Seventh day after the summoning.

  The Great Heroes decided to hold a celebratory dinner to ‘officially welcome’ the summoned students to the world.

  For this reason, none of the students were training for today and instead, they were accompanying their mentors for this banquet.

  Aihara was in her room, changing into the outfit that Earl had brought her.

  Apparently, as a Knight apprentice, I don’t have to wear dresses. Instead, my Mentor brought me these more formal clothes, that still were befitting of a Knight.

  I have to say, though at first I was a little bit disappointed by not being able to wear a beautiful dress…

  Aihara checked herself out in the mirror that was hung up inside the closet in her room. The white and blue clothes really suited her. They weren’t too tight and they made her look like some kind of noble – maybe a Duke of sorts.

  The entire outfit felt like a suit – just a bit more practical, as it still allowed for full, free movement of the body - most likely done to ensure that in a state of emergency, the one wearing this outfit, was still fully capable of drawing their sword and fighting. Adjusting the neck piece of the outfit, Aihara backed up and smiled.

  “Looking good there Aihara.” She posed a bit, fully checking out every nook and cranny of her own appearance in these formal clothes. Then, the door to her room opened.

  “Lady Aihara, are you ready—” It was Sarah, who entered only to freeze up and fall silent upon seeing what Aihara was doing.

  “Ah…” Aihara fell silent as well, before her face turned red. “I-I can…”

  Sarah gestured to her to remain silent. “I should’ve knocked. My apologies – I’ll leave you to your business.” The woman left the room, closing the door after her, which caused Aihara to shed a cold sweat, before she panicked slightly. “W-Wait, Miss Sarah..!”

  The commotion created between the two girls reached even the downstairs, where Earl was helping Raito sort out the tie of his outfit. Earl sighed, chuckling. “Seems like the ladies are quite lively.” He moved his eyes back onto Raito, who was staying silent.

  After finishing his adjustments, Earl let go of the boy and backed up – proudly placing his hands onto his hips. “There we go — Now you look like someone befitting of attending a banquet such as this.” Earl turned around, walking over to a couch, on top of which was a sheathed sword, which he picked up and strapped onto his belt.

  “Mister Earl, if you don’t mind me asking…” Raito suddenly spoke up, turning to look at Earl, who threw his gaze at the boy. “Hm?”

  “I’m just a bit confused… Why are you all holding this banquet for all of us a week after we’ve been summoned?”

  Earl remained silent for a bit, before exhaling and shrugging. “To tell you the honest truth, I haven’t got the faintest idea. It was entirely Oscar's idea to hold it a week after your arrival – something about you all needing to first properly adjust and get used to the world.” The elderly man sighed, turning around and crossing his arms. “I wouldn’t sweat over the details if I was you — Instead, I suggest to just take this as an opportunity to enjoy yourself. After this day, you will rarely get a day where you can peacefully enjoy a meal with all of your comrades, since training will take up most of your time.”

  “I see…” Raito looked away, exhaling.

  Then, rushing footsteps were heard coming down the stairs, as Aihara rushed down the stairs. “Apologies! I got a bit caught up with something.”

  Raito and Earl looked at the girl, with Raitos eyes widening a bit. Seeing Aihara in her formal attire – it made the boy's breath stop for a moment, before he quickly averted his gaze, his cheeks flushing slightly red. Earl laughed. “Do not fret Lady Aihara, you aren’t late or anything.”

  “Good to hear that.” Aihara took a breather, while Sarah also made her way down the stairs. Earl examined her outfit a bit, as if judging her before smiling. “As I had expected, it looks great on you.”

  “Oh.. Thank you, Mentor!” Aihara smiled brightly.

  She then took notice of Earl's outfit. “Say Mentor, I would say you look dashing yourself.”

  “Ah, so you did notice. I thank you for your compliment Lady Aihara, but this look of mine is hardly worthy of such kind words. You should have seen me in my youth.” Earl replied, adjusting his neck piece. Unlike Raitos and Aiharas outfits, which were purposely made for ‘squires’ or ‘knight apprentices’, Earl's outfit felt a lot more personal. It was in grey colours, with lighter and darker tones of the colour gently blending together.

  It wasn’t quite like a suit, however at the same time, it retained certain characteristics of one. Overall, the outfit – plus, Earls gently groomed hair and clean face, ignoring the scars – It made him look like an old butler or even some kind of high ranking noble. Sarah chuckled, joining Aiharas side.

