The Student Union youth smiled gently, the kind of smile polished through years of repetition, then gestured for his group to follow, his posture straight and his tone polite, calm.
"This way, please."
"....
The blue-skinned girl and most of the group did not move right away. Instead, they stayed in place for several seconds longer than necessary, casting long, lingering looks toward the three girls standing off to the side, their attention pulled almost against their will, as if so unseen force was anchoring their gaze.
The girls gave off the impression of being careless and detached, as though the world around them barely registered in their awareness. Even though they could undoubtedly feel every single gaze fixed firmly upon them-curious, wary, even envious-not one of the three bothered to turn around or acknowledge the group in the slightest. It was as though that gathering of prodigies from across the universe were nothing more than a flock of curious sparrows fluttering nearby, noisy but ultimately irrelevant.
The three of them... outwardly gave the impression of being easygoing and approachable, almost casual in their deanor. Yet in truth, rely getting close to them-truly approaching-felt like crossing an invisible boundary. An unspoken pressure lingered around them, making the idea of stepping forward feel extrely difficult, perhaps even quietly intimidating.
Upon thinking about it, if they truly were the lineage of the Cosmic Elder- daughters of soone who could protect them even if the entire universe collapsed upon everyone's heads-how would they behave?
Perhaps, if they were in their place, they wouldn't give a damn about anything either.
Perhaps just perhaps the rumors spread by the academy about the existence of the Cosmic Elder's children were not entirely unfounded?
Perhaps... they really were the offspring of the most powerful creature in the universe?
"Hm?"
Almost at once, the brows of the onlookers furrowed slightly, confusion and unease creeping in as they sensed that sothing about this scene did not align with their expectations.
At that mont, three boys casually walked up to the three girls with complete ease, their movents relaxed and familiar, as if there were no barriers between them at all.
"Laria, Darin, Zaiora-you're here?" one of them said naturally, his voice
carrying neither hesitation nor reverence. "The instructor has been looking for you everywhere."
"Caleb, Victor, and Faraday!" the eldest sister broke into a wide, genuine smile, her earlier indifference lting away instantly. "You didn't tell the instructor about our secret spot, did you?"
"Uh, of course not." One of the three boys shook his head lightly, then tilted his chin upward, glancing toward the sky with a faint grin. "Congratulations on riding the bubble, Zaiora. How long have you been up there this ti?"
"A full thirty seconds!" the girl above replied with undisguised excitent, her voice echoing lightly. "I want to reach a full minute today!!"
"Then I'll join you and keep you company!" the young man called Faraday laughed, leaping onto a nearby bubble without the slightest hesitation. He mounted it with remarkable ease and smoothly guided it until it floated right beside Zaiora, the two bubbles swaying gently in the air.
anwhile, the four who remained on the ground began chatting among themselves about various things, their conversation light, animated, and utterly natural-mostly revolving around the instructor and the lesson they had slipped away from just a short while ago, as if skipping it were a trivial habit.
"...What's going on here?" one of the new students muttered under his breath, his brows tightly knitted. He then raised his voice and called out to the Student Union youth. "Hey-who are they? Are they also children of the Cosmic Elder?" Of course, he was asking while already knowing the answer. Those exchanged glances, the subtle shyness, the quiet laughter, the effortless familiarity-none of that was normal between siblings. These people were definitely not related by blood.
"Hm?"
The Student Union youth ca to a stop, turned toward the floating bubbles, and smiled faintly, as though this reaction was entirely expected.
"Oh, they're siblings from the Burton family. You'll get to know them gradually as your days in the academy go by."
"Who exactly is the Burton family?" one of the youths snapped, his face flushing with irritation and wounded pride. "Why are we called just anyone, while children of so obscure family can talk to the daughters of the Cosmic Elder like that?"
"It seems it's ti for another piece of advice."
