Jin was still smirking, leaning slightly toward Rina and Leona, his crimson eyes glinting with that same teasing glow—as if he were a cat who'd just caught a bird between his paws, and hadn't decided whether to play or pounce.
But then Amelia Amberhart spoke, her voice sharp and clear, slicing through the low hum of morning chatter like a blade through silk.
"Jin," she said, eyes locked on him. "What is your strength level? Your combat rank? And which academy did you attend?"
The room stilled.
Jin opened his mouth, that same mischief curled on his lips—yet before he could respond, a smoother, colder voice answered in his place.
. Naoko.
"He didn't attend *any* academy," she said flatly, without even glancing at her son. "Not in his childhood. Not now."
She reached for a slice of black fruit on her plate, her silver eyes calm and unreadable.
"All of his education," she continued, "was conducted here. Within the estate. I oversaw it myself."
Leona blinked, startled.
*No school?*
*No academy?*
That was practically unheard of—especially for a noble.
Even Rina turned slightly, her golden eyes now flicking toward Jin with fresh uncertainty.
Naoko's gaze swept toward the two girls.
"And what about you?" she asked smoothly. "What rank do you hold, Rina Amberhart?"
Rina swallowed her bite of food and set her fork down, composing herself. "Second in the first year," she said.
Naoko didn't even nod.
"And you, Lionheart?"
Leona straightened, her back already rigid. "Rank thirty-two."
Naoko's silver eyes rested on her for half a second longer than necessary—then drifted away, as if she were dismissing an unimportant note in a ledger.
She returned to her breakfast. Her fork cut through a soft, white morsel of meat with effortless precision.
Silence hung briefly.
Amelia's fingers tapped once—lightly—against the polished table.
"Why didn't he attend an academy?" she asked, voice still sharp, but curious now. Studying. Calculating.
Naoko finally looked at her.
"There was no need," she replied. "I trained him myself. And he was given access to resources far beyond what any academy could offer."
Her words were calm, but the weight behind them was undeniable. Confidence. Power. Cold certainty.
Amelia's lips pressed together slightly as she considered that.
Then: "And his age?"
Naoko didn't blink. "Sixteen."
Rina's heart jumped.
*Sixteen.*
*My age.*
Leona's eyes shifted between them, her body tense.
Amelia's fiery red hair caught the morning light, glinting like embers. Her golden gaze now focused entirely on Jean, who was watching her with a faint, curious grin.
"Well then," Amelia said softly, "you're the same age as Rina and Leona. A first-year."
She tilted her head just a touch. "And yet, you don't seem like a student at all."
Jin's grin widened.
"I'm not," he said. "Never was."
He picked up his glass of crystal-clear water and took a slow sip.
Then set it down.
Rina couldn't stop staring at him.
*He's my age. Just sixteen.*
And yet… everything about him felt *older.* Sharper. More dangerous.
As if the years had carved something into him that no academy ever could.
Something she couldn't define.
Something she feared—and, despite herself, something she *wanted* to understand.
She looked away, cheeks burning.
And yet again… she could feel his eyes on her.
Always watching.
Always smiling.