  “I have to say Earl, I wasn’t expecting you to still fit in that outfit.” She crossed her arms. Sarah was dressed similarly to Earl, only her outfit was in white and gold colours, with a slight cloak dropping off of her shoulders with a fluffy fur-like collar around her neck.

  Earl looked at Sarah teasingly. “And I half expected you to come to me, begging to get you a pretty pink outfit again.”

  Sarahs face immediately turned red, as she dashed up to Earl in a panic, making up all sorts of excuses – which from Aiharas side, sounded like a bunch of gibberish, all the while Earl was chuckling to himself the whole time. Aiharas eyes went off of the two and onto Raito, whose appearance slightly mesmerised Aihara.

  “Wow – Kagawa, that outfit absolutely looks stunning on you!”

  Raito threw a gaze at Aihara, before looking away again and nodding. “Thank you… You also…” He stopped for a moment, as if looking for words, before his eyes fell onto Aihara again. “...Look great.”

  “Aww, thank you～”

  The four of them made some final preparations while in the house, before eventually heading outside, where a carriage with a pair of large horses dressed in silver armour was waiting for them. Earl locked the door of the house behind them, while Sarah, Aihara and Raito walked towards the carriage.

  Sarah waved to the coachman, who waved back. “Hey Kai! Glad to see you come pick us up.”

  “It’s my pleasure to be your escort for this important banquet, Lady Sarah.” The coachman responded. He appeared to be on the younger side, with almost no signs of any facial hair. He was dressed quite simply – with some loose grey trousers, a green shirt and a red cloak over his shoulders, which was held up by a bright green ornament.

  The boy's hair was a bit messy, however looking past it, his face was quite handsome.

  “Please, climb aboard.” Kai invited the group.

  “Don’t mind if I do.” Sarah stated, opening the carriage and hopping inside. After her, Raito climbed in, before turning around and extending his hand towards Aihara, who looked up at the boy a bit surprised.

  “...Let me help you.” Aihara remained silent, before putting on a cheerful smile. “Thank you!”

  She took Raitos hand, climbing aboard the carriage as well. Raito sat down next to Sarah, while Aihara sat across from Sarah. After a moment, Earl climbed aboard as well, closing the carriage door after himself, before sitting down next to Aihara.

  “Alright, everyone ready?” The others gave a gentle nod. Earl smiled and lightly tapped the window behind them, with the coachman turning his attention over to him. “We’re ready to leave.”

  “Alright! I do apologise now though – the ride will be a bit bumpy!”

  …

  The carriage eventually arrived at the front gates of the castle within the Roria Kingdom. One by one, the passengers hopped out and thanked the coachman – with Earl being the last one to get out, closing the door after him and hitting the back of the carriage lightly, signalling to the coachman that he was able to go now. After waving goodbye, the carriage left.

  Aihara admired this part of the castle. When they had been summoned to this world a week ago, they were in its other half, which was located a bit higher on the mountain that the castle was built on.

  “Wow…”

  Earl laughed, walking up to Aiharas side and crossing his arms. “Impressed? This is the castle that was built by the founder of Roria. The small mountains you see behind it were once part of a large volcano that eventually was destroyed and reduced to these small fragments.”

  He then exhaled and shrugged.

  “The part of the castle you had seen back when you were summoned is located on the other side of these mountains. This side of the castle is primarily used for public affairs.”

  Earl explained, before beginning to move towards the extravagant building that stood in front of them. “Come,” Earl looked at Aihara and Raito, as Sarah joined his side. “Let’s head inside.” The two students gave a nod and followed their teachers, walking past a lot of stationed guards that were armed heavily.

  It seems that even though this nation was for the most part a ‘peaceful’ one, even they take the protection of the royal family seriously.

  When the group made it inside, they were greeted by a pair of maids – who were stunningly beautiful. One maid had long, silver hair and was wearing glasses, while the other had shorter, black hair which was nicely complimented by her deep, sapphire blue eyes. “Welcome Master Earl and Mistress Sarah. The other heroes are waiting.”

  Aihara admired their beauty for a moment, while Earl nodded in response. Then, they began following after the maids through the castle halls. Unlike the time they were summoned, the halls on this side of the castle seemed a lot more… tame. They weren’t as large and spacious and had a lot more attention paid to their inner architecture and appearance.

  One couldn’t help but admire how it looked.

