Clara had already grabbed Al's hand and was pulling him toward the car.
But honestly, she hesitated for a second—the smell coming off him wasn't exactly pleasant.
Still, there was something in the boy's eyes. Something sincere. Something that made it impossible for her to just leave him behind like that.
She could only smile awkwardly at her own impulsive behavior.
Al, however, saw it differently.
Even with all his power, he wasn't some kind of god who could read people's hearts or know their true intentions—especially not someone he had just met.
Clara's action was more than enough to put him on guard.
Instinctively, he tried to pull his hand back.
"Sis! I'm still a minor, okay?! Please don't—" he said in a deliberately ambiguous tone.
He only meant it as an excuse to get out of the situation, but the people nearby heard it loud and clear—and instantly turned to look.
Clara froze, completely not expecting her good intentions to be twisted like that. She quickly let go of his hand and raised both of hers in surrender.
"No, no, don't think like that! I just wanted to help you, Al!" she said in a panic.
A few people around them began whispering, some even looking ready to step in.
Clara's elegant appearance versus Al's muddy state made for a confusing picture.
To some people, it looked like an attempted kidnapping. Others, however, thought Al was the one trying to scam Clara, judging by his shabby appearance.
But in the end, Al still looked like a school kid—and that alone was enough to tilt most of the sympathy toward him.
Both Al and Clara realized the situation was about to spiral into something very troublesome.
Feeling a little sorry for her, Al decided to step in—but not before making sure she wasn't dangerous.
His eyes faintly glowed as he activated his Dimensional Eye, scanning her aura.
It was a technique he had unintentionally developed after doing this to enough people before—especially those who had already awakened their magical flow.
Abnormal fluctuations in the energy around the brain were usually a clear sign of malicious intent.
Fortunately, that wasn't the case with Clara. The only disturbance he detected was a brief tremor around her heart—most likely from panic.
Other than that, her energy was predominantly calm—steady and clean. Not much ripple, no distortion. From that alone, Al could draw one conclusion.
She was honest.
No ill intent.
But something else caught his attention when he sensed that earlier vibration in her chest.
Amid the natural flow of energy inside her, there was a small, glowing green core—resting right at the center of her heart.
That light… green energy? What is that? I've never seen something like it before, he thought, narrowing his eyes slightly.
And after trying to identify it, unfortunately, it became one more thing his current Dimensional Eye couldn't read.
Another? he wondered in frustration.
Huff… I really need to perfect this eye soon. The further I go, the more things this fragment fails to properly identify.
Still, with people watching, he didn't have the luxury of staying lost in his thoughts. So he decided to smooth things over.
He laughed lightly, waving his hands. "Sorry, sorry! We're siblings, just fooling around! haha."
Clara quickly caught on and nodded, awkwardly playing along. "Haha. Yes, yes."
The onlookers eventually dispersed—some seemed to understand the situation, while others looked disappointed that there was no drama to enjoy after all.
Meanwhile, Al and Clara both let out sighs of relief as they got into the car.
"You really almost got us into trouble," Clara muttered.
"Well, you're the one who suddenly grabbed me. Sorry, sis," Al replied casually.
Clara exhaled and motioned to her driver to start the car.
The vehicle rolled forward, leaving behind the small crowd and the awkward misunderstanding.
---
Inside the car, Al sat beside Clara, doing his best to avoid eye contact.
For a brief second, he considered casting a cleansing spell—but with her sitting this close, he quickly dismissed the idea.
The air inside was thick with silence and mild awkwardness. Both of them were still recovering from almost becoming the headline gossip of the day.
Then Clara finally snapped back to reality—and caught a whiff of the unpleasant smell coming from Al. Even though it had dried, the odor still lingered faintly.
Without saying anything, she quickly handed him a pack of tissues.
Al accepted it gratefully. At least he had something to clean himself with. That small action alone helped ease the awkwardness a little.
"Thank you," he said sincerely.
Clara nodded and placed the rest of the tissues between them.
She wanted to ask him a few things. The boy had definitely piqued her curiosity. But she had no idea where to start.
Even in just a short time, she had begun to see him as someone unusually cautious. He wasn't easily influenced, and he seemed to have a surprising level of control over situations.
Earlier, when she had asked about his background, he had casually claimed he was from a wealthy family.
That alone made Clara skeptical. She doubted he would answer honestly if she asked for more personal information.
Because honestly, what were the chances he was telling the truth? He dressed plainly, and what rich kid walked home from school?
But then her eyes landed on the school logo printed on his uniform—the one he was currently using to support the little kitten in his arms.
She froze.
It was the emblem of Hazandeen International High School.
"Wait… Al. Are you from HIHS?" she asked, a hint of excitement slipping into her voice. At the very least, this was a topic he couldn't hide. It was literally written on his shirt.
Al, who was busy wiping off the dried splashes from his clothes, followed her gaze down to his uniform and then nodded.
"Yup."
"Seriously?" Clara still looked slightly suspicious at first. But after taking a closer look at the logo, she had no reason to doubt it.
And somehow, that made her smile.
"What a coincidence," she said, her eyes lighting up.
"A coincidence?" Al asked.
Clara nodded enthusiastically. "I'm actually an HIHS alumna. Graduated four years ago. Turns out you're my junior, haha." There was a hint of pride in her tone.
