It was another sunny day at Helios, the weekend was over and the students had to drag themselves out of the bed and to class. It was any other day.

He couldn't help himself from worrying about his friends and he spent the day hyperaware of his surroundings. It was only during lunch time when Shicmuon walked up to him outside, an annoyed look on his face, did he finally relax.

"Is there a particular reason you're overly aware?" He put a hand on his hip and Lidusis looked at Rood, having worried about his friend all day. The small boy looked up and sighed. He shook his head and Shicmuon rolled his eyes.

"Oh, let me guess… Nothing?" Rood sighed and rubbed his eyes.

"I'll tell you later."

"You might as well tell me now, considering Lidusis will chew the rest of his fingernails off in worry. And be quick before the fool comes back." The tall boy sat down in front of him, waiting for the answer.

"I just… After the whole incident with those people, I can't help but feel like I'm being watched." Rood picked up a fry from his lunch tray and ate it as Shic thought a bit.

"Hm… The idiot-"

"His name is Dio."

"Okay but you knew who I was talking about though." Shicmuon raised an eyebrow at Rood who gave an amused smile. Lidusis giggles softly at the older boy; Dio was truly a dorky boy.

"Still."

"Fine, fine. So whiny." Shic grins and receives a look from Rood, "Well he's always staring at you. He's so protective. And stalkerish."

"Really?" Rood raised an eyebrow and he nodded.

"The last person you would think was here to protect you but-" He stopped midsentence when he noticed how wide Rood's eyes got.

"Do you think he's one of the guards that guy said I had? Wait no, ignore that. This is Dio we're talking about." The small boy shook his head however Shicmuon thought carefully, before frowning.

"No, it's possible. While he's quite stupid, he isn't without talent. When you were unconscious and I carried you to the nurse's room he followed me. If I weren't who I was, he wouldn't have been noticed. His footsteps were silent and his presence was hidden very well."

"…We are talking about the same Dio right?"

"We are," Shicmuon thought about it for a moment before looking at Rood and tipped his head slightly, "Ain't we?"

"Ain't isn't a word." Rood gave a huff and scowled when the older boy rolled his eyes.

"You knew what I meant didn't you?"

"Yes, but it's not-"

"Case closed." Shicmuon gave a wide grin in amusement as he watched the younger boy give a huff.

"I doubt it is Dio anyway. Even if what he says is true, our meeting was entirely accidental. I met him as he was napping in the garden when I first arrived at campus." Rood crossed his arm and looked at his annoying roommate.

"Okay, but what if he was. He just so happens to nap in the garden the same day you arrive at the same time? Very coincidental." He watched the younger boy scoff.

"That still seems far-fetched- Wait why am I discussing this with you? You're just being the devil's advocate."

"I'm not."

"Are too!"

"Nope."

"Yes."

Before the two could continue, the bell rang to signal the end of lunch. Lidusis looked between the two, noticing that they seem to have gotten closer. He felt a sudden aching pang in his chest.

Rood sat there at his desk, the room filled with sounds of pencil scratching on paper amidst the silence as he finished the test they had been taking. At the last question he stood up and walked to the front before placing his paper on the table. As he went back to his seat, a lot of others stood up as well to turn their paper in.

He thought back to the beginning of class when Khan mentioned that they had a big announcement for the class, annoyed by the fact that he had to wait until the end of the test. Rood wasn't the only one that waited impatiently, it coming clearer as the number of people working on the test went down. All of the students eventually would look around the classroom to see who was left. Finally, the last student, Dio, finished and Professor Khan stood up from his desk.

"Is everyone done? Alright then, now that everyone is done, please allow me your full attention." Professor Khan watched the class as they cleared off their desks, waiting patiently. Once all eyes were on him, he finally sated their curiosity.

"Now, I'm sure you all have been very curious about what my announcement is and so here it is. Next week, we are going on a short trip-" He was interrupted by the excited chattering of the students and stopped, waiting for silence once more. Dio, who had been about to fall asleep had perked up almost instantly.

"Yes, so we will be going to a museum in the capital-" He stopped before talking loudly to try to get the attention back to the front, "Yes, yes, I'm as excited as- I'm just as excited. The Hereis will go along with us as we will be going around to a few main companies. The ones we will be going to are Opion-" He was interrupted yet again, excited chatter and he merely smiled, pleased to watch his students look so happy and animated. Once the whispers died down, he spoke up again.

"As well as the Tower and the Association. The purpose is for them to see some of their more, uh, influential job options, or to at least see what these particular groups do that might give them an idea as to what they themselves might want to do." Professor Khan received blank stares before he spoke up again.