  While moving through the hall, Raito would occasionally throw gazes at Aihara, who was cheerfully oblivious to this – simply looking around and examining the ceiling and walls. It was as if she was mesmerised by them.

  “By the way, I was curious – will the king also attend this banquet?” Aihara stood a bit closer to Earl, speaking a bit into his ear. The old man laughed, before shaking his head in denial.

  “His majesty has some other things to attend to at this time – mainly, negotiating a meeting with the Ilrei Dynasty royal blood. In this banquet, it shall only be us the Great Heroes and all of you.” Aihara took a step back, satisfied with her curiosity being eased now. Then, Sarah chuckled. “Well, us and a special guest that they haven’t met yet.”

  Aihara and Raito looked confused.

  Earl, seemingly remembering or having caught onto what Sarah was talking about, looked at her. “Right! I had forgotten that he would be in attendance as well.”

  “I don’t blame you,” Sarah looked away, sighing. “He hangs around us so much that it is easy to mistake him for a Great Hero.”

  “Indeed it is.”

  Aihara shed a slight sweat. “Could I ask who you’re talking about..?”

  Earl and Sarah simply gave Aihara slightly ominous smiles, before laughing together. “Don’t worry Lady Aihara, it’s no one bad. Trust me, you’ll see when you meet the guy.”

  Without having any more of her questions answered by the two heroes, Aihara followed them both in silence, slightly stressing over who this mysterious guest could be. Raito just threw a stare at Aihara, looking away after a bit of his gaze lingering on her.

  Eventually, the four of them were led to a large, large dining hall, where all the other Great Heroes and the classmates of Aihara and Raito had gathered. The maids turned towards them and bowed, before hurrying out of the hall. Then, Sarah sighed. “Alright, I have to go and catch up with the Saintess and Father Waren. See you all later!” Sarah stated, leaving the group, while waving them all a goodbye.

  Earl chuckled, turning to look at Aihara and Raito. “You two feel free to go and catch up with your friends. I have some other matters to attend to. If you need anything, feel free to ask the butlers or maids stationed here.”

  “Okay! Thank you for everything, Mentor.” Aihara responded, gently bowing towards Earl, who laughed in response. “No need to be so tense. Here, there’s no stress.” He replied, before turning around and leaving.

  Aihara raised her head again, scanning around and eventually spotting the trio that she recognised. Then, she turned to Raito. “Okay, I’ll head to my buddies over there. You can go and catch up with your friends, Kagawa.” Raito looked at Aihara, as she ran off towards her three friends.

  At first, the boy seemingly wanted to say something, however remained silent and simply exhaled, looking down at the ground. “...If only I had anyone to catch up with.”

  “Hey guys!”

  Aihara greeted the others cheerfully as she ran up to them. Kida, Iwamoto and Sasaki all looked at her, before their faces lit up with smiles and they waved back at her. “Hey Aihara, long time no see.” Kida said with a gentle smile plastered across his face.

  Then, Sasaki practically leapt into Aiharas face. “Woah! Ai, those clothes look incredible on you!”

  “Thank you Yurika,” Aihara rubbed the back of her neck, before examining Sasakis own outfit. “Your outfit also looks amazing.”

  Sasaki chuckled, doing a small twirl with. She was dressed in a white dress, with a black cloak that rested on her shoulders and dropped down to her knees. Holding the cloak on her was a small emblem – which most likely was the religious symbol used by this world's church.

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  “Father Waren gave them to me.”

  “Father…?” Aihara raised an eyebrow. Sasaki laughed at her cluenesses. “My teacher, Ai. He’s a priest.”

  “Ah…” She had forgotten about that completely.

  Kida and Iwamoto chuckled themselves, standing behind Sasaki. Aiharas eyes floated away from Sasaki and onto the two boys – her cheeks slightly flushing with red as she saw them. “You two…”

  Kida was dressed in robes, which had this green leaf pattern across them. Just like Sasaki, he had a cloak resting on his shoulders, only his was a lot shorter and stopped just slightly above his elbows. Meanwhile Iwamoto was dressed like a scholar – his clothes just screamed of someone intelligent and smart. It looked like he belonged in a prestigious academy more than a ball organised in the castle of the Roria Royalty.

  Kida and Iwamoto smiled. “Thank you for your compliment Rikako.” Kida replied, crossing his arms while Iwamoto just bowed towards the girl. “Your words flatter me.”

