The young man had mismatched hair. It was black, streaked with defiant blonde, exuding his delinquent aura. Not only that, the piercing in his ears, slanted eyes that looked like a fox, and handsome face gave Cain solid proof of his assumption.
Cain didn't have any idea as to why the fox man approached Louise, but it was clear that his mouth was dripping venom whenever he talked.
On the other hand, Peter shot a glare at the man standing before him. For some unknown reason, he couldn't ignore the fact that the young man's appearance shook Louise.
As her teammate who had a bit in common with Louise, the two were always standing together, watching each other's backs in the team battles, and the blue-haired boy sure had a different view of Louise than the other girls.
Although Peter was unaware of what kind of emotion was swirling in his chest, whether it was his instinctual action honed by his sister, or something else, the boy wanted to stand by Louise's side.
The grey-haired boy glanced at his side, watching not only Peter, but Rika shortened the distance with Louise as she pulled the trembling girl's hand closer. And for Abel, his usually softened expression now turned hardened. He felt the rising tension too.
A stalemate occurred; both parties stared into each other's eyes for a dozen seconds before the senior shrugged, showing his composure as he parted his lips.
Adler tilted his head sideways to have a better look at the trembling Louise, who resembled a fawn. At that moment, a cold glint flashed before the young man's eyes, but it disappeared instantly.
However, Cain clearly captured the intent. His facial muscles loosened, leaving him with a flat expression devoid of emotion.
Not only did he try to disturb his teammates, but the young man also subtly released a bit of his killing intent, which sent chills down his spine. Cain's palms tightened into fists, ready to blast the man's skull.
'This man.'
When he almost took a step forward, violet hair showed up in his vision, blocking his path.
"Hi?"
The girl's cheerful voice resounded in the place, and a floral scent wafting through the air broke the tension between the two parties as she snuggled closer to Cain, her amethyst eyes narrowing with glee.
"Who's your name, boy?"
All eyes were drawn to the girl and Cain's exchange. He furrowed his gaze before turning to his comrade and opening his mouth.
"Let's hurry, we are getting left behind by others."
The four exchanged glances and nodded, following Cain's instruction, who walked past the stiffened girl. Instead of backing down, the violet girl grabbed Cain's hand as she intended to pull him closer, but her strength was nowhere near enough to budge him.
With a wave from his hand, the girl's hand jolted back along with her widened eyes. She looked at both palms; they tingled with a strange sensation.
"Hey, hey, hey, who's your name?"
The violet girl circled around and stood before Cain's path, blocking his vision. He exhaled a short breath, trying to walk past the girl.
"Oh, is that because I didn't tell you my name? Okay, my name is Stella. Hey, what's your name?"
Stella sauntered beside him. A barrage of questions kept buzzing in his ears like a ringing microphone. It grated on the boy's mind, who was barely holding his sanity intact.
"Hey, hey, what is your name?"
Cain took a deep breath and maintained his expression from cracking. He joined together with the other cadets, who gave him a pitying look, some of them even envying his situation.
The boy barely formed fists in his hands as he wanted to smack those who thought the situation was joyful. Stella's nagging felt like a knife that slices his ears to bleed.
"Stella, Adler, what are you doing? Stop bothering your junior!"
A powerful yet feminine voice came from the front line. She was a beautiful lady wearing square-frame glasses; her long, straight, dark green hair, braided down her back, gave the impression of a strict and compassionate older girl.
She pulled Stella's ears, causing the girl's expression to contort in pain. Then, the green-haired girl shot a glare at Adler. The young man shrugged his shoulders, but did not forget to cast a last glance at Louise, who flinched upon receiving it.
"Let's meet again, Louise."
Peter, Rika, and Abel stepped forward, their narrowed gaze showing how much the animosity between them had grown despite their first encounter.
Cain stared at the man's profile. Their eyes met for a split second before Adler looked away as if Cain weren't even there. Noticing the guy's intention, veins began to pop out in his clenched fist. He racked his brain, searching for a way to humiliate the guy.
"We were sorry. Because of these two, you have a bad experience."
He shook his head and, for the last time, shifted his gaze toward the girl and the retreating figure of the guy, before speaking.
"No, no, I'm thankful there is someone who will collect them from us, thank you."
Once the words left his mouth, the atmosphere in the place froze. All eyes were now focused on his side, and even his four comrades had their eyes widened in surprise.
His tone sounded casual, yet the people around Cain couldn't help but interpret it differently. The boy's words were filled with nothing but mockery.
The green-haired girl, with Stella in her arms, stood petrified. Their eyes gazed at the smiling boy before her. The guy named Adler stopped in his tracks and peeked over his shoulder. No one knew he interpreted Cain's earlier words, but one thing was for sure: thanks to that, the world turned mute and thick with tension.
Before everyone's eyes, Cain shifted his attention forward. He looked toward the one in charge here, to whom Dosh replied with a firm nod. He narrowed his gaze because, for a brief moment, he caught the old man smirking behind his composed face.
'No, it's probably my imagination.'
"Everyone's here, right?"
General Dosh's loud voice snapped everyone from their daze. The cadets and seniors turned to him, and even the green-haired girl bowed her head before dragging the violet girl in her hand.
Watching their back, Cain exhaled a long breath. He looked down, feeling a bit sorry for being a jerk as he lashed out at the green-haired girl.
Also, for some unknown reason, the boy's instinct constantly blared an alarm of not getting too involved with the violet girls. He didn't know why, but he trusted his gut feeling anyway.
Cain shook his head furiously, pushing away the unnecessary thoughts plaguing his mind. He lifted his face and met the gaze of the person in uniform. His sharp blue eyes locked with him.
'What? Are you challenging me or something?'
The two kept gazing into each other's eyes; seconds turned to two, then three. Cain's fingers curled into a tight fist, his nails dug into his palm skin.
'If that's what you want. Okay, game on, then!'
However, when the boy determined never to blink or shift his gaze elsewhere, the crimson-haired man curled his lips into a smirk. Then he turned his body to face General Dosh, who was next to him.
Cain, who had left behind, felt his brows twitching. He inhaled a deep breath as he wanted to calm the intense beating in his chest. The sound even travels to his eardrums.
'You b*stard!'
His anger was drowned by the loud hiss from the open entrance door. The thick door slid to both sides, releasing the cold air trapped inside.
General Dosh looked over his students and gave his instructions.
"Let's enter inside."