After everything ended,
students began leaving the hall in scattered groups.
Their whispers still floated in the air,
their sharp gazes trailing Rolin like invisible arrows.
Curiosity.
Envy.
Open hostility.
And then—
Someone stopped.
A tall young man stepped forward, broad-shouldered,
his jet-black hair dark as a starless night,
his clear blue eyes carrying the kind of confidence
that only comes when the world has always given you reasons to believe in yourself.
He smiled.
A natural smile.
Unforced.
Which immediately made Rolin suspicious.
"Hey, Rolin," he said calmly.
"I'm Kyle Lyncard."
Rolin slowly looked around.
'…There must be another Rolin.'
The reply came instantly, dripping with sarcasm.
'You idiot. There's no one else receiving this much hatred in the same hall.'
"…Oh."
Rolin turned back to him.
"Are you… okay?"
Rolin blinked.
"Uh… yeah. I think so."
Kyle extended his hand confidently.
"To be honest—
I'm the strongest student in this academy.
At least… among the students."
Rolin froze for a second.
'Damn.'
He looked Kyle up and down.
'Tall…
handsome…
strong…
confident…
probably rich…
and half the female population is definitely staring right now…'
An unreasonable sting hit his chest.
'I hate this type.'
Kyle continued smiling, as if he hadn't just delivered the most arrogant self-introduction in human history.
"But," he added casually,
"no one's ever reached my level."
He paused.
Then looked straight into Rolin's eyes.
"And I think… you're stronger than me."
Rolin blinked.
"…Huh?"
"You killed a corrupted breaker-class monster,"
Kyle said.
"And walked away without a scratch."
He laughed quietly.
"That's not luck."
Then, honestly:
"So I thought—
why don't we become friends?"
Silence.
Rolin stared at him, searching for the trick.
'Likath.'
'Hm?'
'Is this a trap?'
'Either that… or he's annoyingly nice.'
"…That's not an answer."
'I'm a great fire entity, not a social expert.'
Rolin inhaled deeply.
"You… want to be my friend?"
"Yes."
"…After what I said on the stage?"
Kyle shrugged.
"Honestly?"
"That was funny."
Rolin choked.
"…What?"
"Most people here pretend to be polite," Kyle said.
"You just shouted what they think when they're angry."
His smile widened.
"That's refreshing."
Inside Rolin's chest—
'He likes aggression.'
'Strange taste… but respectable.'
Rolin hesitantly reached out.
"…Alright."
They shook hands.
Kyle's grip was strong—
but not aggressive.
"Nice to meet you, Rolin Azir."
Then Kyle leaned closer, lowering his voice.
"By the way—
half the academy hates you now."
"…I noticed."
"And the other half—"
He paused.
"…wants to test you."
Rolin swallowed.
"And that's… good?"
Kyle smiled.
"Depends on how strong you really are."
Inside—
'Oh.'
'I like him.'
'And I like even more that trouble is multiplying.'
Rolin closed his eyes briefly.
"…Welcome to the very short list of people who don't hate me."
Kyle laughed.
"An honor."
Somewhere between the looks,
the whispers,
and the fires yet unlit—
Rolin's first real friendship in Locarina was born.
…And it was clearly not going to be peaceful.
Kyle escorted Rolin to the dormitory,
guiding him until they reached his room.
It was directly next to Kyle's.
Rolin smiled at the obvious coincidence—
then decided to ignore it.
His luck had already done enough damage today.
He stepped inside.
A single bed—simple yet elegant.
Clean white walls.
A dark wooden desk with a comfortable chair.
Dark flooring, and a ceiling that reflected it almost perfectly.
The light switches were strange—
made of gold.
Even turning them on felt… royal.
Soft, warm light filled the room.
In the corner, a small bathroom:
a sleek sink, modern shower, spotless toilet.
On the opposite wall—
a screen resembling a highly advanced computer,
yet somehow smarter… as if it reacted to movement itself.
Rolin froze.
He had never seen anything like this.
Not in small towns.
Not in slums.
Not even in the "special" houses he'd known.
This… was completely new.
Kyle noticed his expression and smirked.
"Of course," he said,
"this probably doesn't suit you.
You must've lived in a palace or something."
Rolin raised an eyebrow, confused.
'Palace… what's that?'
Likath whispered sarcastically.
'Where nobles and kings live—something a fragile meat sack like you wouldn't understand.'
Rolin coughed, trying to sound confident.
