In a Civilized Manner

Classes proceeded as usual the next day.

The group gathered in the cafeteria during lunch, where Edris shared his general update on what had happened on the seventh floor, but without all the details of him almost dying.

He only wanted to reveal what was necessary to ensure the optimal chances of their survival. Confessing every little thing would only prompt further anxiety, and instability was the last thing they needed right now.

"No wonder Ives said you were acting a bit strange yesterday. It must have been dangerous." Celio gulped. "But Master, what will you do if they really start to suspect you?"

"It's not like I'm the only one on the list. And even if I am…" Edris leaned back, knocking on the cafeteria table as his lips upcurled. "Do you think they'd really punish the son of one of the academy's most important donors?"

When he was in Sky's room, he'd noticed a document on his desk containing a list of names ranked based on their "contributions" to the school.

Simply put, a list of students they should remain lenient towards, regardless of their grades.

As expected from the fair and loving MW Academy.

"But shouldn't we still try to look for the second intruder?" Ives said. "Otherwise, Mister Edris will remain a suspect."

"The intruder is someone who knows who I am," Edris said, tapping his lips in thought. "A person who holds hostility towards me and can also skip the test without minding the consequences. There are only a few among students who can do this."

"You're still talking about the infamous intruder?"

Edris glanced up and was met with the glowing number "12." The freckled boy throttled over with a plate of sausages as he joined the group of three at the table.

"What more is there to say?" He stabbed his fork into a sausage and tossed it in his mouth. "All I could think of is how impressive the professors' efficiency."

Celio blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Haven't you heard?"

The freckled boy chewed on his third sausage, swallowing as he took in the beast tamer's look of confusion.

"The intruder was caught this morning."

***

A crowd had already gathered outside the dorms when Edris's group arrived.

Four cloaked people surrounded the blocked the entrance, preventing the others from the inside view.

"Heard she tried to escape. See how that'd turned out." A student sighed. "It's strange, though. Apparently, she was the one that confessed her crimes this morning when asked by the professors. But now she's denying everything she'd ever said."

"Probably regretted having a conscience," another said with a shrug, instigating a wave of laughter among the students.

A few steps away from the main crowd, Edris silently listened to their conversation. He tapped the side of his leg, appearing contemplative about something.

"Who is it? Who's the intruder?" Celio tip-toed, trying to peer past the sea of heads.

The freckled boy yanked him back down on his feet.

"You know her, don't you?" He gave him a strange look, then turned to the seven-year-old. "She's Miss Prodigy's roommate. No. 39."

At his words, both Celio and Ives turned to him. The latter clung onto his sleeve as her usually controlled expression rippled.

"Alicia?" she said. "There's no way."

"Hey, let me go!"

As if to confirm her skepticism, a familiar voice echoed inside the dorms.

A woman was hauled out from the entrance and pushed onto the floor. Watching as Alicia's body dragged against the cement, Ives was about to step forward when a voice interrupted her from behind.

"Ives."

Edris peered in her direction with a calm gaze. He shook his head.

Footsteps emerged from afar, and the hoard of students stepped aside, making way for the professors as they strolled out of the building. Leading the group was Magenta, with Moss, Sky, and Aureolin right behind her.

"No. 39, your actions have been deemed a direct threat to the peace and harmony we have tried so hard to sustain here at MW Academy." She lowered her gaze to the woman on the ground. "It is only fair for you to be punished accordingly."

"I'm telling you—I didn't do it." Alicia gritted her teeth, pushing herself from the hard floor. "I was there for the test. Just ask the people around me!"

She whipped her head around, surveying the spectators, only for her gaze to be evaded by those around her. Amidst the surrounding students, her frantic eyes locked with those belonging to a certain seven-year-old.

"Ives!" Alicia called out, causing heads to steer her way. "We were together on the test day, and during when the intrusion took place, weren't we?"

Ives stared at her. "We were."

The woman released an exhale. She spun toward the pink-haired professor.

"See? I told you so!"

"Guess what? You also told us this morning that you didn't want to live in guilt and that it was you who stole the test papers." Sky scoffed. "Looks like your guilt is not very long-lasting."

"I was possessed! That wasn't me!"

"Magenta, do you hear the words she's spewing out of her mouth right now?"

"Silence," Magenta said as she gave the woman a side glance. "Us professors and other students were all present when you came to us with your confession this morning. And as for the test day… students say there's also been a period of time where you disappeared."

Alicia stared at her with eyes full of disbelief. "I was taking a piss!"

"Can you prove that?" Sky raised an eyebrow.

"How am I supposed to—"

"This has been going on for too long." Moss sighed, a hint of annoyance in his tone. "No. 39. As your actions have resulted in an extreme violation of Rule #5, the professors have decided to skip the first punishment and move to the second.

"As a result, your parents have been notified of your misconduct. They will be here shortly."

He gave the cloaked people a look.

"Take her to the Principal's Office."

"W-wait, it's not me! Also what parents? Why don't any of you listen?!"

Alicia's words of denial faded into the air as one of the cloaked figures yanked her off her feet, hauling her over like a sack of sand. No matter how much she screamed and resisted, the grip on her back didn't falter in the slightest.

The students around her regarded the scene with fear, enlarging the distance between them as the cloaked people marched past.

As Ives watched the woman's figure fade into the distance, she was suddenly hit with a single thought:

I still haven't given back her notebook.

