The Anomaly's Path

We passed through the security gate and stepped onto the main street of the upper district.

The night air was cool, but the city was still alive. Mana lamps glowed softly along the wide streets, lighting up shops, tall buildings, and apartments. The academy city was clean and bright — nothing like the dark, dirty alleys of the underworld.

Julian walked beside us, head down, his oversized shirt dragging around his legs. He kept staring at the glowing signs and tall towers. He had spent his whole life in dark cages and filthy streets. To him, this clean, bright city must have looked like another world.

"Stop stretching your neck," I said softly, nudging him forward. "You’ll trip over your shirt."

"Ugh! I’m not looking at anything," he muttered back, though his eyes were practically darting in every direction.

"First thing’s first," I sighed, turning to Seris. "Food. If I don’t feed both of you right now, I’m pretty sure one of you is going to faint, and the other is going to stab me."

Seris gave me a slight, deadpan look, but didn’t deny it.

_

We headed toward a restaurant.

It was late, but the place was still open. The inside was quiet, dark wood tables, soft glowing lights, and comfortable booths.

The host looked confused when he saw two Primus students — one from the first year and one from the second year — walk in with a scruffy kid in an oversized shirt, but he kept quiet and led us to a private booth.

As soon as we sat down, I ordered a mountain of food: roasted meats, warm bread, savory soups, and a cake for Seris.

When the food came, Julian stared at his plate like it was a trap. He picked up his fork, took a tiny bite of meat, and chewed slowly — dropping sauce on his chin and his collar. I grabbed a napkin and reached over to wipe the sauce off his face.

"Eat faster, brat, but don’t choke," I said, dabbing his chin. "And stop dropping food on yourself."

Julian’s face flushed instantly, and he swatted my hand away hard. "Shut up! Don’t touch me! I know how to eat, you bastard!"

"Clearly you don’t," I smirked, though I couldn’t help a small chuckle from escaping.

I had gotten used to wiping kids’ faces because of my little sister, Mia. Every time she ate sweets, she’d get frosting all over her face and look at me to clean her up. Watching this sharp, prickly brat do the same thing made me miss home for a moment.

Meanwhile, across the table, Seris was destroying her cake in silence. She ate neatly and quickly, almost too fast. Within two minutes, her plate was completely clean.

Julian, having finished his plate, stared at her empty dessert dish with wide eyes, completely mesmerized by the sheer volume of food this pretty girl could put away.

After paying the restaurant bill with my mana link watch, which of course I hated doing, since spending money always stung no matter how rich I was, we left and walked toward the upper-district lodging area.

I wasn’t taking Julian to some cheap, shady place.

This was Aegis Prime, and he needed a safe hotel where he could rest for the next few days. We walked into the grand lobby of the Aegis Crest Hotel, a tall building right next to the academy’s outer campus. It had the same layout as the academy’s official visitor suites.

I walked up to the front desk, scanned my mana-link watch to book a luxury single suite for three nights. When the total price flashed on the screen, my heart physically winced in pain.

2,500 credits a night?!

I stared at the glowing numbers, internally bleeding. Damn it... this kid is more expensive than I thought. I’m spending money like water tonight.

"I also need proper clothes delivered to the room," I told the clerk, keeping my voice calm. "Something durable, clean, and his actual size."

"Right away, Young Master," the clerk bowed respectfully, handing over the mana-key card.

We took the elevator up to the room. It was huge — a soft bed, a private shower, a terrace, and a mana-tablet on the table by the bed. Julian stood in the middle of the carpet, looking around nervously. I walked to the table, picked up the mana-tablet, and linked it to my watch.

The screen lit up.

"You’re staying here tonight," I told him, looking down at the brat. "Tomorrow morning, I’m sending my maid, Lyra, to pick you up. She’ll take you to my family’s estate. Do what she says, don’t cause trouble, and get some real sleep."

I reached out, shoving my hand onto his messy hair and giving it a firm ruffle. Julian flinched, but this time, he didn’t push my hand away. He just glared at the floor, his face turning a faint pink.

"I left my contact on the device," I added, turning toward the door. "If something happens, call the staff or send me a text. Don’t go running off into the city like an idiot."

"I’m not stupid," Julian muttered under his breath. "...Thanks for the food, bastard."

I smirked over my shoulder. "You’re welcome, brat."

The door clicked shut behind me.

_

Seris and I stepped out of the hotel lobby and walked back into the cool night air. The street was quiet now. I stretched my arms above my head and let out a long, tired yawn.

