"See you later," Cheon said when we reached the classroom. "I have student council before first period."

She squeezed my hand briefly—so quick most people wouldn’t notice—before heading down a side corridor.

Mera and I entered the classroom together. Conversation died for a moment before resuming at a lower volume. I spotted Aurora immediately, sitting next to Nolan near the front. Her back stiffened slightly when she saw me, but she didn’t turn around.

"Your blonde girlfriend with the gold-eyeliner’s nervous," Mera whispered.

"She’s not my girlfriend."

"Yet."

I took my usual seat in the back row. Mera slid into the desk beside mine, propping her feet up on the empty chair in front.

Noel wasn’t in the room yet. Probably avoiding me after yesterday’s drain incident. She’d felt it—that rush of connection, the intimacy of energy flowing between us. It had scared her. Good. Fear meant respect.

Professor Solana entered, clipboard in hand. She wore her hero uniform today—silver and blue, designed for mobility.

"Good morning, everyone. As you know, today is the Battle Trial Finals. Team One versus Team Two at two o’clock in Arena A." She looked around the room. "I expect professional conduct from all participants. This is being broadcast to several hero agencies for recruitment purposes."

Her attention settled on me.

"Mr. D’Angelo. After class."

Not a request. She moved to the next topic before I could respond.

The door opened. Noel entered with her usual precision—uniform perfectly pressed, violet bob without a single strand out of place. She scanned the room like she was cataloguing threats.

Our eyes met.

She broke contact first. Color rose in her face as she turned away, heading for an empty desk on the opposite side of the classroom. The movement was too quick. Too deliberate.

She took a seat as far from me as possible.

Solana began the lecture on hero regulations, focusing today on ability registration and the legal consequences of misrepresentation. Another coincidence, I’m sure.

I barely listened. My mind was already at the finals match. Nolan Traore, the real protagonist, was tough. His Kinetic Echo ability let him absorb and redirect energy with devastating force. Aurora’s Nail Beam Cannon was precision incarnate—ten fingers, ten potential energy weapons, each calibrated to her exact specifications.

And Mera...she was wild card. Her stepping discs could reshape the entire battlefield.

They’d be a challenge. But I had Noel’s astral form for reconnaissance and Usagi’s immobilization gum. Plus whatever abilities I felt like revealing today.

Someone passed me a note. I unfolded it carefully.

What did you do to me yesterday? Noel’s handwriting was small and precise. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

I glanced at her across the room. She was pretending to pay attention to Solana, but her shoulders were tense.

I wrote back: Nothing you didn’t want me to do.

The note made its way back to her. I watched as she read it, her pale fingers crumpling the paper slightly. Her face remained composed, but a tiny muscle in her jaw twitched.

Mera leaned over. "What did you say to piss off Short Stack?"

"The truth."

"Dangerous strategy."

"Works surprisingly often."

The lecture dragged on. I caught Aurora glancing back at me twice. Each time, our eyes met briefly before she turned away. The kiss lingered between us like an unfinished conversation.

When class ended, Solana motioned me to her desk while the others filed out. Mera squeezed my shoulder before leaving, a silent show of support.

"Mr. D’Angelo," Solana began when we were alone, "I understand you’re scheduled to meet with Professor Reeves this evening."

I kept my face neutral. "That’s correct."

"May I ask what for?"

"Research purposes. She’s interested in adaptive-type response patterns."

Solana’s expression told me she wasn’t buying it. "Laurana Reeves does not conduct basic adaptive-type research. Her specialty is rare ability classification and anomalous energy patterns."

I shrugged. "You’d have to ask her about her interest in me, then."

"I’m asking you." Her voice hardened slightly. "The faculty has noticed certain discrepancies in your performance. Your registration as an adaptive-type doesn’t align with the abilities you’ve displayed."

"My paperwork is in order. The NEA approved my classification."

"Paperwork can be misleading." She studied my face. "Whatever game you’re playing, Mr. D’Angelo, I suggest you consider the consequences carefully. Coastline Academy does not tolerate deception regarding ability classification."

"Is that all, Professor? I have a finals match to prepare for."

She sighed. "Go. But this conversation isn’t over."

I left the classroom feeling her eyes on my back. Another complication. Another person asking questions I couldn’t answer.

The hallway was crowded with students changing classes. I spotted Mera waiting for me near a water fountain, her red skin making her easy to find in the sea of uniforms.

"What did she want?" Mera asked when I reached her.

"Same thing everyone wants. To know what I am."

"And what did you tell her?"

"Nothing useful."

Mera grinned, showing sharp canines. "You’re getting good at that."

We headed toward the cafeteria for lunch. The whispers followed us, more insistent now. Students pointed openly, some even took photos when they thought I wasn’t looking.

"You’re famous," Mera observed.

"Infamous," I corrected.

"Same thing in this business."

The cafeteria fell into a hush when we entered. For a moment, hundreds of eyes focused on us before conversation resumed at a lower volume.

Usagi waved from a table near the window. She looked nervous, her cyber-mechanical gauntlets gleaming under the fluorescent lights.

"You ready for today?" she asked as we sat down.

"Born ready," I replied.

"Noel isn’t speaking to anyone." Usagi lowered her voice. "She nearly bit my head off when I asked about strategy."

"Don’t worry about Noel. She’ll perform when it matters."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because she hates losing more than she hates me."

Across the cafeteria, I spotted Aurora with Nolan. They sat close together, but not touching. Never touching in public. His arm was on the table, inches from hers, but making no move to close the distance.

What a waste.

"Your girlfriend’s watching you," Mera said, following my gaze.

"She’s not—"

"Yeah, yeah. Not your girlfriend. Keep telling yourself that."