Actually, it's pretty cramped with 9 people including me in one room.
But that's the least of my concern as of now.
Alejandro was the first to speak, his voice carrying the calm, measured weight it always did.
"…I'll ask the obvious question first." he said, his brow furrowing.
"Why is the 4th Seat of the High Council here? With you, no less?"
Shayne gave a low whistle, grinning like he just uncovered some grand mystery.
"Man, I thought Faulker was some quiet, keeps-to-himself type. Turns out he's been socializing with the elite behind our backs!"
Clara chimed in beside him, eyes gleaming with amusement. "Right? I didn't even think he could hold a conversation outside class, but here he is. Getting chummy with the 4th Seat herself."
Sera tilted her head slightly, her voice soft but curious. "Now I'm wondering… how long have you two known each other?"
Mari crossed her arms, frowning a little. "Hmm… I heard from some girls in Class 1-A that Shimotsuki never talks to anyone. Like, ever. And now she's sitting here—" she gestured toward the bed, "—beside Faulker of all people?"
Nayuta chuckled, his tone playful but his eyes sharp. "Yeah, I gotta admit, I didn't expect this side of the Fourth Seat. The quiet, stoic council girl… hiding behind our Faulker like she's in a romance novel."
Shimotsuki stiffened slightly behind me, her cheeks reddening. "It's-. Not like-"
And then Lyna stepped forward, her voice cutting through the chatter. "Alright," she said plainly, looking between the two of us, "then maybe one of you can answer the big question."
Her gaze settled on me. With a smile, she asked "What exactly are the two of you to each other?"
All eyes turned toward me. Shimotsuki stayed quiet, her fingers curling slightly behind my back. I could almost feel her waiting to see what I'd say.
I cleared my throat, forcing a casual tone. "It's… nothing big, really."
I paused for a second, picking the words carefully.
"Yesterday, I saw this stray kitten stuck up a tree near the east garden. Tried to help it down and well, I slipped. Fell right off."
Shayne tried not to laugh. "Fell out of a tree, huh?"
"Yeah," I muttered, glaring at him half-heartedly, rubbing my stomach to sell the act. "Sure does hurt."
Alejandro raised an eyebrow. "So where does the 4th Seat come in?"
"She and the 7th Seat happened to be nearby," I explained.
"They saw what happened and rushed me here. The 7th Seat left early. Had Council business or something. Shimotsuki just… stayed for a bit."
The others exchanged glances. It sounded believable enough. Stupid, even. But stupid stories were usually the ones no one questioned.
After all, being an idiot is easy.
"We talked a little," I added, shrugging. "Turns out we're both an avid reader, book savvy. That's all."
For a moment, no one spoke. Then Clara broke into a grin.
"So you fell off a tree, met a high-ranking Council member, and got hospitalized all in one day. That's… impressive."
"Guess the kitten got away too," Nayuta joked.
"Hey, at least it's a better story than saying you fought a bear," Shayne said, chuckling.
"Still, man. Falling from a tree? It doesn't sound like you, but you'd probably do that."
Mari sighed, shaking her head. "You should be more careful next time."
Sera laughed softly. "Honestly, I'm still wrapping my head around the fact that she helped you. That's not exactly something you see every day."
Behind me, Shimotsuki stayed quiet—but I caught a faint, embarrassed huff from her, as if she couldn't decide whether to correct me or play along.
Lyna sighed. I could tell there was no emotion in her eyes, and no weight in those breath she exhaled.
"You never changed either, it seems. As long as you're alive..."
"Yeah," I said, rubbing the back of my neck. "My bad."
The group seemed to buy it. Or at least decided not to question it further.
The tension slowly melted into small chatter again, and for once, I was grateful for how ridiculous the story sounded.
They can't know about The Middle. And the bigger fish above them.
They're literally called The Middle, so I assume that they're not even the strongest of their own branch.
I don't know about the Syndicates and all that, but The Middle refer to the leader as The Middle Brother. If that's the case, then there's definitely The Little Brother or even The Big Brother. Maybe even Big Sister or Little Sister.
As laughter and idle chatter filled the room, I leaned back and watched them closely.
Alejandro stood near the window with his arms crossed.
He got that thoughtful expression on his face even as he chuckled at Shayne's ridiculous jokes.
Shayne, loud as ever, was trying to make Mari laugh, though she only rolled her eyes and muttered something under her breath.
Clara was halfway through stealing the snacks Nayuta had brought, but he caught her red-handed. In the end, he gave it to her and they laughed it off anyway.
Sera sat beside Lyna, both smiling softly, their voices blending into the warm rhythm of the room.
Even Shimotsuki, sitting quietly near the corner, seemed more relaxed than I'd ever seen her. There was a faint, tired smile tugging at her lips.
They were all here. These people, so different yet somehow bound together.
For the first time, I felt something I couldn't quite name.
It wasn't the rush of a fight, nor the quiet joy of reading or working. It was gentler. Like standing under the calm sunlight after an approaching storm.
Being here, surrounded by the people I could actually call friends… it felt good. It made me feel like I could let my guard down.
If possible, I wanted to keep this moment untouched. To keep it somewhere safe.
Whatever it takes… I'll make sure to cherish every one of them.
Though, I could see Shimotsuki looking at her phone with a sad expression. I wonder what that was about...
But I just couldn't bring myself to speak up about it. Thinking back, I regretted on not asking her about what's wrong.