"Ah… yeah… something like a palace."
'Ha! A fragile meat sack pretending!'
'Did you expect luxury to be normal here?'
Rolin ignored Likath and looked around again.
White walls.
Dark wood.
The intelligent screen.
'I thought this would just be a simple room,'
he thought.
'But everything in Locarina… wants to overwhelm you.'
Kyle smiled.
"Relax. This is your room.
Get used to luxury before someone shows you the magic ceiling or golden keys."
Rolin exhaled, smiling faintly.
"…Welcome to a world I've never seen before, fragile meat sack."
'Not fragile,' Likath replied lazily.
'I'm strong.'
And Rolin knew—
He was about to enter a whole new kind of chaos.
A luxurious one.
A clever one.
A royal one.
Kyle suddenly flopped onto Rolin's bed without permission,
as if it had always been his.
He sighed deeply.
"You've made yourself a bad enemy, brother."
Rolin froze.
'Brother…?'
'Did he just call me brother?'
Kyle stared at the ceiling.
"Out of all the students…
you picked the worst possible one."
Rolin swallowed.
"How bad… exactly?"
Kyle turned slightly, half-smiling with faint pity.
"You made Selen your enemy."
Silence.
"…Selen?"
'Ah.'
'It's her,' Likath said knowingly.
'The girl who punched you and nearly rearranged your organs.'
"Shut up," Rolin muttered.
Kyle raised an eyebrow.
"You talk to yourself a lot. Bad habit."
"Family tradition."
Kyle sat up, serious now.
"Selen isn't just strong.
If she hates you—
she won't just ignore you."
"What will she do?"
Kyle smiled briefly. No humor.
"She'll crush you.
Academically.
Socially.
And maybe physically—if she gets the chance."
A chill ran down Rolin's spine.
"…Comforting."
"She's among the top five in her year.
Never lost a duel.
And she has… quiet support from the professors."
He paused.
"And they say someone in her family
isn't someone the academy likes to upset."
'Yes, yes,' Likath said eagerly.
'I like her more already.'
"LIKATH."
"…What? Dangerous women are fun."
Rolin pressed his temple.
"…Does everyone know this?"
"Almost."
"Great."
He hesitated, then asked:
"Why warn me?
Aren't you the strongest student?
Wouldn't she be your enemy too?"
Kyle laughed.
"I'm strong," he said.
"Not stupid."
He stood and patted Rolin's shoulder.
"And you… are interesting."
'He said it.'
'The dangerous word,' Likath commented.
"How so?"
"Someone who kills a breaker-class monster,"
Kyle said,
"then stands before a thousand students
and threatens them all on day one…"
He chuckled.
"Either insane—
or far more dangerous than he looks."
Rolin smiled tiredly.
"I'm just… bad at talking."
"Perfect," Kyle replied.
"This academy is full of people good at talking.
It needs people like you."
He walked to the door, then stopped.
"Brotherly advice?"
"Go ahead."
"If you meet Selen again—
either apologize sincerely…"
He paused.
"…or get strong fast."
The door opened.
"She doesn't forget."
Kyle left.
Rolin sat down on the bed.
"…An enemy on day one."
'Achievement,' Likath said.
'Usually I need two weeks.'
Rolin stared at the dark ceiling.
"Locarina…
you don't plan to be kind, do you?"
'Don't worry,' Likath laughed.
'We'll set it on fire a little.'
"…I said no problems."
'I didn't say a big fire.'
Rolin closed his eyes.
One thing was certain—
This place would never allow him to stay ordinary.
Likath slipped out of Rolin's chest gracefully,
stretching on the bed like a spoiled cat.
"Finally… a private space,"
he yawned.
Rolin sighed.
"Yeah, yeah… my bed.
Just don't burn anything."
Likath curled up.
"Bring me food soon," he said lazily.
"Or you'll regret it."
Rolin smiled despite himself.
"This place is going to be loud with you."
'More like fun,' Likath whispered, drifting to sleep.
Rolin lay beside him.
They both slept.
***
Hours later—
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
Rolin and Likath stirred.
"Who dares disturb me…"
Likath grumbled before vanishing into Rolin.
Rolin staggered to the door, hair messy.
He growled.
"Who is it?"
Kyle stood there, grinning.
"What do you want?" Rolin snapped.
"The sun isn't even up!"
Kyle laughed.
"Brother, you need to register for your classes."
He clapped Rolin's shoulder.
"And I'll help you."