As the next Monday arrived...
The morning sun cast its warm light across Tracen Academy's bustling corridors.
Students filled every hallway as the campus slowly came to life.
Some walked side by side, happily chatting before classes began.
Some dashed through the corridors, chasing after friends who had stolen a notebook or a snack.
Others desperately scribbled down homework they had conveniently forgotten to finish the night before, hoping to complete it before the teacher arrived.
And it was just another lively morning.
And among that familiar chaos was that pink menace, Haru Urara.
She stood in the classroom with a bright smile, happily chatting with Seiun Sky, El Condor Pasa, and Grass Wonder.
Even though she did not belong to the same class.
And somehow this had become a small morning routine for them to gather before homeroom.
In the meantime, after settling into academy life, Urara and King no longer struggled with arriving late as they had during their first week.
Though...
That improvement came with a price.
King had quietly adjusted her own morning schedule.
So, she now woke up thirty minutes earlier than before.
Not because she needed extra time to prepare herself—
But because waking up one pink-haired menace somehow took longer than preparing herself for school.
Every.
Single.
Morning.
Fortunately...
It had worked.
At least they had stopped being late.
Even so, today was a little different.
King wasn't standing beside Urara during their usual morning conversation.
Instead, she had headed in another direction the moment they arrived at the academy entrance...
...
...
...
Just before parting ways...
"Why don't you go on ahead first, Urara?" King added while casually adjusting the strap of her school bag.
"I have something I need to take care of."
"Whoa!" Urara immediately stiffened as she raised her hand in a dramatic salute.
"Yes, MDM!"
King's eye twitched.
"...And stop saluting me!"
"Don't worry!"
"Take all the time you need to poop, King!"
"I understand the urgency!"
King nearly choked.
"Wh-What?! I-I'm not going to poop—I mean... defecate!"
She immediately covered her face.
"W-Why did I even correct it...?" She then took a deep breath before glaring at Urara.
"And please refrain from discussing such crude subjects so openly!"
Urara blinked innocently.
"If King isn't going to poop..." She tilted her head in genuine confusion.
"Then what are you going to do?"
"Please stop saying that word!" King cried in defeat.
"It's..."
"It's..."
She stammered, desperately trying to come up with a believable excuse.
"It's concerning my training."
"Whoa!" Urara nodded immediately.
"I see!"
"Good luck with that then, King!" She flashed a bright thumbs-up.
And King paused.
"...Wait." She blinked.
"That's it?"
"It's rather unusual for you to accept an answer that quickly."
Urara proudly puffed out her chest.
"Well!"
"I learned that sometimes it's not nice to pry into other people's personal matters!"
King stared at her for a moment. "...Huh."
She then quietly muttered under her breath.
"That's rich coming from you..."
"Given that, the very first day we met, you practically unpacked my suitcase without asking..."
"What was that?" Urara leaned closer.
"I didn't catch what you said."
"N-Nothing!" King quickly waved both hands. "Forget it!"
She then cleared her throat and straightened herself.
"Now, why don't you head to class first?"
"I'll catch up later."
She smiled faintly.
"Besides..."
"I'm sure you're eager to see everyone."
"Roger, Roger!" and Urara saluted once more.
At that, King let out another sigh.
"My..."
"Please stop saluting already..."
Meanwhile, Urara waved enthusiastically before taking off down the corridor.
"Bye-bye, King!"
"And may your carrot pudding never betray you!"
Without another word, she dashed off again, leaving King standing there, perplexed.
"What...?" She blinked.
"...What does that even mean?"
Only after Urara disappeared around the corner did King finally let out another sigh.
"...That girl..."
She adjusted the strap of her bag before beginning to walk again.
Not toward the training grounds.
Nor toward her classroom.
Instead—
She headed in the opposite direction.
Toward the staff offices.
There was someone waiting for her.
Someone she remembered all too well.
Her homeroom teacher, Ishida.
She remembered how he had personally asked to meet her through a gesture.
At first, King had been skeptical.