"It's to help them figure out their future. Helios does this twice for a student. Once in their first year here as Iduns, and then lastly as Hereis." He smiled as the students began to speak all at once to each other, the excitement clearly beginning to fill the room.

Rood frowned and considered the trip. He would have to call his brother to make sure the people wouldn't react to him… He didn't want any more unnecessary eyes on him. But the Association… he couldn't help but be curious by the situation that Baldwin- no, Shicmuon had lived that could make him grow up to be so… so annoying!

Shicmuon sneezed, before frowning and rubbing his nose slightly before looking up, frowning at their new teacher. In the front of the class stood a pale blue-haired man the observed the class with a cold disposition.

The class murmured to each other, excited after being told that they were going to have a field trip as well as from the curiosity of the charming man that stood in front. Chevel leaned towards Shicmuon curiously and frowned.

"Who do you think that guy is?" The auburn-haired boy glanced at the man in front and shrugged.

"Who cares?" Shicmuon thought for a moment before frowning.

"Well I do," the blond-haired boy just gave a sigh and shook his head, "I don't know why I bother trying to befriend you…"

The other boy frowned at that. Befriending him? Shicmuon looked at the teacher for a moment.

"….He does seem familiar…. Maybe?" He tipped his head as he tried to think, the other boy was pleased that he got a response and shrugged.

"I think I've seen him around here before. Like, walking around campus." Chevel glanced at their teacher for a moment before Shic shrugged.

"I guess that's why he's familiar."

Shicmuon had completely forgotten about his encounter with Lispen when he had brought Rood to the nurse's office.

Ibriel looked through the books in an attempt to find to find the latest research that came out. She had seen it on the internet and she noticed the mention of creating magic. She figured that Lidusis might appreciate it. After all, he was still trying to figure out that little project of his.

Just as she found the book and reached out to it, her hand brushed another hand. She looked over to see the pale girl from the festival.

"Ah, I was hoping that I might see you once again." Iel spoke softly, a small smile gracing her lips, "I never did get your name."

Ibriel blinked, her cheeks tinted pink. It took her a moment to realize that she was in fact talking to her before her blush deepened.

"Ibriel! Er, my names Ibriel." The blonde held out her hand and Iel took it gently. Ibriel flushed by how soft the other's hands were.

"My name is Iel. It's a pleasure to meet you. And thank you again for helping me with that guy." The white-haired girl let go of the others hands with a smile and Ibriel shook her head.

"I didn't really do anything." She scratched the back of her head, flustered by the thanks.

"You helped in your own way." Iel gave her a smile and Ibriel's mind went blank. What a pretty girl….

They stood there a moment, a slightly awkward silence before the golden girl spoke up again.

"So, you're interested in um, researchy stuff?" Ibriel looked at the other girl, hoping that her lame conversation starter would work. Iel nodded in return before taking one of the books from the shelf.

"I'm trying to become a higher up in the Tower. I need to get good grades and become a better magician of course so I study and learn about Magic whenever I can." Iel looked at the other girl, a small smile flittering on her lips.

"Wow… I don't even know what I'm going to do… My brother is going to follow in our dad's footsteps and inherit everything so I don't really know what to do. I've always liked the thought of opening up a bakery or being a diplomat or something." Ibriel twisted her hair around her finger while in a mindless thought. She was shaken from her thoughts when she hears a laugh that sounded to her like an angel's laugh or the twinkling of bells.

"Those are two very, very different job ideas." Iel covered the grin with her hand, but she couldn't hide the amusement from her eyes. The blonde laughed as well.

"They are, aren't they? My brother gets so annoyed whenever I'm stuck on a decision. He's really good at helping me figure it out. Even if he does complain the whole time" The two girls giggle again and before looking at each other with a smile on their face.

Ibriel grabbed another copy before hesitating. There was a cute girl in front of her that didn't seem annoyed by her. She didn't know if she was gay or not but she can at least be friends…. Time for impulsive outburst caused by lack of thinking!

"Do you wanna hang out sometimes?" Ibriel looked over at the other girl who tipped her head slightly, "I mean, you seem really cool and stuff and well, I've been studying abroad for a while and I don't really have any female friends yet but if you don't want to then I totally understand after all we've only met two times and-"

"Sure. That sounds like fun." Iel smiled at the rambling girl before pulling out her phone.

"R-really?" Ibriel could feel her heart pounding in her chest, a grin spreading across her face. Iel nodded.

