The academy vessel sailed steadily toward Aetherial Institute.
The ocean stretched endlessly around them.
Blue skies reflected across calm waters.
Ancient sea winds carried the scent of salt and distant storms.
Far ahead.
The legendary academy island continued growing larger.
Massive towers pierced the heavens.
Floating bridges connected structures suspended impossibly above the sea.
Magical formations shimmered around the island like invisible stars.
Every student aboard the vessel should have been excited.
Nervous.
Focused.
After all.
Their future waited ahead.
Instead—
Most students were thinking about Aedon Flinth.
Specifically.
How incredibly irritating he was.
The realization had struck everyone almost simultaneously.
The boys.
The girls.
The sailors.
Even the captain.
Convincing Aedon Flinth of anything felt impossible.
Absolutely impossible.
The dark-haired girl sat near Seraphina.
Her eyes occasionally drifted toward the silver-haired explorer.
The memory of their previous conversation replayed within her mind.
She sighed.
Long.
Deep.
Frustrated.
The blonde girl beside her noticed.
"What?"
The dark-haired girl pointed toward Kel.
"Aedon."
The blonde immediately understood.
Then she sighed too.
Another girl joined.
Then another.
Soon half the female applicants were sighing.
The atmosphere became strangely synchronized.
Seraphina blinked.
Confused.
"What's wrong?"
The dark-haired girl looked toward her.
Then toward Kel.
Then back toward her.
Finally she answered.
"He's difficult."
Silence.
The girls immediately nodded.
"Very difficult."
"Extremely difficult."
"Unnecessarily difficult."
The blonde girl rubbed her forehead.
"I've never met someone like him."
Another student laughed bitterly.
"Neither have I."
Meanwhile—
Several male students nearby overheard the discussion.
They immediately joined.
Not because they wanted to.
Because they felt personally victimized.
Victor sat down heavily.
The noble looked exhausted.
Mentally exhausted.
The kind of exhaustion caused by conversations that should have succeeded but somehow didn't.
"I agree."
Everyone looked toward him.
Victor pointed dramatically at Kel.
"I tried convincing him to stop insulting Lady Seraphina."
Silence.
The students waited.
Victor sighed.
Then repeated the conversation.
"'Who is she to me?'"
The noble's voice carried profound suffering.
Several students immediately nodded.
They had heard that part.
The emotional damage remained fresh.
Another noble youth joined.
"I tried too."
Everyone looked toward him.
The young man crossed his arms.
"I told him she was beautiful."
Silence.
Then he continued.
"He replied that beauty attracts attention."
The students collectively groaned.
The memory hurt.
A merchant student shook his head.
"He treats beauty like a tax."
The sailors nearby immediately laughed.
Because honestly.
That sounded accurate.
Very accurate.
Meanwhile—
The captain leaned against a nearby railing.
Listening quietly.
Amused.
A sailor approached.
The younger man looked troubled.
"Captain."
"Hm?"
"How does someone become like that?"
The captain followed his gaze.
Toward Kel.
The young explorer remained seated.
A book rested in his hands.
He hadn't moved for nearly thirty minutes.
The ocean breeze occasionally turned pages.
Nothing else.
The captain thought carefully.
Then answered.
"He thinks differently."
The sailor blinked.
"How differently?"
The captain smiled.
A knowing smile.
"The rest of you look at opportunities."
The sailor nodded.
Reasonable.
The captain continued.
"He looks at consequences."
Silence.
The sailor thought about it.
Then slowly realized something.
A lot of things.
The old captain chuckled.
"You see a beautiful woman."
The sailor nodded.
The captain pointed toward Seraphina.
"He sees future problems."
The sailor stared.
Then looked toward Kel.
Then toward Seraphina.
Then back.
Somehow—
The explanation made sense.
Too much sense.
Nearby—
Seraphina herself listened quietly.
Her blanket remained wrapped around her shoulders.
The sea breeze moved strands of silver hair.
Her blue eyes occasionally drifted toward Kel.
The girls noticed.
