The moment students saw Aedon Flinth and Luna walking together through the city—
The academy exploded.
Not literally.
Though some instructors later claimed it would have been less troublesome if it had.
The first witnesses had merely seen them crossing the central square together.
The second witnesses saw them heading toward abandoned districts.
The third witnesses saw them entering areas rumored to be haunted.
By the fourth group—
The story had already become something entirely different.
And by sunset—
Half the academy believed Aedon Flinth had invented a revolutionary dating method.
Meanwhile.
The person responsible for all of it remained completely unaware.
Kel continued investigating old ruins.
Luna continued following him.
And chaos continued spreading.
Inside one dormitory.
A gathering had formed.
Not an ordinary gathering.
A research meeting.
At least that was what they called it.
Several students sat around a table covered with papers.
Maps.
Notes.
Charts.
Even diagrams.
One student stood before everyone.
His expression was serious.
Extremely serious.
"Aedon Flinth's strategy."
The room became silent.
Someone immediately started taking notes.
The speaker continued.
"Step one."
He pointed toward a hand-drawn map.
"Find a mysterious location."
Everyone nodded.
"Step two."
He pointed at another paper.
"Bring a girl there."
More nodding.
"Step three."
The student adjusted his glasses dramatically.
"Create emotional pressure."
The room gasped.
Someone almost dropped their notebook.
A second student immediately asked.
"What is emotional pressure?"
The strategist looked disappointed.
"You don't know?"
The student shook his head.
The strategist sighed.
Then explained.
"When people become scared."
A pause.
"They naturally seek comfort."
The room became enlightened.
Several students looked as if they had just discovered the meaning of life.
Another student stood.
"Amazing."
The strategist nodded proudly.
"Aedon Flinth is truly terrifying."
Meanwhile.
The terrifying Aedon Flinth was currently studying moss growing on ancient stone ruins.
Far less romantic than the academy imagined.
Elsewhere.
Inside the girls' dormitory.
The discussions were equally intense.
Several girls sat around Luna's roommate.
"So where did they go?"
"I heard haunted cliffs."
"No."
"I heard abandoned ruins."
Another girl shook her head.
"I heard they entered a ghost cave."
The room became silent.
A moment later—
"THERE'S A GHOST CAVE?"
Panic immediately erupted.
Meanwhile.
Another group had begun discussing Luna herself.
One girl leaned forward.
"You know."
A pause.
"She's actually brave."
Several nodded.
Because from their perspective—
Following Aedon into haunted places required courage.
What they didn't know was—
Luna currently regretted every decision she had made.
At that exact moment.
The dark-haired girl stood beside Kel near an abandoned ruin.
The wind howled through broken walls.
Shadows stretched across ancient stone.
A strange creaking noise echoed from somewhere nearby.
Luna's body instantly stiffened.
Her expression remained calm.
Outwardly.
Inwardly—
She was fighting for survival.
Inside his mind—
Seiren laughed.
"She nearly jumped."
"I noticed."
"She is terrified."
"I noticed."
The Guardian laughed harder.
Meanwhile.
Back at the academy.
The male population had entered a dangerous phase.
Implementation.
Several boys decided theory alone wasn't enough.
They needed field testing.
Immediately.
Victims—
Or volunteers—
Were selected.
One boy approached his crush.
His hands trembled.
His heartbeat raced.
Yet determination filled his eyes.
"Would you like to visit haunted ruins?"
The girl stared at him.
"Why?"
The boy smiled mysteriously.
"Trust me."
The girl narrowed her eyes.
Then left.
The experiment failed.
Elsewhere.
Another student achieved better results.
His crush accepted.
Mostly because she enjoyed ruins.
Unfortunately.
The boy became frightened first.
The date ended with the girl protecting him.
The academy laughed about it for days.
Another group became even more extreme.
They called themselves—
The Aedon Study Society.
Nobody knew who created the name.
Nobody wanted to admit membership.
Yet nearly twenty students attended.
The society's purpose?
Analyzing Aedon Flinth.
Specifically—
His social strategies.
A board stood in the center.
Written across it:
"Why Does Everything Work For Aedon Flinth?"
The room fell silent.
Nobody had an answer.
Eventually one student raised his hand.
"Maybe because he's handsome."
Another immediately objected.
"Many people are handsome."
"Then maybe because he's strong."
"Many students are strong."
"Then maybe because he's mysterious."
Silence.
The room considered it.
Very carefully.
Finally.
Someone nodded.
"Actually."
A pause.
"That might be it."
The theory gained support.
Rapidly.
Soon the room filled with discussion.
"Mysterious people are interesting."
"They attract attention."
"They seem deeper."
"They seem wiser."
Everyone agreed.
Then one student asked a dangerous question.
"How do we become mysterious?"
Silence.
Nobody knew.
Eventually someone suggested.
"Stop talking."
The room considered it.
Then rejected it immediately.
Because they enjoyed talking too much.
Meanwhile.
At another part of the academy.
Several academically gifted students had taken things even further.
They were creating formulas.
Actual formulas.
One board contained calculations.
Another contained behavioral charts.
A third contained probability models.
The title read:
The Haunted Date Success Equation.
The lead researcher pointed dramatically.
"Observe."
Everyone leaned forward.
"If fear increases emotional attachment by twenty percent..."
A pause.
"And mystery increases attraction by fifteen percent..."
Another pause.
"Then Aedon Flinth's success rate becomes—"
The door opened.
An instructor entered.
The entire research team scattered.
The board disappeared.
Evidence vanished.
The instructor stared.
"..."
The room stared back.
"..."
Nobody spoke.
The instructor slowly closed the door.
Then walked away.
He didn't want to know.
Some things were beyond human understanding.
Meanwhile.
As the academy descended deeper into madness—
The origin of everything continued investigating ancient ruins.
Kel studied old carvings.
Luna followed.
The wind moved through the cliffs.
Shadows stretched longer as evening approached.
Inside his mind—
Seiren spoke between laughs.
"Your investigation has become a romance movement."
Kel sighed.
"Humanity was a mistake."
The Guardian laughed so hard she nearly lost control of her telepathic voice.
And thus—
While Kel searched for clues regarding ancient myths, missing Leviathans, and mysterious entities hidden beneath the sea—
The students of Aetherial Institute reached a completely different conclusion.
Aedon Flinth wasn't investigating mysteries.
He was teaching romance.
At least.
That was what the idiots believed.
And unfortunately—
Every academy, no matter how brilliant its students were—
Still contained plenty of idiots.
Because genius and stupidity had never been enemies.
They merely shared the same classroom.