Determination.

It must have been quite the heavy subject for Claes to slowly shut down and burrow herself in her thoughts. She slowed down on Hachiman, her sentences becoming farther and farther away from each other until she finally stopped replying and simply looked down as if to will her plate to refill itself.

That was fine. He understood there were a lot of things happening at once, and she needed time to process it all. That she chose this moment specifically was to be expected as well, given how he had made her go back to those chaotic thoughts.

First, there was the thing with Hunt. Claes didn't know he knew, and Hachiman wasn't telling either. There were things better left unsaid, and the way she dealt with that situation was Claes' private matter and no one else's.

He wasn't sure he loved the way she put it. A little thing came up, but it's fine. Words more, words less. Somewhere in his heart Hachiman wanted to demand the girl to take things seriously, but he didn't. Instead urged her to go on so his mood wouldn't sour even more before getting actual explanations.

It wasn't his place, putting aside he seriously doubted Hunt had the power to actually harm Claes in any meaningful way.

Keith, on the other hand, could and apparently almost did. Claes hadn't been capable of giving Hachiman a straight answer, and by the point he asked for confirmation of what he -read, Hunt- suspected, Claes was already gone in her thoughts.

"Nii-sama." Sophia arrived with Campbell in tow. Both girls were more subdued than usual, with Sophia holding the skirt of her dress until she walked right besides Hachiman.

A thud made him look down. Then back at his sister.

"Morning." Hachiman nodded while dragging his boots below the table with his right foot "Did you sleep well?"

Campbell made a choked sound, while Sophia looked away from Hachiman.

"You could say that." Sophia's cheeks were bright red, contrasting with her usual skin color but didn't elaborate.

Hachiman snorted.

"Good morning, Katarina-sa… Ah, she's not here." Campbell turned to face her secret darling before realizing Claes' mind was still in the process of rebooting.

"Just sit, it won't take long." Probably. When was the last time Hachiman saw her just go dark like this? He couldn't tell.

Campbell didn't, though. She walked away from the table, or tried to, before realizing there was someone already delivering their respective food and she didn't need to. She sat down while eyeing the armored man bringing plates like he was a waiter and sat down.

The girl looked embarrassed, though she looked a bit too tired to actually stay that way for long. While her golden locks didn't look in disarray, a few strands were out of place where the probably hasty combing didn't reach, and the bags under her eyes made her look older. She looked like the stereotypical college student during exam week, back in the other world and its TV programs.

"What is it?" Hachiman spoke up after the light mage stole her third or fourth glance at him "Do I have something on my face?"

"No, no!" Campbell shook her head as vigorously as she could "You look refreshed, Ascart-sama."

"Hmmm."

"How do you feel?" Campbell carried on after Hachiman didn't give her much more to keep the conversation going.

"Fine, I guess." He stated "A bit light-headed."

"My magic cannot fully compensate for lack of rest, my apologies." Campbell did her best bow in her sitting position.

It was quite awkward to receive an apology from the person that made him capable of functioning at all. After all, Campbell was neither a servant nor a superior. She was his lower classmate, and although he understood he was supposed to be respected, Hachiman had never received so much… Attention, so to speak.

"Claes." Hachiman decided the girl had a sweetheart to pay attention to "Earth to Claes. We need you here."

"Eh? Ah!" The brunette finished rebooting and went back to her lively expression. She looked around to see where she was and who she was with before "Sorry! I wasn't paying attention."

"Yes, we have eyes." Hachiman rolled his eyes, secretly glad the awkwardness was dispelled by Claes so easily.

"Nii-sama, please." Sophia slapped him softly and he relented "Good morning, Katarina-sama. Thank you for letting us borrow your room."

Eh? So they had been sleeping in Claes' room? That was… Unexpected, but not out of the question.

"No problem!" Of course she wouldn't mind at all. Why would she?

"Good morning, Katarina-sama." Campbell interjected, given the stop in the conversation.

"Morning, Maria-chan!" Claes beamed at her, letting the blonde recharge a bit of energy from her brightness alone.

The girls proceeded to eat while Claes and Hachiman waited for them. Sophia made a bit of conversation, but the little girl was more like Hachiman than Komachi had ever been, so the conversation died down pretty easily. It wasn't a bad kind of silence, so the girls didn't seem to mind and went on with their business while Hachiman tried not to stare too hard at Claes staring at Campbell.

Hachiman grunted, a small hand pinching his side without warning. He eyed Sophia who was shooting him a look and sending it towards Campbell repeatedly. He didn't understand what she wanted, or what she was asking.

What did she usually pinch him for? Manners? But what did he…?

"Ah, by the way." Hachiman spoke up in a moment of brilliance "I almost forgot to thank you, Campbell. For treating me while I was out cold."

Campbell smiled weakly and nodded. It was likely she was way too stressed, being the light mage she was she was required to be there for people. This time around it was Hachiman, but he could see her going around the academy seeing where she was needed. Be it from people being found in the maze, or from accidents happening from the walls crumbling or such hazards that came from piercing the academy architecture with the sudden burst of magic.

