“Though I wish every single moment that I were just a simple student.”
Megumi could hear the sheer helplessness in Lynae’s voice as she said this.
He glanced over at Rover.
Rover was staring intently at Lynae, as if afraid she might suddenly vanish from before her eyes.
Clearly, Rover hadn’t been moved by Lynae’s words.
“Have you ever thought about it? About casting aside your endless goals and responsibilities, abandoning all those complex ways of thinking, and just being a simple student celebrating their youth?”
As Lynae spoke, the sight of the students chatting nearby during their break became particularly striking.
They weren’t doing anything grand; they were just laughing and talking about the various interesting things happening at school.
“…”
Rover didn’t answer Lynae’s question.
Perhaps she was pondering Lynae’s motive for saying it, or perhaps…
…she simply didn’t know how to respond.
As for Megumi…
In the past, he would have given a flat ‘no’.
Whether it was an academy or a school, in his memory, they weren’t places filled with happy memories.
Stripping away the sugar-coated parts of his recollections, his past school life was nothing more than finding joy amidst suffering.
But in the less than one day he’d spent at Star-Torch Academy, he had seen something.
The students’ smiles.
It wasn’t joy found in suffering; whether in class or at play, these students possessed the most genuine passion and happiness.
Just as Megumi had said while racing with Lynae earlier, he had been somewhat moved by the atmosphere here.
“Just kidding. I know that even if you think about certain things, the reality makes them hard to say out loud.”
Seeing that neither Megumi nor Rover answered, Lynae sighed softly and led them toward the rooftop.
But before they went up, she said one more thing, in which Megumi could hear sadness and…
loneliness.
“I really envy… those who can study at this academy.”
Clack, clack, clack.
After reaching the rooftop, Lynae jogged forward slightly and spread her arms wide, welcoming the gentle breeze.
“Yeah, this really is the most peaceful place.” New chapters come out on g.com first.
After speaking, Lynae turned and gave Rover a slight smile.
She looked a bit mischievous.
“You want me to confess my identity so you can use it to uncover the truth behind this incident, right?”
Seeing Rover nod slightly, Megumi couldn’t help but frown.
“I feel like what you guys are talking about is pretty serious. Is it really okay for me to be here?”
Though he had already seen things he shouldn’t have, like Lynae’s earlier conversation with that mysterious student.
Seeing Megumi’s expression, Rover didn’t show impatience or confusion, but instead offered a smile.
“But you still came here with Lynae and me of your own free will, didn’t you?”
Hearing Rover’s words, Megumi gave a helpless, bitter smile.
“Yeah…”
He couldn’t help it; who else did he know at the academy besides these two classmates with their complicated identities?
So he came.
Megumi felt he was probably just acting on a subconscious desire to stick together.
“Go on, Lynae.”
Seeing that Megumi hadn’t left after all, Rover spoke to Lynae.
Sometimes, others might know a person better than they know themselves.
“Right. A trade of interests. I’m putting myself in your hands. In exchange, I want to continue attending school here, so I hope you can fulfill that wish for me.”
Lynae finished and extended a hand toward Megumi and Rover.
Her meaning was simple: she would tell Rover what she knew, and in return, Rover couldn’t report her to the academy.
After hearing Lynae’s words, Rover lowered her eyes as if in thought, then looked back at her.
“Is staying at this academy really that important to you?”
Rover didn’t agree immediately, but instead asked another question.
Megumi didn’t know what kind of place Lynae’s birthplace, the New Federation, was.
But judging from her current frank tone, the Lynae before them now was likely her true self.
That previous sunny and cheerful persona was probably an act…
So the Lynae who had raced with him and Rover was fake?
It was a strange feeling, like being betrayed by a close friend, even though he and Lynae had known each other for less than a day.
Megumi figured the issue was with him, as the accompanying Rover showed no emotion regarding this.
“…”
Seeing Rover cross her arms and lower her head, Lynae withdrew her hand and looked at Rover with a smile again.
“Since you’re not talking, I’ll take that as a yes.”
Hearing this answer, Megumi instantly felt she was that same cheerful Lynae from before.
“Have you ever heard the story of ‘The Civet for a Prince’?”
After speaking to Megumi and Rover, Lynae took out her Cassette, and voices began to emerge from it.
“Headquarters… this is Lynae…”
“Sorry… Supervisor… we were suddenly… attacked…”
“Don’t worry… we will definitely reach Lahai-Roi… arrive at Star-Torch Academy…”
“We will definitely complete… the mission… assigned by the Chairman…”
The voice on the Cassette was intermittent, and the audio seemed heavily damaged, but the speaker’s weakness was still audible.
“Spoiler alert: they didn’t complete their mission.”
Lynae’s words were essentially the final verdict on that person.
What Megumi cared about was the person’s name—they were also called Lynae…
Or rather…
Megumi looked up at Lynae, remembering that earlier mention of ‘The Civet for a Prince’.
“Remnant Star Society…”
Rover muttered the name of an organization.
Megumi had also heard of the name ‘Remnant Star Society’; Rover had explained it to him earlier.
In short, they were a bunch of lunatics who constantly caused trouble everywhere.
“Professor Weilun said I’m from the New Federation, but he doesn’t know where in the New Federation I’m from.”
Then, Lynae began to tell Rover and Megumi about her past.
A man-eating city, a dark Lawless Zone—that was where she used to live.
As a mercenary for the New Federation Government, she encountered something one day that changed her life forever.
A corpse, and an Admission Letter lying beside it.
An Admission Letter for Star-Torch Academy.
For a girl who had seen bloodshed almost every day in the New Federation, this was like a windfall from heaven.
And so, the girl took the place of the Remnant Star Society undercover agent on the ground and set off for Star-Torch Academy.
She became Lynae.