Morning sunlight streamed through the towering crystal windows of Aetherial Institute.
The academy had awakened long before dawn.
Students moved through stone pathways.
Groups discussed assignments.
Others reviewed lecture notes.
Some rushed desperately toward classrooms after oversleeping.
Everything appeared normal.
At least on the surface.
Because beneath that normality.
A storm of rumors was spreading.
And unfortunately.
Kel and Luna occupied the center of it.
The Haunted Date Strategy.
The mysterious explorer.
The girl who followed him through abandoned ruins.
The countless fabricated stories.
The academy had become addicted to discussing them.
Meanwhile.
Neither of the two people involved had actually done anything romantic.
Which somehow made the situation even more ridiculous.
Inside his mind.
Seiren laughed.
"You are famous."
"I dislike being famous."
"Too late."
Kel sighed.
Then entered the classroom.
Immediately.
The atmosphere changed.
Not visibly.
Not dramatically.
But subtly.
Students glanced toward him.
Then looked away.
Then looked back.
Then whispered to nearby classmates.
Several girls exchanged knowing smiles.
A few boys narrowed their eyes.
Others quietly observed.
The silver-haired youth immediately noticed.
Not because they were obvious.
Because his observation skills were simply that good.
Years of exploration had trained him to notice details.
Body language.
Eye movement.
Breathing patterns.
Things people often ignored.
Inside his mind.
Seiren spoke.
"They're staring."
"I noticed."
"A lot."
"I noticed."
The Guardian laughed.
Kel continued walking.
As though nothing was happening.
Eventually.
He reached his usual seat.
Luna was already there.
The dark-haired girl sat quietly.
Books organized.
Notes prepared.
Lecture materials neatly arranged.
At first glance.
She looked completely calm.
At first glance.
Then Kel sat down.
And immediately noticed something.
Her shoulders seemed tense.
Her fingers lightly gripped her pen.
Every few moments.
Her eyes unconsciously moved toward surrounding students.
Then quickly returned forward.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
The silver-haired youth quietly observed the classroom.
Then the students.
Then Luna.
Then the students again.
The conclusion was obvious.
The staring wasn't bothering him.
It was bothering her.
A lot.
Meanwhile.
Luna desperately attempted to ignore everything.
The whispers.
The glances.
The smiles.
The ridiculous rumors.
Unfortunately.
Ignoring something often made it more noticeable.
And because she was aware of it—
She became increasingly conscious of every stare.
One girl smiled toward her.
Luna noticed.
Two boys whispered while looking in their direction.
Luna noticed.
Three students stopped talking when she turned.
Luna noticed.
The entire situation felt horrible.
Inside her thoughts.
"Why are they all staring?"
"Did someone spread another rumor?"
"No."
"Definitely someone spread another rumor."
She wanted to disappear.
Meanwhile.
Kel finally made a decision.
A simple one.
Without warning.
He stood up.
The movement immediately attracted attention.
Several students looked over.
Even Luna blinked.
The dark-haired girl turned toward him.
"Where are you going?"
Her voice carried genuine confusion.
Kel adjusted the books beneath his arm.
Then answered casually.
"Changing seats."
Silence.
Luna stared.
Several nearby students stared.
Even Seiren paused.
The girl frowned slightly.
"Why?"
Kel looked around the classroom.
Then back toward Luna.
His answer came naturally.
"Because people are staring at us."
A pause.
"And it is making you uncomfortable."
The classroom became quiet.
Not entirely.
But enough.
Several nearby students heard him.
Including Luna.
The dark-haired girl's eyes widened slightly.
Because she hadn't expected that answer.
Not at all.
Inside her thoughts.
"He noticed?"
She hadn't said anything.
Not a single word.
Yet somehow.
He noticed.
Kel continued speaking.
"I don't particularly care."
A pause.
"But you seem bothered."
Another pause.
"So I'll move."
The answer was straightforward.
Simple.
Practical.
Just like him.
No hidden meaning.
No dramatic intention.
No attempt to impress her.
Just a solution to a problem.
Unfortunately.
The surrounding students interpreted it differently.
Very differently.
One girl covered her mouth.
Another looked emotional.
A third whispered:
"That was smooth."
Her friend nodded.
"Terrifyingly smooth."
Across the room.
Several boys looked devastated.
Because somehow—
Aedon Flinth continued accomplishing things without even trying.
Inside his mind.
Seiren immediately started laughing.
"You did it again."
"What?"
"Accidentally."
"What did I do?"
The Guardian laughed harder.
"Never mind."
Meanwhile.
Luna remained seated.
Processing.
The more she thought about his words.
The stranger she felt.
Not because of romance.
But because of consideration.
Most people didn't notice such things.
Or if they did—
They usually ignored them.
Yet Kel simply observed.
Analyzed.
And acted.
As though it was obvious.
The dark-haired girl suddenly spoke.
"You don't have to move."
Kel paused.
"Hm?"
Luna looked away briefly.
Then back toward him.
"I'm fine."
That was a lie.
A small lie.
Not because she wanted attention.
Because she didn't want to inconvenience him.
Kel immediately recognized it.
Years of negotiating.
Exploring.
And dealing with people.
Made such things obvious.
"You are not."
The answer came instantly.
Luna froze.
The silver-haired youth continued.
"You've been tense for the last seven minutes."
Silence.
The classroom became even quieter.
Several students openly listened now.
"You keep looking toward the left side of the room."
A pause.
"You grip your pen harder whenever someone whispers."
Another pause.
"And your notes are less organized than usual."
Luna stared.
Everyone stared.
Even Seiren was impressed.
The Guardian spoke.
"You really pay attention."
"It helps."
The dark-haired girl didn't know what to say.
Because everything he said was true.
Every single thing.
Eventually.
She sighed.
Then laughed softly.
A very small laugh.
The tension in her shoulders disappeared slightly.
"Fine."
A pause.
"You win."
Kel nodded.
"Good."
Then sat back down.
Luna blinked.
"..."
"..."
"You aren't changing seats?"
The silver-haired youth looked confused.
"You said you were fine."
Another pause.
"And now you actually are."
Silence.
Then Seiren exploded into laughter inside his mind.
The Guardian laughed so hard she nearly lost control of their telepathic connection.
"YOU STOOD UP JUST TO VERIFY IT?"
"Yes."
"THAT'S NOT HOW PEOPLE WORK!"
"Seems efficient."
Meanwhile.
The surrounding students completely misunderstood everything.
Again.
Several girls looked ready to write poems.
Several boys questioned their life choices.
And somewhere inside the academy.
The Aedon Study Society had just gained enough material for another month's worth of analysis.
While at the center of it all.
Kel simply opened his textbook.
Ready for today's lecture.
Completely unaware that his attempt to reduce attention had somehow created even more attention.
A talent he possessed in abundance.