"I don't really have any friends so I would be glad. Can I have your phone number as well?" Iel held out her phone to her. The phone revealed the new contact screen and Ibriel happily typed in her number.

"No way, how can you not have friends? You're so pretty and you seem super cool and smart!" The blonde held out the phone and Iel took it back with a shake of her head.

"They don't seem to quite like me. I don't have much time otherwise. I spend a lot of it studying and the like." Iel looked down at the phone and holds it up before quickly taking a picture to set as the contact picture.

"Wha- hey! I look so dumb in that picture…. Why don't you go to Helios instead? Unless you already go there… I think I would have noticed you though…" Iel shook her head.

"No, you look cute. And I don't think my parents would let me transfer. Especially not to Helios… It's not… It hasn't been in its prime for a few years now." Iel looked over at her new friend before covering her mouth in an attempt to stifle her laughter. Ibriel had arms crossed and her cheeks puffed out in a pout.

"That's so lame! Helios will become even better than it was before! There's a guy in my class named Rood and he's super talented! Then there's also my childhood friend named Lidusis and he's really smart and kind but really shy. There's also my brother and I and we studied in Plairus which is known for its advanced magic! And- And…. Oh! There's also a guy in my brother's class named Baldwin! He's pretty strong in magic stuff! He seems scary but I think he's just bad at socializing!"

Iel couldn't help but laugh at the sweet girl before her. The other girl looked at her with a puppy-eyed look.

"Alright, alright, I can try to convince them, but seriously, don't get your hopes up." The white-haired girl couldn't help but smile when Ibriel cheered loudly before covering her mouth when she was given an evil look by someone reading in a chair nearby.

"I hope you can convince them…!"

When Shicmuon opened the door, the last person he expected to see was Ibriel standing there with a bag from the bookstore in one hand and a bag of sweets in the other.

"…." They stared at each other before the tall boy shut the door on her.

"Hey! Baldwiiiiiiiiin! Lemme iiiiiiiiiiiiiiin!"

"No." Shicmuon turned to go back to his laptop before there was a barraging of knocks on his door and he sighed once he realized that she wasn't going to stop until he opened the door. What an annoying girl.

He opened the door once more and scowled at her.

"What."

"I'm here to hang! I brought snacks!" Ibriel held up the hand with the sweets and Shicmuon thought about it.

"…..Is that…. Sour gummy worms?" He peered at the bag curiously and she grinned in response.

"Of course! They're my favorite!" She grinned and he nodded before stepping aside to let her in. He did love gummy worms and Van would never let him eat them… Damn that man.

Ibriel walked in happily and plopped onto the couch as Shicmuon shut the door and sat down in his recliner chair. Ibriel held out a bag of gummy worms and held it out to the older boy who took it and opened it immediately.

"So why are you here. I'm sure there's plenty of people you could be hanging out with. "

"Well, Chevel is studying for a test and he says if I bother him and therefore making him fail his test that he would disown me. Lidusis is busy with the personal project of his and I don't know where Rood is. Oh, and Dio's at the school and there's no way I'm going back to school when I don't have to. Ew."

Shicmuon frowned at the girl before stuffing gummy words into his mouth. He was the last resort.

"and I figured that you would probably be by yourself cause you seem to like that kinda person so I thought I would come by so you weren't lonely!" She grinned at him, taking out a bottle of Coca-cola and opening it.

"I've always been by myself and I like it perfectly fine that way, thank you very much!" He gave a huff and grabbed his laptop. He ignored the look of pity on the other girl's face.

"Always? What about your parents?" She asked curiously and the other boy gave a sigh and looked at her.

"Those are quite the personal questions don't you think? Questions that are none of your business. Ibriel, why are you here." He gave her a cold stare and she blinked, a flush on her face.

"I- I wanted someone to talk to. I-" She sighed and touched her hair absentmindedly, "Sorry. I didn't mean to pry. I didn't come here to be rude or anything…"

"Then talk." He looked back at his laptop, and Ibriel gave a little pout.

"Okay, so there's this girl that I think is really cute and-"

"No. We are not talking about romance." He gave the other girl an annoyed look and she pouted in response.

"But you told me to taaaaaalk! And there's not anyone that understaaands! Can you imagine me talking to Rood about this girl I have a crush on?"

Shicmuon had to admit, that was a funny thought. A small smirk grew on his face.

"And you think I'm the better choice?"

"Well you have a crush on Rood don't you?" Just as she finished her question Shicmuon got up quickly setting his laptop the side.

