Cane turned the format over in his head. His borrowed memory of the novel contained nothing about this. This was academy tradition, background noise the main plot had never bothered to dramatize. It was new territory. Unscripted. Which meant it was an opportunity.
A voice dropped in right next to his ear, so close he jumped hard enough to draw a look from the student in front of him. "Capture the Flag? Real original. What’s next, a goddamn sack race?"
Cassius stood directly beside him, grinning at having closed the distance without making a sound. Cane hadn’t heard a single footstep. For a guy who looked like a walking, talking slab of gilded himbo, he could move like a phantom when he wanted to.
Cane opened his mouth to reply, but Cassius’s eyes had already drifted past him. They landed on Kai. Something in his expression shifted instantly, the theatrical boredom melting away, replaced by an intense, personal interest. He looked like a starving man who’d just spotted a banquet.
He scooted closer, dropping his voice to a conspiratorial whisper that was still loud enough for three rows of people to hear. "Cane. Who the hell is the bombshell standing next to you? I’m fairly certain I would remember a face—and a figure—like that from anywhere on campus."
Cane’s first instinct was a spike of pure annoyance. Of course Cassius had ignored the entire headmaster’s speech but had clocked Kai’s ass in under two seconds. The annoyance curdled, almost immediately, into something far more entertaining. An idea landed, fully formed and glorious. Watching this unfold was worth infinitely more than correcting it.
He turned to Cassius, his face a mask of dead seriousness. "Her name’s Kaia. And apparently, she’s something of a fan of yours. Heard all about you, in fact. Been waiting for an excuse to get introduced." He gave Cassius a generous, encouraging nod. "Go try your luck."
Cassius’s entire face lit up like Cane had just handed him a gift-wrapped miracle. He didn’t hesitate. He straightened his jacket, smoothed his golden hair, and strode over to Kai, composing his features into whatever he imagined passed for his most charming posture.
"Cassius Augustus," he announced with a flourish that was entirely too dramatic for seven in the morning. "And what might a lady like you be called?"
Kai, completely unaware that the world had already tilted sideways, answered plainly. "It’s Kai."
Cassius nodded, smooth as oiled leather. "Kai. I’m not usually one for nicknames. I prefer a lady’s full, given name. But I’ll happily make an exception here. Kai suits you just fine."
Kai tilted his head, his brow furrowing in confusion. The soft curve of his lips parted. "Kai isn’t a nickname, it’s just my—"
Cassius barrelled right past the attempt before it could land. He was already deep into his spiel. "I must say, you looked striking from across the hall. I noticed you the second I walked in. It’s rare to see someone carry themselves with such quiet elegance at an academy full of... louder, less interesting company."
Kai looked increasingly baffled, but he was too polite to interrupt a man mid-sentence. He opened his mouth again, a little more insistent this time. "I think there’s been some kind of—"
"Are you free after the exam concludes?" Cassius cut smoothly over him again. "Would you consider letting me walk you back? Have you heard the gardens behind the east wing are especially pleasant this time of year? Practically built for a private conversation. For two people getting to know each other properly."
Kai’s ears went a faint, embarrassed red. It was clearly from the sheer awkwardness of the misunderstanding, not flattery. He tried a third time, his voice firmer now. "I’m not actually— There’s something you don’t seem to—"
"Don’t be shy," Cassius ploughed on, riding his own unstoppable momentum. "A woman as lovely as you shouldn’t waste time being modest. I’d very much like to know more about you. All of you. Starting with dinner, sometime this week, if you’re amenable."
Kai finally got a full sentence out edgewise, his voice flustered and apologetic. "I appreciate the kindness, truly, but I think there’s been a confusion. I’m not a girl. I’m a boy. I always have been. I’m not sure where the misunderstanding started, but I didn’t mean to let it go on this long."
Cassius froze mid-sentence. The charming smile locked on his face for a half-second too long before the words actually registered. Then his whole expression collapsed. It moved through several stages of horror in rapid succession, landing somewhere between betrayed and murderous. He didn’t say a word to Kai. He turned. He found Cane. He closed the distance in three furious strides.
He grabbed Cane by the collar with both hands and hauled him half up onto his toes. "What the hell was that supposed to be?" he demanded through gritted teeth.
Cane was laughing too hard to properly defend himself. He managed to choke out words between gasping breaths. "I’m... sorry... I’ll make it up... to you... swear it... just give me a second... to actually breathe..."
