The man was muscular, and his face was rather sharp. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that his strong features also carried a soft and kind air about them. He was handsome, although a bit scary and cute at the same time, much like a jaguar.

Levi asked if I would like to go on a walk with him. I accepted, but told him I could not stay for long, as I still had practice that day. We walked for a while before arriving at a room in the Applied Social Sciences Building. On the door there was a golden sign that read Student Council but, as we entered, I noticed it looked more like a depository of random things than a meeting room. Levi seemed a bit embarrassed, and said:

‘We haven’t been using this room as much for the last few months. It became a sort of deposit for random things we didn’t know where to put’.

I looked around for a bit while Levi looked for chairs where we could sit. There were a few soft toys on the table and one of them was a doll. I took it in my hands and examined it: it was similar to the Barbies that Sena had as a child. The doll had brown hair and eyes and, strangely, it reminded me of Sena Young.

I played with the doll for some time, and try combing its hair with my fingers. Levi smiled when he saw me, and said I could keep it, if I wanted to. I declined.

‘What sort of business did you have with me, Mr. Student Council President?’, I asked rather directly, because I was afraid of being late for sword practice.

‘You’re going straight to the point, as expected. You never replied to my letter. Why’s that?’

‘Because I have no intention of fighting you, even if it’s just a light spar. I already drew too much attention because of what happened in the cafeteria that day. It makes me want to puke every morning’.

Levi must have thought I was being funny, because he seemed to hold his laughter in. It may have only been my imagination though.

‘But isn’t it common courtesy to reply to one’s letter?’, he asked.

‘I suppose it is’.

‘...’

I looked away from his eyes, and gazed at what was behind the window. I did not wish to explain why I hadn’t replied to his letter. I didn’t reply because I didn’t reply, and that was it. 

Levi changed the subject and asked me how I was doing in the Academy. Was there anything that made me uncomfortable? Did I get along with my roommate? I was glad he did not insist on talking about the letter.

Right when I thought I was clear of danger, however, Levi finally started questioning me about what he really wanted to know.

‘And say, what do you think of our Saint? Isn’t she… divine?’

I didn’t know what to make of his question. From our interaction earlier, I didn’t think he was on good terms with the Saintess, but one could never be too careful. It was strange how they backed down the moment he appeared. That woman was as powerful as members of the royal family, perhaps even more so, and didn’t need to bow down to anyone in these lands. I tried giving the most neutral answer I could:

‘I think she’s pretty. Her hair is gorgeous. I am a sucker for silver haired people’.

‘Right… I suppose her hair is quite nice. Her red eyes too, very beautiful too. They seem to draw us in, almost as if we’re under a spell’.

‘Yes, indeed. She must be the most beautiful woman in the empire’, I replied anxiously, not knowing where this conversation was going.

‘Precisely, she’s as pretty as a devil’.

Levi looked at me more intensely and I could feel my blood pressure lowering. My hands were cold and breathing became more difficult. I felt the entire weight of the world on my shoulders, and struggled not to pass out. It was stressful enough that I had that bullying appointment earlier, but this man was something else. Was he an ally or a foe? I didn’t know and didn’t want to know, I just wanted to hang out with my friends and have my lemon pies in peace.

‘I am going to do something, don’t freak out and don’t tell anyone’, he said, and a calming influx of water came around me, a spiral going around my body. It became easier to breathe and the tension in my muscles seemed to disappear. When it was all over, I looked at him and saw that his eyes were a clear gold.

‘Your Highness?’, I shouted, desperately.