"Get out."

"Wha-"

"Out. Now. Fuck off." Shicmuon glared at her coldly and Ibriel crossed her arms.

"No! Don't get so mad just because you thought you could hide it! You two are super close-"

"No, we aren't"

"And you get along really well-"

"We really don't."

"And you're a lot friendlier to Rood than you have been to my brother! Except for maybe Lidusis. He did say you were nice to him. Well he actually said that you seemed very nice and that you helped him with his project but-"

"I do not. Have a crush. On Rood." Shicmuon towered over her yet Ibriel only rolled her eyes.

"Okay, you're in denial. So? I think you and Rood dating would be super cute! I totally ship you two." She grinned up at the older boy who merely gave a weary sigh and sat down on the edge of his couch.

"I don't even wanna know what ship means in that phrasing."

"It means-"

"I said I don't wanna know." He gave an annoyed glance to the side at the other girl who merely grinned in response, "…you said there was this girl you had a crush on?"

"Yeah! She mentioned she didn't have any friends at her school because she spent a lot of time studying and I thought, well if they're so intimidated by her, maybe she could come to Helios? But I'm frustrated because she said that she highly doubted her parents would let her cause Helios wasn't in its prime and stuff!" She gave a huff and crossed her arms.

"Her parents sound dumb."

"I know right? But if there was just some way we could influence them to let her go…" She thought for a moment and Shicmuon merely stared at his ceiling, wondering how he got into this strange situation.

"I think you would like her! She's not super girly or anything and she's like… very calm and stuff! But if you steal her- Don't give me that look I'm serious! My heart would shatter if she started dating someone! Especially one of my friends…" Ibriel gave a pout, unaware of the surprise that she gave the other boy by the word friends.

"…Friends? Does that… include me?" He looked at her curiously and Ibriel looked at him with a frown.

"Well duh. Of course, it includes you dummy! Why would I hang out with someone I'm not friends with?" She watched him and smiled at the clear surprise on his face, "I'm not the only one that considers you my friend. Here, watch this."

Ibriel turned on her phone before creating a group chat of Chevel, Rood, Lidusis, and Dio. She sent a text with the question "Do you guys consider Baldwin as your friend?"

The first person to respond was Dio.

Of course I do! Even if he is a little mean sometimes. -Dio

The next person was Lidusis.

Yes. I don't think he's mean… -Lidusis

Rood was next and Chevel answered last.

Yes. -Rood

Shicmuon eyes widened before frowning when his heart fluttered slightly.

He's totally a jerk. But yeah, I consider him my friend. Why are you asking this? -Chevel

Ibriel rolled her eyes at her brother before setting her phone down, ignoring her brother's question.

"See? You don't really need to be alone anymore! It's okay if you want to though. People are exhausting…" He gave a snort at her words before shaking his head.

"Sure, whatever."

Despite the fact that Shicmuon would never admit it, he was glad that she did it. He hid the small smile behind his hand before dropping both the smile and his hand before looking at his friend.

"What did you say her name was?"

Iel couldn't focus on the book she had bought, her mind wandering to a certain cheerful blonde. There was no way they would let her move schools, her mind wandering to the rants her parents had about Helios. She gave a sigh. She would have to settle with dreaming about it.

"Iel, you're transferring to Helios." Her mother strode in, a pleased look on her face.

Or not?

"Wh- What?" Iel's usually calm demeanor was traded for wide eyes and a slacked jaw.

"Oh don't be so disgraceful and close your mouth. I'm pleased to know that you have made connections with the Son of the Association, your father received a call from the Chairman and gave our thanks for having you befriend him and lamented that you two were not in the same school. To further your connection to him your father and I decided to transfer you to his school. Unfortunately, it's Helios… but considering the money- ah. Well." Iel's mother walked away, closing the door to her room.

"….What the fuck?" Now she wasn't looking a gift horse in the mouth but what just happened? She didn't even know that the chairman of the association had a son. Regardless, she was happy by the news and pulled out her phone to text Ibriel the good news.

Hey Ibriel, guess what? -Iel

Ibriel was laying on her side, reading the book she had gotten for Lidusis in an attempt to have conversational tidbits for her date- I mean her friendly meet up.

Hey Ibriel, guess what? -Iel

She couldn't help but light up at the text, pleased that she was being texted so soon.

Something good happened? -Ibriel

Something very good happened. – Iel

Ibriel pouted, a knowing that she was being teased slightly.

Teeeell meeeeee!