"Katarina-sama?" Campbell boldly took her lady's hand when she realized the brunette was getting back in her thoughts "Is everything alright?"

"I-I'm fine!" Claes probably didn't know how to react. She was known for being clingy, but Campbell wasn't. Hachiman had realized people were staring and talking even before the blonde arrived, but he suspected it was just getting worse now "I'm just worried, that's all."

And with good reason too.

"Well." Hachiman interjected, trying to be as clear as possible so unwanted onlookers could maybe hear and stop having the wrong idea "This will be behind us soon enough."

They stared at each other and Hachiman nodded at Claes. It went without saying, but she had his support. He gave her his word after all. Back when her feelings towards the prince and her brother were of wariness.

Hachiman thought back to Hunt's words. Brainwashing should not surprise him in this fantasy world he now inhabited. In fact, it was strange there were five magic elements in total. With light being the "good" element. A special ability that sets its users apart.

Campbell was such an individual, but if Hachiman knew anything about fantasy, it was that these sort of special attributes often had an evil counterpart.

It was sort of poetic, even. That while the light healed, the dark poisoned the mind. It fit all too well, to the point Hachiman wanted to kick himself for not wondering what was up with the light not having a counterpart.

It was strange. The library in the Ascart mansion was rich with knowledge about magic, and his father had access to even greater knowledge since he basically ran the Magic Ministry. But Hachiman had never, not even once, came across any book that even hinted at the existence of dark magic.

Of course, this wasn't confirmed at all. Hachiman was just grasping at strands, using his knowledge about story cliches and his time spent learning about magic at home.

"Of course." Campbell smiled, positively revitalized through seeing Claes' mood improve "I will do everything in my power to help, Katarina-sama."

"Thank you, Maria-chan! I'll be counting on you." Oh, how sweet. Hachiman wondered if they would have hugged had he not been present.

Then again, Sophia was there too. Did she know? She was too clever for a girl her age. But it should be expected since she was his little sister.

"Speaking of help." Hachiman glanced at his little sister, who was smiling at seeing the other two girls get along so well.

"Yes?"

"Where is Alan?" It wasn't weird he wasn't around, given that everything was in disarray, but Hachiman hadn't checked on him. And now the question bothered him a lot.

"Alan-sama should be arriving at the academy ground soon." Sophia answered without thinking too much about it "He's been going in and out to get the supplies running smoothly while Gerald-sama takes care of the affairs within the academy grounds."

Hmmmm, alright. Hopefully he would return before the third prince decided to pay a visit unannounced. If Hachiman was to do something about Claes' brother, then having to meet the blond prince was simply the only course of action.

Hachiman softly patted his sister's shoulder.

"I see Nii-sama is worried about him. But I assure you Alan-sama is safe and sound." Sophia stated, going back to her food while Hachiman still spoiled her.

"Was just curious, is all." Hachiman waved it off.

"I bet." Sophia snorted before going back to eating. Her face was as innocent as a baby's, so Hachiman let her little comment slide.

"And following the line of curiosity, how did you sleep?" Hachiman asked, giving the light mage a side glance.

He resisted the urge to smile when Campbell stared at her food harder.

"Oh, you know. Fine enough." Sophia tried to pull off an aloof answer, but didn't quite succeed "As well as I could while worrying about Nii-sama being with Mary-sama outside in the middle of the night."

...He walked into that one, didn't he?

"Eh? You and Mary-sama?" Of course Claes would be the first one to react "Nicol-sama?"

"Oh, yeah." Campbell looked up again after getting room to compose herself from Sophia's comment "I know it's not my place to say, but Nicol-sama shouldn't have gone out like that. What was so important you even ignored the guards outside?"

Dammit, Campbell. Not helping!

"Hunt merely wanted to talk." Hachiman replied neutrally "About private matters."

"This is not the time for that." Sophia commented "A lot of students have been behaving weirdly, and even became violent after the walls went up. I know Nii-sama can take care of himself, but…"

"It's fine." Hachiman insisted "It's all good."

"And Mary-sama?" Claes asked, her mood soured once again to the point she looked ready to dissociate again "Is she alright?"

How could he answer that? It wasn't as if Hachiman knew how the girl felt, nor as if he could say it out loud. It was obvious that Claes suspected something, but pressuring him for answers wouldn't have been well-received. Much less with Campbell out of everyone sitting beside her.

"As fine as she can be." It was somewhat ambiguous, but that would have to do. Hunt wasn't some brittle little girl that needed protection, no matter what Alan might have to say in the matter, but the least thing she needed was Claes getting in the way of her healing feelings.

He really doubted their relationship would ever be the same, but that would always be the case when strong feelings were involved. Only if one of them was so incredibly dense that they would look past this experience, would they be able to go back to how things were. And even then it was only a 'maybe'. Because even then, feelings had nothing to do with intelligence. And they were prone to festering and tainting everything and everyone around them. Turning things into ugly mockeries of what they once were.

He would know. His feelings were the most hideous of them all, after all.