Hina said her farewell to Senior Mary, who pulled out the entrance door of the library, leaving a big enough gap for her to pass through. Once she was outside, she puffed out her chest, inhaling an amount of oxygen before exhaling it in one go, and changed her mind.


    "Then, what should I do now?".


    She began to move her legs without any purpose in mind. First and foremost, she must leave the academy building, for it was almost closed up. In the deserted hallway where no soul had been sighted, Hina walked alone while basking in the zing color of the sun that filtered through the window ss in between and almost reached its resting period before the sky was darkened.


    The pace she was walking was much slower as she enjoyed the tranquil feeling the hallway gave her,pared to the busy hours of the academy. In front of her, there was a turn, and from the other side, she found a single male student, probably a senior with a hunched back, who seemed used to the ce, walking around while approaching her side.


    Hina nced for a second and found that the male was oblivious to her gaze. He had a dark circle that was spotted below his eye, which made him look unhealthy. His breath was also rough as he was tired after doing some heavybor.


    The male who felt a gaze on him nced at Hina, then nodded his head to greet her briefly, then he kept treading the path, walking straight to an unknown ce. Hina didn''t want to bother herself with the male student and turned her gaze forward.


    Several times had passed, and now Hina was standing outside the academy building while looking at the darkened sky, Apanied by a warm spring breeze that caressed her skin.


    "I wonder if the two of them had finished their training?".


    "...Miss Akabane?".


    Hina''s body stiffened because she heard a melodious and gentle voice that came from her side calling her name. She turned her attention and found Leon, who was looking at her with his gentle gaze approaching her.


    The moment she saw Leon''s figure, her face stiffened, and her heart started to stir because of theplex she had regarding strangers. This was her first time being in close distance with Leon, whom she barely noticed or talked to.


    However, the moment Hina tries to face her past, she vows to change and never look back toward the past and must not lose sight of the future she is trying to hold. She gulped her saliva to moisten her parched throat, then opened her mouth.


    "...Sir, Leon, what can I help you?".


    Albeit a slight pause, Hina could express her greeting toward strangers.


    "No, I just want to greet you, that''s all. Is Soma not with you?".


    Leon, with his raised brows, asked about Soma''s absence. Because of the earlier event in the lunch cafeteria when Soma proudly imed that he would take both of them, it generally froze him and Eiji in ce.


    However, deep down, he holds great respect for Soma because he dares to im that line proudly without a shred of hesitation. So, the fleeting memories Leon had toward both of the girls faded as he was currently attracted to another woman.


    "Soma is currently training with Xiao Lian, and I was just getting out of the library by myself on my way home to the female dormitory".


    "Truly admirable. You guys are sure to be diligent about your Academy life".


    "Well, thank you for that".


    HIna, who was caught off guard by the thanks she received, twitched her cheeks as she tried to spread her lips in an awkward manner. Leon, who saw that awkward smile, smiled wryly before remembering an important piece regarding the rumor of students that recently circled around the academy.


    "Miss Akabane, you should leave the ce, and sorry for taking your time".


    "No, It''s okay. Then, maybe we should separate from here?!".


    "Yeah, we should. There is also a rumor regarding something that happened recently in the academy. Hm?!".


    Hina, with her sharp sense regarding mana, detected turbulence near her ce as she turned toward the source of it, making Leon raise his brows in wonder.


    "She is?".


    "What is wrong? That is?".


    Leon followed Hina''s gaze and found a green-haired beauty with a male student with a hunched back. A nasty smile stered on his mouth, dragging Mary toward a certain ce with hurried steps. Hina knit her brows as she felt something was not right.


    "What is he doing?".


    "Suush, be quiet".


    Hina stopped Leon''s advance as he was about to lose control regarding the senior male who was forcing Mary, the woman he was interested in.


    "Miss Akabane, What are you doing?".


    Leon, whose path had been blocked by stretched hands, knitted his brows angrily. Hina did not reply to Leon''s question. With light steps, she began to sneakily follow behind the two seniors who seemed to be acting weird.


    Hina maneuvered her feet so that she didn''t create any sound, maintained her distance, and also tried to find a spot to cover her body. Leon, who saw her antics, raised his brows as the earlier anger dissipated. He pondered slightly before deciding to join Hina in her tailing them.


    The two seniors were walking toward the back of the academy, which was still covered by greenery and dense trees that created a canopy casting its shadow that covered its surroundings.


    "This ce is?".


    Leon, who saw the seniors, went inside toward the darkness and knit his brows in worry over the safety of Mary because he saw her being dragged by force.


    Hina, whose mana sensitivity is triggered, shrinks her eyes further as she begins to enter the dense tree without any further thought.


    "Wait, Miss Akabane!".


    Without any chance to stop her. Leon began to chase her back, and once he was almost caught off her, he saw Hina with her grave eyes looking in a certain direction where the ce was covered in shadows, with a bit of light that cascaded along the gaps of the canopy.


    The air was thick with the scent of blooming night, and the silence was broken only by the asional rustle of leaves in the gentle breeze and the rustling of rubbing each other''s skin. Hina, who noticed the sight in front of her, stiffened her expression, then swiftly ced her back toward the tree to hide her figure from the seniors'' gaze.


    Leon, who also followed behind, ced his back toward the other tree as he followed Hina''s gaze, and his entire body stiffened solid like a rock. He stood silently in the shadows, his eyes fixed on the two people, Mary and the senior male, entwined in a passionate embrace, cing their lips together.


    The seniors, oblivious to the world around them, shared a kiss so intense that it seemed to melt the darkness away, their silhouettes blending into one. The senior male began to reach out toward Mary''s ample breast, which was biggerpared to the female around her age, and with a gentle force, he squeezed it, making Mary let out a slight moan that turned the atmosphere into pink.


    "...What is happening?".