Al looked at her. Honestly, he wasn't particularly interested in that kind of thing—but he nodded anyway, trying to go along with the mood of the girl who had just helped him.
"Ah… haha… yeah…" he replied with an awkward little laugh and stiff nod.
And just like that, light nostalgia filled the rest of the ride. Clara chatted about her memories at school and asked about its current condition, which Al answered to the best of his ability.
Al listened to all the trivial stories, secretly hoping she might casually mention something about that strange green core inside her chest.
Unfortunately, nothing of the sort came up.
But something else did catch his attention.
Clara explained that she had just graduated from college this year.
Coincidentally, she had finished a job interview earlier today—and had just been accepted into a large international-scale company.
Aria Group.
"Wow, Sis, you got accepted into Aria Group? I heard that's a huge multinational company. That's amazing—you actually made it in," Al praised.
Clara nodded. "I'm usually not the bragging type, but this is Aria Group. This time, I'll just accept the compliment, hehe," she said proudly.
"Hehe, fair enough…" Al agreed. "By the way, what position did you get? Don't tell me it's some high-ranking role?" he asked, genuinely curious.
"Eh? High-ranking? What are you talking about?" Clara said modestly. Then she narrowed her eyes teasingly.
"Don't tell me you're planning to use me as your inside connection someday when you apply there, huh?"
"Ishh, no, Sis! I'm just honestly curious," Al protested.
Clara sneered playfully. "Anyway," she continued, "about my position there, it's…"
She paused, holding her chin as if deep in thought.
Al's eyes sharpened slightly.
Clara nodded to herself, then mischievously said, "Secret, haha."
Al leaned back a little.
"Ishh… why so secretive? It's not like you got some classified executive position or something," he commented, carefully observing her reaction.
But there was no obvious change in her expression. Clara simply shook her head.
"You're the one playing secrets first. Why can't I?" she shot back.
"Huh? Since when was I being secretive?" Al replied, confused.
With a lazy look, Clara answered,
"Earlier when I asked why you were in such a hurry, you suddenly claimed you were from a rich family. You were clearly hiding something."
"Huh? But I am from a rich family, Sis. That's not a secret. I mean, I even go to HIHS—an elite, super expensive school," Al replied.
Even though his school life had nothing to do with his family's wealth—considering he got in through a scholarship—it was still a reasonable enough explanation.
Besides, now he really was from a wealthy family.
That point made Clara pause.
Yeah… that's true, isn't it? As an alumna, how did I forget that HIHS is ridiculously expensive? Does that mean this kid is actually rich? she wondered.
Before she could respond—
The car eventually entered a luxurious residential district—the Virellano family estate.
Clara's eyes widened as she looked out the window, stunned by the area they were driving into.
Wait… isn't this the Virellano estate? Why is Al here? Don't tell me when he said he was rich, he meant he's a Virellano?
But... Isn't their son named David Virellano… is Al lying?
But why would he lie? Maybe he's a servant's kid? But… that uniform is from Hazandeen Academy. Could he be adopted? Hmph…
Her thoughts spiraled rapidly, suspicion mixing with disbelief.
She had just begun reconsidering Al's claim about being rich—but the Virellano family? That was on an entirely different level. It made her mind churn even more.
Meanwhile, Al wasn't thinking that deeply about it. From their entire conversation, he hadn't gained any particularly important information about Clara.
Still, making a new connection like her wasn't bad at all. Whatever secrets she had, he could uncover them later.
He shook his head and focused on the road ahead.
"That gate up ahead, Sir," he said, pointing toward the large front gate.
Clara, whose thoughts were still in turmoil, stared at him silently.
The sleek black car rolled to a slow stop before the grand, European-style entrance.
Al stepped out first, standing awkwardly on the sidewalk, giving her a small nod.
"Thanks, Sis Clara."
Clara leaned forward from the window, still smiling.
"Go on in first. Then I'll leave."
Al raised an eyebrow.
"Huh? Why? You can go ahead."
Clara answered gently,
"I just want to make sure you get in safe. I'm older than you, so it's only natural for me to check."
Al grinned stiffly.
"Sorry, but it feels rude to leave a guest waiting at the gate. Let's be fair—I'll wait for you to go first."
And so, a light standoff began.
"But—"
"But you see—"
"Go inside."
"You leave first."
"Go in."
"Meowww."
"....."
The two went back and forth. Clara was half-irritated, Al was half-lazy.
At last—
"Huff, fine! I'll go in!" Al huffed, half-frustrated.
He trudged slowly down the stone path cutting through the beautiful garden toward the main Virellano house. But the whole time, he kept glancing back.
Every few steps, he turned and waved—awkward and stiff. Like a kindergartener being dropped off at school.
Clara smiled. Then chuckled softly to herself, nodding in quiet amusement as she confirmed the truth.
"He really does live here… wow, so I was wrong all along. I guess I need to sharpen my judgment skills," she whispered.
She glanced at him, giving a small wave, and muttered to herself,
"Anyway… I don't know what his connection to the Virellano family is… but one thing's for sure—he's an interesting kid."
Her car slowly rolled away from the gate.
Little did Al know...
The final step he took that day would mark the beginning of a brand new chaos.