Well….. For some reason, the Association's chairman thinks I'm friends with his son- not that I knew he had one, and he mentioned it to my dad and now I'm being transferred to Helios?

Ibriel sat there for a moment, trying to think if she ever heard that, if he even existed, then why was he pretending to know her…. Oh!

Maybe he saw you and then got a crush on you immediately! Then he lied or something? You aaaaare really pretty!

I mean… I guess? Ugh, what a pain. I suppose I'm just glad to get a change of schools. I'm trying not to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Ibriel gave a smile ignoring the small twinge of displeasure when she imagined the association's son flirting with her.

You'll get to hang out with me and my friends! You'll be like family I promise! On a side note, do you wanna hang out? I need to get some clothing.

Sure. -Iel

"Okay I got this! This isn't a date! Just two girls…. Hanging out! Two very straight girls." Ibriel gave a nod, fixing her dress in the mirror. She gave a yelp as Chevel passed by her and poked her in the side.

"Really Chevel?" She gave him a scowl of annoyance.

"I'll give you a hint on how to stay calm during your not-date." He avoided his sisters swatting hand with a wide grin before she crossed her arms and look at him.

"Alright, amuse me. What are they?"

"Okay so step one, don't be gay. Oh wait- you've already failed step one!" He laughed at his sister's shout of anger and ran up the steps to avoid said rage.

"Chevel you jerk! I hate you!" The younger sibling shouted on the top of her lungs only to get laughter in return. She gave a huff, stomping her foot when the doorbell rings and she gives a yelp and quickly turns to the door.

She takes a deep breath and goes to the door to open it. Her eyes widened at the sight of the beautiful girl before her, Iel's white hair shining in the bright sunlight.

"Should I ask?" The white-haired girl flipped her long hair over her shoulder, looking at the other girl with an amused look. Ibriel's face flushed as she quickly shook her head.

"Just- just an annoying older sibling." She tugged embarrassedly on a strand of her long blond hair. Iel laughed before stepping to the side.

"Alright, are you ready?" She looked at the blonde before her who nodded, clutching her handbag and pulling the strap back over her shoulder.

"Ready! Let's go!" The golden girl gave a wide grin and walked out the door. This was exciting…! Her first da- Not a date!

The two girls walked through downtown, going to each clothing store they could, pointing out cute clothing and any particular interesting thing they could. Their cheerful chatter never seemed to stop, the topic going from thing to thing. They were stopped however, by a nuisance.

"Hello ladies, do either of you need a strong man to take care of you?" A man looked at them with, what he probably thought was sexy, a grin. Iel rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"We aren't interested, thank you. We can take care of ourselves perfectly fine, thanks." Iel tried to give the man a polite smile before attempting to walk around him. Much to her displeasure, the man shot a hand out, resting it on the wall of the building, stopping them in their tracks.

"Now don't be that way, I can give you a good time."

"No thanks. We aren't interested." Ibriel spoke a bit slower this time, a scowl on her face. Iel stepped in front of her, wary of the man in front of her.

"Don't be so tense, I'm a good guy."

"If you were a good guy, you would take no as an answer. Not to mention if you need to say that you're a good guy, then you probably aren't as 'good' as you think you are." Iel crossed her arms and looked at the man before her.

"You don't have to be such a bitch, if you keep acting like that you won't get a boyfriend." The man glared at her, a scowl on his face which only grew when she scoffed.

"I don't understand why that would affect my chances of getting a boyfriend."

"A man likes to feel superior to you and it's your job to make him believe it." He crossed his arms and Iel only tipped her head.

"Well it's not like I'm stopping him. Not to mention, if he needs my help then he probably isn't actually strong."

The man clenched his fist angrily and she only stood there calmly. Shicmuon, who had been buying snacks, noticed the commotion as well as Ibriel who was giggling behind Iel, and walked towards them.

"You…!" In a rage the man raised his hand as if to hit her but was stopped by a strong hand. Shicmuon held his wrist tightly with a scowl.

"Who- Who the fuck are you?! Back off! This isn't any of your business!" The man tried to pull his hand back but his hand didn't move an inch. Shicmuon ignored the man and looked at Ibriel and Iel.

"Should I beat him?" Iel blinked, curious to know who exactly this boy was saying and was about to open her mouth when her friend cut in.

"Break his nose!" Ibriel grinned when the other boy nodded.

The man jerked back, still trying to get free as Shicmuon put his bags down. Shicmuon straightened before giving a swift punch to face. There was a crunch and he let go of the man who crumpled to ground unconscious.

