Ryuji walked off, his expression shifting from irritation to quiet wonder.
"The academy really is different," he thought, his gaze trailing along the corridors. The walls, unlike the wooden ones back home, had a subtle metallic texture beneath the white paint. It felt sleek, almost futuristic—a far cry from the simplicity of his upbringing.
"It's huge beneath. Twenty-three floors of classrooms... What a school!" The thought momentarily erased his earlier tension with Mr. Stitched, his frustration melting into a mix of awe and curiosity.
"The assembly…" Ryuji muttered aloud, breaking his thoughts.
As if on cue, a faint voice echoed his words nearby:
"Assembly…"
Turning a corner, Ryuji collided with someone coming from the opposite direction. The impact sent the girl stumbling to the ground, though he remained unmoved, standing tall like an unyielding beast.
"I'm sorry," he said softly, his tone low as he bent down and extended a hand to help her up. As he saw her face, Mei-ling.
"It's alright—" Mei-ling began, brushing herself off. But when she looked up, her words faltered.
She didn't see a boy. She saw something else.
His eyes, though smiling, were hollow, as if something vital had been stripped away. The edges of his grin felt too sharp, too practiced—a mask that concealed something unspoken.
A slight shiver ran through Mei-ling, but she quickly gathered herself. "Are you heading to the assembly? It's starting soon," Mei-ling asked, her voice steady despite the unease that lingered.
"You read my thoughts, beautiful," Ryuji replied, the corners of his mouth lifting in a smile that seemed just a bit too serene. "That's exactly where I'm going."
"It's outside the academy," Mei-ling explained, stammering. "It's pretty far away, but—"
"We'd walk together, wouldn't we? Then, would it really feel far?" Ryuji interrupted, his words oddly phrased, almost whimsical.
Mei-ling blinked, caught off guard by the remark. "Ah… yes, I suppose not," she said, a hint of surprise coloring her voice.
They began walking, the classroom doors dwindling behind them as the pathways grew narrower.
Mei-ling occasionally glanced at Ryuji, who remained silent, his gaze fixed ahead.
Finally, they arrived at a small door at the end of the path—no more corridors, just the lone entrance. Intricate carvings adorned the door, depicting a playful cat entangled in yarn.
Ryuji pushed against it, but the door refused to budge. He frowned, trying again, until Mei-ling gently placed her hand over his.
"It's a pull," she said with a small smile.
Together, they pulled the door open, revealing a sprawling grassland stretching out before them.
It was typically used for school activities, but today, the space was crowded for the first-year assembly. To their left, a mass of students had gathered, their chatter filling the air.
Above the crowd, four teachers hovered as if perched on an invisible stage. One of them seemed to be struggling, their movements jerky and uncoordinated.
As they walked closer, Ryuji's hand instinctively rested on the hilt of his blade.
"What's wrong?" Mei-ling asked, breaking their silence for the first time during their walk.
Mei-ling's gaze darted to the feline teacher, then back to Ryuji. She quickened her steps to match his, her fingers absently adjusting the tight bun at the nape of her neck.
"They're watching us," she muttered, her voice low.
Ryuji's pace didn't falter. "Let them," he replied, his tone calm but heavy with meaning.
Mei-ling's hands stilled for a moment, but her unease was unmistakable. She glanced at Ryuji again, biting her lip before dropping her gaze, as if his composure only made her more aware of her own nervousness.
"A Bakeneko (化け猫)?" Mei-ling said suddenly but softly, her voice laced with curiosity.
"Aren't they common in your city?" she asked after a pause.
Ryuji's lips curled into a bitter frown. "They were," he replied. "Until my father slaughtered their clan. A revolution was brewing, so it was deemed... necessary." His hand tightened on the hilt of his blade. He let out a dry curse, though his eyes betrayed unease. "I think this one wants revenge."
Mei-ling hesitated, her brows furrowing. "That must've been... difficult," she offered, her voice careful.
"Necessary," Ryuji said, a faint edge creeping into his tone. His gaze flicked toward the feline teacher, their unblinking stare locked on him.
A dry smile tugged at his lips, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Of course, some scars don't heal easily."
Mei-ling glanced at the teacher, her expression unreadable, but she said nothing as they approached the throng of first-years, her hands occasionally moving to tighten her already tight bun.
"Welcome to this year's Class Ascension Assembly," a woman announced, her voice booming across the field. Her appearance was bizarre: charcoal-dark skin, one eye on her tongue, another embedded in the palm of her hand. She closed all of them briefly, which only made one wonder how she could see at all.
Her figure caught the attention of the boys in the crowd, who began muttering among themselves. Mei-ling hissed in irritation, pulling closer to Ryuji by gripping the edge of his blazer. Ryuji, however, seemed completely indifferent.
In the distance, his gaze caught on someone familiar—a boy with blue hair standing amidst the crowd, talking to another student.
"Kai?" Ryuji thought. But his eyes lingered on the blue-haired boy. "No... that's unmistakably Marquis."
