I was completely taken aback to see Liana and Srin. I never expected to see them here.

But... why do I feel as though they’re talking about me?

I let out a soft sigh.

Right... let’s just ignore it.

I’ll act as though they aren’t even here. That’ll be much better for me.

I took a deep breath, then headed towards a quiet corner in the distance. As I walked past, some students greeted me, but I ignored them all, content to walk on until I was alone there, in complete silence.

I closed my eyes for a moment.

It seemed the club president wouldn’t be arriving any time soon, and this was one of those rare moments when my head was free of noise... or so I thought.

My thoughts wandered aimlessly.

But suddenly—an old memory surfaced in my mind.

I was a child, walking with my father in the park. His face was a little pale, as if something were weighing him down from within, but despite that... he smiled at me and said:

"My son... there will come a day when you hate yourself more than anyone else. A day when you’ll wish you hadn’t done all those terrible things..."

He paused for a moment, then squeezed my hand gently.

"I know it will be very hard for you. But remember just one thing... I will keep holding your hand, and I will be by your side the whole time. Even if your brother and your mother turn against you... I will still love you more than they do. You are the world to me."

He gave a small smile, despite the obvious sadness in his eyes.

"And if sacrificing my soul would do you any good... I wouldn’t hesitate for a moment. Because I believe in you—"

Bang—

The door burst open, cutting my thoughts short.

I blinked briefly, before a faint smile touched my lips, whilst a tinge of sadness crept over me as I recalled that conversation I’d had with my father so long ago...

All I could do was let out a soft sigh.

I finally lifted my head to look at the person who had entered.

He looked to be about twenty-five years old. His blond hair was excessively messy, and his dishevelled clothes made him look more like a vagrant who’d wandered into the wrong place by accident.

He stepped forward, then stood in front of us all and adjusted his posture slightly before saying with a faint smile:

"Hello everyone, I’m Liwa, the club president. It’s a pleasure to meet you."

There was a moment of silence.

Everyone looked at one another with obvious surprise, as if no one could quite believe what they’d just heard.

And honestly... you couldn’t blame them for that.

How could anyone imagine that someone like this would even work at the academy?

Although they didn’t know him well, they’d judged him solely on his appearance.

I could even hear a few scattered whispers: 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"Who let you in here? Go back to your slum."

"Damn me... why did I even think of joining this club? What was I on back then?"

"My mum warned me so many times not to become a sheep following others..."

"You signed up here because of Liana and Srin too, didn’t you?"

Leo didn’t seem particularly affected by their words. On the contrary, he simply smiled before saying:

"I really didn’t expect seven people to join the club... I’m genuinely surprised. Thank you from the bottom of my heart."

He paused for a moment, then placed his hands behind his back, and suddenly produced a beautiful flower, glowing with a silvery hue.

"Do you know the meaning of the Silver Trinity Flower? It symbolises love, loyalty... and working hard for the people you care about."

He smiled faintly, then added:

"That’s why... I’ll treat you as if you were my family?"

Then, he produced a small bunch of Trinity flowers out of thin air. He handed it to one of the people standing at the front, who in turn began handing them out to us one by one, until he reached me.

I took my flower in silence.

It really is beautiful...

I turned it over in my hands for a moment.

It felt strangely soft... and warm too, as if it were trying to calm or reassure you in some way.

But... there was something strange about it.

Was it just a coincidence? Or am I just overthinking it?

I mean... I’ve seen her before.

At the clinic.

And now... I must just be overthinking it.

And honestly, I can’t even blame myself for that.

In this world, where the impossible can become reality, it’s impossible for it to be a coincidence, hmm, most likely... I suppose I’m just overreacting...

"Since this is our first meeting... how about we get to know each other?"

Leo said this whilst clapping lightly.

"We don’t want tomorrow’s trip to be too awkward, do we?"

Immediately afterwards, he began mingling with everyone.

At first, it seemed that some were keeping a clear distance between themselves and him. You could even see looks of disgust or discomfort on their faces for a moment.

But something strange happened.

The longer Leo talked to them... the more those expressions gradually faded away.

Then, with inexplicable speed, they started laughing.

Loud, spontaneous laughter, as if they were friends who’d known each other for years.

And that’s what made me more surprised by Leo than I’d expected.

At first, I thought he was just a random extra, as it was the first time I’d seen him. But it seems he knows exactly how to get on with people. And it’s a bit scary.

That was a skill I completely lacked.

But... hang on.

Did he say there’s a trip tomorrow?

Or did I mishear?

I leaned my back against the wall, then let out a despairing sigh.

The plan for a long sleep I’d been preparing for on my day off... is officially over.

And I’d been looking forward to this day so much.

And why not?

It’s my only day off, after all, and last night I was on a suicide mission and I’m exhausted; I don’t even know if I’ll make it back alive. But if by some miracle I do survive, that just means I won’t have any time to rest.

Is this bloody academy really determined to make my life this miserable?

This is really bad.

I’ll never forgive them for this.

I’ll do exactly what I planned to do with my old school... I’ll burn the whole lot to the ground.

Well, I know I didn’t manage to achieve that goal before... but this time I won’t fail.

No, no. I won’t do that.

It requires too much thinking, and I really can’t be bothered with that anyway.

"Haaah..."

I took a deep breath, before suddenly noticing two people approaching me.

It was none other than Liana and Srin.

"Huh?"

I raised my eyebrows automatically.

I could see Liana nudging Srin towards me a little until they were close by.

There was a moment of silence between us.

Then Liana let out a long sigh, as if her patience was running out, before saying in a weary tone:

"Didn’t you want to talk to him a moment ago? Well, go on then, and spare me the trouble."

Srin slowly raised her head.

Our eyes met.

Her crystal-blue eyes remained fixed on me for a moment, before she said quietly:

"It’s been a long time, Neron... hasn’t it?"