The receptionist fixed her eyes on them as they approached the desk. Well, they always attracted attention; not even a full week had passed since the initiation test, it was natural they hadn't gotten over it yet. There was also another small detail: there was no one else there. They had gotten ahead, way ahead.

  First, second, and third years were supposed to come here. They didn't need great initiative; they were obligated. But Vincent supposed they had already fulfilled their duty, or were busy, still working on it. That was also possible. Like the school year, the month had just begun.

  "What do you want?" the woman asked. "You're first-year students, aren't you? Ayame and Vincent. What are you doing here already?"

  Ayame didn't answer. Well, not verbally. She took the runestone out of her skirt pocket and placed it on the desk. The receptionist, whatever her name was, lowered her head, looking at the stone, stunned.

  "Oh! A dungeon already. You certainly work fast."

  The woman picked up the runestone and put it in a drawer.

  "We want the reward," Ayame said. "No problem, right?"

  "Of course not," she replied. "Normally, first-year students take the first month to plan, to get used to Runehaven and think about plans. Not jump into the pool without learning to swim. But there's no rule against it."

  "Great. Then give it to us."

  "Of course. The transfer will be made to your team account as soon as we have time to analyze the stone."

  To determine the reward they deserved, Vincent supposed. He nodded. He had nothing to contribute to this conversation; Ayame handled it confidently, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, even though he knew she hadn't done this before either.

  "Well then, until then," Ayame said, turning on her heel.

  "Wait," the receptionist called her back. "The stone is authentic, but... Did the two of you go alone?"

  "No," Ayame continued. "Tara too. I have no idea what her last name is."

  Neither did he, now that she mentioned it. He had forgotten, if he had ever learned it.

  "No, the last name doesn't matter," the woman said. "I was just curious. You did have a third, huh? Still, it's incredible. Such a small group, reaching a boss the first time they enter a dungeon... It's like you're trying to attract attention, break all the records."

  Ayame crossed her arms. She looked at the receptionist over her shoulder. Literally, not figuratively.

  "Maybe we are," she replied. "Maybe." She shrugged. "If that bothers anyone, let the others try to keep up."

  Vincent didn't think she meant it that way, but he said nothing again.

  "Wow, what character. You can tell you have what it takes to survive and graduate. It's expected, but nice to see, anyway."

  They had nothing more to do, nothing to say, so they left. Vincent couldn't help but wonder. It's expected. Why? Because she was a vampire? Because of her lineage, perhaps? Or because of everything they had done so far in less than a week, not counting the dungeon? Standing out. Well, it didn't matter.

  ***

  "The money arrived," Ayame said, lying on her bed.

  Vincent hadn't thought he'd see it so soon, but in the end, it had arrived before they went to bed. Good, that put his mind at ease.

  "How much money is there?" he asked, getting straight to the point.

  "Enough to pay for room and board next month. Maybe a couple of days of the following one. I don't know."

  Ayame turned the page by touching the screen of some device with her finger. Vincent whistled.

  "That's good, right?"

  Part of him had hoped to get even more, but they had only entered the dungeon once, to be fair, and not even for too long. What did he expect? The moon and the stars?

  "You know?" Vincent said. "I'm surprised Tara just left, that she trusted us to collect first. Or did she?"

  "Maybe she just expected us to go straight to bed without checking," Ayame replied.

  "Well," Vincent murmured. "Thinking about it, that's also very possible. Now I feel a bit bad."

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  "Why? She'll get her pay. Her share of the pay will reach her anyway."

  "I know, but still. Never mind."

  Ayame turned her head, looking away from the screen just enough to meet his eyes for the first time since this conversation began. She had beautiful eyes. More beautiful than Tara's. She was beautiful in general.

  "I don't want you to feel bad," she said. "I thought this would make you feel better about yourself."

  "And it did. I already told you. But still. Now this feels a bit like we're going behind her back."

  "And we are," Ayame said slowly, as if she didn't understand the problem. "But it doesn't harm her in any way."

  "You're right," Vincent replied immediately. He didn't feel like prolonging the discussion more than necessary. "The feeling... but even if it's just that, it's there."

  Ayame blinked.

  "Sometimes I find it very hard to understand you," she said finally, as if she had known him for a long time already.

  Vincent smiled. She's something else, he thought.

  "Sometimes I don't even understand myself," he admitted.

  "That must be complicated."

  "Sure. You bet."

  ***

  The next day, they ran into Tara in the hallways. To be more precise, between classes. And Tara didn't just find them; she practically jumped on them.

  "I completely forgot to go collect with you!"

  Well, it hadn't been a matter of trust then, Vincent thought. It made sense; she'd be a bit foolish to blindly trust people she'd known for only a couple of hours.

  "It doesn't matter," Vincent said. "We made sure your share got to you."