One immediately smiled.
"Oh?"
Seraphina blinked.
"What?"
The blonde girl pointed.
"You keep looking at him."
Silence.
The silver-haired mermaid froze.
Several girls immediately became interested.
Dangerously interested.
Seraphina hurriedly looked away.
"I was not."
The girls laughed.
The damage was immediate.
Meanwhile—
The dark-haired girl leaned closer.
Then whispered:
"Do you know what's most frustrating?"
Seraphina shook her head.
The girl pointed toward Kel.
"He isn't rude."
Silence.
The surrounding girls blinked.
Then slowly nodded.
The realization hit.
That was the problem.
The dark-haired girl continued.
"If he was rude."
"We could dislike him."
Reasonable.
"If he was arrogant."
"We could ignore him."
Also reasonable.
"If he was selfish."
"We could criticize him."
Again.
Reasonable.
The girl sighed.
Then looked toward Seraphina.
"But he isn't."
The girls collectively nodded.
Because it was true.
Painfully true.
The same man who called Seraphina an uncategorized species—
Had also thrown a blanket over her before transformation.
The same man who rejected her repeatedly—
Had killed a giant monster for strangers.
The same man who refused responsibility—
Had jumped into dangerous waters to rescue students.
Everything contradicted itself.
Nothing made sense.
Meanwhile—
Inside his mind.
Seiren was laughing.
Again.
"They are studying you."
Kel turned a page.
"I noticed."
"You became a research subject."
"I noticed."
The Guardian laughed harder.
Far away.
Scarder Lake experienced another mysterious wave.
Meanwhile—
The students continued discussing him.
One merchant student adjusted his glasses.
Then spoke.
"I think I figured it out."
Everyone looked toward him.
The merchant looked serious.
Very serious.
The atmosphere shifted.
"What?"
The merchant pointed toward Kel.
"He only accepts logical arguments."
Silence.
Then more silence.
The students thought.
Then thought harder.
Then slowly—
Realization appeared.
The merchant continued.
"You can't appeal to emotions."
Several nodded.
True.
"You can't appeal to beauty."
More nods.
Very true.
"You can't appeal to status."
Even more nods.
Definitely true.
The merchant crossed his arms.
"You need practical benefits."
The students stared.
Then simultaneously remembered.
Investment.
Returns.
Future value.
The only argument that had worked.
Not succeeded.
Worked.
The distinction mattered.
Victor slowly sat down.
Defeated.
"That's terrifying."
The merchant nodded.
"It is."
Meanwhile—
Seraphina listened quietly.
Then unexpectedly smiled.
A tiny smile.
Barely visible.
The girls noticed immediately.
Of course they did.
Girls noticed everything.
The dark-haired girl narrowed her eyes.
"Why are you smiling?"
Seraphina blinked.
Then quickly looked away.
The smile vanished.
Unfortunately.
The damage was already done.
The girls exchanged looks.
Dangerous looks.
The kind shared between women who had discovered something interesting.
Very interesting.
Meanwhile—
On the opposite side of the ship.
Kel finally closed his book.
The students immediately became alert.
The sailors became alert.
The girls became alert.
Even Seraphina subconsciously looked toward him.
The young explorer stretched slightly.
Then opened another book.
The entire ship collectively suffered emotional damage.
Inside his mind.
Seiren nearly drowned laughing.
"They thought you were finally going to do something."
Kel looked at the new book.
Advanced Principles of Strategic Observation.
A reasonable choice.
"I am doing something."
The Guardian laughed even harder.
Because technically.
He was right.
The academy island continued approaching.
The future drew closer.
And aboard the vessel.
Everyone had reached the same conclusion.
Aedon Flinth wasn't difficult because he was stubborn.
He wasn't difficult because he was arrogant.
He wasn't difficult because he was cold.
He was difficult because every decision passed through a mind that automatically calculated consequences before emotions.
And unfortunately for everyone involved—
Convincing such a person required far more effort than they were prepared to invest.
Especially when he was already reading another book.