The young man turned fully, clasping his hands behind his back, and addressed everyone with a stern, unyielding expression that left no room for argunt. "Here, you may provoke the sons and daughters of the Cosmic Elder-they are tolerant and tend to forget quickly. But you must not ss with anyone who carries the na Burton. Understood?"
He paused deliberately before continuing. "My advice is simple: try to befriend them, or at the very least, do not earn their hostility. Otherwise, it will beco your one-way ticket out of this academy-with no return."
Then he put on a clearly forced smile, his eyes sharp and unwavering, and clapped loudly to draw their attention.
"Now then, please move along. I still need to introduce you to the rest of the
academy's sections and finish my job here. I have an important appointnt to
attend!"
With that, he turned and resud walking ahead, his pace steady and unhurried.
The group exchanged uneasy glances, unspoken thoughts passing silently between them, then took one last look toward the floating bubbles before finally moving on, their heads lowered as they walked.
Who exactly is the Burton family?
That na rang no bell in their minds at all-completely obscure... and yet here they stood, treated as equals to the children of the Cosmic Elder.
No-perhaps even more influential than them?!
"Is it an ancient family lying low... or sothing like that?"
"This na needs to reach back ho as soon as possible!!"
After everyone had left the area, their minds still tangled with what they had seen and heard, a single shadow remained standing in the very sa place.
It was a girl.
A human girl wearing a short red skirt that stopped above the knee and a white shirt. Her blonde hair fell loosely, covering one of her eyes, while the other glowed with a strange, unsettling light. Her head was adorned with a large bow made from a red ribbon.
"Hmmm, the Burton family, huh? How interesting..." she murmured. Then she
placed a hand over her mouth and giggled softly. "It seems Morgana is taking the plan to marry the two families quite seriously, hehe""
"Excuse ."
At that mont, a voice ca from beside the girl, followed imdiately by its
owner asking:
"May I know what you are doing here?"
"Hm?" The human girl turned her head to the side.
There, she found a mature woman with an hourglass-shaped figure, standing nearly two ters tall. She wore an elegant black dress and a large black hat.
Even her lips and eyes were frad in black. Around her emanated a powerful suppressive aura-yet at the sa ti, it carried an undeniable sense of safety... the kind of presence that made you feel she would protect you if you
stood at her side.
The girl recognized her instantly. She grabbed the edge of her skirt and perford a graceful curtsy.
"Lady of the Academy, Morgana. It is an honor to et you on my very first
day."
"The honor is mine," Morgana replied, lifting her chin slightly, "but that does not
answer my question."
"I don't quite understand your question." The girl tilted her head innocently. "What do you an by what I'm doing here? Of course, I ca to study."
Morgana's eyebrows twitched sharply.
"...I am on the verge of compressing my sixth star, and yet I can clearly feel that you are far stronger than -by a wide margin. That is without even ntioning that you co personally from the Drear Galaxy. Even if you are technically within the acceptable age for enrollnt, there is nothing we can
teach an expert like you."
She then tilted her head slightly.
"If your people wished to spy on-or even befriend-the children of the Cosmic Elder, wouldn't it have been better to send soone more... reasonable?
"Hehe~" The girl
Students I could actually teach sothing?" toward the children of the Cosmic Elder. "Norm I would say that an external academy isn't qualified to teach soone from the Drear Galaxy- not even newborn infants. But..." She gently pointed toward the shuttle riding atop the bubble, "...isn't that the Fundantal Law of Resonant Waves? The Burton family certainly hides many secrets, without a
doubt."
"Your na is Timari, correct?" Morgana narrowed her eyes slightly. "I don't want any trouble here."
"Of course. Who would dare cause trouble in the stronghold of the Cosmic
Elder and Lord Human?" The girl raised both her hands lightly in surrender. "I ca entirely of my own will just to check the situation. Maybe I'll leave today, maybe tomorrow. The day I start to feel bored, I won't stay a second longer."" She then turned her back to Morgana and began walking northward. "Now, if you'll excuse -I still want to finish that little tour with the Student Union President."
User Comments
0 comments from readers