  "I know. I saw," Tara replied. "Thanks a lot and all that, but it doesn't change the fact that it was incredibly stupid of me. We didn't even get any loot, apart from the stone itself! I would have left empty-handed if you weren't so fair."

  "I leveled up," Vincent said. It had nothing to do with why she was making such a fuss, but he felt the need to add it anyway. The stone, the money, and leveling up. As far as he was concerned, it had been good loot.

  "Well, I didn't," Tara retorted. "Not even once did I get close, not at all."

  "Neither did I," Ayame said.

  Vincent shrugged. He almost wished he hadn't said anything. But only almost.

  "Let's get to class," he suggested. "We're attracting quite a bit of attention, as usual."

  "Class isn't a much more private place to talk," Tara said, even though they had already discussed everything.

  "Yes, it is quite a bit more private, because until the bell rings, everyone will be outside."

  "Well. Okay, that's true."

  ***

  They went to class, but didn't talk much. They had already said everything they needed to say on the main topic. After covering that, they simply killed time. Which wasn't bad at all, of course not. He found it very pleasant.

  Meanwhile, in the back of his mind, Vincent couldn't help wondering if he should let her join the team. Ayame wouldn't object; she had already made that clear. It was solely in his hands whether this went further or not. Because he still wasn't sure. He couldn't just shake hands with anyone. He had a secret that could ruin him and ruin his life, reduce his chances to zero in an instant. So he had to be meticulous, careful beyond measure. For his own sake.

  He wanted to reach a decision, and quickly, but it wasn't that simple. Three people in the same room… They would have to buy a new bed, he supposed, but otherwise, nothing necessarily had to change drastically, right? Maybe it would, but for the better. Hopefully.

  Spending time with Tara like this, it was hard to imagine he would come to think he had made a mistake if he invited her to the group.

  Yeah, so, why shouldn't I do it?

  "Hey, Tara, would you like to be part of our team?" Vincent asked. "Officially, I mean, not just to continue with the dungeon."

  Tara looked back at him, clearly incredulous. But that only meant she was surprised, not that she disliked the idea.

  Well, why would she dislike it? Vincent thought. Sometimes very stupid ideas popped into his head.

  "Yes, yes, of course! I'd love to," Tara replied.

  Such enthusiasm made him feel even stupider for thinking she might say no. He turned to the vampire.

  "Are you okay with this too, Ayame?"

  The vampire shrugged.

  "I told him we could use an archer, but the decision was in his hands," Ayame explained. "It seems he's decided, so, it's fine by me."

  "I'm so glad!" Tara exclaimed. "I thought I'd have to ask myself, actually, and that you'd turn me down."

  He wasn't the only one with stupid thoughts, apparently, Vincent reflected.

  "Can I ask you one last question before the professor comes in?" Tara said, seeing students starting to enter the classroom more frequently.

  Vincent and Ayame said nothing, just waited. So Tara correctly assumed she had permission and fired the question:

  "How did you find out my last name so my share of the reward could arrive?"

  "We looked it up on the first-year student list, of course," Ayame said.

  "Oh, that makes sense. Sorry for asking such a dumb question."

  Ayame shrugged again. Vincent wondered what exactly she meant by that this time.

  In any case, matter resolved. Tara would move in with them. She would tie her fate to theirs. Together they would fight to keep their place in this academy. He worried it might turn out to be a mistake. Still, he had to be very careful about whom he allowed to spend so much time near him, whom he allowed to get so close.

  That's what happens when you have a secret that could destroy your life, after all.

  But fear was inevitable. Life was a constant struggle against it. And hadn't coming here, in the first place, been a leap of faith? If he wanted to get anywhere, he had to be able to repeat it when necessary. As many times as necessary to have a future.

  ***

  Night came. The paperwork for the arrangements was finished. Everything was in place, except for the new bed, of course. The three of them had to carry it, but there was plenty of room. The dorms were designed for that, after all. For people to share them and form teams, splitting up or staying together depending on the circumstances.

  That didn't matter to them anymore. Only the results mattered.

  But it seemed they got along well. And the price of the room wouldn't increase. The one they would have to start paying next month... well, the one after, because this one was almost entirely covered. It wouldn't change much. They would just have to add Tara's share for meals. Even with that small added expense, it would be much easier to pay the rent month by month among the three of them.

  Did it have to be logical? No.

  Well, in any case.

  Tara dropped onto her new bed, stretching out her arms and legs.

  "New bed. New room." Tara smiled. "New friends. We are friends, right?"

  "Of course," Vincent said.

  "I suppose," Ayame said.

  "Wow, I feel so included," Tara tried to make it sound sarcastic, but the way her smile widened didn't lie. She was happy. She felt at home.

  Vincent smiled too.

  Adorable, he thought.