"….Did I do it too hard?" He tipped his head slightly before squatting next to the man. When he noticed the man was breathing, he stood up with a shrug. He grabbed his bags as a police officer ran up to them.

"What is going on here?" The officer looked stern and Shicmuon sighed.

"A pain…" He muttered under his breath before pulling out his wallet and walking to the man. He pulled out the id card that all Association members must have, and showed it to him. Shicmuon was careful so that the two girls didn't see what he was doing as the man looked carefully, his eyes widening as he read the name it held. Before the man could react Shicmuon held a finger up to his lips.

"I'm undercover." Shicmuon said softly, barely loud enough for the Policeman to hear. He nodded in response to the younger man.

"So, why exactly is…" He looked down at the man on the ground, to the girls, and then back to Shicmuon.

"They were being bothered by this man and then he got mad at them for whatever reasons and tried to hit them so I hit him as a warning. I guess I hit too hard…?"

The policeman looked down at the man before at the boy, trying to decide if he was being serious or not. When he realized that he was, in fact, being serious, he nodded before mumbling a few half-hearted words of warning before leaving quickly.

Ibriel walked up to him and looked at him curiously but Shicmuon merely shrugged. Iel tried to get a good look at the wallet he carried but he had put it away before she saw anything. He turned around and looked at her curiously, trying to figure out who she was before it he had a thought.

"Is the person you mentioned yesterday?" He looked at Ibriel curiously who gave a blush and nodded quickly. Iel looked between the two and when Ibriel noticed her confusion she spoke up.

"I went to his house to hang out because my other friends were busy and I mentioned that I made a cool friend!" She grinned cheerfully when the white-haired girl gave a small smile. Shicmuon snorted.

"She needed someone to complain about the fact that you couldn't come to our school. And that she thinks-" He stopped mid-sentence when he was elbowed by Ibriel, her face bright red.

"You choose bad times to be talkative!" The golden girl's face was flushed bright red and he merely gave her a shit-eating grin.

"She thinks you're cute." He laughed as she smacked him repeatedly.

"Baldwin you jerk! You're so mean!" Ibriel pouted her arms crossed as he turned, holding his sides as he laughed. Iel had a small smile on her face, her cheeks slightly red.

"You said it though." He straightened, the shit-eating grin still on his face. She blushed and looked at Iel before crossing her arms and pouting.

"And I mean it!" She looked at the girl mentioned with an awkward grin trying to appear confident but merely looking dorky. Iel covered her hand with her mouth as she laughed.

"Not as cute as you of course." She grinned at the now blushing girl and Shicmuon gave a snort before rolling his eyes.

"So, what were you guys doing anyway? Are you on a date?" He couldn't help but smirk at their now identical blushing faces. Ibriel shook her head quickly.

"No-no we're just hanging out." The golden girl glanced at the other girl who gave a small nod.

"Well have fun with that and try not to pick fights with people if you can't kick their ass." As he turned around to walk back to his ignoring Ibriel's huff. He stopped when the other girl spoke and looked back at Iel.

"I could have easily taken him out. I'm not defenseless." She scowled at him but he merely rolled his eyes.

"Ah yes, how dare I not know that a total stranger that I've never even seen before can defend herself despite looking like a twig. How rude of me." He put a hand on his hip looking at the other girl with a blank face. Iel's face flushed.

"Baldwin don't be so rude! You need to be nicer!" Ibriel huffed angrily but before Shicmuon could reply Iel held up her hand.

"No- it's my fault. I took it the wrong way." She looked away, and he only shrugged before turning away.

"Sure. Have fun with your date." He gave them a grin and Iel looked back at him with a sigh at his sly grin. Ibriel huffed, her cheeks red.

"It's not a date!"

'If only it was' Ibriel thought while pouting.

When Iel was introduced to her class, Ibriel was glad she was sent to this one. She was not glad, however, that almost everyone was interested. Which was silly, she knew that but that was her friend. They weren't the reason Iel had convinced her parents to go to Helios. She was. Her. Ibriel.

Okay so perhaps that's not entirely correct. She came here to make friends and she hadn't really tried to convince her parents, they decided it on their own.

Speaking of which, who exactly is the Associate's chairman's son? The man was always strange whenever he was shown in official stuff, and he didn't have a particular reason to lie about having a son, there wasn't a point! So… who is his son? And why does he have an interest in Iel?

She was so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed Iel walking up to her and sitting in the empty seat next to her and she jumped slightly when the girl tapped her on the shoulder slightly.

