The morning classroom was filled with the same clamor as always. On the third floor of Celestia Magic Tower University—this classroom, bathed in especially bright sunlight even among the general education courses, was packed with students aspiring to become magic swordsmen. Vanheim Elise's pen had stopped moving over the notebook spread across her desk. (*Three days already, huh.*) Ink slowly bled into the paper. That full moon night. The night in the Veil Archive when Ashford Rion had witnessed the obscene spectacle of her curse. Elise hadn't slept a single moment since that day. Behind her eyelids, those mocking golden eyes flickered relentlessly. "[whispers] Tonight's little show was pretty entertaining." At the classroom entrance, a red scarf swayed gently. Rion. Carelessly grown-out black hair. A student uniform with buttons sloppily undone. Wearing his usual flippant grin, he slipped past Elise's desk—and that was all. He did nothing. Threatened nothing. Just passed by. (*Damn it.*) Three days in a row. The same thing, over and over. Elise's pen jabbed viciously into her notebook. (*If you're going to say something, say it. Threaten me already, or whatever you're going to do.*) This eerie silence irritated Elise more than anything. Fear became exhaustion, and exhaustion stole her focus. The lecturer's voice echoed distantly. "Mental stability is essential for controlling the mana furnace—lack of sleep, in particular, leads directly to errors in spell formulas." Elise looked down at her own hands. She was copying basic mana control formulas into her notebook. (*This much, even without sleep—*) "—Vanheim. That equation is wrong." At the lecturer's remark, the classroom fell silent. Elise stared down at her notebook. One section of the formula—part of the geometric pattern—was ever so slightly misaligned. She frowned, and the moment she moved her pen— *BANG!* A small explosion erupted. The formula burst, thick smoke billowing up. The surrounding students' eyes went wide, and the lecturer took a step back. Coughing in the smoke, Elise straightened her back. "[serious] ...That was intentional." Her face was completely blackened, soot clinging to her platinum blonde hair. "I was demonstrating for everyone what kind of results a formula error can produce." The classroom fell deathly quiet. No one believed her. The lecturer let out a deep sigh. "...Detention after class." Elise clenched her back teeth. Her first public failure in her entire life. The top-candidate honors student had caused an explosion in basic mana control, and on top of that, made a transparent excuse—by evening, it would be the talk of the entire academy. From the far end of the hallway, someone was laughing out loud. Rion. Clutching his stomach, wiping away tears. Elise's azure eyes glared at him as if trying to shoot him dead, but he just waved. (*To that man—to that failure of a playboy—*) Her heart churned with a tangled mess of rage and fear. --- The fourth day, after school. The university's rear garden was a place enclosed by stone walls and withered ivy. No students ever came here. The scent of damp earth hung faintly in the air. Her hand resting on the hilt of her sword, Elise eyed the figure leaning against the wall. "[cold] What's this personal matter you wanted to discuss?" Toying with the withered ivy between his fingers, Rion slowly turned around. His golden eyes glinted. "[laughing] Come on, don't look so scary. It's precious after-school time, you know?" "[angry] Answer me. If you've told anyone my secret—I'll silence you right here and now." Her sword slid several centimeters from its sheath. The pale blue blade deflected the afternoon light. Still leaning against the wall, Rion let out a small laugh. "I haven't told anyone yet." "Then what were these past three days about?" "[sarcastic] I was just enjoying watching your face. It was pretty priceless. Three straight days of sleep-deprived mug—blowing things up in class, and then 'that was intentional,' you said." A faint flush rose to Elise's cheeks. "[angry] Shut up. Now, what do you want?" Rion pushed himself off the wall and showed his palms. "Thought I'd check my hand, so to speak." His fingers, gloves removed, moved slowly. "That pattern that surfaced on your skin—it was beautiful, you know. Above your collarbone, spreading all the way to your shoulder blades, like a map of stars made of light. The position, the shape, the way it glowed—I saw it all with my own eyes." Elise's fingertips pressed against her own collarbone. Her face drained of color. (*This man—this isn't just a threat.*) Rion's words could serve as legal evidence of the curse. If it came into conflict with sealed-designation curse laws, expulsion would be unavoidable. Imprisonment in a magic penitentiary—the fall of House Vanheim. "[angry] ...And? Are you going to sell it to the nobility? Or is it money you want?" "Neither." Rion shrugged. "Let me join your research on that curse. Do that, and I won't talk." Elise's azure eyes widened. "[angry] Why would you—" "Because it looks interesting." At that single, casually delivered word, Elise closed her mouth. He showed no intention of offering any further reason. (*This man is hiding something.