She almost dismissed it as something related to schoolwork.
But after everything that had happened during the Trial Race...
After seeing Urara forced to participate again...
After hearing the whispers surrounding her...
She could no longer ignore the uneasy feeling lingering in her heart.
Something about Urara's situation wasn't right.
She was certain of it.
And she wanted answers.
Real answers.
The only person she believed might know them...
Was Ishida.
After all...
He had been there that day as well.
At the Trial Race.
Which meant...
He probably knew something...
Something she didn't...
...
...
...
A few moments later...
After following the guidance of some passing staff.
King found herself standing outside the staff office.
Compared to the lively hallways filled with students, this corridor was noticeably quieter.
Only a handful of teachers and staff occasionally passed by.
King then took a quiet breath.
Rather than barging in, she politely raised her hand and knocked on the door.
*Knock.*
*Knock.*
"Excuse me for the intrusion." She uttered before she lowered her hand and waited patiently.
Waiting for someone to invite her inside, specifically Ishida.
There, she waited for a few moments.
Only then—
The door slid open.
King immediately began to speak.
"Took you long enough... So... what was it you wanted to..."
"...tell me?" Her voice suddenly trailed off, and she stumped.
The person standing before her...
Wasn't Ishida.
Instead, it was another staff member—a woman who appeared to be around the same age as him.
The woman smiled politely.
"Hello. How can I help you, fellow student?"
"Oh...!"
King's eyes widened.
She quickly realized she had almost started a rant with the wrong person.
"I-I'm terribly sorry!"
She bowed slightly.
"I was actually looking for Mr. Ishida."
"Is he here?"
"Mr. Ishida?"
The staff member glanced back into the office before turning toward King again.
"Hmm..."
"He isn't in yet, but I'm pretty sure he should be here about now."
Just then—
A familiar voice called out from farther down the corridor.
"King Halo."
And King turned immediately.
There, Ishida stood several meters away, casually waving one hand while approaching them.
"Over here."
The staff member smiled and pointed toward him.
"There he is."
With that, King followed her gesture before quickly bowing once more.
"Thank you very much for your assistance."
"You're welcome." And the woman returned the smile.
Without wasting another moment, King hurried down the corridor toward Ishida.
As King approached, the staff member quietly slid the office door shut behind them.
Meanwhile, Ishida simply gestured with a slight nod.
"Come with me."
And without another word, King followed.
"Where are we going?" she asked.
"Just a little further away from where everyone could hear us."
With that, together, they disappeared farther down the corridor.
And disappeared completely thereafter...
...
...
...
After walking a little farther...
The two eventually arrived at a quiet corner of the academy.
A small bench rested beneath the shade of a tree, tucked away from the busy hallways.
It was secluded.
Far enough from passing students.
Far enough from familiar ears.
Exactly the kind of place where a private conversation could remain private.
There, King casually took a seat on the bench.
Without saying anything, Ishida walked over to the nearby vending machine.
Moments later, he returned carrying one can of soda and one can of coffee.
He then held the soda out to her.
"Here."
King looked at it briefly before accepting it with both hands.
"...Thank you."
"No problem."
Ishida opened his own can, taking a sip before sitting beside her.
For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.
Only after King took a small sip of her own can, she decided to get straight to the point.
"So...?"
She lowered the can onto her lap.
"What exactly did you want to discuss with me?"
She glanced around the empty surroundings.
"Whatever it is..."
"It must be rather confidential if you went through the trouble of bringing me somewhere this secluded."
Ishida let out a quiet sigh.
"...Well."
He stared ahead for a moment.
"I have a feeling you already know what I wanted to talk about."
King paused.
She then slowly took another sip before setting the can down again.
"It's about Urara, isn't it?" She said it without hesitation.
"Is there something about her that isn't known to the public?"
She turned toward Ishida.
"Something everyone else doesn't know."
"Like..."
"Why was Urara forced to enter the Trial Race again?"
"Why was she the only one who had to retake it?"
"I looked through the academy regulations."
