The greatest threat facing Aetherial Institute that week was not monsters.
Not examinations.
Not professors.
Not even academy politics.
It was stupidity.
Collective.
Organized.
Academically researched stupidity.
And its source was a single misunderstanding.
Aedon Flinth and Luna.
Or more specifically—
Their so-called "Haunted Date."
By now the story had spread across nearly every dormitory, lecture hall, cafeteria, training field, and study group.
The more people discussed it.
The more genius they believed it contained.
After all.
If Aedon Flinth could create the Divine Spoon Art.
If he knew Nameless.
If he survived Leviathans.
If he used legendary sword arts.
Then surely—
Surely—
His dating strategy must also be genius.
And thus.
The Great Haunted Date Experiment began.
First Victim: Marcus the Swordsman
Marcus stood before his dormitory mirror.
A second-year swordsman.
Tall.
Broad shoulders.
Good appearance.
Good grades.
Good family background.
Yet.
No girlfriend.
A tragedy.
At least according to Marcus.
His target was a blonde magic student named Clara.
Following countless hours of research.
Marcus approached her.
"Would you like to visit an abandoned chapel with me tonight?"
Clara blinked.
"...Why?"
Marcus smiled mysteriously.
"It has historical significance."
Technically true.
The chapel was two hundred years old.
Clara thought for a moment.
Then nodded.
"Fine."
Marcus celebrated internally.
Victory.
Absolute victory.
Unfortunately.
Reality arrived quickly.
That night.
The abandoned chapel turned out to be genuinely haunted.
Not dangerous.
Just haunted.
Ghostly whispers echoed through broken halls.
Old wooden doors creaked.
Wind passed through shattered stained-glass windows.
Marcus immediately regretted everything.
Especially after seeing an actual spirit floating near the altar.
"CLARA!"
The swordsman instantly grabbed the girl's sleeve.
"WHAT IS THAT?!"
Clara looked toward the spirit.
"Oh."
A pause.
"Just a low-level ghost."
Then she cast a purification spell.
The ghost disappeared.
Marcus spent the rest of the evening hiding behind Clara.
The date failed.
Spectacularly.
Second Victim: Ethan the Scholar
Unlike Marcus.
Ethan believed preparation was important.
Very important.
He spent two days researching.
Three days planning.
And another day creating diagrams.
His chosen location:
The Forgotten Watchtower.
A lonely tower overlooking the sea.
His crush:
A history student named Emilia.
Everything was calculated.
According to Ethan's notes.
The tower offered:
Mystery
Isolation
Historical atmosphere
Ocean view
Romantic sunset
Perfect.
Or so he thought.
Upon arrival.
Emilia became fascinated by the tower.
Not by Ethan.
The tower.
For four hours she discussed architecture.
Ancient military tactics.
Historical reconstruction.
Stonework preservation.
Ethan never managed to say anything romantic.
By the end.
He had accidentally become her research assistant.
The strategy technically worked.
Just not as intended.
Third Victim: Leon the Mage
Leon considered himself clever.
Very clever.
Too clever.
His plan involved creating fake haunted effects.
Illusion magic.
Mysterious sounds.
Floating lights.
Controlled fear.
Perfect environment.
His chosen partner was Sophia.
Everything went smoothly.
Until Sophia discovered the illusions.
She stared at him.
Then crossed her arms.
"So."
A pause.
"You faked ghosts."
Leon laughed nervously.
"A little."
Another pause.
"I thought it would improve the atmosphere."
Sophia hit him with her staff.
Several times.
The date ended immediately.
The Girls' Perspective
Meanwhile.
Female students gathered inside the dormitories.
Tea cups rested upon tables.
Books remained forgotten.
The topic was obvious.
"The Haunted Date Strategy."
One girl sighed.
"Why are boys suddenly obsessed with haunted places?"
Another nodded.
"Three people invited me yesterday."
A third added:
"Someone asked if I wanted to explore a cursed cemetery."
Silence followed.
The girls collectively questioned male intelligence.
Not for the first time.
Nor likely the last.
Then someone mentioned Luna.
Immediately.
Every head turned.
"Do you think she actually likes Aedon?"
The question lingered.
Nobody knew.
Not even Luna.
Luna's Perspective
At that exact moment.
Luna followed Kel through another abandoned location.
The ruins were old.
Silent.
Dark.
The atmosphere was genuinely unsettling.
Which made Luna question her life choices.
Again.
The dark-haired girl glanced around nervously.
Then toward Kel.
The silver-haired youth calmly examined old markings carved into stone.
No fear.
No hesitation.
No concern.
As though wandering through haunted ruins was completely normal.
Luna couldn't understand him.
"Do you really not get scared?"
Kel looked up.
"Of what?"
"The atmosphere."
"The darkness."
"The possibility of ghosts."
Kel thought briefly.
Then answered honestly.
"If ghosts exist."
A pause.
"They are probably more scared of me."
Silence.
Luna stared.
Then sighed.
That answer somehow sounded completely reasonable coming from him.
Inside his mind.
Seiren laughed uncontrollably.
"She actually considered your answer."
"That makes one of us."
The Researchers
Back at the academy.
The self-proclaimed Aedon Study Society held another emergency meeting.
Their leader stood before a board.
A new theory had emerged.
"The Haunted Date Strategy only works if you are Aedon Flinth."
The room became silent.
One student slowly raised his hand.
"So..."
A pause.
"To use the strategy."
Another pause.
"We first need to become Aedon Flinth?"
The room immediately fell into despair.
Because nobody knew how.
How exactly does one become:
Friend of Nameless
Leviathan survivor
Guild founder
Legendary technique user
Academy mystery
The requirements seemed unreasonable.
One student lowered his head.
"We're doomed."
Another nodded.
"Absolutely doomed."
The meeting ended shortly afterward.
The Truth
As evening arrived.
The academy buzzed with stories.
Success stories.
Failure stories.
Embarrassing stories.
Horror stories.
Every student seemed to have attempted some variation of the strategy.
Meanwhile.
The supposed creator of the strategy remained completely unaware.
Kel stood atop a cliff overlooking the ocean.
The sunset painted the sea crimson.
The wind carried traces of salt and ancient mysteries.
His golden eyes focused upon distant waters.
The manuscript remained tucked beneath his arm.
His mind focused entirely elsewhere.
The missing Leviathans.
The ancient myth.
The mysterious observer beyond the sea.
The repeated locations.
The hidden truth buried beneath fiction.
Not romance.
Not dates.
Not social strategies.
Just mysteries.
Inside his mind.
Seiren laughed once more.
"The entire academy thinks you're a romantic genius."
Kel stared at the horizon.
Then answered calmly.
"They need better hobbies."
And somewhere behind him.
Unbeknownst to the investigator himself.
Another pair of students entered the ruins.
Attempting the Haunted Date Strategy.
The academy's newest trend continued growing.
A legend born from misunderstanding.
Much like Divine Spoon Art.
Which Kel found deeply ironic.