Classes ended with the slow, rhythmic tapping of snow against the windows. The lecture hall emptied quickly, students eager to escape the cold or dive into their own little worlds. But I wasn’t in a hurry to leave.
Aeron had already dragged his desk over, slamming it against mine with unnecessary enthusiasm. Emilia and Livia followed, unpacking their lunches—steaming containers of food they somehow always had extra of.
"You’re late," I remarked as Livia set a bowl of soup in front of me. She was supposed to come half an hour earlier.
She stuck out her tongue.
...I really can’t deal with you.
The scent of spices and warmth curled into the air, mingling with the crisp winter chill seeping through the glass. Outside, snowflakes drifted lazily, painting the world in slow, silent strokes.
I picked up my chopsticks. "...Thanks."
Emilia smiled, small and knowing. "You say that every time."
"And you two refuse repayment every time," I muttered.
Aeron snorted lightly. "Just accept the free food, man. You’re fighting a losing battle."
I rolled my eyes but didn’t argue.
They had long since worn me down—though I still made sure they got free pastries from the shop whenever possible. Not that they noticed. They didn’t know about my job after all.
The meal passed in comfortable quiet, broken only by Aeron’s occasional dumb jokes and Livia’s dramatic retellings of the academy gossip. The warmth of the food, the soft murmur of their voices, the way the snow blurred the world outside—it was all... nice.
But I didn’t let myself dwell on that.
After eating, the girls tidied up while Aeron and I moved the desks back. It had become routine—unspoken, effortless. We’d done it a hundred times before.
Then, as usual, we headed to the library.
The moment we stepped inside, Luna looked up from the counter, her eyes lighting up. "Oh, good afternoon, everyone."
I and the other two nodded and greeted her back.
"Sis Luna!" Livia launched herself forward, wrapping her arms around the librarian like a clingy koala. "The outside is cold~ Let me enjoy your warmth~!"
Emilia chuckled lightly. Aeron had an awkward smile.
I rolled my eyes at Livia’s antics and watched Luna’s expression with slight amusement. Already clumsy librarian looked like she’d been struck by a sudden, fluffy disaster.
Ultra extroverts are terrifying indeed. My condolences, fellow introvert.
Just then, a deep voice cut through the warmth.
Livia froze. Then, in a flash, she ducked behind Luna, peeking out with wary eyes.
Zephyr stood behind us, his presence like a shadow stretching across the floor. His gaze flicked to Livia, then to me.
I nodded at him. Aeron, the oblivious golden retriever, waved. "Hey, man!"
Zephyr didn’t respond. His eyes lingered on Livia for a second longer before he turned away, disappearing between the shelves.
Livia exhaled. "...Scary."
Luna tried to defend him. "S-Sorry, h-he’s not like that."
Debatable, I thought but kept to myself.
"We’ll take our leave, then," I said, nodding to the three of them.
Aeron gave a cheerful salute before following me deeper into the library. We settled into our usual spot—a corner beside the windows, where the snow outside painted the world in soft white.
We settled at our usual table, pulling out books and notebooks.
Zephyr appeared moments later, sliding into the seat across from us with a stack of reference texts.
Aeron scratched the back of his head. "Uh, sorry about Livia earlier. She’s... didn’t mean anything rude."
Zephyr shook his head. "It’s nothing." His voice was low, but not unkind.
I chuckled. "Don’t worry, she can restrain herself a bit this way."
Aeron laughed, but Zephyr only exhaled, expressing his annoyance.
Then, we got to work.
Obviously, Zephyr was the one who ended up explaining most of the material. His explanations were sharp, efficient—no wasted words, just clear, structured logic. Aeron scribbled notes furiously, brow furrowed in concentration.
After a particularly dense section on a difficult subject, Aeron leaned back, blowing out a breath. "Man, you’re really smart."
I chuckled. "Of course he is. How do you think I secured a top spot in the rankings?" I gestured at Zephyr. "It’s because of him."
Zephyr didn’t react, but I caught the slightest twitch at the corner of his mouth.
Aeron tapped his pencil against the page. "Emilia said I need to get my grades up if I wanna get into a top Resonator Academy."
Zephyr nodded. "It’s true that affinity, aptitude, and gifts play a major role, but knowledge is still a requirement. You still need to meet the minimum academic threshold."
I added, "Unless you’re some once-in-a-generation prodigy. Then they’ll overlook just about anything."
Aeron’s expression turned thoughtful. "I hope my Awakening goes well."
I shrugged. "Don’t worry. You’ll get something good."
You are a protagonist, after all.
Aeron grinned, rubbing the back of his neck. "Thanks, you guys. Ah, right, which academy are you planning to enroll in?"
He turned to Zephyr first. "You could probably get into any of them if you wanted."
Zephyr’s fingers paused over his notebook. "It’s not clear yet." His tone was neutral, but there was something guarded in his posture—like the question had brushed against something private.
I shrugged when Aeron looked at me next. "Haven’t thought about it yet." It wasn’t entirely a lie. The future still felt like a distant, hazy thing. And I had a feeling the system would give a task about it.
"What about you?" I asked curiously.
Aeron’s expression shifted, the usual brightness dimming into something more pensive. He tapped his pencil against the desk. "Honestly, I was fine with even an ordinary academy before. As long as I was together with..."
He trailed off, but the unspoken them lingered—Emilia, Livia. His grip tightened slightly.
"But after what you said, I thought about it a lot. Talked with them, too. And finally reached a decision." He exhaled, determined. "Even if the chances, my chances, are small, I want to enroll in the best academy..."
"The Nexus Resonance Academy."