*) Her first suspicion. That behind that flippant smile, there was something unfathomable—this was the first time she had felt that. --- "[angry] What could an amateur possibly do? A failure like you." Words spat out like venom. Rion didn't answer. He pulled a small leather pouch from his pocket. A silvery powder, like sand, spilled from it. "Sealstone powder—you know it." A single line was swiftly drawn across the stone pavement. "But this isn't just ordinary sealstone. It's undergone some special processing." Rion's fingers began tracing a complex diagram on the stone. It was a formula she had never seen in the university curriculum—an ancient, shadow-magic seal diagnostic. "I'll give you a little hint—about what state your curse is in right now." The moment the formula glowed faintly blue— Something inside Elise's body flared hot. "—!" She staggered a step. Beneath her clothes, the curse pattern's glow intensified, just slightly. The heat she had forced deep down was rising to the surface, reacting to Rion's formula. Her legs trembled, and she put a hand against the wall. "[serious] Your curse—the Contractual Brand—is designed to run wild unless it receives periodic external mana replenishment. Sealstone alone isn't enough." Rion stood up and returned the powder to the leather pouch. "But I won't tell you the replenishment method. Not until the deal is sealed." Her hand still against the wall, Elise was breathing heavily, her shoulders heaving. (*He—really does know.*) That she couldn't manage this with her own power alone. He had made her understand it viscerally. Her whole body trembled with rage and humiliation. But—she had no words to throw back. "[sarcastic] You think I'm some pervy, lazy, hentai piece of shit, don't you?" Rion grinned. "It's written all over your face." Elise pulled her hand from the wall and stared straight at him. "[serious] ...Fine. You're right. I hate you. You're the worst." "[laughing] Oh, honesty. Didn't expect that." Rion laughed, and Elise let out a small sigh. Between the two of them, the faint afterglow of a first shared laugh was born. --- Slowly, Rion extended his hand. "[serious] Deal's sealed. I'll protect your secret—in exchange, let me join the curse research." Elise stared at that hand. Flippant, lazy, yet somehow warm. (*This is humiliation. An act that stains my family's pride.*) Her parents' faces flickered through her mind. The Stellar Guidance Council. The magic penitentiary. The family name falling into ruin. (*But—alone, I can't do anything anymore.*) She clenched her back teeth and extended her trembling hand. She grasped his. In that instant—a faint heat ran from Elise's collarbone to her shoulder blades. Just a subtle warmth, barely above body temperature. But it was different from the curse's symptoms. (*Just now—it reacted?*) Rion's mana had touched her curse. Her chest stirred restlessly. Elise's eyes widened, but Rion seemed to feel nothing. He returned her grip lightly and immediately let go. "[laughing] I'm not really into unadorable women like you either—but oh well, can't be helped." "[angry] That was unnecessary." Laughing, Rion adjusted the scarf at his neck. Elise wrapped her other hand around the palm that had clasped his. The heat still lingered, warm and persistent. (*Is this—a symptom of the curse? Or—*) A new sensation born within her. She didn't yet know what name to give it. --- Just as the two were about to leave the rear garden separately— There was a rustling sound from the shadow of the stone wall. "—" Elise spun around. Simultaneously, she assembled a magic detection formula in her mind. Threads of mana spread swiftly through the air. Someone was there. But only the presence of someone turning the corner remained—no figure was visible. "[scared] ...We were seen." Her voice trembled. Rion shrugged. "[casual] Maybe so." "[angry] How can you be so carefree—!" "[serious] Don't make a scene. It'll only draw more attention." His voice was serious. For the first time, his golden eyes looked straight at Elise. "The more you fuss, the more the rumors spread. For now, pretend you didn't see anything." Elise closed her mouth. This man had a solid grasp of the situation. Flippant as he was, he was calm. (*Just what are you?*) Harboring the suspicion that had taken root, Elise left the rear garden. --- That night, alone in her dorm room, Elise stared at her palm. She still felt like the heat of that handshake remained. (*When Ashford Rion's mana touched my curse—heat definitely ran through me.*) It was a reaction not found in any documented case. The curse responding to external mana—she had never once encountered such a thing in all the literature she had researched. (*Why. Why is it that man—*) Her chest stirred restlessly. Was it a symptom of the curse, or something else entirely? (*Don't tell me—for that lazy playboy—*) "[angry] No! Absolutely not!" She buried her face in her pillow and denied it with every fiber of her being. --- The next morning. Elise stood frozen before the university bulletin board. A single sheet of parchment was pinned there carelessly. *Anonymous Report: A figure was seen near the Forbidden Archive late at night. No student ID carried. Suspicious behavior observed.* The color drained from her face. (*Someone—saw.*) The night in the Forbidden Archive. Someone knew about that night. And they had exposed it here, on the bulletin board, in public. (*If this report reaches House Seraphis—if it reaches Sera's ears—*) The director's daughter, Seraphis Sera. The girl who unilaterally viewed Elise as a rival and tried to obstruct her at every turn—if she got hold of this information, it wouldn't end there. A single thin layer had been peeled away from the secret. The conversations of students passing behind her sounded distant. Elise clenched her fist and glared at the bulletin board. (*Rion—did you factor this in too?*) No one knew the answer yet.