Morning sunlight streamed softly through the classroom windows, reflecting off the desks. The students were busy studying and chatting, but one person was completely different from other. Yep. That's right! It was Kazuto, who doesn't have mana.
He sat quietly at his desk, reading a thick book titled Advanced Magic and Mana Control. His focused expression made him look more like a top mahician taking notes on the pages.
Meanwhile, other students were chatting and preparing for the upcoming academy tournament.
Grouping teams, gathering members and planning strategies.
"Hey, did you hear that? The winners this year might get to meet the Hero party and trained with them personally!" one student said excitedly.
"Really?! Then we must not let this chance to meet with the heroes!" another replied.
But Kazuto didn't even lift his eyes. His attention right now was only between him and the pages in front of him.Untill..
After a few minutes, a shadow appeared beside his desk.
It was Arisa, holding her bag against her chest and looking a bit annoyed.
"Hey, Kazuto," she said with a pout. "It's break time, y'know. You're still reading that boring book again?"
Kazuto looked up, blinking once, then smiled calmly.
"Well… yeah. The tournament's coming up soon. I can't just relax when there's still so much I need to learn."
Arisa crossed her arms, tapping her foot lightly.
"You're so serious sometimes. Don't you ever get tired of studying? Even heroes need a break, you know."
Kazuto chuckled softly. "Maybe. But I'd rather be prepared than regret it later. Besides," he said with a smirk, "you'll need someone strong to protect you, right?"
Her cheeks flushed a little, and she turned away quickly.
"Wh-who said I need your protection? I can take care of myself!"
Kazuto laughed under his breath. "Yeah, sure. Just don't step on another stick this time."
Her eyes widened in embarrassment as she recalled the goblin incident.
"T-that was one time! It was dark, and—"
Kazuto raised a brow teasingly. "And you screamed so loud the goblins probably thought a dragon showed up."
Arisa grabbed a piece of paper from his desk and lightly smacked his shoulder with it.
"Shut up! You're so mean sometimes!"
Kazuto just smiled. The lighthearted bickering made the room feel less lonely.
But suddenly—
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Soft footsteps approached their desks. Kazuto turned his head and instantly recognized her—the girl from the library a few days ago.
Lyria.
Her long silvery-blue hair shimmered slightly under the sunlight, and her calm expression carried a gentle warmth that could melt ice. She held a book tightly in her hands as she approached him.
"Um… Kazuto," she said softly, her voice almost as calm as a breeze.
Kazuto blinked. "Lyria? What brings you here?"
She hesitated for a second, then extended the book toward him.
"I… found this in the library yesterday. It's about the war between humans and demons. I thought… maybe you'd like it."
Kazuto looked stunned for a moment. He slowly reached out and accepted the book.
"Battle Between Humans and Demons…" he muttered while reading the title aloud.
Then he looked back up at her, eyes slightly wide. "You… got this for me?"
Lyria nodded shyly, avoiding eye contact. "Y-yeah. I thought you'd be interested… since you always seem to read about that kind of book."
Kazuto smiled warmly. "Thank you, Lyria. I really appreciate it."
She smiled softly.That single smile was enough to make Kazuto stun. I think it was not, he was really stunning...
Then Lyria tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and said quietly, "I have to go now… I'm glad that I could help."
She waved lightly and turned to leave.
Kazuto smiled and waved back.
"Yeah… thanks! See you later Lyria!"
As soon as Lyria left the room, Kazuto let out a quiet sigh, staring at the book for a second. But before he could even open it—
"So…" Arisa's voice came from behind him, suspicious him.
Kazuto froze. Oh no… here we go.
Arisa leaned closer, narrowing her eyes.
"Who was that?"
Kazuto cleared his throat nervously. "A classmate. Just a classmate."
"Mhm." Arisa crossed her arms, staring at him like an interrogator.
"She sure looked friendly for just a classmate. 'I thought you'd like it~'—seriously, Kazuto?"
He rubbed his neck awkwardly. "Hey, it's not like that. She just gave me a book."
"A book about humans and demons? Oh wow, so romantic!" she said sarcastically.