The notebook filled with study notes the two of them spent weeks accumulating, the notebook which still had her doodles at the back, the notebook which held a single stain from her cup of morning coffee…

Ives clenched the rims of her blazer. She peered over her shoulder to the dark-haired man standing from behind.

She knew the reason why Edris had stopped her.

In the current progression of events, blindingly siding with Alicia just because they were roommates would only bring suspicion upon herself. Unlike Edris, whose persona revolved around his "unrequited love," Ives's persona required her to show hostility towards all.

If Ives were to step up, her action would undoubtedly be deemed as out-of-character, and with all the students watching, who knows how much her affinity would drop?

But even then…

"Mister Edris."

As the crowd dispersed, Ives spun around and glimpsed at the dark-haired man. A rare disorientation awashed her facial features as Ives pursed her lips into a line.

"I don't think…"

"I know."

Edris interrupted her, grazing his hand along the back of her head.

"Are you angry at me?" His voice was calm as usual. "I stopped you from helping her."

"I couldn't have helped her back then, even if you didn't stop me." Ives shook her head. "But Mister Edris…"

She peered at him with her dark round eyes.

"She copied down her pages for me. She also gave me a chocolate bar. I haven't paid her back yet."

As if afraid he'd laugh at her, Ives lowered her head and lightly tugged on his blazer.

"You said everything in the world has to undergo equivalent exchange."

"I did say that."

"…I'll have to pay her back, then."

"I guess you do."

Unlike her expectations, Edris's voice was soft and collected. Ives lifted her head, and she was met with a familiar gaze. Despite the unchanging, even cold, distance behind it, it brought upon the seven-year-old an undeniable sense of reassurance.

Edris smiled.

"Ives, I understand."

Children.

This was why he disliked children.

They easily grew attached to others, and the result of that formed reliance was impeded judgments. Although Ives was more mature and competent than most children her age, she was still only seven.

But to gain the favour of someone like Ives in such a short time, he supposed No. 39 was valuable in her own ways.

Amidst his speculations, a small pair of arms wrapped themselves around his waist. Edris glanced down to see Ives's head buried in his stomach.

With a gentle smile, he caressed the back of her head in silence as his mind worked away with the details.

Ranked No. 39, Alicia didn't hold many impressions on Edris besides being a player and Ives's roommate. They barely interacted throughout their time in the Labyrinth, and from the professors' accounts, it was true she'd been absent for a short period of time during test day.

Weighing the situation at large, Edris didn't have much to gain aside from more hassles that'd come from involving himself in the matter.

That was the case, but…

The dark-haired man sighed inaudibly.

Indeed, he wasn't planning to involve himself in the matter, but witnessing the extent of its effect on the seven-year-old, it looked like he'd have to dig deeper.

Plus…

Edris thought back to Alicia's reaction, then to the professors' unnatural nonchalance toward her situation.

Ives had reported to her about the mini-conflict they had with No. 43 in front of the academic building on test day. Under the presumption that No. 39 was, indeed, framed by another student, be they natives or players, what was their incentive for doing so?

The seventh floor wasn't a deed that could be executed alone. Chances were that multiple people collaborated, and their intentions reached far beyond simply framing Alicia—at least, it'd be quite petty of them if it were the case.

The people behind this… what's their relationship with the second intruder?

Edris cast his gaze toward the towering maroon building; it stuck out like a blood stain in the sky, bringing about uneasiness.

"There's something deeper to it."

***

While Celio and Ives had afternoon classes, Edris decided to head back to the dorm.

Thanks to the incident, security around campus buildings had gotten much tighter, with cloaked people floating around almost every street and even dorm hallways.

Humming under his breath, Edris strolled through the patrolling guards and into the elevator. A cloaked figure stood by the buttons. It turned toward Edris with a black hole as a face.

"Which floor?"

The figure's voice, sounding like metal against brick personified, scraped against the elevator walls as it directed toward Edris. However, the latter posed a particular reaction to the horrifying sound as he responded with a smile:

"Seventh."

“…”

The cloaked figure paused. Even though it had no face, Edris could sense unconcealed scrutiny.

"You cannot enter," the Shadow finally said. "It is only for professors."

"I know," Edris said. "I'm going there to find Professor 004."

"…We cannot let you in."

"Why?" The dark-haired man tilted his head. "Isn't it only right for students to find their professors if they have questions? I thought the academy promoted academic eagerness."

"Let him."

A voice resonated outside the elevator, halting the two amidst their conversation.

Magenta stepped into the elevator, positioning herself right between the two. She angled her body toward Edris.

"You're No. 111." She smiled.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe we've never talked." Edris stared at her strangely.

"No. You are correct." The woman's smile grew wider. "But I still know you."

"I guess I'm honoured?"

"No need. I am a professor, and it is within a professor's duty to know all her students' names." Magenta peered at him in amusement. "I hear you are looking for 004. He is with Moss at the moment for classes, so you're out of luck."

"In that case, I can come back later," Edris said as he turned to the elevator exit.

Magenta pressed a hand onto his shoulder.

"Now, now. They should be finished soon. In the meantime, why don't you and I have a nice chat? If I may remind you, 004 is still a teacher on his probation period. So in terms of experience…"

Spinning his shoulders around so they faced each other, Magenta patted the dust off his chest pocket.

"I may be a better teacher than him."