  Aihara panicked a little bit. “P-Please! Gaku, raise your head!” Iwamoto laughed, straightening back out. “Apologies, my Master has been quite persistent in me needing to follow the proper etiquette and treat others with utmost respect.”

  That sounds like something just about anyone should do at all times…

  Aihara sighed. “Anyways…”

  Kida looked back at Aihara. “How about we catch up over something to drink? I heard that they are serving some incredible grape juice for us students, since we’re not allowed to drink alcohol yet.”

  After Kida said this, both Sasaki and Aihara froze up. Kida looked at them confused, while the two girls looked at him with slightly frightful and nervous expressions. “Shinsuke…”

  “Ki…”

  “Please don’t tell us that our teachers will get drunk.” The two girls begged the boy in unison, while Kida just chuckled, shedding a slightly cold sweat. Iwamoto also let loose a small laugh, before turning around and gesturing to the others to follow. “It’ll be fine. According to my Master, all the Great Heroes have a high alcohol tolerance thanks to their resistances. I doubt any of them can get intoxicated.”

  “I damn sure hope you are right Mo.” Sasaki gave Iwamoto a bloodlust filled glare. “Because if you’re wrong, I’ll strangle you.”

  “Aren’t you supposed to be a Priest?! Why are you threatening to kill me?!”

  The four students together approached the table where the food and drinks for the banquet had been laid out, pouring themselves some of the grape juice being served as well as munching down on some of the food on the table. The food was astoundingly delicious – which was expected, since it most likely was made by the chefs that were employed at the castle for this event.

  While eating and drinking together, the four of them talked among each other – catching up with what each one of them had been up to for the past week, their experiences and how their teachers had been training them.

  “Oh yeah,” Sasaki spoke, with a piece of pie stuffed in her cheeks. “Have any of you levelled up yet?”

  “Levelled up?” Iwamoto looked at Sasaki a bit confused, before sighing in slight disappointment, placing down his glass of grape juice. “No, unfortunately not yet. My Master insists on first teaching me all the basics of being an alchemist before taking me to level up. He says it’ll be safer that way.”

  Sasaki exhaled. “You too then, huh? Father is the same.” She rested her head onto her right hand, puffing up her cheeks. “He says it’s too dangerous to face monsters so soon at my level.”

  Aihara looked a bit nervous, and at the same time, felt a slight hint of jealousy. While she didn’t hate the way her Mentor taught her, she definitely wished he wasn’t as strict as he is and more focused on ensuring their safety, rather than waiting until the very last moment to step in.

  “That’s surprising… I’m already level four.” Kida spoke up, chowing down on some pie he had taken. “What?!” Sasaki looked at Kida and once again, puffed up her cheeks. “I am so jealous.”

  “What kind of monsters did you have to face to level up?” Iwamoto looked at his friend. Kida exhaled lightly. “Nothing extraordinary or special… My Master just tasked me with fighting some slimes. Apparently they were the best source of training for a druid such as myself.”

  “I see…” Sasaki sighed. “Still, very envious of the fact that you got to face monsters already.” Then, her gaze shifted onto Aihara, who was sitting beside her, sweating coldly. “What about you Ai?”

  “Eek–!” Aihara squealed a bit, before pushing out a small fake cough to hide her embarrassment and then looked at her friends again, laughing lightly. “Well… I’m level seven…”

  “What?!” Sasaki slammed her hands onto the table. “You also got to fight monsters?! What kind?!” She looked at Aihara with glimmering eyes, while Aihara just tried to back up, laughing awkwardly. “They weren’t anything extravagant Yurika… Just some goblins..”

  Well actually, probably an entire clan of Goblins thanks to Mentor's whistle that just kept calling them over to me and Kagawa…

  “That’s impressive Aihara. I was told by my Master that Goblins were tricky creatures to defeat for our level, since they often utilised dirty tricks and methods that rookies like us fell for all the time.” Kida commented, while Iwamoto let out a disappointed sigh, dropping his head onto the table.

  “I also want to fight monsters…” Kida and Aihara chuckled lightly together at the boy's droopy wish.

  Tink, tink, tink…

  The sound of a metal spoon hitting a glass echoed through the banquet hall, silencing all the talking amongst the students and Great Heroes. Everyone looked towards the source of the sound, where Oscar stood together with another individual.

  “May I please have everyone's attention, I have a few things to say.”

  Not that far away from Oscar, stood Kihara, who was dressed elegantly and looked more like some nobility's son, rather than a student that had come from another world.

