The sun had barely begun to filter through Apexia's sharp towers when I was already awake. My mind reflected the day's plan in minute detail, like the screens of a command center. I already had mastery of the subject matter. But today's issue wouldn't be knowledge—it would be performance. I couldn't recite the methods from memory; everything had to appear natural and fluid. Marcus needed to understand this too.
I should warn him, I thought. Professors like Flavia can smell memorized sentences from miles away. Marcus acting naturally is the most critical part of the plan. This warning would also make me more valuable in his eyes—not just someone who provides information, but an intelligent advisor offering strategy.
Ella suddenly came to mind. The one person I didn't want to involve in this plan. Should I invite her too? If I didn't, she might think I didn't value her and feel hurt. But if I invited her, I'd be pulling her into this game I'd constructed, into the heart of the fire. This dilemma clouded my mind for a moment. What should I do?
If she felt hurt, could I explain the situation to her? "Look Ella, I actually designed a complex social experiment to protect our friend, and I didn't want to make you part of this manipulation." The absurdity of these sentences hit me like a slap to the face. This was my planned, cold, and calculating side. I didn't want Ella to see this side of me. I couldn't put her in this situation. I had made my decision.
I quickly grabbed a bite and left the house. I picked up my data pad, wanting to write Ella a "good morning" message, but my fingers hesitated. Not today. Today I had to focus completely on the operation.
I found Marcus waiting in the shadow of the monument in the institute's courtyard. He was tense as usual. His shoulders drooped, his eyes constantly scanning the surroundings. When I sat next to him, he just nodded. I sensed doubt in him; he didn't completely trust me, but his desperation about Luna was suppressing this doubt. He probably thinks I want what's best for him, I could almost hear him thinking.
"Are you ready?" I asked.
In a low voice, he said, "I think so."
"Good. There are a few rules before we start," I said in an authoritative voice. "We need to reduce that classic expressionless face and short nods of yours. Women are interested in men who speak briefly and clearly, but this doesn't mean cutting off communication entirely. And please, let your voice come out a bit louder. You need to sound confident."
Marcus just swallowed.
"Did you work on what I told you?"
"Yes," he mumbled.
I turned toward him and added a fake tone of expertise to my voice. "Look, at this stage our main goal is for you to get close to Luna and make her see you as one of her own. But we also have a Plan B in case this fails. The 'new Marcus' we'll create in this process will affect not just Luna, but many other girls in the group. Never let your target be just one person. Don't tie your potential to a single possibility."
A momentary enlightenment appeared on Marcus's face. I had promised him not just one fish, but an entire ocean.
Just then, my words were cut off by a familiar silhouette appearing at the entrance to the courtyard. Luna was approaching us with her usual graceful steps.
Marcus's tension immediately doubled.
"Stay calm," I said, not taking my eyes off Luna. "Just remember what we talked about."
I gave Marcus one last look.
"I think we're starting."
When Luna reached us, there was no trace of yesterday's somewhat restrained attitude. Today she was bolder, more daring. "Octa!" she said, unexpectedly throwing her arms around me. Her scent immediately surrounded me. Though I was momentarily flustered by this sudden physical contact, I didn't show it. When she pulled back, her eyes were sparkling.
Then she turned her gaze to Marcus, who had frozen stiff. "Well, aren't you going to hug your friend, Marcus?" she teased, with a sweet reproach in her voice.
Seeing Marcus floundering, not knowing what to do, I stepped in. I put my hand on his shoulder and gently pushed him forward. "Come on, come here. You're today's hero."
This move created a bittersweet joy on Marcus's face. He was experiencing the small victory of receiving the attention he wanted, while also knowing this victory was being managed by me. After Luna briefly hugged Marcus too, she pulled back and pointed behind her with her hand.
"I brought you a few guests," she said. Three girls waiting in the shadows came toward us. "The more crowded our study group, the better, right?"
I had expected this move. Three new variables included in my plan. Luna was expanding the game board.
"Of course," I said, maintaining the calm expression on my face. "Pleased to meet you. Let's go to the library."
As we walked through the library's quiet corridors, I sized up the newcomers. Luna's choice wasn't random. The one walking in the middle, with curly brown hair and slightly plump, introduced herself as "Portia-Clara." She had a harsh, almost commanding tone when choosing her words.
The girl walking to her left, who stood out with her olive skin, jet-black hair, and coal-like eyes, was a Taurian. She said her name was Lyra. She was constantly giggling, responding to everything with a joke, but beneath this cheerfulness I sensed a pure nature that could be easily guided.
The one on the right formed a complete contrast. This short, brown-haired girl named Vipsania, with her low-cut outfit and attention-grabbing chest, immediately scattered one's focus. The aggressive expression on her face and the crude language she used when speaking proclaimed that she wouldn't be easy prey.
When we entered an empty study room, Luna took control. "Since we'll be working together, let's get to know each other a bit first. Where are Cassius and Gaius, by the way?"
"Football tryouts," I gave a simple answer. "That's why I could only bring Marcus with me, thought we'd do a quick review." It was a reasonable lie.
The introductions began. Everyone briefly talked about themselves. When it was Marcus's turn, all eyes turned to him. He swallowed, cleared his throat. The topic he was to explain was simple: a summary of last week's strategy lesson.
"Well... As Professor Flavia also pointed out... the basic defense line..." he began, but his voice came out like a whisper. He couldn't complete his sentence.
