Multimedia Auditorium, Y.G. International Academy main campus.

Compared to the gorgeous facade of the campus, the Multimedia Auditorium in which the Introduction Seminar is held is...underwhelming.

Bella and Renko at first expected much high-tech gadgets lining up the walls and ceiling of the Auditorium. Instead, they got a very normal auditorium with a stage, spotlights, loudspeakers, seats for nearly 200 (though much of them are unoccupied right now) and a cinema-sized screen.

"Uh, wow..." Bella, underwhelmed by the sight, remarks dully. "I guess this must be why the Auditorium is never seen in the Academy's enrollment commercials..."

"'Too ordinary to worth mentioning', says a Weibo comment." Renko points out.

Adam suddenly leans into the girls' sights. "From what I've heard on social media, the blandness of the Auditorium is the one thing that Y.G. International Academy could never live down." He explains to to them. "2049 was the last time they renovated, and they haven't got the time to update since then."

Hearing Adam's explanation made Bella realize another reason why the Multimedia Auditorium seems so underwhelming.

"Well, the past is the past, and it is not the same as the present." Bella says. "So let's focus on the present instead."

"Right, present!" Renko says, before grabbing Bella by her hand and dragging her into the Multimedia Auditorium.

With the two girls departing before him, Adam stood there, wondering why he is always the one to catch up with the others despite him having ESP powers.

"Oh, never bloody mind..." Says Adam, as he immediately follows behind Bella and Renko.

...

Later at exactly 12 pm, with Bella, Renko, Adam, and every newly-enrolled students of the current semester seated, the Introduction Seminar begins with the dean, a middle-aged woman, ascending the stage and approaching the podium set in the center-front. Stopping behind the podium, the dean gently tapped the microphone a few times to make sure it and the loudspeakers are working before beginning with the Seminar.

"Hello, everyone, welcome to Y.G. International Academy. We here at Y.G. provide our alumni with some of the best environment and facility for studying and pursuing your dreams. Now, let us begin by introducing you all to our faculties. First, we have the-"

As the dean continued with her speech, Bella and Renko's attention are suddenly interrupted by Adam striking a conversation with them in a whisper.

"So, what do you girls think of that guy?" Adam asks the girls a question.

Renko found the question so sudden, she doesn't have a proper answer prepared for it. "W-why are you asking this so suddenly?! Are you talking about Erich?"

Bella isn't as unprepared, though. Seems that she has something in her mind about Erich. "Erich? He's a rather nice guy. Nerdy, maybe, but of the nice kind..." She then realizes what her answer sounded like. "And no offense to anyone, but I don't plan on dating him."

Adam's reaction to Bella's response is to chuckle a bit. "Nah, that's not what I meant." He says. "I'm talking about his honesty."

"His honesty?" Bella wondered what Adam meant by that. "Are you suspecting him of lying?"

Adam is about to answer, but was interrupted by Renko.

"This is an important conversation right now?" Renko points out. "Maybe we should continue with it later. I want to listen to the dean's speech..."

Bella and Adam stared at each other, then nodded in acknowledgement.

"It isn't actually important, per se." Adam remarks. "So I guess I could always ask it later..."

And so, everyone remained silent for the remainder of the Introduction Seminar...

...

Outside Multimedia Auditorium

The Introduction Seminar ended after about 2 hours, and everyone walked out of the Multimedia Auditorium in an orderly manner.

"Well, that is that." Adam says as he walks out of the Auditorium, with Bella and Renko following right behind. "Makes you anxious to start your first semester, doesn't it?" He added a question.

"You could say that~" Renko answers cheerfully.

"I...kind of doubt it..." Bella says.

Renko and Adam do not get the meaning of Bella's answer. "Why?" They both asked in unison.

"You guys saw how an American back there was told to 'get lost' by the dean because he asked if anyone in the Auditorium are Russian or Chinese..." Bella gives her explanation. "Isn't the dean overreacting at that?"

Adam and Renko's reaction at that is to sigh. The former even face-palmed at the same time.

"These days, that would be an underestimation instead." Adam points out. "Great Britain literally outlawed bigotry following America's economy-destroying Sinophobia..."

"Didn't you say this morning that America basically destroyed its own economy because of Sinophobia?" Renko reminded Bella.