Cassius shook him once for emphasis, rattling his teeth. "If this turns out to be some shitty prank, some joke at my expense in front of half the academy, I am going to actually kill you. No hyperbole. Actual. Bodily. Harm."
Cane cut him off before he could build up more steam. He was still grinning, but he put enough weight behind his words to get through the wall of rage. "I’m being serious now. Dead serious. I’ve got something better than an apology."
Cassius’s grip on his collar loosened on its own. The fury drained out of his face, replaced by something far more skeptical. His eyes went wide.
Cane leaned in. "During the Capture the Flag exam," he said, his voice a low, conspiratorial promise, "I am going to personally make sure you get to see a pair of tits up close. Maybe, if the stars align just right, get to touch."
Cassius stared at him, genuinely thrown. The sheer, audacious whiplash of the conversation had short-circuited his brain. "How... how exactly do you think you’re going to arrange something like that in the middle of a school-sanctioned combat exercise?"
Cane just laughed. He shrugged Cassius’s hands off his collar, straightening his uniform. "You’re a shitty virgin who worries too much about logistics. I’ll figure it out. I always do. You just focus on not getting your flag captured and let the rest handle itself."
Cassius was still muttering something skeptical under his breath as Cane’s attention drifted back across the hall. The exam. He turned it over in his head, considering its actual use. Cassius’s overdue education was a nice bonus, but the real opportunity was buried underneath it. Three days trapped in close quarters with shifting teams and no adults watching every corridor. It was exactly the kind of chaos a kiss quest thrived in.
He was already smiling faintly to himself at the thought before his eyes landed on Aria and Vincent. The rift between them was a visible thing. Vincent stood close to Seraphina now, deep in conversation with her, deliberately not looking anywhere near Aria. Meanwhile, Aria stood a short distance away, her arms crossed, watching the two of them. Cane couldn’t quite parse the expression on her face. It was upset, clearly, but whether the tight set of her jaw was jealousy at the sight of the princess monopolizing Vinny’s attention, or genuine worry over whatever had actually broken between them, he honestly couldn’t tell from here.
He decided it didn’t much matter which one it was. Either way, the iron was heating up. And he intended to be exactly where he needed to be the moment it was hot enough to strike.
The headmaster continued, his voice cutting through the lingering murmurs. "Assignments will be posted within the hour. Team composition is non-negotiable. Complaints will be ignored."
Cassius leaned closer, his breath hot against Cane’s ear. "You still haven’t explained how you’re going to pull off your little promise. I’m starting to think you were just stalling to save your neck."
Cane kept his eyes forward, his expression placid. "Patience is a virtue you clearly never cultivated. Give it time."
"Time?" Cassius hissed, his voice rising just enough to draw a few glances. "You promised me—"
A small, exasperated sound cut him off. Kai, who’d been standing quietly a few feet away, turned his head. His dark eyes were sharp with annoyance, the faint blush from earlier completely gone.
"You talk far too much."
The observation landed with the weight of genuine irritation. Cassius blinked, visibly thrown. He opened his mouth, then closed it, then opened it again like a fish gasping on dry land.
"I—what?"
Kai crossed his arms, his posture shifting into something surprisingly firm. The delicate, apologetic boy from two minutes ago had vanished, replaced by someone who’d clearly reached the end of their tolerance.
"You’ve been talking nonstop since you walked over. First you mistook me for a girl, which was embarrassing enough, and now you’re standing here arguing logistics about... whatever bizarre arrangement you two have going on. It’s exhausting just listening to you."
Cassius’s face went through several rapid transitions. Shock. Indignation. A flicker of something that might have been respect. He straightened, squaring his shoulders.
"I’ll have you know, my conversational skills are highly sought after in certain circles."
"Which circles?" Kai shot back, his voice dry. "The ones where people are too polite to tell you to shut up?"
Cane barked a laugh before he could stop himself. Cassius whipped around to glare at him.
"You’re not helping."
"Wasn’t trying to." Cane smirked, watching Kai with fresh interest. The kid had teeth after all.
Cassius turned back to Kai, his expression caught somewhere between offended and intrigued. "You’ve got a sharp tongue for someone who was blushing like a maiden five minutes ago."
"And you’ve got a thick skull for someone who claims to notice elegant women across crowded rooms." Kai’s lips twitched, the barest hint of a smile threatening to break through. "Maybe invest in better observation skills."
Cassius stared. Then, slowly, a grin spread across his face.
"You know what? I think I like you after all. Even if you are—" He caught himself, glancing at Cane’s warning expression. "—not what I expected."