Reginald stayed kneeling, head bowed, blood trailing from the corner of his mouth.
Lillith stood silent.
Then, with graceful ease, she reached into her sleeve and took out a white handkerchief, stitched with silver petal patterns.
She stepped forward—lightly, her heels brushing against the grass—and handed the cloth to Reginald without looking directly at him.
He accepted it quietly, dabbing at the blood on his mouth while remaining on one knee like a knight awaiting punishment.
A short distance away, Zayden's eyes sharpened.
"So… the one who attacked Ito and Gakurei… was her butler."
His brows furrowed slightly
"That means this was her doing from the start. But why?"
His gaze lingered on Lillith's still, elegant figure.
"She doesn't seem interested in the flag. What is she after? Just amusement… or something more dangerous?"
Lillith exhaled softly. Her voice floated out like a breeze on a warm afternoon.
"Ah~ Aah… I wanted to play a little longer."
The carefree tone clashed with the eerie silence around them.
Zayden stepped forward, serious now, his voice quiet but firm."Why are you after us?"
Lillith tilted her head gently.A smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth.
She glanced back, her gaze calm and unreadable."Your question's not bad…" she said lightly. "But it's no fun answering it."
Turning on her heel, she began to walk away—not in a rush, each step graceful and unhurried.
Reginald followed behind without a word, now holding her umbrella respectfully in both hands as if it were some sacred item.
Just as the silence started to settle, Lillith's voice drifted back once more—cheerful, almost sing-song."Enjoy the quiet while it lasts. I'll be back before you know it."
The pair disappeared into the trees, their figures swallowed by the shadows of the forest.
Zayden stood still for a moment, eyes fixed on the path Lillith had disappeared down.A sliver of sunlight glinted off the leaves, but his expression remained clouded.
He muttered under his breath,"What's her deal…"
The tension finally seemed to loosen around them.
Ito tugged slightly at his collar, letting out a quiet breath."Well, everything's settled… for now."
He looked between Gakurei and Zayden."Let's go find Kajin."
Gakurei rolled his neck with a light grunt."Yeah. That idiot probably ran off to start another fight. Again."
But just as they turned to move—
Rustle.
Soft footsteps crunched through the underbrush nearby.
Several students emerged from the trees—three of them, bruised and dirt-smudged.Their uniforms were torn at the sleeves and streaked with dried mud. Eyes sharp. Bodies tense.
One of them stepped forward, pointing a finger at the group."Hey! You've got flags, right? Hand 'em over. Now."
Gakurei exhaled heavily and stepped in front of Ito, raising one palm.His voice stayed calm, but his brows twitched slightly.
"Great. Here comes the next batch of problems," he muttered. "If we fight now, we'll just attract more. Gotta bluff this one."
He straightened his back and spoke aloud, voice casual."We don't have any flags left. They were taken—someone beat us to it."
(I'm bluffing hard right now… but if they're tired enough, it might just work.)
The group of students looked at one another, skeptical.
One of them frowned."Tch. You serious?"
Zayden took a confident step forward, arms crossed.His face looked like he was born telling the truth.
"We told you the truth. Believe it or not, that's up to you.You're welcome to check our clothes if you want proof."
He gave a subtle side-glance at Gakurei—barely a nod.
Gakurei caught the cue and shrugged with exaggerated disinterest."Yeah, yeah. He's right. We're clean. Go sniff someone else."
Zayden's delivery was so smooth, the students actually hesitated.Their tense shoulders loosened slightly, glancing among themselves.
"…Hmph," one of them finally muttered."If you don't have any flags, then stop wasting our time."
They turned and started walking away.
Everyone exhaled in silent relief.
Until—
"Ito, you got your flag, right?" Sara asked brightly.
Ito blinked."Oh—yeah! I got it. It's in my pocket."He patted his pants, smiling.
Loudly.
The group of students froze mid-step. Their heads slowly turned back.
"Wha—?!"
Zayden and Gakurei's jaws dropped at the same time.
Zayden's fingers pinched the bridge of his nose."You serious, man…?"
Gakurei looked like he wanted to faceplant into a tree."Unbelievable…"
"Wait, what?" Ito blinked."Was I not supposed to say that?"
Sara tilted her head, confused."Huh? I was just asking."
The students stomped back toward them, furious."You little liars!"
Zayden groaned."Okay. Now we run."
Gakurei grabbed Ito by the collar."You're coming with me, blabbermouth!"
They took off into the woods, leaves flying behind them as the angry students gave chase.
A few minutes passed.
Not far from that path, deeper into the woods, two figures were chasing someone with steady steps.
Shion ducked under a low branch, eyes sharp."Tch… he was just ahead," she muttered.
Eriska followed close behind, silent but focused, her pace unbroken.
Another crunch of leaves echoed nearby—heavy and fast.
They both turned.
"Found him," Shion said.
And with that, they pushed forward.
Beneath the shade of a tall tree, Kajin lay flat on his back, arms tucked behind his head, sleeping like a rock.
His steady snores rose and fell with the breeze, completely unaware of the chaos that had unfolded not long ago.
Shion blinked in disbelief."Is he seriously sleeping?"
Eriska raised an eyebrow, then glanced at Shion.They shared a look—part surprised, part relieved.
"I think he's just tired from that last fight," Shion said, her voice softening.
Eriska crossed her arms."Yeah… you're right."
Just then, Kajin stirred slightly. A mumble slipped from his mouth.
Eriska's expression sharpened."...Huh?"
Curious, she leaned down, bringing her ear close to his mouth.
Kajin muttered sleepily,"Oh yeah… they're big like watermelons… Lemme squeeze th—"
A silent twitch appeared behind Eriska's head.
BAM!
Her fist dropped like a hammer on his forehead.A perfectly round bump popped up.
Kajin's eyes slowly fluttered open. He yawned, completely unfazed, and casually rotated his head left… then right.
"…Is it morning already?"
Shion stepped in, placing a gentle hand on Eriska's shoulder."Calm down, Eriska… he's clearly not thinking straight."
Eriska crossed her arms again with a small pout, cheeks puffed in quiet frustration."Tch…"
Shion crouched down beside Kajin, who had flopped back down like nothing had happened."Hey, Kajin," she asked, "why'd you suddenly run off like that?"
Kajin lazily cracked one eye open, stretching an arm over his head."Simple," he mumbled,"If I just stayed there, I'd be an easy prey for the rest of the students…"
He yawned mid-sentence, then turned his body to the side."Took a bit too much damage from that last fight, so—yeah—figured I'd sleep it off and recover…"
He was already closing his eyes again.
"…Eri, everything's in your hands now, okay?"
"H-Huh?!" Eriska blinked, leaning closer."Why should I be the one to take care of you while you sleep?!"
But Kajin didn't reply.
He was already out cold, light snores rising again like nothing had happened.
Eriska stared at him in disbelief, arms still crossed."Unbelievable…"