Marquis's expression was dark, his hands twitching at his sides. His lips moved, though no one around him seemed to hear what he was saying.
"I hurt her," Marquis whispered to himself, his voice raw and hollow. His thoughts drifted back to the moment no one else knew about—except for himself, Kai, and Mr. Stitched.
He had held her throat, lifting her off the ground, her fragile body writhing beneath his grip. Her cries, her pleas, her gasps for air had been like an echo in a dream he couldn't wake from.
And then, when he'd finally released her, he had seen her fall, lifeless. Sin-iddin-apli. Her long black hair had spilled over his arms as he stood frozen, horrified by what he had done.
"I hope she's okay..." Marquis muttered under his breath, guilt threading through his voice.
A hand clapped gently onto his shoulder, and Marquis flinched, turning slowly. His hollow gaze met the sharp, piercing eyes of Ryuji.
"R-Ryuji," he stammered, his voice barely audible.
Ryuji's expression was unreadable, but his presence alone sent a chill down Marquis's spine.
"When did you—" Marquis began, turning toward Kai, who interrupted with a laugh.
"Damn, I knew I felt a sinister presence!" Kai joked, smirking.
Before they could catch up properly, the woman with the eyes on her tongue spoke, drawing everyone's attention. "Alright, then. You may call me Likombe," she announced, her voice commanding the scattered murmurs to quiet.
She continued, her tone sharp and precise. "This academy thrives on one principle: only the strong ascend." Her words struck like a whip, each syllable deliberate.
"You've spent days wandering the halls, curious about the upper floors. Let me make it clear: access must be earned."
Likombe paused, her slit-like eyes scanning the crowd as the students hung on her every word. She gestured toward the four teachers, her movements fluid yet authoritative.
"Ranks are everything here. Your worth will be measured and re-measured through merit, practical skills, and exam performance, ensuring only the best rise to the top. Cowards and mediocrity have no place in this institution." Her gaze swept across them, pausing on a few students who shrank under her scrutiny.
"Four ranks exist. Most of you will fall into the lower two—irrelevant. But for those of you with ambition? Today is your chance to prove it."
4th Rank: Coweeps
3rd Rank: Borderline
2nd Rank: Genius
1st Rank: Prodigies.
"Take it in. These are the pillars that define your place here."
The crowd stirred with murmurs of confusion. A few students exchanged puzzled glances. Coweeps? Prodigies? The names felt so... random.
A hand shot up. Anna. Her presence commanded attention as the first years turned to look at her.
"Yes, Anna?" Likombe said, addressing her with a calm familiarity that hinted at her knowing every student already—hundreds of them.
Anna spoke quickly but confidently. "Have we already been assigned ranks at random, or will there be some sort of initiation to determine where we belong?"
Likombe smiled faintly, folding her hands in front of her. "I was getting to that. There are four teachers here—one for each rank. And let me be clear: this academy does not concern itself with the 3rd and 4th ranks. They are practically irrelevant."
A wave of gasps and whispers rippled through the crowd. The first years shifted uncomfortably, their pride and anxieties bubbling to the surface.
Likombe sighed, clearly unimpressed by the reaction. "I wonder why you're all murmuring. Have you no pride? Or have you already resigned yourselves to the lowest ranks? This year seems particularly... underwhelming." Her voice dripped with disappointment, as if daring them to prove her wrong.
"I have something important to say," Likombe began, her voice ringing across the assembly. "This school thrives on favoritism and partiality—but not the superficial kind.
Our favorites are not chosen once and forgotten; they change daily, based on what we see: potential. Here, we prioritize only the smartest and the strongest. That is the essence of this institution."
She paused, letting her words sink in before continuing. "As of now, we've already selected five individuals to undertake a special test. This test will take place on the highest floor, and it will determine whether you're truly ready to rise above the rest. The exam is scored out of 1,000, and every detail—every word, every action—is scrutinized and graded."
Likombe gestured to the feline teacher standing nearby. "Mr. Bake will oversee your journey to the top floor."
At her signal, Mr. Bake dropped gracefully to the ground, his coat rippling like liquid fire. His half-human, half-feline form was mesmerizing, with his coat blending seamlessly into his skin like flames alive with motion.
His slit eyes scanned the crowd with a predatory intensity.
Likombe's voice cut through the silence. "The five individuals selected are:
Alain.
Anna.
Marquis.
Ryuji.
Sin-iddin-apli."
The announcement sent ripples of movement through the crowd. Each name hit like a thunderclap, and four of the selected individuals instinctively straightened, their presence now unmistakable.
Kai's eyes widened in disbelief. He froze for a moment before muttering, "There are six heads at the top of the pyramid in the Stem. The six top heirs are: Alain, Ryuji, Marquis, Adad, Sin-iddin-apli, and Aymara."
He clenched his fists, his shock mounting as he processed what he'd just heard. "Then why is Anna called?!"
Kai's disbelief grew as he realized he'd underestimated her completely.