However, Bella did not hear either companions' reactions, nor made her own responses, as she happened to see something unusual again.

This time, though, Bella isn't seeing something in Renko. Rather, she is seeing something at the opposite side of the hallway. That "something" appeared to be secrecy, dishonesty, something to do with not being the truth.

It is then that Bella noticed that the "something" is in fact "someone". Namely, Erich, dragging Vivit along with him as they both hurriedly headed for somewhere, disappearing as quickly as they appeared. Bella notes that Erich now has a bandage over his right eye. Looks like he took a trip to the campus infirmary after that fight with the American delinquents earlier.

For the single second Vivit is in sight, Bella focused her attention on the maid-dressed redhead.

"Bella. Hey, Bella, are you still there?" And then Renko interrupted by waving her hand right before the blonde's eyes.

"Having one of those 'seeing things' moment again?" Adam asked out of curiosity.

Bella blinked herself out of focus. All these interrupting and blinking awake are never going to end, won't they? She thought. "Um...I think..." She answers to her companions. "It was that guy, Erich, and his sister...Vivit?"

Adam seemed to crack a not-so-subtle smirk upon hearing that. "Oh. I was just about to mention them..." He says. "So, what did you see in them?"

Bella touched her chin as she recalls what she just saw. "In Erich...um...I think he might be keeping secrets...big secrets..."

"Maybe he has a strange hobby?" Renko suggested. "And what about his maid-dressed sister?"

Bella went silent. She honestly had no idea what words could describe what she saw in Vivit, so she ended up stuttering. "Th-the-there-"

"Too complex to explain?" Adam asked. "Don't worry. Try it in layman's term instead."

Bella gulped, before speaking out what is in her mind. "There's...nothing..."

Renko opened her eyes wide, clearly not expecting the answer she heard. "Nothing?" She repeated.

"Nothing. As in 'nothing' nothing." Bella explains as clearly as the English language would allow the context to be. "With the average John and Jane Doe, there is at least some random shi-" The blonde stopped herself from using an American word that, in British English, is only ever recognized as a profanity (and she doesn't like swearing anyway). "-shots of their desires or memories. But with Vivit...there is literally nothing..."

"You said Erich might be keeping secrets. Perhaps that secret is about Vivit, and why you saw nothing in her..." Renko concludes.

Bella was about to say something, only to be interrupted (again) by Adam.

"If that guy really is keeping some major secret, then it is best that we don't talk about it in public." Adam says. "So move along. We'll go have lunch nearby, then we'll continue talking about it at the flat where no one will be eavesdropping."

"If Erich really is keeping secrets, then it would be out of respect that we don't discuss it in public." Renko points out.

Bella gets the message the two are conveying. "Well then. Let's go."

As the trio turned to head for the campus entrance, Bella looked over her shoulders back at the hallway, catching glimpse of a pair of heads - one with glasses and his hoodie up, the other red-haired with a maid headdress - peeking out from around the corner. Both persons retracted behind the corner almost as soon as they notice being glimpsed upon.

...

Erich hid behind the corner, pulling Vivit in at the same time, when he saw Bella looking over her shoulders at him.

"That foul piece of ESP-using wankstain..." The bespectacled young man cursed under his breath, as he then glares at Adam Latency Junior. "Do I have to resort to a bloody blackmail to keep it a bloody secret?"

"His ESP would make you reconsider that option." Vivit dissuaded.

Erich turns toward his sister. "Then what option do I have?" He asked.

"You could try getting on his good side." Vivit suggested, tilting her head in the process, as though stating the obvious.

"How?" Erich questions the method.

Vivit became silent for a moment, before letting out a sigh. "I admit that the 'how' in my suggestion had completely slipped my mind..."


Woohoo, finally got around to uploading this after two months of being way too busy IRL.

What am I busy with? Two things. First, my family took a trip to Europe that lasted a month. Second, I spent a month preparing for the very last exam I'll be having in college. Those two factors combined, I'm only able to barely squeeze in the time to update Spirit Dream, and none at all for Mystical Knowledge.

This chapter is just an interlude, though. So there's little world-building elements being used here, and no poetic beginning either.

With the load taken off my shoulders, hopefully I can resume updates at my usual pace.

"And that, as they say, is that..."

Afterword ends here.