It had come time to go to Caelia's. Hikaru was ready, in a stylish outfit he had picked up, it was sleek, and comfortable.
He took a deep breath and took the first step outside of his room.
"Hikaru!" Caelia smiled. His eyes widened. He had never seen such a beautiful sight in his life.
"L-Let's go, then." He said, nervously.
They start walking to her room. Quietly.
Nervously. The tension was visible.
Caelia spoke up. "Here we are." She opened the door to her room.
The soft hum of the heater filled Caelia's dorm, carrying the faint scent of vanilla from the candle flickering on her desk. The room was small, but warm in a way that made Hikaru feel like the outside world had been pushed miles away.
Caelia set two steaming mugs on the low table before sitting across from him.
"Careful, it's still hot. I don't want my training partner showing up tomorrow with a burnt tongue."
Hikaru leaned forward, blowing across the surface anyway.
"Wouldn't that be your fault? You're the one who poured it."
She gave him a squint that was halfway between amusement and challenge. "And you're the one who doesn't listen. That's on you."
He chuckled, the sound drawing a small, unguarded smile from her. For a moment, neither of them spoke—just the sound of sipping tea and the heater's steady hum.
Hikaru's gaze wandered around the room. "Your room's… different than I imagined."
"Oh?" Caelia tilted her head. "Different how?"
"Less chaotic," he said. "I thought there'd be training gear scattered everywhere. Maybe a half-destroyed punching bag in the corner."
She let out a soft laugh. "I like coming back to a place that feels safe. Peaceful. We deal with enough chaos out there."
Her voice dipped at the end, and Hikaru caught the way her eyes softened. He let the warmth of the tea settle in his chest before speaking.
"I get that. Being here with you right now feels like that too. Peaceful."
A faint blush rose to her cheeks, though she masked it by leaning over to adjust the candle's position.
"Flattery won't get you an extra cookie later, you know."
"I didn't say it for a cookie."
The heater hummed. The candle flickered. And for a little while, they simply sat there, wrapped in a silence that felt like it belonged only to them.
"Holy shit… I got game!" Hikaru thought to himself.
With that, the imaginary music in his head turned off.
"It's getting late, you should go before night patrol comes." Caelia said.
"What's night patrol?"
"It's people that come check the girl's dorms, checking for other people or something of misconduct."
"Oh sure, I'll go now-" He was cut off by a pattern of knocks.
Knock… knock… knock…
"Night patrol, open the door."
They both scrambled.
"S-Shit! I lost track of time!" Caelia whispered.
"What do we do?"
She looks to her bed, then back at Hikaru.
"Hide with me!"
"I'm opening the door now." Night patrol stated.
…
"H-Hey, no one in my room." Caelia nervously said.
Meanwhile, Hikaru was under the blanket that was over Caelia. In a compromising position.
I-I'm so close to her crotch!! He thought.
Hikaru found himself in between her legs. His face, inches away.
That was when he took a long exhale, his hot breath hitting her.
"Ngh~!" Caelia moaned.
"What was that noise?" The night patrol officer asked.
"Sorry… I think I'm feeling a bit under the weather." Caelia said, forcing a sick voice.
"Okay, I guess you're good." He says as he leaves.
She pulled down her blanket. Face, crimson red.
"Get. The hell. Out. Now." She said, demanding.
"R-Right!"
Hikaru then got back to his dorm.
It was the next school day. For training.
Classes split up and fought against the fighting machines from the exam.
It was just a little coincidence that Caelia didn't show up.
"I wonder if I embarrassed her that bad…" he said with a pang of guilt.
"Siegfried! Duck!" Someone yelled, as Hikaru took sword hilt to the forehead.
As Hikaru fell, he realized he had to apologize.
As he got up, into his stance he gripped his sword handle. "I better go all out then!"
He took up his sword and came at the robot, swinging with force for speed, not power.
Then, after contact,
RED.
He took a quick back step, then went back into his stance.
Then, side step came after quick side step, to disorient the opponent.
He ducked after the robot had swung a fist.
"Take this!"
He spun back, quickly rotating his waist to start momentum for another swing.
He slashed through with his mana sword for the third time, marking game over.
"Has that kid always been that agile?" Hikaru heard from the sides.
He chuckled. "That's what I wanted to hear."
"Hikaru!" Yelled Albert. "Good job, I saw that."
"Oh, it was nothing…" Clearly bluffing.
"I'm saying man, you should've been at least B class." Handing him a towel.
"Yeah. Thanks." He said, wiping the sweat off his forehead with it.
For a second, there was silence. "Hey, that one girl you talk to isn't here, is she?" He asked.
"No. I think she's sick, or something." Hikaru answered.
Albert nodded, but for some reason, with a hint of a smirk which Hikaru couldn't notice.
After that, they both had gone different ways, Hikaru going to the library.
"I wanna read all kinds of books one day!" Yelled, a younger Hikaru.
He sighed. "I guess I could live out my dreams now."
The walk to the library was quiet, there were people in the halls, but not many were talking. Just keeping to themselves.
Hikaru entered the academy's library. He takes a big whiff of the air.
"Love this smell…" the smell of wood and ink.
He had walked to the left side of the library, for romance fiction novels.
"Huh, this one seem's interesting." He says, reaching out for it.
Until has hand touched another's, they both flinch.
He looked down, his eyes meet those of Caelia.
"Oh, hey." She said, looking surprised
"Caelia, you read books?" Hikaru asked.
"Yeah, this one's my favorite. I was just picking it up again."
"Oh, I was just about to check that one out."
Caelia swallowed hard. Tightened her grip in her fist. And took a deep breath.
"Hikaru, do you want to go on a date with me?"