"Man... what a ridiculously long night," I muttered, shaking my head. "I am completely wiped out."

I turned my head to look beside me. Seris was walking with her hands in her jacket pockets, her black cap pulled down low, her quiet presence blending into the night. Looking at her, a faint, small smile appeared on my face.

Seris tilted her head slightly, catching my expression. "What are you thinking about?"

I coughed into my hand, quickly straightening my posture. "Nothing. Just... thinking about how much I seem to owe you these days."

I cleared my throat, shifting the topic. "By the way... aren’t you curious about the boy? You didn’t ask me a single question about where I found him or why I bought him from a black-market auction."

"No," Seris replied simply, her voice as calm as a still lake.

I blinked, stopping in my tracks for a second. "Wait, really? Usually people are a little suspicious. You literally registered a former Syndicate slave kid under your own name on the student council portal. If he turns out to be a massive problem, the blame falls straight on you. Are you always this trusting?"

Seris stopped, turning her head to look at me. She tilted her head slightly. "...Is he going to be a problem?"

"Well... no," I admitted.

"And you aren’t planning to do anything dangerous with him inside the city, right?"

"Of course not."

"Then there’s no problem," she said cleanly. She paused, then added in her quiet, deadpan tone, "Besides... you’re Sylvia’s younger brother. You wouldn’t do anything that would make her want to kill you."

A dry chuckle escaped my throat, though I shook my head with a smirk. "Fair enough, Lady Seris. But you’re wrong about one thing — I would absolutely do something just to make Sylvia furious."

Seris raised a faint eyebrow. "Why?"

"Why not? That’s what makes it fun," I grinned, crossing my arms behind my head as we walked toward the academy.

"You don’t have siblings, so you might not get it, but messing with your older sister is the ultimate sign of affection. Being a good, obedient kid is boring. Sylvia used to beat the hell out of me when we were younger, so consider this my lifelong payback."

A faint, chuckle slipped from Seris’s lips. "You two really are similar. You resemble each other way more than you think."

My eyebrows twitched hard. "Excuse me? Similar? I am a completely sane, reasonable, and polite gentleman! That crazy girl is a violent hurricane wrapped in a school uniform! Comparing me to her feels like a personal insult!"

Seris just gave me a quiet, amused look, not arguing the point.

I snorted and shook my head as we continued walking. The night air was nice, but seeing the banners and glowing arches being set up reminded me of what was coming tomorrow. The whole city was getting ready for the festival.

We reached the outer gates of the academy. I held up my wrist, letting the guard scan my mana-link ID. The guard nodded and waved us through without a word.

"...Sylvia’s going to be completely occupied tomorrow, right?" I asked, breaking the silence as we walked past the gates. "Because of the opening setup?"

"Yes..." Seris nodded, pulling her hands deeper into her jacket pockets. "The Student Council are managing security and logistics for the ceremony. It’s hectic."

"Heh. Good," I muttered, letting out a faint breath of relief. "If she’s busy drowning in paperwork and security patrols, that means she won’t have time to randomly pop up at my dorm and beat me up for buying a kid from auction, or force me for shopping."

Seris tilted her head slightly, a small glint of humor in her eye. "She did ask me earlier if I knew where you were."

My stomach did a small drop. "And what did you tell her?"

"I told her I don’t know where you are," Seris replied smoothly, without missing a beat.

I let out a long breath of relief. "Oh god, I’m saved."

"You’re only saved until tomorrow," Seris pointed out, her tone entirely flat. "Once the opening ceremony ends, she’ll come looking for you anyway."

"Don’t remind me," I threw my head back with a heavy groan, rubbing my temples.

"As if my day isn’t going to be stressful enough. Since I’m the class representative — and apparently the only sane person who actually knows how to cook without blowing up the kitchen. I have to handle almost everything for our stall. Plus, I have to babysit Roan and Alice. If those two get bored for even five minutes, they’ll probably start a duel in the middle of the food court."

Seris looked over at me, her crimson eyes sharpening slightly. "...What is your class making at the stall?"

I caught that sudden, sharp look in her eye and smirked internally. Ah... the glutton is officially wake up.

"Well... we’re serving savory meat skewers, rich stew, and..." I paused, deliberately dragging out the silence. "A few specialty dessert pastries, and chocolate cake."

I could practically see her ears perk up under her cap.

"Sounds... good," she said, though her gaze stayed locked onto mine.

