Noah stared at Asher for several seconds after hearing that answer.

Then he pointed at him with a genuinely disturbed expression.

"...You say things so casually that I can’t tell when you’re joking anymore."

"I usually don’t joke," Asher replied calmly.

"That somehow makes it worse," Noah muttered.

Even Adam looked unsettled now.

"You just said you haven’t had many chances to kill people," he said slowly.

"Yeah."

"...That is not a normal sentence."

Asher blinked once.

"Oh."

A brief silence followed.

Then Aria suddenly spoke.

"You’ve been talking more lately."

Everyone looked at her.

She continued calmly,

"You used to ignore almost everyone completely. Now you keep responding to conversations instead of walking away."

Noah immediately nodded.

"Yeah, that’s true actually."

Adam crossed his arms.

"You’re still insufferable, but compared to before, you’re... strangely cooperative."

Asher looked mildly confused by their reactions.

"Not really."

"You literally joked three times in the last five minutes," Noah said.

"That’s because hiding is pointless now."

The atmosphere shifted slightly.

Aria’s eyes narrowed faintly.

"What do you mean?"

Asher stretched lazily before answering.

"Before, I avoided attention because attention creates problems."

"That still sounds accurate," Adam muttered.

"But now," Asher continued, "the Headmaster already exposed me, half the academy keeps staring at me, professors are watching me, and random people challenge me every day."

He looked genuinely tired.

"So there’s no point pretending anymore."

Noah blinked.

"...Pretending?"

"Mm."

Asher spoke casually, like it was obvious.

"I acted quiet because it was the easiest way to avoid unnecessary interactions."

Adam frowned.

"So your entire personality before was fake?"

"Not fake," Asher corrected.

"Just inefficient."

Silence.

Noah looked horrified.

"You optimized your social behavior?"

"Yes."

"Who even thinks like that?!"

Asher ignored him and continued.

"If people think you’re cold and unapproachable, they leave you alone."

"That actually makes sense," Aria said quietly.

Noah immediately turned toward her.

"Why are you agreeing with him?!"

But Aria kept looking at Asher thoughtfully.

"So now that hiding your abilities failed... you stopped limiting your behavior too."

"Exactly."

Adam stared at him for a moment before speaking.

"That’s insane."

"Probably."

"But you realize acting like this attracts even more attention now, right?"

"Yes."

"Then why act like this now"

Asher looked genuinely puzzled by the question.

"Because I don’t care now"

Adam suddenly understood something then.

His expression shifted slightly.

"...You really don’t care what people think about you."

"No."

"Not even a little?"

"No."

There was no hesitation in his answer.

No arrogance.

No rebellion.

Just honesty.

That somehow made the group quieter.

Because most people claimed not to care while secretly seeking approval.

But Asher truly seemed detached from it.

Aria observed him silently.

Then she asked,

"So the reason you changed isn’t because you became comfortable around us."

"No."

The answer came instantly.

Noah looked oddly offended.

"...Wow."

"You’re not boring though," Asher added while looking at him.

"That is NOT better."

Adam sighed deeply. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

"You really have no idea how conversations work."

"I do."

"No, you absolutely don’t."

Asher ignored that.

"Anyway, since hiding no longer matters, I might as well enjoy myself."

Noah narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"That sentence sounds dangerous."

"It means I’ll stop pretending to act normal."

The three of them froze.

"...You were pretending before?" Noah asked carefully.

"Yes."

"THAT was you pretending to be normal?!"

Asher nodded calmly

.

Adam suddenly looked concerned for the future.

"That explains... so much."

Aria remained quiet for a few moments.

Then—

A faint smile appeared on her face.

Small.

Subtle.

But real.

"You truly are strange."

Asher looked at her.

"Thanks?"

"I’m not sure that was a compliment."

"That’s fine."

Noah stared between the two of them with disbelief.

"Why does this conversation somehow feel peaceful now?"

"Because you’ve finally accepted reality," Adam replied flatly.

"No, I rejected reality two days ago," Noah corrected.

Asher summoned another juice packet from his subspace and tossed one toward each of them.

"Drink this and stop overthinking."

Adam caught it instinctively.

"...Why do you carry so much juice?"

"Because life is disappointing without good flavor."

Noah opened his packet with a tired expression.

"You genuinely live in your own world."

"Yes."

Aria quietly took a sip before speaking again.

"So what exactly changes now?"

Asher thought for a moment.

Then answered simply,

"Nothing important."

The wind passed through the training ground quietly.

Then—

Asher pointed toward the targets Aria had created.

"Anyway, are we training or just analyzing my mental state?"

Noah immediately pointed at him again.

"Your mental state is absolutely worth analyzing."

"I disagree."

"Of course you do."

Adam let out a long sigh.

"For once, I actually understand why Victor gave up arguing with you."

"That guy was weirdly emotional."

"You called him ’the light-blocking guy,’" Noah said flatly.

"He WAS blocking the light."

Aria lowered her gaze slightly, hiding another faint smile.

Then looked at Adam.

And for the first time since their duel—

He no longer looked irritated.

Just... confused.

Because the more they interacted with Asher Astrean—

The harder he became to understand.

Adam adjusted his grip on the juice packet before taking a cautious sip.

A second later, his expression shifted slightly.

"...Okay. That’s actually good."

"I told you," Asher replied. "Good flavor improves quality of life."

Noah stared at the packet in his hand.

"You talk about juice like some ancient philosopher."

"Because people underestimate small happinesses."

"That sounded weirdly wise."

"Accidentally."

Aria quietly observed the group.

The atmosphere had changed.

At first, this team felt unstable.

Too many personalities.

Too many unknowns.

But now—

It felt oddly balanced.

Even Adam no longer looked like he wanted to punch Asher every few minutes.

Only occasionally.

"We should stop wasting time and begin testing coordination."said Aria.

Noah immediately straightened.

"Right."

Adam nodded.

"What’s the plan?"

Aria looked toward Asher.

"You’re the hardest variable here. Start."

"Why me?"

"Because if we can’t adapt to your movements, the rest of the formation won’t matter."

"...Fair enough."

Asher stood slowly and stretched.

Then pointed toward Noah.

"You defend the front and keep enemies occupied."

Noah nodded. "Got it."

Then toward Adam.

"You provide long-range pressure and stop anyone from escaping."

Adam crossed his arms. "Fine."

Then Asher looked at Aria.

"You interfere with enemy focus and support from the back."

"And you?" she asked calmly.

"I stab people"

Silence.

Then he added,

"And heal allies if they stop functioning properly."

"That wording somehow made healing sound threatening," Noah muttered.

Asher ignored him.

"Anyway. Let’s test this properly."

The four moved into position.

Noah stepped forward first.

Earth mana spread beneath his feet as stone walls rose around parts of the field, creating defensive zones and narrow paths.

Adam followed immediately.

Wind gathered around him in rotating currents before condensing into several floating wind blades.

Aria closed her eyes briefly.

A faint invisible pressure spread through the field.

Mental interference.

Subtle.

Quiet.

Even Adam frowned slightly.

"...Your magic feels uncomfortable."

"That means it’s working," Aria replied calmly.

Then they all looked toward Asher.

He was still standing there.

Drinking juice.

"...Are you participating or spectating?" Adam asked flatly.

"I’m participating."

"You’re holding a juice packet."

"I can multitask."