I immediately stepped in. "What Marcus means is how Flavia reinterpreted traditional defense line theory. Right, Marcus? You found the 'flexible resistance' part particularly interesting."
This pass gave him the momentum he needed. His eyes looked at me with gratitude and he continued from where he left off, in a louder voice. For an hour, whenever he got stuck, whenever he hesitated, I kept him on his feet with small reminders or supportive questions.
When he finished his presentation, everyone except Vipsania seemed impressed. Lyra chirped, "Wow, I didn't take such detailed notes. You really know the subject."
Even Portia-Clara nodded in approval. "Your analysis is logical."
With these praises, Marcus's shoulders straightened and color came to his face.
"That was great work," Luna said, smiling. "We still have an hour before class. We've earned a coffee after such productive studying. What do you say?"
Everyone enthusiastically accepted this suggestion. As we packed up, I caught Luna's 'everything is under my control' look she threw at me.
New players... I thought to myself. But the game is still the same.
And I knew the rules of this game much better than she did. Or at least, I wanted to convince myself of that.
[Same Moment - Coffee Shop - Marcus's Perspective]
I did it.
These two words echoed in my brain like a victory march as we walked from the library toward the café in the institute's courtyard. Lyra's admiring looks, Portia-Clara's unexpected approval, and most importantly, Luna's smile... For the first time in my life, I had become the center of attention for a group of people, especially girls. This was an intoxicating feeling. It was as if a spotlight had suddenly been turned on me after being invisible for years. I can do it too. Thanks to Octavian's coaching, yes, but in the end, those words had come from my mouth. I felt sincere gratitude toward him.
But right next to this gratitude, another disturbing voice was whispering. Is this success really yours? Whenever I got stuck, whenever I ran out of breath, Octavian had stepped in like a life preserver, completed my sentences, saved me from drowning. I was grateful to him, yes. But at the same time, I felt like I was being managed by him, played like a puppet. This victory felt borrowed.
When we sat at a table in the café, this feeling became even more pronounced. Octavian sat across from me, Luna next to me. As the other girls settled at the table, I nervously surveyed the surroundings. It was exciting to feel that my place in the social hierarchy wasn't at the bottom for the first time. But how fragile was this new position?
"Your presentation was really good, Marcus," Vipsania said with her sharp tongue. "But it would have been better if you weren't so tense. Why are you so uptight?"
Blood rushed to my brain. My heart started beating rapidly. Here it was starting again. I glanced at Octavian out of the corner of my eye. There was a calm expression on his face. Instead of giving a clever answer as I expected, he turned to Vipsania.
"Actually, this is a personality-related matter," Octavian said, his voice coming out like a professor's. "Just like the new zodiac signs a friend of ours mentioned. Some people are naturally as sharp and direct as Vipsania's 'Nox's Needle,' while others are more thoughtful and calm."
With him bringing the topic here, an alarm went off inside me. This was part of the plan. His eyes met mine and he nodded slightly. Your turn, he was saying. My stomach knotted. Were Octavian's theories really working? What if I messed up again?
But I had to say something. The other zodiac sign Octavian had mentioned came to mind. "Yes," I ventured, my voice trembling. "For example, I... I'm exactly like a 'Grain of Wheat.' Balanced and fair."
The moment I said it, there was a momentary silence at the table. A mocking smile appeared on Vipsania's face. "Grain of Wheat was Virgo, idiot," she said. "The balanced one was Aequus."
I felt my cheeks burning like fire. There I had done it again. I couldn't even convert the simple pass Octavian had set up into a goal. I lowered my eyes to the table, wanting to disappear.
But at that moment, I heard Luna's voice next to me. It was in a soft and protective tone. She lightly placed her hand on my arm.
"Let's not pile on him so much," she said, turning to Vipsania. "He worked for hours and did a great job. Besides, who can keep these made-up zodiac names in mind? Marcus being shy makes him more endearing."
These words... were the complete opposite of the pressure Octavian had put on me, that planned trap. To feel that someone understood me, accepted me as I was without judgment... At that moment I realized how precious Luna was to me. While Octavian was putting me to a test, Luna was protecting me. I felt as if I had escaped from a trap set over me.
Lyra cheerfully jumped in. "Forget the zodiac signs now! Last night I bought a new deck of Ahdort cards. Have you heard? They supposedly answer questions about the future!"
A cramp entered my stomach again. Here was another test. Ahdort cards? Octavian's morning conversation came to mind: "the 'new Marcus' we'll create will affect many other girls in the group." Did this 'new Marcus' need to understand these cards? What if they asked me to read them too? What would I do? Octavian's veiled promise to teach me palm reading now loomed over me like a threat.
While thinking in panic about what to do, I desperately turned to my only refuge next to me, Luna. She seemed to understand how scared I was at that moment. She leaned toward me and whispered in a voice no one else could hear.
"Don't worry," she said, her voice warm. "These are just made-up things." Then she turned to the table and changed the subject. "Leave the cards for now. Let Marcus tell us a bit about himself. How's your relationship with football, for example?"
This simple move of hers had freed me from tons of weight. I looked at her gratefully. She also responded to me with a smile that seemed to say "everything is fine."
This attention, this understanding was addictive. The hunger for acceptance and understanding that I had felt inside me for years was being satisfied, even if just a little, in Luna's presence.
At that moment I made my decision. Octavian could have his plans and strategies. But my refuge, the person I could trust, was Luna.