At first, they wandered around the school, inquiring about the location of the clubs from several upperclassmen. Kaiser didn't say a word despite having gone through this procedure recently.
"Ah, thank you."
Ariel said with a short bow, as the senior who had answered his question walked away.
"Hmm. You're not so bad socially."
Kaiser sarcastically remarked from behind, amused. Instantly, Ariel turned to glare at him, slightly annoyed. This same guy had pushed him into talking with the seniors, claiming he had no idea how to speak to strangers.
Hazel, meanwhile, had also stayed silent, leaving all the work to him.
'Annoying duo.'
"Well then, let's get going." Hazel said, walking ahead to the club house described for them.
Silently, both Kaiser and Ariel followed behind. Kaiser walked in a relaxed pose, while Ariel tried to be inconspicuous under the gazes of the other students.
Before long, they arrived at an open court with a few students practicing, expertly shooting down moving targets while novices tried to hit a bullseye.
'This is the archery club? Their skills are quite boring.'
Kaiser immediately lost interest, leaning on a nearby pillar and pushing Ariel forward.
"Excuse me, are you first years?"
At this moment, a beautiful senior noticed them and approached with a small smile. Her long, slender legs instantly caught the attention of her juniors.
"Uh... yes."
Ariel nodded, resigning to his fate as the forced socialist.
"Ah, my manners." She exclaimed softly, then introduced herself. "My name is Yvonne Hitomi. A third year."
"Oh. I'm uh… Ariel Hilton." Ariel replied, bowing slightly to the senior.
"Hazel Kane, Class 1-E."
Hazel said immediately after him, her gaze occasionally drifting to the students practicing.
Kaiser, unwilling to engage in long conversations, only responded with one word.
"Kaiser."
Realizing that they were from Class-E, Yvonne's lips twitched slightly, though, no one except the two boys noticed, then she beamed.
"Great. Hazel, I noticed you're looking at them. Are you interested in trying?"
She gestured towards the training targets.
"There's no harm anyway."
Hazel muttered, then picked up a bow, nocking an arrow.
Taking a deep breath, she steadied herself and locked eyes on her target; the the inner good ring marked with 'X'.
Thwip~!
The arrow flew straight, splitting through the air current with surprising strength and accuracy, then struck the outer gold ring.
"Wow! A gold ring on her first try."
"A first-year, right? Isn't she talented?"
"Indeed, she must be a Legacy Awakened."
"Legacy Awakened? Like those trained specially since kids?!"
"Amazing…"
Hazel reacted indifferently to the members' whispers and calmly returned the bow to an awestruck senior.
"Hazel! You're highly talented. Did you train in the past?"
Yvonne asked excitedly, genuinely surprised.
Hazel, stoic as ever, merely tilted her head and nodded with a hum.
"Ah…" Yvonne's eyes glinted. "Then feel free to come by if you want to join the club. We're currently recruiting first years."
Hazel didn't even consider it. She outright declined. For now, she wasn't interested in joining any club.
Kaiser observed the exchange quietly, slightly amused. Then he turned to the other boy who also happened to be looking at him. Immediately, Ariel understood his intentions.
'Ugh! Why do I have to be the scapegoat?'
Suppressing a groan, he also picked a bow, surprising the club members. Inwardly though, he was truly curious about his skills in archery. At least, he hadn't been officially trained in that facility. He gripped the bow with a relaxed posture and set his sights on the target.
Then, he released.
The arrow flew through the air, and struck the blue ring closer to the center.
"Hmm, compared to that girl, it's average."
"However, it's still high. Not many first-years get successful shots."
"This is strange. Why were such students placed in that class?"
Exchanging hushed whispers, the seniors debated the absurdity of their talents.
"Impressive! Ariel, you were able to get a blue ring on your first shot. Not many newbies can do that." The beautiful senior praised earnestly, then turned to Kaiser who was leaning against the wall with a bored expression.
"Are you interested too?"
Raising his half-lidded eyes to meet the senior's, Kaiser hummed thoughtfully.
"Not really. However, I might as well try it out."
Kaiser casually collected the bow from Ariel and fired an arrow without hesitation.
Thwak~
The arrow struck the bullseye with sickening precision, startling the club members.
"Wow, are they really from that class?"
"These first years are so talented. They must be Legacy Awakened."
"This guy actually struck the bullseye. I can't even do that yet."
The members were instantly awed by his performance which surpassed Hazel's even. Unfortunately, the guy himself was complaining inwardly.
'Yare, yare. I clearly fired a casual shot. It should have gone off-target. Now they're eyeing me like a treasure.'
He was familiar with that look. The look the family elders usually gave him whenever they saw him.
Amazed, Yvonne exhaled slowly. "Junior, what do you think about joining our club? There are several benefits attached like credits and we'll let you in on a few infos."
Kaiser brushed his nose, appearing slightly embarrassed. "I'm sorry, senpai. I can't decide now, but I might join in the future."
Caught in an awkward position—especially after two talented students rejected her invitation—Yvonne smiled stiffly. "It's no problem. Just let me know your choice later."
Nodding, Kaiser pushed himself off the wall.
"Thank you for your understanding, senpai."
As they walked away from the club, Hazel eyed him suspiciously.
"You're a Legacy Awakened? Your archery skills are top-notch."
Kaiser shrugged and answered vaguely. "Maybe? Maybe not. That shot was definitely luck, though."
Hazel merely hummed. Although she didn't pester him for a concise answer, she didn't believe him. Calling a perfect shot luck?
Laughable!
After that little episode, the three left the Archery club and scouted other clubs; the Magic research club, Sword and Spear clubs, Students support club, and several others till 6 o'clock in the evening.
Even then, they couldn't scout all the clubs in just a few hours.
"Perhaps we should come again tomorrow." Ariel murmured, picking up his bag from the table.
"Hmm. Probably." Kaiser replied vaguely, preparing to leave.
"Wait!"
Pausing, he turned to look at Hazel, a confused look on his face.
"Did you notice anything from our investigation?" She asked calmly.
He casually straightened his neck, then pretended to think for a moment.
"Well, it looked like those seniors were short on credits—only a few I noticed, though."
Hazel's brows furrowed. "Why do you think so?"
Kaiser merely shrugged. "Well, a few of them bought super-cheap drinks. And that was definitely not out of choice."
'This guy...' Hazel's beautiful eyelashes fluttered. 'His insight and observation are quite sharp, yet, he chooses to remain hidden and appear unremarkable.'
"Is that so? Alright, you can go."
She sighed, then turned to Ariel who was silently standing by.
"I'm going."
He nodded, then made his way to the Violet Mall; he needed to get some things. Still, Ariel couldn't help but wonder...
'Those two. They might be efficient tools in the long run. I wonder if I'm wrong, though?'