"Ibriel..? Are you okay?" She looked at her curiously before relaxing when the other girl nodded quickly. Before Ibriel could reply, class started back up, leaving the girl back to her thoughts.

When Shicmuon had gone to his old man to see what he could do about bring Ibriel's crush, he would tell you that he did it because he didn't want Ibriel to come over and complain like she did the last time. The truth, however, is up in the air. Honestly, the chairman was just pleased that his grumpy son had made a friend. Now, however, as he sat down next to Rood at lunchtime, he couldn't help but feel satisfied at the glowing look on Ibriel's face as she introduced Iel to her friends.

"I got lucky, but honestly I am a bit confused to the situation." Iel spoke as she sat down next to her goldened-haired friend and Rood looked at her curiously.

"What do you mean?"

"I hadn't even brought up going here with my parents when suddenly my mom came in my room telling me I was going to Helios. Apparently, at some point, I befriended the Chairman of the Association's son or something." Iel gave a small shrug, flipping her long white hair over her shoulder. Rood frowned and gave a side glance to Shicmuon who merely continued to eat his food.

"I didn't even know that guy had a son. Maybe he saw you and got a crush." Chevel said and snickered at the frown that grew on his sister's face. Shicmuon scoffed and shook his head.

"Or maybe he just had to deal with an annoying girl that complained his ears off about how there's this girl that she wanted to go to her school and figured that the sooner he got her here, the sooner the assault on his ears would end." The auburn-haired boy took a bite of his food, ignoring the odd looks he was given before Ibriel caught on.

"Wait… wait are you… You're the son of the Association's Chairman?" Her eyes went wide and everyone with the exception of Rood looked at Shic with surprise. The tall boy merely scoffed, neglecting to answer.

"Then you…?" Iel watched him carefully, observing his reaction.

"I did it because Ibriel came to my apartment and complained about it. I haven't met you before." He replied, looking at her with a blank face.

"Technically…" Ibriel started before she stopped, covering her mouth as she laughed at the scowl she received from the older boy.

"You know exactly what I meant." Shic gave a huff before crossing his arms in a pout. (Not that he would admit that he was pouting.)

"Well at least we know that it isn't because you have a creepy secret admirer because he has a crush on-"

"Ibriel Hadelio I swear to god-" Shicmuon spoke hotly, his scowl only growing in force as she laughed louder. Rood frowned slightly and looked at the older boy curiously, ignoring a slight pain in his chest.

"You have a crush on someone?!" Chevel had his mouth open in shock before pouting when he got a rough smack to the shoulder by the now frustrated boy.

"I don't have a crush on anyone!" At this point, Shicmuon could only groan as he was met with laughter. Even Lidusis, who had been sitting there quietly the whole time, was giggling. The only person who wasn't laughing at this point, other than Shicmuon, was Rood who couldn't seem to figure out what was so funny. This was noticed by the older boy.

"At least someone isn't laughing…" He grumbled, subconsciously leaning and brushing his shoulder toward Rood's who glanced at the offending shoulder.

"Cause you obviously have a crush on-" Before Ibriel could finish, her mouth was covered by a hand. She looked at Shic with amusement but his face was in an everlasting scowl, his cheeks however, were tinged a slight pink. The smallest boy noted that in the back of his head, although he wasn't quite sure why that was important information for him to know.

Shicmuon rolled his eyes when she began to lick his hand in an attempt to get him to recoil in disgust but he didn't budge. It wasn't until she spits in his hand, did he yank his hand away. With a disgusted look on his face, he wiped the spit off on Chevel who tried to push the hand away but his resistance was futile.

"I don't have a crush on anyone. Period." He only sighed when he looked at Ibriel with her shit-eating grin.

"Sure."

The whole week the school had been filled with excitement and when the day of the field trip finally arrived, the students were bursting with energy. They stood on the sidewalk, waiting for the buses to arrive in the bus lot.

Rood looked around when he spotted Lidusis who sported a worried look. When he walked over to him, he saw Dio throwing his phone up in the air slightly before catching and then looking at his screen.

"Dio, what the fuck are you doing." The boy looked up from his phone before smiling at his small friend.

"I download this app where you throw your phone in the air and the app records how high up it goes! I think the purpose was to break as many phones as they could but I was curious to see how high I could get it!" Rood looked at his friend incredulously.

"…You're a special kind of stupid aren't you."

"Hey!"

Lidusis gave a little giggle, his worry lessening each passing moment that Dio's phone wasn't in the air. Shicmuon walked next to him and looked at the group curiously. Lidusis looks over and smiles at Shic before speaking up.

