The afternoon sun hung above the academy island.
Students filled the streets.
Merchants called out their wares.
Guild members moved between districts.
The city remained lively as always.
Meanwhile.
Kel regretted leaving his dormitory.
Not because of danger.
Not because of enemies.
Not because of mysterious sea monsters.
But because people existed.
Inside his mind—
Seiren sounded amused.
"You look troubled."
"I am."
"Mysterious ancient evil?"
"No."
"Leviathans?"
"No."
"Academy politics?"
"No."
The Guardian laughed.
"Then what?"
Kel looked ahead.
Then sighed.
"Luna."
Seiren immediately became interested.
Dangerously interested.
The silver-haired young man had spent the entire morning enduring rumors.
Now he simply wanted to continue his investigation.
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
The ancient harbor.
The abandoned cliffs.
The locations mentioned repeatedly in the strange manuscript.
That was today's objective.
Unfortunately.
The world had different plans.
As Kel crossed the central city square—
A familiar voice called out.
"Aedon!"
The silver-haired youth froze.
Inside his mind—
Seiren immediately started laughing.
"Too late."
Kel turned.
Luna approached from across the square.
She wore simple academy attire.
Dark hair swayed behind her.
Several books rested beneath one arm.
The girl looked energetic.
Far more energetic than Kel.
Unfortunately.
"Where are you going?"
A simple question.
Kel answered honestly.
"Wandering."
Luna narrowed her eyes.
"Where?"
The silver-haired youth thought briefly.
Then decided the truth sounded ridiculous enough to discourage her.
"Haunted places."
Silence.
Several passing students overheard.
They immediately slowed their walking.
Purely by coincidence.
Of course.
Luna blinked.
"Haunted places?"
"Yes."
The girl folded her arms.
Then smiled.
"You aren't scared?"
Kel looked genuinely confused.
"No."
A pause.
"Are you?"
The question struck directly.
Because Luna absolutely feared dark places.
Very much.
Painfully much.
Ancient ruins?
Fine.
Dangerous monsters?
Acceptable.
Combat examinations?
No problem.
Dark abandoned places at night?
Absolutely not.
Unfortunately.
Pride existed.
And pride was dangerous.
The dark-haired girl immediately straightened.
"I don't fear haunted places."
A lie.
A terrible lie.
An obvious lie.
Even Seiren recognized it.
Inside his mind—
The Guardian nearly fell apart laughing.
"She fears them."
"I know."
"A lot."
"I know."
The girl continued.
"In fact."
A pause.
"Haunted places fascinate me."
Inside his mind—
Seiren laughed harder.
"That is an even bigger lie."
Kel nodded slightly.
He had known Luna long enough now.
Not deeply.
But enough.
Enough to recognize when she was bluffing.
"Are you sure?"
Luna nodded immediately.
"Of course."
Kel looked at her.
The girl looked back confidently.
Neither spoke.
Several moments passed.
Then Luna suddenly smiled.
"Let's make a bet."
Kel immediately became suspicious.
"What kind of bet?"
The girl pointed toward him.
"Wherever you're going."
A pause.
"I'm coming."
Kel's expression became blank.
Very blank.
Luna continued.
"If I make even one crying face."
Another pause.
"I'll treat you to dinner."
Silence.
The proposal sounded reasonable.
Yet Kel answered instantly.
"I decline."
The girl's confidence immediately cracked.
"What?"
"I decline."
"Why?"
The silver-haired youth answered honestly.
"I want to wander alone."
Luna narrowed her eyes.
Then pointed dramatically.
"No."
A pause.
"Say the truth."
Kel blinked.
"The truth?"
The girl nodded.
"You feel embarrassed."
Kel raised an eyebrow.
"About what?"
Luna smiled triumphantly.
"Showing your crying face."
Silence.
Several students secretly listening nearby immediately became interested.
Very interested.
The girl continued.
"You're afraid someone will see."
Inside his mind—
Seiren began laughing again.
Kel considered multiple responses.
Then chose the easiest.
"Yes."
Luna froze.
The listeners froze.
Even Seiren froze.
Because nobody expected him to agree.
Immediately.
Without resistance.
Without excuses.
Just—
Yes.
The dark-haired girl spent several seconds processing the answer.
Then pointed again.
"Now I definitely want to see it."
Kel regretted answering.
Meanwhile.
Several hidden listeners immediately ran away.
To spread information.
Naturally.
An hour later.
The entire academy had misunderstood everything.
Completely.
Catastrophically.
Because students saw Luna and Aedon walking together.
Through abandoned districts.
Toward ancient ruins.
Toward isolated locations.
Toward haunted places.
The conclusion reached itself.
A haunted date.
The rumor spread faster than wildfire.
Inside dormitories.
Inside cafeterias.
Inside libraries.
Inside training grounds.
Aedon Flinth had invented a new dating strategy.
And because Aedon already possessed a mysterious reputation—
People believed it.
Completely.
Meanwhile.
Kel remained unaware.
Or more accurately—
He refused to care.
As he investigated abandoned docks.
Luna followed.
As he examined ancient markers.
Luna followed.
As he checked old cliffs mentioned in the manuscript.
Luna followed.
The girl had become surprisingly stubborn.
Inside his mind—
Seiren sounded delighted.
"You acquired a follower."
"I acquired a problem."
"Same thing."
Meanwhile.
Elsewhere.
The academy's male population entered a dangerous phase.
Analysis.
Inside one dormitory.
A group of students gathered around a table.
Papers covered the surface.
Maps.
Notes.
Diagrams.
One particularly serious student stood before them.
Like a military strategist presenting battle plans.
"The haunted date strategy."
Everyone nodded solemnly.
"It works."
Another student raised a hand.
"Evidence?"
The strategist adjusted his glasses.
"Aedon Flinth."
Instant agreement followed.
The room became serious.
Very serious.
The strategist continued.
"Think carefully."
A pause.
"Haunted places create fear."
Several nodded.
"Fear creates dependency."
More nodding.
"Dependency creates trust."
The room gasped.
Someone immediately started writing notes.
Another student looked enlightened.
A third looked ready to publish research papers.
The strategist continued.
"Then."
A pause.
"The boy protects the girl."
More notes.
"Romance develops naturally."
The room erupted.
Several students stood.
One slammed the table dramatically.
"Genius!"
Another nodded.
"Absolute genius!"
Meanwhile.
None of them realized.
Kel wasn't protecting Luna.
Luna wasn't being protected.
And absolutely nothing romantic was happening.
The entire theory was built upon imagination.
Unfortunately.
Human imagination was stronger than reality.
By evening.
Multiple students had already attempted their own haunted dates.
Some succeeded.
Some failed.
One pair got lost.
Another accidentally entered restricted ruins.
A third encountered actual ghosts.
The academy administration would later develop headaches because of it.
Meanwhile.
At the center of the disaster.
Kel stood atop an abandoned cliff.
Studying ancient markings carved into stone.
Completely unaware that he had accidentally started a cultural movement.
Luna stood nearby.
Trying very hard not to look down the dark pathway behind them.
Because despite everything she said earlier—
The place was terrifying.
Inside his mind—
Seiren laughed endlessly.
"The entire academy thinks you're dating."
Kel sighed.
Then looked toward the ancient ruins ahead.
"Humanity is hopeless."
For perhaps the first time in history—
The investigation of an ancient ocean mystery...
Had accidentally become the academy's most successful romance strategy.