Kaiser shrugged, unfazed. "It's not really a big deal. My grandmother taught me the bits she knew."
Technically, he wasn't lying. An old hag—clan elder to be polite, had indeed taught him the lost language. Though, she wasn't really his grandmother.
"Ah." The girl nodded, then suddenly straightened. "Sorry I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Maya Grace. First-year Class-D. Nice to meet you."
With that, Kaiser was forced to introduce himself too.
"Kaiser Solace. First-year Class-E."
Realizing they were both first-years, Maya smiled fondly. "I thought you were a senior. Now you're even more impressive."
At this point, Kaiser stopped dodging her persistence; his tone smoothed into a reluctant acceptance.
"Thank you. It is nice knowing there's someone else interested in books."
This comment was sincerely genuine. Finding someone who shared his hobby felt nice. Maya's eyes lit up in delight, and she blurted out her thoughts.
"Can we exchange contacts? Just in case you're free and want to read together."
Immediately she said this, she felt a pang of regret. Wasn't that a bit too rushed? They had barely exchanged words and she was already trying to get his contact. She wouldn't be surprised if he refused politely.
Unknown to her, Kaiser didn't see any reason to refuse, then whipped out his phone. He collected her phone, saved his contact on hers, and vice versa.
Maya blinked, a bit surprised, then smiled brightly. "Thank you."
Saying that, she sat beside him, picked up a book, then began reading.
Just like that, an entire hour passed in silence, with only the sound of pages being flipped echoing.
Maya suddenly checked her phone, then smiled helplessly.
"My time's fast spent. Alright, Kaiser. See you at the night party."
Kaiser hummed, eyes trailing her departing figure with quiet indifference.
'Hmm. That reminds me. There's still that night party they're organizing.'
With an unenthusiastic sigh, he packed his things and also left the library.
....
Before long, it was time for the fresher's night party. The first-year students began appearing in the large auditorium, which had been set up in preparation.
Hazel's eyes twitched at the brightness of the neon lights. She wore a simple black gown that subtly accentuated her figure. She could even feel the gazes of other students falling on her waistline. Folding her arms, she found an empty table to sit alone, her cold gaze flashing across the incoming students.
Suddenly, a purple-haired girl in a backless gown sat at the same table. Their eyes met instantly.
Although it took a few seconds, Hazel recognized her.
Mordica Nerth. One of the coldest students from Class-E. She only spoke when the teacher asked her a question.
"You're staring a bit too much." She gave a sharp snort, her voice cutting.
Hazel didn't react. Instead, she shifted her gaze and outright ignored the girl. Although ignored, Mordica seemed satisfied and calmly drank the wine placed on the table.
Within half an hour, the auditorium was teeming with students, mostly first-years and a few upperclassmen.
Just then, Apollo Silverstein entered, his presence overwhelming. Behind him, five students moved, all dressed in black suits and trousers regardless of gender.
Alexander Pierre, Thyla Dickson, Sermin Iguro, Jayce Nolan, and Peniel Stars. An infamous bunch.
The group looked intimidating at a single glance, causing the other students to make way for them. With purposeful strides, Apollo approached a table occupied by other students and simply said, "Scram!"
His words surprised the surrounding students. Directly telling others to get up from their seats? That was very impolite. In fact, it was excessive.
"Hey, you should find another table or something. This one is occupi…"
Before the student could even finish speaking, Sermin stepped forward and pulled him off the chair.
"What the hell…?" Another student at the table shouted, realizing Apollo's group was actually resorting to violence. Weren't they afraid of being sanctioned?
Thankfully, another presence arrived in the hall at that moment.
With his curly blonde hair flowing behind him, Sebastian smiled.
"Is this the leader of Class-D? You're really as violent as I've heard."
Apollo turned to him, his expression mocking.
"Hemsworth? It doesn't matter. Anyway, I'm taking this table." He grinned. "Any objections?"
He, of course, knew Sebastian. Although they hadn't had prior contact, he'd heard of the future leader of the Hemsworth Technology Worldwide.
Smiling perfectly, Sebastian examined himself in a mirror and fixed a loose strand of hair.
"None of my business. As long as you don't inconvenience me."
Sebastian's reply stunned some people, but didn't surprise them. No one would want to involve themselves in conflict with Apollo and his group. Still, they wondered who this mysterious blonde boy was.
Intimidated, the group quietly left the table, unwilling to have further contact with Apollo.
With that episode concluded, the hall soon regained its liveliness. Soft music played in the background as laughter and chatter filled the air.
At their table, Hazel and Mordica never spoke a word to each other. Instead, they focused on the meal before them, silently digging in. Naturally, their beauty attracted several gazes. However, the aura they radiated was a natural deterrent for those frivolous boys who wanted to approach them.
Liam wasn't deterred, though, since he had no dirty intentions. With a calm smile, he sat between them. When they looked at him, he greeted politely.
"Good evening. You must be Hazel Kane and Mordica Nerth from our class."
Hazel merely nodded with a cold look while Mordica seemed surprised that he knew her name.
Once the waiter received his order, he began talking.
"This party seems interesting. I suspect the school wants all the classes to bond together. What do you think?"
Hazel could have ignored his question, but decided to answer.
"It doesn't matter. I don't really care. Though I suspect that there's a hidden motive."
As she said this, her eyes drifted to the figures standing quietly, definitely upperclassmen.
"Hidden motive?" Liam tilted his head, curious. He hadn't thought of it this way.
"Yes." She nodded. "The academy is definitely keeping some things from us. Aren't you suspicious about the 100,000-credits-per-month system?"
Liam fell silent, deep in thought. Although he was indeed suspicious, he thought the school was simply quite generous.
"It's extravagant. Too much money for seventeen-year-old kids." Mordica added, her expression stoic.
At this point, Liam's suspicions deepened and he secretly decided to investigate.
"Indeed. I'll try to ask my upperclassmen friends."
Hazel turned, surprised. "You've befriended upperclassmen?"
Mordica was equally surprised. It hadn't even been a week yet.
Liam averted his gaze, baffled. "Well... it's good to know others right? I made friends with those in my club. After all, we're all students."
Hazel slowly exhaled, unable to understand his thoughts. However, his last statement puzzled her. Making friends simply because they were all students?
She couldn't relate. After all, she was different from him.
'I don't need companionship.'