Egisia Academy, the dean’s office.

Melusa sat behind a desk like a still lake, papers rippling between her fingers like leaves on a stream, while Eastern Moon Aixue stood before her, waiting with the patience of winter snow.

A moment passed, quiet as falling ash.

“Mm. That’s the paperwork wrapped up,” Melusa said, setting the files down like stones stacked on a shrine. She stretched like a cat in sunlight, then seemed to recall something. “By the way, Aixue—you’ve been around Yumigawa Sumeragi for a while now, right? What kind of impression does he give you?”

“Hmm… that.” Aixue closed her eyes, letting the thought settle like tea leaves. “Overall, Yumigawa is a cute-faced, guileless boy, a whiz at housework, pure as a child after rain. Not like those silk-robed wastrel nobles. Dean Melusa, you can relax.”

“I see. Good.” Melusa nodded, the motion neat as a folded fan. “Next is class placement and housing.” She pulled a notebook from a drawer, pages fluttering like sparrow wings. “Where should we place Yumigawa and his group?”

“Dean Melusa, why not put the Mizumi Clan group in Third-Year Class A?” Aixue smiled, spring-quiet. “With Faya and me there, it’s better than tossing them into a class of strangers.”

“You’re right. Third-Year Class A it is.” Melusa tapped the notebook, then frowned, a fine line like ink on rice paper. “That leaves housing.”

Class was settled, but lodgings snagged like a hook in cloth. Yumigawa’s group came from the Central Continent. Everyone in this world knew the Central Continent was the Mizumi Clan’s domain, a land-carpet under one family. Their standards for living were sky-high, like palaces perched on clouds.

Thinking of that, Melusa hesitated, a knot in her chest. If Yumigawa and the others couldn’t get used to our dorms, that’d be trouble.

“Dean Melusa, don’t make it so complicated.” Aixue read her mood like a breeze reading chimes and smiled. “Yumigawa isn’t one of those spoiled nobles. He doesn’t demand much of a place to sleep. When they first came to Proudmoon City, they stayed in an inn.”

An idea lit in Aixue’s eyes like a lantern. “How about we have them live in the Chasing Moon Tower where Faya and I stay? It’s basically the best residence in Egisia Academy.”

“Only a few can live in Chasing Moon Tower, so there’s no worry about noise. Good. I’ll leave this to you, Aixue.” Melusa let out a breath, like steam leaving a kettle, finally at ease.

“No problem. If that’s all, I’ll take my leave.”

“Mm. Take care, Aixue.”

Aixue inclined her head, a petal falling, then turned and left the dean’s office.

…

Meanwhile, we were wandering Egisia Academy, drifting like dandelion fluff between courtyards.

Behind a broad old tree, bark dark as night ink, a girl hid in the shade, her presence thin as mist behind a waterfall.

She had dark-violet hair that flowed like midnight silk and pale-violet eyes like dew on amethyst. Her beauty was cut fine as jade; her bearing was noble as moon on snow. Her ears tapered to subtle points—Elven Kind, clear as a mountain spring.

“So that’s the boy from the Mizumi Clan? He’s really adorable.” Her voice was a hush like a reed pipe as she watched Yumigawa Sumeragi in the mid-distance.

Her name was Di Yue’er • Silver-Eagle, a Night Elf among the Elven Kind. She stood at the Holy Peak of the Sacred Realm, the sharpest blade in all of Dark Demon, an assassin of the night, quiet as frost.

Night Elves: a branch of the Elven Kind, born killers and assassins, moving like shadows under moonlight.

Though Di Yue’er looked like a maiden, she was in truth two hundred years old, an ancient pine wearing spring leaves. Back then, when Rangetsu chose personnel, he ignored Nareteya’s “under twenty” rule and picked Di Yue’er outright.

After all, among assassin girls under twenty, the strongest barely reached SSS-rank—a firefly against a torch. Useless to send. So Rangetsu sent Dark Demon’s very best knife.

“Enough. Lurking won’t solve anything.” She smoothed her mood like a wrinkle in silk. “I’ll go say hello first.”

She stepped toward us, footfalls light as drifting snow.

…

“Good day, honored ones. I’m Di Yue’er • Silver-Eagle. May I have your names?” We were about to find a place to rest and eat when a girl glided up and greeted us with a bow neat as a swan’s neck.

“…”

She was stunning, that beauty cool as moonlight, every gesture graceful as a willow in wind. Yet for some reason, a thorn pricked under my skin. A bad feeling pooled like cold water in my stomach. She’d come near with wrong intent—my heart said so before my head. I disliked her. Deeply.

So I put on an elegant smile, like a fan raised between faces, and told the girl, “Good day. But we don’t seem acquainted, and my name isn’t something I can share. Mm. Goodbye.”

I ignored her after that and walked with Xinuo and the others toward a restaurant ahead, our steps steady as drumbeats.

“Servant, didn’t expect you to be that alert.” Xinuo looked over, a faint smile curving like a crescent moon.

“Eh? Xinuo, you know who that girl was?” I asked without thinking, the question flying like a startled sparrow.

“Mm. A Night Elf. An assassin at the Holy Peak.” Xinuo nodded, calm as a still pond.

“Whoa! A Holy Peak assassin? Isn’t Egisia Academy a magic academy? Why’s there an assassin?” Hill perked up at once, excitement sparking like flint.

“Who knows? Maybe some faction sent her to kill the Servant.” Xinuo flicked Hill’s forehead with a white, delicate finger, a playful snap like a drop of rain.

“Eh?! Assassinate Yumigawa? Why?” Faya burst out, her voice ringing like a bell and drawing eyes like moths to flame.

“Ah! Sorry…” Realizing her outburst, Faya bowed again and again, her pretty face flushing red as maple leaves in autumn.

“Who can say. Forget it. Let’s eat.” Xinuo shook her head, letting the topic fall like a leaf.

“Yeah, yeah! Food! After walking this long, I’m starving!” Hill clutched her stomach, drama big as summer thunder.

“Alright.” We quickened our pace and soon slipped into a restaurant, the doorway a warm mouth against the breeze.

Inside the restaurant.

“Uh… is this a maid café?” I blinked at the servers in maid outfits, black and white like chess pieces.

“Yep. Lots of girls here like wearing maid uniforms, so several places on campus turned into maid-themed cafés.” Faya explained, voice light as rain on paper umbrellas.

“Maid or not, doesn’t matter. Let’s just sit.” Xinuo drifted toward a window seat, the light pooling there like gold on water.

“Hey, Xinuo, wait up!” I hurried after, steps tapping like little drums.

…

As for Di Yue’er, whom we’d ignored, she still stood where we left her, stunned and statue-still, like a swan frozen mid-lake.

A long, long moment passed, stretching like a shadow at dusk.

“Damn it! He dared ignore me! A man—and he dared ignore me! Unbelievable!” Di Yue’er clenched her fists, knuckles pale as bone, perfect teeth biting down like frost, her gaze spearing the restaurant ahead.

“Hmph. One day, I’ll have you kneel beneath my skirts.” Her vow was a blade slid back into its sheath, cold and patient as winter.