  Kazuki fits right in with this world…

  “First, allow me to introduce this individual beside me to the summoned students.” Oscar shifted his attention over to the strange individual beside him. The individual was dressed in thick, black robes that faintly resembled a priest's wear, with blackish grey hair that was short, and a black veil that fell over and covered the top part of his face — completely covering his eyes. “This is Lee Starfall, and while he may appear to be one of the Great Heroes at first, make no mistake, he is not suited for the battlefield. He is Roria Kingdom's treasured Seer.”

  “Seer?” Kida repeated silently, scratching his chin. “Seers tell the future, right?” Sasaki whispered. Iwamoto looked a bit unsure. “Kind of…? They can see the future if I remember correctly.”

  “See the future?” Aihara repeated those words in her mind, while gazing at the man in the thick robes. There are more than the classes that the Great Heroes represented? Guess there’s more to learn about this world…

  Lee bowed slightly towards everyone. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you all. At the time of your summoning, I was off on some duties with the church, so I wasn’t able to see you then, so I do apologise for that.” He looked around at the crowd, smiling brightly under his veil. “It brings me joy to see such fruitful individuals like you all having been summoned to this world as our helpers.”

  While Lee spoke, Aihara thought back on what Earl had said while they were coming to the banquet hall. Was this Lee the special guest that her Mentor had mentioned?

  After Lee was done introducing himself, Oscar cleared his throat. “I also wanted to explain a bit about what this dinner is and why it’s being held for you all, as I realise that there might be a bit of confusion among you students.” The students exchanged gazes with one another, while Oscar raised his arms into the air.

  “This banquet is our way of officially welcoming you all to this world. While it may seem a bit strange to hold such an event over a week after you’ve all been summoned, we wanted to give you time to adapt to this world, before throwing something as grandiose as a banquet into your faces.” He lowered his arms, placing his right hand onto his chest. “I truly hope that you have made yourselves feel right at home at your master homes – we want nothing but to provide you with the best care and training we can offer.”

  As Oscar's speech continued, Aiharas mind drifted away a bit – into the past.

  …Again.

  She couldn’t help but think back on how Alicia had treated Jack when they all first arrived, calling him useless and even banishing him to a dangerous location, saying that she would only consider sending him back to their world if he made it back alive.

  With the way Oscar spoke and their surprise that there wasn’t a student summoned for the Great Hero of Taming, Andrius — Aihara knew that the entire situation they had witnessed in the summoning hall that day, was purely just Alicia's decision, not the combined agreed decision of all the Great Heroes.

  “I hope he can also experience this kind of hospitality once he returns.”

  Kida noticed that Aihara was in her head – exhaling, he nudged her shoulder lightly. “Rikako, stop worrying and thinking about him. He’ll be fine and will come back alive.” Aihara snapped out of her thoughts and looked at Kida, with the boy giving her a light hearted smile. “I promise.”

  Aihara remained silent for a bit, her eyes gently sparkling, before she smiled back at him and nodded. “Indeed, he’ll be fine.”

  Oscar eventually finished his entire speech, at the end of which, he picked up a glass of red wine that had been brought to him by some maids, before lifting it up into the air. “For now, I ask you to enjoy this banquet to its fullest! Cheers!”

  “Cheers!”

  For a while, the hall was filled with music performed by a band of individuals lined up against the windows of the hall, chatter from the students and Great Heroes as well as laughter.

  Aihara sat together with her friends, also happily chatting away and laughing together with them, before eventually her eyes drifted over to a far corner of the hall, where she noticed Raito standing all by himself – denying a drink that had been brought to him by a waiter. She froze for a bit, staring at the boy, before Sasaki suddenly latched onto her.

  “Heyhey, Ai… Is it true that… you live with—” She hiccuped. “Kagawa?”

  “Yurika, what—?” Her nostrils were hit with a rather unpleasant scent, forcing her to pinch her nose shut. “What the– she reeks of alcohol… But I thought–”

  Kida exhaled. “I’m betting she either accidentally took the glass of one of the Heroes or she intentionally stole some to taste it.” The boy stood up and walked over to their side of the table, where Sasaki was latched onto Aiharas arm, laughing while her face was flushed red. He picked up her glass, taking a small whiff of it and immediately placing it to the side.

  “Yup… she accidentally took a glass from one of the Heroes…”

  “She’s like this after just one glass?”