"As far as I could find..."
"There isn't any rule requiring an already enrolled student to retake the entrance Trial Race."
"Especially not someone who's already been admitted."
She narrowed her eyes.
"Unless..."
She paused.
"...there's something I overlooked."
At King's question, Ishida slowly lifted his head.
"It's... complicated."
"Complicated?" King frowned.
"What do you mean by that?"
Ishida let out another sigh.
"Well..." He then searched for the right words.
"You see..."
"Urara was actually..."
"...never meant to become a student of this academy in the first place."
"What...?" King's eyes narrowed.
"And not only that."
"She was never supposed to participate in the Trial Race either."
"But somehow..."
"Without anyone giving a full explanation..."
"She was accepted."
"Not only into the Trial Race..."
King quietly finished the sentence for him.
"...But into the academy as well."
Ishida nodded.
"Exactly."
Silence settled between them as King lowered her gaze.
"Then..."
"Why is she retaking the Trial Race?"
"If she was already admitted..."
"Why is this happening?"
She looked back at him.
"Is there something I'm missing?"
Instead of answering immediately, Ishida turned toward her with a curious look.
"You know..."
"I never expected someone as self-oriented as you to be so curious about another person."
King immediately stiffened.
"W-What?!" She slightly blushed.
"What are you talking about?!"
"I'm just curious! That's all!"
Ishida smiled faintly.
"Really?"
"Then let me ask you this."
"Why do you care so much about Urara?"
"It's not as though she's family."
"You've only known her for a few weeks."
"So why exactly—?"
King instantly folded her arms, interrupting.
"W-Well! Like I said!"
"I'm just curious!"
She then pointed at him.
"And besides..."
"You're the one who asked me to come here!"
"Not the other way around!"
"So stop turning this around on me with your own assumptions..."
"And just tell me the truth already!"
Ishida remained quiet for a moment.
Then he calmly asked—
"Even... if I told you the truth?"
"...That Urara won't be staying at this academy much longer?"
"W-What...?" King's eyes widened. "What do you mean by that...?"
"Well... To put it simply..."
"If she continues to fail the upcoming Trial Races..."
"...She'll most likely be removed from the academy by next year."
With that, silence instantly fell over King as she simply stared at him.
Unable to process what she had just heard.
"W-What...?" Her voice trembled. "What do you mean...?"
"What do you mean she'll be dismissed if she fails? What did she do?"
"You see..." Ishida continued, clearing his throat.
"Urara was actually never officially admitted as a full-fledged student."
"She's only been attending Tracen as a probationary student, from what I gathered."
"And those repeated Trial Races participation..."
"They were never ordinary races."
"They were evaluations."
"They exist to determine whether she deserves a permanent place at this academy."
King slowly lowered her gaze.
"So..."
"You're telling me..."
"...that Urara..."
"...isn't really a Tracen student?"
"Well... Not yet," Ishida corrected.
"And..." He sighed.
"At this point..."
"...perhaps she never will be."
"You've seen her race."
"You've trained alongside her."
"So you should already know."
"She's still far from meeting Tracen's minimum standards."
He looked toward the distant academy grounds.
"And unless something changes..."
"I'm afraid she never will."
"I..."
King lowered her head, her fingers slowly tightened around the can.
"...I see."
After a moment, she quietly asked,
"So..."
"What you're saying is..."
"Urara won't be staying at Tracen much longer."
Ishida didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he looked up at the clear morning sky.
"...If fate continues down its current path..."
"Then yes."
"That's exactly what I'm saying."
Another silence settled between them.
"...I see."
King's voice had grown noticeably quieter.
Seeing her reaction, Ishida leaned back against the bench.
"That's the real reason I asked you to meet me today."
"What... is it?" King slowly looked back at him.
Ishida folded his hands together.
"You see..."
"There may still be something we can do."
"But..."
"I might not be able to do it alone."
"That's why I need your assistance, King Halo"
"I need your help..."
"...to help Urara."
"Will you?"
"Will you help her, King Halo?"