"Just good?" I chuckled. "You don’t have to play it cool. I know you’re coming to eat half our food when you find free time."

"I might come by tomorrow," she said without batting an eye.

"Hey, leave some for the paying customers," I laughed as we reached the front doors of the dorm building.

As we stepped into the lobby and walked toward the elevators, I stretched my shoulders. "What about the second-years? What did your class do last year for the festival?"

Seris thought for a moment as the elevator doors slid open.

"Last year... my class ran a maid cafe," she said plainly.

I froze mid-step right in front of the elevator doors.

"A... a what?" I turned my head slowly, staring at her. "A maid cafe?!"

My brain instantly stop. Wait. What? If they did a maid cafe? Then does that mean... Seris wore a—

A faint twitch appeared at the corner of Seris’s lips. She looked at my red face, her crimson eyes narrowing into a deadpan glare. "Are you thinking about something improper, Leo? You really are a pervert."

"HAH?!" My voice squeaked slightly, my face burning red instantly. "W-What?! No! What the hell are you talking about?! I was just surprised!"

Seris stepped into the open elevator, turning around to face me as the doors began to slide shut. Her expression remained completely deadpan, but there was a distinct, playful mischief in her voice.

"You look disappointed that you missed it," she said quietly. "Did you want to see me in a maid outfit that badly?"

My jaw dropped. I got played. Damn it! She’s teasing me on purpose!

"You know what? YES!" I blurted out, stepping into the elevator before the doors closed, puffing out my chest to hide my embarrassment. "A real man isn’t afraid to admit his dreams! Visiting a maid cafe at least once in his life is every man’s birthright!"

I finished the sentence with absolute conviction, realizing the exact words Roan had yelled at me days ago in the class.

...Wait.

I suddenly went dead silent, my eyes wide as a cold sweat broke out on the back of my neck.

Damn it! I just used Roan’s exact line! If that bastard somehow hears about this, he’ll never let me live it down. He’ll think I’m a fellow man of culture!

I quickly looked around the elevator, half-expecting Roan to pop out of the ceiling vents like a creep.

Seris stared at me, blinking twice in genuine confusion at my sudden paranoia.

I cleared my throat loudly, trying to regain whatever scrap of dignity I had left. "Ahem... anyway, I find that hard to believe. Sylvia never mentioned anything about a maid cafe last year. Knowing her, she would rather die than put on an apron and serve tea, so how did your class even pull that off?"

Seris tilted her head, her crimson eyes gleaming with quiet mischief. "Oh, we didn’t."

I blinked. "Huh?"

"Of course we didn’t," she said smoothly. "It was a standard duel exhibition."

I stood there completely frozen. My mind went blank. I stared at her, realizing I had just yelled a whole speech about maid cafes being "every man’s birthright" — all over a lie. Slowly, a deep, burning heat rushed straight up to my face. My cheeks felt like they were literally on fire.

I slammed a hand over my eyes, groaning into my palm.

Beside me, I could see Seris’s shoulders trembling slightly. She was standing there with a deadpan face, pretending like nothing happened, but her entire body was subtly shaking as she fought to hold back her laughter.

I pulled my hand down just enough to glare at her through my fingers. Seris looked back at me, her expression completely innocent, though the corner of her lips twitched.

Damn it. This woman is seriously playing me.

The elevator dinged softly, arriving at our floor.

We stepped out into the quiet hallway, walking down toward our respective room doors. We stood outside her door for a quiet second, the awkward tension returning for a brief moment.

"Well," I rubbed the back of my neck, clearing my throat. "Goodnight, Seris. Thanks again for tonight."

"Goodnight, Leo," she replied, reaching for her door handle. She paused, turning her head back toward me just as her door slid open.

"Oh, by the way..." she said quietly, a subtle, unreadable look in her eyes. "I hope the late-night meal we just ate... wasn’t the dinner you promised me before."

I blinked. "Huh?"

Seris gave me one last, quiet glance, stepped into her room, and let the door slide shut with a soft click, leaving me standing alone in the hallway.

I stood there frozen for five full seconds.

"Huh?!" I whispered loudly to the empty corridor, my face flushing dark red. "Wait! Did she—did she think I was trying to cheap out on our dinner with a late-night street meal?!"

I threw my hands over my face, groaning heavily into my palms. How careless can I be?! Of course she thought that! What’s wrong with me tonight?!

Covering my burning face, I practically ran down the hall to my own room, unlocked the door, and threw myself inside, slamming it shut behind me.