  Iwamoto laughed. “Don’t underestimate the strength of the liquor here. My Master and I were responsible for creating it, and I can tell you – It’s strong. Very strong.”

  Aihara sighed, pushing Sasaki off of her, who was then grabbed by Kida. “Alright, we’ll just have to watch over her.” The boy sat down next to the intoxicated Sasaki, before exhaling lightly. Iwamoto laughed again, looking at Sasaki with a smile. “Look at that, a Priestess – a holy maiden – drunken like a bard～”

  Aihara sighed, moving her eyes away. Then, Sasaki looked at her again. “Heyhey, Ai.. you didn’t answer…”

  “Eh? Answer what?”

  “Is it true that you and Kagawa are living together?” Aiharas face turned a bit red, while Kida sighed and Iwamoto chuckled. Aihara stumbled on her words a bit, unable to think of the best way to explain the situation to her friends.

  “W-Well, it’s more that our mentors live together, so we’re forced to live under the same roof… But it’s not like we’re living together-together!” Aihara quickly added at the end, with Sasaki laughing and poking Aihara lightly in the right cheek.

  “You’re so cute when you’re annoyed Ai…Hehe…”

  “Yurika, come on! You have to snap out of it! How strong was that alcohol?!”

  Iwamoto laughed at the two girls, while Kida watched Aihara a bit – unsure what to really say in this situation. While he held no real attraction or feelings for Aihara, for some reason… He felt a slight hint of jealousy hearing that she was living under the same roof as Raito.

  Perhaps this was because of seeing Aihara almost like his little sister? She did have a striking resemblance to her after all. Either way, whatever it was, Kida didn’t linger on it and rested his head onto his left hand, sighing.

  “Heyhey, Ki…” Sasaki suddenly addressed the boy.

  “Hm? What is it Yurika—”

  Chu～

  Aiharas and Iwamotos eyes widened in shock, while Kida became as red as a tomato. Out of nowhere, Sasaki had suddenly leaned in, grabbed a hold of his face and kissed the boy. He panicked a bit, trying to push her off, while Aihara and Iwamoto just sat there, staring in frozen shock.

  Kida finally managed to push Sasaki off of him. “Y-Yurika, w-what the h-hell?!”

  “Hehe～ Ki is so cute when flustered…～” She then leaned in again, trying to kiss him for a second time, however the boy, still as red as a tomato, pushed her back, resisting her efforts to the best of his ability.

  Aihara sighed, looking over to Raito once more. Kida and Sasaki were a bit… preoccupied now, so perhaps she was able to go over and see what he was doing all by himself. Besides with the way Sasaki was right now…

  “Come on Ki, just one more kissss～”

  “N-No! Y-Yurika, snap o-out of it!”

  Talking to her was a fool's errand.

  She stood up, drawing Iwamotos attention as he looked at her.

  “Going somewhere Rikako?”

  “Just to check up on a housemate. Be back in a bit!” She replied, running off towards Raito, while Iwamoto just watched. He smiled lightly, before sighing. “Barely seven days in, and the others are already getting all lovey dovey…” He exhaled, looking at Kida and Sasaki. “It’s not fair… I also want someone to be lovey dovey with..”

  Raito stood all by himself, staring out the window with his expressionless, cold eyes. Aihara approached the boy, placing her arms behind her back, before exhaling and smiling. “Hey Kagawa – whatcha doing all by yourself in the corner? Where did your friends go?”

  She asked, looking around.

  Raito threw a gaze at her, before looking at her, a bit surprised. “Rikako..?” He then turned his gaze away at her second question, unsure whether he should be honest. As if sensing his feelings, Aihara gasped lightly, before smiling warmly and joining his side, looking out the window. “Sorry – didn’t know you didn’t have any friends to hang out with.”

  Raito remained silent, however felt a slight sharp pain in his heart at her words. The boy then exhaled, looking away to the side. “Why did you come over? Weren’t you having fun with your friends?”

  “I was… But two of them are now occupied flirting with one another and the third is watching it all, while laughing.” She exhaled. “Honestly, I have no idea why I decided that they would be a good idea to get acquainted with.” Raito looked at her from the side, carefully observing her for a bit, before she turned to look at him, at which point he turned his gaze away.

  “Oh and also because you looked quite lonely by yourself.”

