Suite's kitchen.

"So, when did you two start dating?" Acma asked Trepie #23 as she helped her clean the dishes.

"We're not dating," Trepie #23 smiled. "Acma, if I were dating someone, you'd be the first to know."

"Right, I thought so. You're too good to be his girlfriend. But why were you with him… there?"

"We wanted to catch up, like old friends. And since he's always in the training area, it makes sense to meet there."

"It's not like you to go to that kind of place with just a friend."

"What are you implying, Acma?"

"Nothing."

"Acma," Trepie #23 poured some more tea into Acma's cup, "love is not prohibited in Garden, but young people like yourself should be aware. As someone who has served in the operation unit for a while, I feel a responsibility to tell you. If you involve yourself in mercenary work, be cautious about forming romantic relationships. True love can give you strength, but heartbreak can lead to grudges. Anything that affects your decision-making in battles can be detrimental. That's why we have a special force to enforce curfew for couples and why Instructor Aki guards the girls' dorm. We have seen numerous instances where failed relationships have resulted in actual deaths, whether intentional or not. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"

Acma reluctantly nodded. She always felt a little scared when Trepie #23 became serious.

"I care about all of you, and I feel a strong attachment to everyone in the school, including you, Acma. Now you're part of us," Trepie #23 continued after sipping her tea. "I may not be the strongest or the smartest, but I'm willing to stay behind and keep all of you in check. You're smart, you understand why I'm telling you all these, right?"

Asma nodded half-way, but realized she should not pretend that she understood. She shook her head instead.

"I'm sorry, I have no clue. Why are you telling me all these? Are you saying you're not with him because of his line of work?"

Trepie #23 replied with a knowing smile. "Aw... You'll find out soon enough what I mean."

Zyma: I'll come to your room at 2200.

He sent her the first text message between them when she was in Quistis' lab.

Acma: Why?

He didn't reply.

Acma scoffed. Texting with this guy was as annoying as talking with him in real life. She could have screenshotted his text and report him, but thinking of Miss Xu's words regarding delaying her SeeD exam, she chose to ignore this annoyance this time.

I'll come to your room? How dare he?

Zyma, despite his bravado and arrogant attitude, seemed more like a big talker than a bad person. If he dared to text her this inappropriate message, it would be likely that he would come with good intention. Besides, Trepie #23 lived next door.

Trepie #23…

Do you care about anything else besides money?

GFs and women.

So far, she had seen none of his GFs, and the girl he claimed to be his girlfriend just lectured her about the "no love" rule.

She couldn't deny that Zyma and Trepie #23 looked good together. Sure, Zyma was annoying as a person, but Trepie #23 was known for her boundless kindness.

Old friends. Did they go out? Are they still a thing? Or did he bring Trepie #23 to Secret Area just to spy on her and Timeth?

Acma shook her head to get rid of the most ridiculous possibility, determined to come back to her study before his arrival.

[...]

The clock stuck 2200.

Acma anxiously fixed her eyes on the door, waiting for Zyma's arrival. However, she didn't anticipate that he would enter in a rather unconventional way.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Acma jumped when she saw a figure covered in a black cloak floating outside her room's window.

"For Hyne's sake! You almost gave me a heart attack!" Acma exclaimed quietly as she hurriedly opened the window for Zyma to enter.

"Where else can I come after curfew? Aki always guards the girls' dorm. Use your brain, prodigy," Zyma remarked.

"Fair enough. Now, answer my text message from eight hours ago. Why are we meeting this late? Unlike you, I need to sleep!" Acma inquired.

"And unlike you, I have customers to serve," Zyma snapped back. "For the longest time, I thought you had a boyfriend, so I didn't dare to meet you after curfew. Do you know how much loss I incurred by tutoring you most evenings?"

Acma paused, realizing the sacrifices Zyma had made for her sake. "I... I didn't consider that. We could have met earlier in the afternoon."

"How about your lab?" Zyma suggested. "You spend, like, what, six hours a day there?"