"Dio got an app where you throw the phone up in the air and it tells you how far it went up." The auburn-haired boy glanced at Lidusis who had answered his curiosity before taking Dio's phone out of his hand.

"Wh- Hey! Gimme my phone!" Dio tried to grab his phone back but was promptly stopped as the taller phone placed his hand on Dio's chest, keeping the boy at an arm's length. Shicmuon checked the screen to see the latest record before giving a snort and threw the phone up in the air.

The group watched the phone fly high up in the air, high enough where you could barely see it. Dio's jaw hung wide open and Rood kept his eye on the phone, ready to catch it at a moments notice. Lidusis's eyes were wide, his hand clenching the front of his shirt tightly.

When the phone fell back down, Shicmuon easily caught it before looking at the screen and grinned. When he went to show Dio the high scoring, the boy snatched his phone away and held it to his chest. Lidusis released the front of his shirt.

"Are you crazy?! You could have broke my phone! I couldn't have afforded a new phone!" Dio looked at the older boy horrified and Shic tipped his head, his face revealing slight confusion.

"I caught it?"

"But what if you didn't!"

"There is no possible way I wouldn't have caught it- you threw your phone too?" Before Dio could retort Rood put his hand up between the two of them.

"How about we just agree to delete the stupid app to begin with." The smaller boy put his hands on his hips and gave the blue-haired boy a look who in turn grumbled and tapped at his screen to delete the app.

Shicmuon still looked confused, after all he did the exact same thing as the other boy so why did he get so upset? Lidusis glanced at his senior before gently patting his shoulder and giving him a small smile. The boy looked at him and in reply gave a little shrug.

The buses began to drive in at that moment and stopped close to the sidewalk. Professors stood in front of each respective bus before calling their class to the bus. Dio looked over to professor Khan when he saw the other professor that stood next to him, not yelling but merely keeping his hand up.

"That guy…!" Dio muttered under his breath, unable to keep the anger from his voice.

Shicmuon looked at him curiously and the feeling of Lispen's familiarity only grew. For the love of god where the hell has he seen him before? It would bother the boy until he forgot about it which only took the five minutes to get settled in the back of the bus.

"May I sit next to you?" Lidusis had walked up shyly before standing next to the seat the older boy was sitting in. Shicmuon merely shrugged and gestured with one hand to the empty spot next to him. With a smile, the gray-haired boy sat down next to him.

With Rood at the seat across from them, Dio sitting next to him who was whining about not getting the window spot and the Hadelio siblings sitting in front of his seat, Lidusis was happy, surrounded by friends.

The bus drove through the city, loud with chattering students excited at the beginning of their trip. Their first stop wasn't far, Opion being just outside the outskirts of the large city. The buses drove up to the building, parking near the front of the parking lot.

As the students got off the bus, they looked around excitedly, the large building stood proudly, and despite being on the outskirts, there were still tons of people in and outside the building. While the building wasn't as large or as vast as their school was, it was still an impressive building and was far taller.

They students spoke loudly to one another, wondering who they might see with one particular favorite.

"I hope we see the Black Magician!"

Rood looked off to the side before sighing and shook his head. Shicmuon looked at him before giving a soft snort.

"Now that won't happen will it?" Rood scowled up at the older boy before shaking his head.

"No. Although… I wouldn't put it past my brother to try something." The small boy shook his head as the other laughed.

"I'm glad no one will want to see me at the Association. After all, no one likes a beast." Shic gave a lopsided grin but Rood frowned.

"You aren't a beast. Annoying? Yes. Beast? No." The auburn-haired boy gave him a surprised look, before hiding the small smile behind his hand.

"Whatever you say short-stack." Rood sighed at the nickname before shaking his head. The two looked up when they noticed Professor Khan speaking loudly and gestured for the large group of students to come closer.

"Now everyone, we are going to split up into groups okay? Please listen as your groups are being called." The students looked at each other and listened carefully and each name was called. Much to Lidusis's satisfaction, he was partnered in a group consisting of him, Ibriel, Iel, Chevel, Rood, Dio, Shicmuon, Linus, and lastly Lapis.

"I just want this to be over." Shicmuon grumbled and Rood looked at him in confusion.

"For what to be over?" Rood looked around as if to see what was annoying the boy but Shicmuon said nothing and merely gestured vaguely to everything.

"This field trip literally just started. Relax."

"How do you relax when you're surrounded by a bunch of people?" At his response the smaller boy merely sighed and shook his head.