  Raitos eyes slightly widened as he looked at Aihara, who was cheerfully smiling at him. His mind was a bit of a mess — thinking about all sorts of things. She wasn’t like this when they first arrived, in fact, she appeared quite shy. How did she change so fast? How did she in less than a day go from quite shy to energetic and cheery?

  He couldn’t wrap his head around it.

  “If you came to me out of pity, then you can leave…”

  Aihara stared at Raito for a bit, before laughing. “No, it wasn't out of pity.” She then looked out the window again, staring up at the bright moon shining down at them through the windows. “It was mostly out of the desire to keep company to a friend and a fellow swordsmanship student.”

  Raitos eyes widened again, as he stared at Aihara.

  She was awfully… Kind. Unlike the other students of his class, she didn’t care about his cold expressions or words nor about the reputation he had built up by accident from his appearance and personality. She was ignoring all of it and simply treated him like someone she had known for years already.

  The boy's heart skipped a beat, as he turned his gaze away from Aihara, his cheeks slightly flushed red.

  The duo stood there together, watching the moon before Aihara sighed. “Say, have you eaten or drank anything yet?”

  Raito looked at Aihara for a second and then away. “No, I haven’t—” His cold response was interrupted by Aihara suddenly grabbing his right arm and dragging him along with her. “Then what are you waiting for? The food and drinks are super tasty here! We have to make the most of it while here!”

  “W-Wait, Rikako—!”

  Raito tried to stop her, however he found himself unable to push her away or free himself from her grasp. What was happening? He had never spoken to her before and for this past week, their interactions have been quite minimal.

  Why was he finding his heart beating so fast while being dragged by her?

  Why did he feel like he had butterflies in his stomach?

  Why did it feel like at any moment, his face would erupt into a red mess of embarrassment?

  He couldn’t find the answers to any of these questions. Instead, he put on a small smile as Aihara dragged him over to the table, where Iwamoto, Sasaki and Kida were sitting, seating him down and then happily sitting down next to him, before inviting the boy to eat and drink to his heart's content.

  “...Maybe – this is what a friend is?”

  From afar, everyone in the ball was watched by Andrius, who was standing away in the shadows – and despite his imposing, gigantic size, he was unnoticeable for the most part. His large arms were crossed, while he leaned against the wall of the shadowy corner he was in.

  “You don’t plan on joining?”

  Oscar asked, approaching Andrius, who shot him a gaze, before exhaling. “It’s not my style.”

  “Really? That’s a bit odd. Usually you’d be the one drinking the most of the liquor here, considering your immunity to getting drunk.” Oscar replied, looking at the others, who were enjoying themselves, laughing among one another.

  Silence fell between the two for a moment, before Andrius looked at Oscar with a sceptical gaze. “You didn’t approach me to invite me to join in – what do you want?”

  “As sharp as always…” Oscar sighed, looking at Andrius with a serious glare. “You’ve been gone for these past few days… Apparently investigating something. What are you up to again, Andrius?”

  The tall man remained silent for a bit, before pushing himself off of the wall and sighing. “I’m just looking into something that piqued my interest - That’s all.”

  “And this something wouldn’t happen to be linked to Alicia or the summoning, would it?”

  Andrius scoffed a bit. “You’re overthinking it. I may be a bit salty over the fact that I didn’t get a student to train, but I wouldn’t go as far as to doubt or suspect my fellow Heroes for some kind of misconduct.” Oscar looked at Andrius with a sceptical gaze, sharpening it for a bit, before sighing and smiling again.

  “I suppose you aren’t the type of person to do that.” Oscar then stretched out, before walking towards the rest of the crowd. “Then I suppose I had no reason to worry – Good luck with your investigation.”

  The Dragon Knight walked away a bit farther, before stopping and throwing a gaze at Andrius – one that was cold and dead serious. “But also remember Andrius – I consider you a treasured comrade. If you find some kind of evidence against one of the other Heroes, then please – don’t be afraid to speak to me about it.” Andrius didn’t reply and gave a simple nod in response to Oscar, who exhaled and turned away, leaving Andrius alone again.

  The mountainous man stood all alone in the shadows for a bit longer, before exhaling and turning to leave the banquet hall.

  “Sorry Oscar.” Andrius’ eyes shined a bit, as he walked out of the hall with a serious expression and a cold look in his eyes. “But I can’t get you involved. What happens between me and Alicia, concerns only us.”

  Andrius walked off, the doors to the banquet hall closing after him, while the rays of moonlight shone into the castle through the windows.