It was another day at school.
The sun hung lazily over the sports field as students wandered about during lunch. Austin and Sellzen sat on one of the worn benches by the track, watching the clouds drift above like they had somewhere better to be.
Austin exhaled—another long, soul-weary sigh. Sellzen chuckled beside him.
"Damn. That's, what, your tenth sigh this episode?"
Austin shot him a sharp glare. Sellzen raised both hands in surrender, grinning as he leaned back against the bench.
"Alright, alright. Just saying. So what's eating you this time? Your ever-growing fan club? Or did Truck-kun come up with a new 'exhausting' plan to wear you down—no pun intended. Actually, scratch that. Full pun intended."
Austin tapped his chin thoughtfully but said nothing. He couldn't exactly tell Sellzen about the crimson-haired goddess who had dropped into his life like divine bad news. He stood up and stretched, arms reaching toward the sky.
"We're going to find the class rep," he said flatly. "And you're helping. Whether you want to or not. Otherwise, I'm donating your entire betting stash to charity."
Sellzen immediately stiffened, his smile faltering as if he'd just been told his house burned down.
"W-wait! Okay, okay! Let's do this! Operation Save My Wallet has begun!" He jumped up beside Austin, pumping a fist. "Let's find the missing noble and keep my money where it belongs!"
---
Back inside the classroom, the space was eerily quiet during the lunch break. Rows of empty desks sat in silence as the two boys entered. Austin made his way to the front of the room, pausing at the desk near the door—where the class rep once sat.
"She vanished without a trace… and we're not going to get any answers sitting around. Sellzen, you've got dirt on half the school. Start talking. What do you know about her?"
Austin turned—only to find Sellzen wearing an oversized trench coat and a wide-brimmed detective hat, casually unwrapping a lollipop. He popped it into his mouth and pulled out a battered notebook with HUMAN RESOURCES scrawled across the cover in bold letters.
"Elementary, my good sir Moon," he said in a faux-deep voice, flipping the book open. "Detective Sellzen, at your service. Case file: The Missing Noble."
He licked the lollipop, flipping pages theatrically.
"Subject: Class Representative. Age: 17. Long brown hair, ruby red eyes. Grade average: consistent A's. Lives on Okinawa Street, 25 blocks from here—roughly a 20-minute walk. Parents: alive but divorced. Distinguishing features: birthmark on her le—"
Austin ripped the hat off his head and slapped him repeatedly with it, each hit punctuated with a sigh of growing frustration.
"Why are you like this?" he muttered, tossing the hat aside. "Anyway, we'll check out the address after school. With any luck, we'll find some clues."
Sellzen adjusted his now-ruffled hair and shrugged, putting the hat back on with a grin.
"But what about Truck-kun, huh? It's been a while. You don't think he'll try again? I mean, the god of isekai doesn't exactly let things slide. Aren't you scared you might, y'know... die?"
Austin sat on the front desk, gazing out the window. A small smirk touched the corner of his lips.
"Nah. I'd win."
Sellzen blinked, then scoffed, half amused and half impressed.
"Dude. Did you just straight-up steal that line from Jujutsu Kaisen?"
Austin didn't look away.
"Shut up. I've got a plan."