."

A terrifyingly cold voice exited her mouth, causing me to reflexively blink.

Even I, who knew what the truth of this person was, found myself subtly doubting if what I heard was real.

Of course, it was absolutely real.

Looking at her again, her smile had vanished; replaced with an expression that could only be described as \'miserable\' within an instant.

"Why...?"

I watched her face as she asked me.

"Why do you have to keep doing these things?"

She was on the verge of breaking into tears.