"That's because I need to synthesize a bunch of precursors... anyway, I think I can cut down my lab time now that I'm doing smaller scale experiments," Acma explained.

"Blah blah blah. You know your schedule best. What do you suggest?" Zyma asked, growing impatient.

Acma snapped her fingers. "Now we're talking. Let's start with the requirements first. Planning is my strength, sensei."

Zyma scoffed as Acma pulled out her whiteboard and began drawing diagrams. "Where did you get this whiteboard? This is the nerdiest thing I've ever seen in a girl's room."

"Oh, sensei, you've been away from classes for too long. I'm a teaching assistant now, and this baby is one of the perks," Acma smiled.

"Tch... says the one complaining about lack of sleep!"

"Focus!" Acma tapped her marker on the whiteboard, causing Zyma to shake his head as the roles were now reversed.

She started by listing a checklist for her skills, noting that her Str and Dex stats were on track, but her Def and Vit required more attention. Figuring out her Limit Break before the SeeD exam would also be an important task.

She then asked Zyma about his sales patterns throughout the day and proposed a change in their schedule to maximize his business profits while allowing her time to rest between training sessions.

"We'll train for two hours around noon. Then I'll go to the lab for four hours. We can resume training around dinner time since students can't buy stuff during that time anyway, as they have to get food in the cafeteria which closes at 2000. After that, you'll have the whole evening for your sales, and I'll have time for studying. We can meet after curfew if necessary," Acma explained.

Zyma nodded, feeling amused by her military-like schedules.

"One suggestion though," she added. "To boost your customer network, you should hang out more with your classmates. You know, people are afraid of you, and your vibe really affects your sales. I think..."

"Oh, for Hyne's sake..."

"I'm not done yet!" Acma snapped, and Zyma rolled his eyes at her rebellious attitude. "I think you should join Trepie #23's bi-weekly trips to Balamb and broaden your network. And also, please start digitizing your sales. Even the most old-school merchants in Balamb are using it," Acma handed him a small device. "I've attached barcodes to your items. By the way, I've noticed that Shrewdya often delivers armory items right to the girls' doorstep. What if we gather a few broke students to handle the deliveries for 5%? That would save people from having to trek through the Training Center with all those T-rexes just to see you. Give my methods a try for a few weeks and see how your sales improve. We can make adjustments later. Think of it as an experiment, sensei."

Zyma pondered for a few seconds, memorizing her writing on the whiteboard.

"Acma..." Zyma snorted, then looked into her burgundy eyes. "You're really something."

Aki's etiquette class.

Zyma sat alone in a corner, contemplating when the wine tasting class would be over. Despite nagging Xu multiple times, she didn't approve his request to waive these classes and replace them with mentorship.

"Zyma, we're heading to Balamb after class for an ice cream outing. Would you like to join us?" Trepie #23 approached.

"No, thanks," he replied with a smile. He liked Trepie #23 and wanted to be nice to her, which is why he didn't snap rudely at the idea of him eating ice cream.

"Ahem..." The pupil feigned a cough, reminding him of their previous agreement regarding Trepie #23's bi-weekly outings.

Zyma sighed and turned to Trepie #23, who was giggling. "Fine, I'll join you guys this time."

Zyma had known Trepie #23 for many years, and she had become one of the very few people he could talk to at Garden. However, she seemed to have sided with Acma shortly after Acma's transfer, leaving Zyma with a sense of betrayal.

About twenty students, a mix from S20 and S21, marched from Garden to Balamb town. It was a sunny day, as Balamb had great weather eleven out of twelve months of the year.

"What flavors do you guys want?" Trepie #23 asked the group, and it took them forever to decide even though the menu only had five options.

"What do you pick?" Acma asked Zyma.

"Nothing. I don't eat ice cream," he replied.

"Zyma doesn't eat sweets," Trepie #23 explained, seeing Acma's puzzled look. "Sweet tastes bitter to him."

"Thank you for remembering. I thought you were trying to kill me by inviting me to an ice cream shop," Zyma smiled.