Kazuto sighed deeply. "You're jealous, aren't you?"
Her face instantly turned red. "W-what?! N-no! Why would I be jealous of her?!"
Kazuto smirked faintly. "Because she smiled at me?"
Arisa grabbed her notebook and bonked his head lightly. "Stop teasing me!"
The classroom filled with quiet laughter from nearby students who overheard their little quarrel.
One guy whispered, "They really act like a couple already."
Another added, "Poor dude. He's dead if he says the wrong thing."
Kazuto sighed again and smiled helplessly. "See what you started?"
"Me?! You're the one making weird faces at that girl!"
"I was thanking her, not proposing!"
They glared at each other for a moment before both let out a reluctant laugh.
Even though Arisa looked annoyed, her heart felt strangely warm. She turned away quickly to hide the faint smile on her lips.
After the short comedic storm, Kazuto finally managed to sit back down and open the book Lyria gave him.
The cover looked old—maybe centuries old—and the pages had a faint, dusty smell.
He flipped through the early chapters, his eyes widening slightly as he read.
It wasn't just about battles—it contained detailed information about why the war began, how the Demon King rose to power, and how the Hero's lineage was passed down through generations.
It even included forgotten spells used during the Great War.
Kazuto leaned closer, completely focused into it. "So the demons didn't attack first... it was the humans then?" he murmured, reading the words carefully.
The more he read, the more his expression changed. Soon the book will reveal a truth hidden history.
He kept turning the pages, hungry for more knowledge. Finally, he reached the last few pages.
There it was—"The True Reason Behind the War."
His heart beat faster. "Finally… this is it."
He flipped the page.
…
Blank.
Completely blank.
Kazuto blinked once. Then again.
He turned the page over and back—but it was still empty.
"What the…?" he muttered, frowning. "It just ends here?!"
He quickly checked the rest—every page after was white and untouched.
Arisa leaned over, curious. "What's wrong?"
Kazuto sighed, rubbing his forehead. "The last page's blank. It just stops right before the real reason for the war."
Arisa blinked. "Maybe it's just old?"
He shook his head slowly. "No. It feels… intentional. Like someone erased it."
Arisa tilted her head. "Erased it? You mean like… magic?"
Kazuto nodded thoughtfully. "Could be. A concealment spell or a memory lock. But why would someone hide this?"
She looked at the page too. The faint outline of symbols shimmered faintly when the light hit it just right—almost invisible to the naked eye.
Kazuto's eyes narrowed. "There's something here...."
Then he closed the book. "I need to find out what's really behind this."
Arisa looked at him nervously. "You mean you're going to investigate it?"
"Of course," Kazuto replied with a calm smile and excited. "Besides, If there's a secret like this hidden inside an old book, it has something more important than other."
Arisa sighed, shaking her head. "You really can't sit still, can you?"
Kazuto laughed lightly. "You wouldn't like me if I did."
Her face turned red again. "W-who said I like you?!"
He smirked. "You just did."
She froze. "W-wait—no! That's not what I—Kazuto!!"
The other students nearby burst into laughter.
"Ohhh! Arisa confessed!"
"Our hero did it again!"
Kazuto held up his hands in mock surrender. "Alright, alright, stop teasing her."
Arisa covered her face with both hands, her voice muffled. "I hate you sometimes…"
Kazuto replied, "but you're still standing next to me. Don't you?"
She glared through her fingers but couldn't hide her embarrassed smile.
After a few minutes, Kazuto finally stood up and picked up the mysterious book again.
He looked at the faint glowing symbols on the blank page, "I'll find out what you're hiding… no matter how much time it takes. I'll reveal."
As he turned toward the door, the classroom lights flickered slightly—almost like the book itself reacted to his determination.
Arisa sighed, walking after him.
"You're seriously going now?"
"Yeah," he said calmly, looking over his shoulder with a small grin. "If there's something strange, I'd rather see it with my own eyes."
She groaned. "Fine. But if something happens, don't blame me when I say 'I told you so!'"
Kazuto laughed. "Sure! I'll not."
And then two of them stepped out of the classroom—heading toward another mystery that will bring us to the truth.