Her body is here, but her soul isn't. We only watched as she was the first to leave the room.
A few days later, I finally went back to class.
Everything felt normal again. The chatter, the sound of pages turning, the dull buzz of the fluorescent lights. But my mind kept drifting back to my last conversation with the doctor before I was discharged.
She stood by the edge of my bed, flipping through the report in her clipboard. "You're fine," she said matter-of-factly.
"It wasn't even that serious to begin with. All the vital parts were well-protected." Then she gave me a puzzled look.
"Your bone density is… unusually high. Especially for someone your age."
I remembered blinking at her, unsure how to respond. Sure, I knew I'd guarded my body properly during the fight, like keeping my core tight, keeping my head low... But my forearms had taken a lot of hits.
Most of the damage comes from The Middle Brother. They should've fractured like before.
Back in my hometown, my bones used to break all the time. The doctor there practically knew me by name. But now? Not a single crack.
When I asked her why, she smiled faintly, tapping the side of the X-ray.
"That's exactly why," she said.
"Repeated fractures forced your body to rebuild the bone stronger each time. More calcium, more density. Kind of like adding armor layer by layer. You've pretty much built a little resistance against fractures."
That's definitely not what I had even thought about.
Still, as I sat at my desk, listening to the teacher talk about something I wasn't really following, I flexed my wrist under the table. No pain. No weakness. Just solid strength beneath the skin.
I briefly remembered our conversation this morning, at the dining hall.
It was almost funny how normal everything felt. The clatter of trays, the low hum of chatter, and then their faces when they saw me walk in like I hadn't just spent three days in a hospital bed.
Alejandro barely looked surprised. He adjusted his glasses, giving me that knowing half-smile of his.
"I figured you'd be back this fast," he said, as if it was obvious. "That's just how you are."
Coming from him, that was practically a welcome parade.
Shayne's reaction was the exact opposite. He nearly dropped his spoon.
"Three days?! You're kidding me, right? What'd they do. Did they rebuild you in the lab?"
I laughed, but he still stared like he was half-convinced I'd escaped medical supervision.
Nayuta leaned over the table with a playful grin.
"See? I told you he'd come crawling back before the weekend. Can't stand the peace and quiet without us."
His voice was light, teasing. But there was a hint of relief behind the smile.
Lyna scoffed from her seat, arms crossed.
"Oh please, you act like we were worried. You're tougher than you look."
But she didn't meet my eyes. That little flicker of tension in her jaw gave her away. She had been worried. She just doesn't want to admit it.
Mari, as always, was composed and calm.
"I'm glad you're well." she said simply, her tone was careful, measured.
"Just… don't overdo it, alright? Recovery doesn't end when the pain does."
Then Clara tossed me something.
She threw an apple at me, straight to my face. I caught it right away.
"Here, eat." she said with a grin.
"You probably missed real food, huh? Hospital meals taste like cardboard."
She scooted over a bit and patted the seat beside her.
"Come on, sit. We saved your spot. Well… technically, I just didn't want to share my fries with anyone else."
Sera sat near the end, calm as ever, her tone drifting like a lazy breeze.
"What happens, happens," she said.
"You're here, that's what matters. Guess the world wasn't done with you yet."
It was so her. Detached, but somehow comforting.
Though, something's not right here.
"When did you all start hanging out like this?"
I asked, honestly confused. "I thought we were… separate groups."
Alejandro glanced at Shayne, who shrugged, and then at Sera, who avoided his gaze.
Mari smiled faintly. "That day when we visited you," she said. "All of us figured that... this is not a bad company to have."
Nayuta nodded, his tone light.
"Who could've guessed, Faulk? We became friends right away."
The teacher's chalk screeched against the board, snapping me back to the present. My notebook was still blank, but I couldn't help the small smile tugging at my lips.
I looked to the right, where Lyna is seated beside me.
She looked back, as if she can felt my gaze that was directed at her.
"What, is there something on my face?"
I shook my head sideways.
"No. I just wanted to say thank you."
She looks confused, but not at the statement itself. She's confused on where did this sudden gratitude come from. "Thank you? For what?"
I stopped looking at her and started writing down on the empty page in my notebook. "Nothing in particular."
She shrugged it off as if it was nothing.
But while in the hospital, I figured something out. Lyna had been working behind the scenes since the beginning.
I remembered the fight I had with one of the classmates. The reason Shimotsuki hasn't seen the video was because Lyna already made the first move, right after sending me off that day.
She bought the video and deleted it, while also keeping people's mouth shut. Sometimes, I forgot everything can be bought at this school.
One of the reason I hadn't seen it alot is because the school itself is run by the High Council, while the teachers are here to teach, and the school clerks are basically an office job worker.
Second, deals aren't done openly for most of the time. By most of the time, I meant like 98 percent of them.
And third, everything here can be achieved without money. Money is just a shortcut, and apparently everyone understood that.
It's not like I'm struggling with money, but I don't want to spend it, unless for emergency.
It would be better if no such situation were to emerge. But I've been feeling like I forgot something...
Oh right, The Middle. I'm sure that night wasn't the last time I'd be dealing with them.
The fierce exchange between 7th Seat and Middle Brother is still engraved in my mind. It was a battle unlike anything I've ever seen.
But, I just couldn't shake this suspicious feeling. Why did they decided to help me? Shimotsuki, too. Why did she care so much about me?
So much so that she even spent the night at the hospital...
Is there something you haven't told me, Shimotsuki?