"They do have egg coffee on the secret menu, your favorite," Trepie #23 suggested.

"Oh..." Zyma was surprised but felt appreciated by Trepie #23's gesture.

"Yeah, I remember. I'll get two for us. Acma, do you want one too?" Trepie #23 offered.

"Um... sure," Acma reluctantly replied.

Trepie #23 instructed everyone to find a seat while she waited for their order. The ice cream shop was outdoors and packed with tourists grabbing a quick bite. Trepie #23 even offered to help the familiar shop owners distribute the goodies.

"She seems to know a lot about you," Acma said to Zyma, glancing at Trepie #23, who always wore a warm smile.

"That's why I like her. She's genuinely good with everyone," Zyma replied.

"I see..." Acma nodded quietly.

"What's that?"

"Nothing. I just feel like I know nothing about my sensei," Acma said, disappointed. "What's with the sweet taste? Is it a genetic condition? Can you taste sour?"

"Oh, please. That's why we can't have a normal conversation. Am I just another experiment to you, nerd?" Zyma retorted.

"I'm just curious!" Acma laughed. "Come on, I can't possibly use that information to harm you, right? Is that why you're not very open to small talk?"

"When you become a mercenary with real missions, you'll appreciate it more, kid. A friend who knows you well can become your worst enemy."

"But we need teammates to survive too. Not all of us will become self-sufficient solo mercenaries like you. And I bet there will be missions where you'll need teammates as well."

"Then I have the choice to avoid those kinds of missions. Just so you know, one-shot missions pay the best and usually involve only one mercenary."

"I know, but I don't like that type of missions. It's... lonely."

"Right. You and your boyfriend are inseparable.''

Acma winced. ''That's not... but anyway, I have to admit I've learned a lot from you although we'll go on different types of missions. I can see why Xu paired us together."

"Oh... what gave it away? Let me guess. You have better stats than your friends?" Zyma teased, eliciting a giggle from Acma.

"Am I that obvious? Yes. I beat one of the muscular guys in Instructor Nida's class this morning with my bare hands," she grinned. "But hey, you still haven't answered me. Why can't you taste sweet?"

Zyma took a sip of his coffee.

"Come on. You can't just dodge a simple question," she pressed.

He set down his coffee cup. "You should be flattered..."

"Aye aye... You don't share this to many. Please go on..." she finished his words.

He chuckled then finally gave out the answer.

"Genetics. I'm a descendant of the Selkie clan. We mostly ate plants and raw meat. I try my best to that tradition."

Acma gasped in astonishment at the mention of the once renowned fighter clan with a tragic destiny. Not wanting to delve into a heavy topic, she asked. "Don't they usually have hair ranging from bright yellow to plain white? I saw their pictures. Your hair is black."

"Oh, how little you know about your sensei, pupil," Zyma said, lifting up his bandana to reveal his light gray hair roots. "I dyed my hair dark. Having white hair is suicidal in one-shot missions."

Zyma felt victorious as he observed Acma's change in expression.

"Enough about me. What about you? Do you know who your parents were?" he asked.

"No."

"Have you ever run a genetic test on yourself?"

"Of course. I'm a mix. Very mixed."

"Too bad."

"Nah. There are plenty of us without parents or known ancestors. I always feel at home in Trabia."

"And Balamb?"

"Yeah... starting to feel like home too," she smiled, looking at her friends happily eating ice cream and back to gaze into his eyes.

Zyma's heart skipped a beat as he recalled the gaze they shared on the first day in Nida's magic history class.

A few classmates joined their table and interrupted their conversation.

"Hey, Zyma! I heard you're selling some new stuff..." one of the S20 students inquired.

"I'll handle the orders. We even have a fantastic group discount program," Acma swiftly opened her accounting book. "And if you need any help with written exams, I offer complimentary tutoring. Just let me know." Acma playfully winked at Zyma, who reciprocated with a nod and engaged with his classmates. He made sure to maintain a professional demeanor following his pupil's advice.