A moment later, the waiter arrived. He placed the tray, gave a polite nod, and vanished without a word.
As he began eating, Liam watched the students enjoying themselves. The situation filled him with elation.
Before long, though, he was whisked away by the girls from Class-E when the dance floor was opened. Hazel and Mordica didn't even move an inch. Instead, they continued watching the charade like mere observers and not students.
"You two aren't going to dance?"
Alarmed, they turned to the speaker, who had silently occupied Liam's seat. Dressed in a simple white shirt and black trousers, Kaiser looked quite charming. His eyes held a detached intensity that showed his reluctance in participating.
'How did I not notice him?' Mordica thought, deeply alarmed. She always prided herself on being able to detect any presence around her. And the fact that this azure haired guy had appeared silently startled her.
Hazel was equally surprised. She hadn't even sensed him sitting there until he spoke.
With her brows knit, she asked. "When did you get here?"
Kaiser tilted his head, confused. "You didn't notice? I thought you guys were ignoring me."
Inwardly, though, he was complaining to himself. 'Goodness gracious… how could I have forgotten to stop suppressing my presence? Now they'll be suspicious.'
Unexpectedly, Hazel shook her head. "Nevermind. I don't have any interest in dancing."
Mordica also shrugged. "Neither do I."
Kaiser looked surprised, then fell silent. He wasn't really interested in petty talks either. Unexpectedly, it seemed Mordica didn't share his thoughts.
"You're not interested in this party too, are you?"
Kaiser glanced at the students briefly, then back at her. "Not really. I find it hard to mingle with crowds."
A small smile slowly appeared on her lips, accompanied by a teasing expression.
"What if I invited you to a dance?"
Hazel glanced at her subtly, surprised. Kaiser was equally surprised. What game was this cold and aloof girl playing? He doubted she would keep her word if he said yes. Although she was a beauty that could topple nations, Kaiser wasn't really moved.
"I'd refuse." He said solemnly. "As I said, I'm not interested in the party."
'Hm? Refusing a beauty straight up? He's interesting.'
Mordica's smile grew wider. "Not many would pass up the opportunity, I know."
Kaiser didn't even reply, just gazing at the dancing students. Although he knew how to dance too, he had no interest in showing off such mundane talent.
Ting~ Ting~
A soft ring echoed in the air as the lights instantly focused on a single person. The upperclassman had flamboyant blonde hair and piercing orange eyes. An elated smile played at his lips as he spoke.
"Evening, fellow students." His voice echoed far and wide without the use of a microphone. "Most of you don't know me, so I'll do the pleasures and introduce myself."
Bowing dramatically with one arm outstretched and the other on his chest, he said in a gentlemanly manner.
"I go by the name, Ajila Eren. But you may call me Vice-president Eren." He raised himself. "As you've guessed, I'm the Student Council Vice-president. And I'm here today to entertain you freshman with a little game."
At this point, everyone was already paying attention to him.
"This game will involve all five first-year classes where they can compete equally." He clasped his hands. "Now do me a favor and select a representative from each class. Let's make this quick."
The hall became full of rustling sounds and murmurs. Students began deciding who to send and guessing what kind of game it was.
At their table, Mordica said matter-of-factly. "Liam would be chosen."
Hazel nodded in agreement. "It seems they're trying to fish out the possible class representatives."
"That would be interesting." Kaiser's eyes glinted with mischief.
Before long, five figures appeared on the stage.
"Well then, juniors," Eren smiled, "Introduce yourselves."
The first was a girl with neck-length white hair and gentle violet eyes. Her face was pure, radiating a warmth that seemed to directly caress the heart.
"My name is Iruca Sanders from Class-B. Nice meeting you all."
Next to her was another girl with neck-length lilac hair and piercing purple eyes. Unlike Iruca, she looked rather petite, with a cute face. Her legs, fair and pristine, were wrapped in thigh stockings, giving a few boys a nosebleed. Holding her hands together, she smiled at the crowd. The way she carried herself screamed 'noble'.
"Adela Lincoln from Class-A. My pleasure meeting you all."
Next to her was the infamous purple haired delinquent.
"Apollo Silverstein. Class-D."
The person next to him sighed softly, then spoke. "Austin M'banna from Class-C."
Surprisingly, he was dark skinned and had dread hair and an intimidating presence even while standing next to Apollo. His burly physique was oppressive, though he seemed to be gentle at heart.
Naturally, the final person was from Class-E.
"My name is Liam Bright from Class-E. Nice knowing you guys."
He introduced himself with an amicable smile as he waved at the crowd, garnering attention instantly.
Clap! Clap!
Eren clapped lightly, then grinned. "Now we have the five representatives from each class. Let's begin. The rules are simple…"
"Among you five, I'll send encrypted messages to two of you. You all will receive messages but only two people will get encrypted messages."
He waved lightly, "The goal is either to keep your identity as the VIP hidden, or to find out who the VIP is."
The five students on the stage shifted, interested in the game.
"Naturally, there'd be rewards. If you are able to keep your identity hidden, you'll get a 100,000 credits. And if you're able to guess the identity of the two VIPS, you'll receive 100,000 credits. You'll receive half the amount of you guess only one."
Adela's eyes curved in amusement. "Fufufu, this is surely interesting. A game of minds."
"Well, let's begin shall we? The time range is thirty minutes. And during this period, you must engage in light chats and entertainment."
After collecting their numbers, he quietly sent a message to the five of them at the same time. Though, the contents of two differed.
Secretly, the five first-years checked their phones and quietly read the message.
In a brief moment, they locked their phones and began eyeing each other warily.
Austin M'banna was the first to speak, his voice thick and deep. "Tension in the air so fast?"
"Fufufu, M'banna is so small-minded. This is a competition." Adela laughed softly, though her words were clearly mocking.
"Hmph!" Apollo snorted. "It's just about finding the VIPS right? Easy peasy."
He suddenly leaned forward, staring at Iruca and Liam with eyes full of unhidden malice.
"It's you two, isn't it?"
Liam became confused. "Why would you say that?"
Iruca was equally baffled, her soft eyelashes fluttering gently.
"Hahaha." Apollo laughed, a slow, mocking chuckle. When he spoke, it carried the smugness of a teacher scolding children. "Are you an idiot? This game is obviously about predator and prey. And among us five, you two are the obvious prey."
Liam's eyes slowly widened. "Is that... your logic?"
Apollo's silence and smile seemed to be a positive answer.
"Ah," The brown-eyed boy sighed in pity. "That's a poor outlook, flawed, even."
For the first time, Liam outright rejected an opinion.