A man with familiar cerulean eyes stumbled in a panic, quickly straightening his back. He hopped where he tripped, a lazy smile spreading over his face.

"Hello! Uhh, is this bad timing? I didn't think I'd be late for the first day, but I overslept... well more accurately, I forgot class even existed. Nothing major, I'll not do it again." said Niklas sheepishly, laughing lightly.

Then, his gaze traveled over the classroom before landing on Kaden, brightening excitedly. "Ah, my good-looking master, what a coincidence!"

Kaden couldn't help but laugh before he raised a brow. "Niklas."

"Isn't it a pleasure to see me again, Kaden?"

"Not in the slightest." said the man, turning around to make his way back to his seat.

He stumbled slightly when approaching, clearing his throat in embarrassment before sitting down. Noah watched him, a ghost of amusement, while another classmate stifled a giggle.

The dragon followed him back, sitting down on his own seat with casual elegance. The man arched a brow in the same arrogant way Kaden had done earlier. "Do you need any help walking later?"

Kaden gritted his teeth, smiling. "Are you offering?"

"I am not." said Noah, turning his head to the front with a layer of dislike. "However, if absolutely necessary, I will provide my assistance.

"Would you sweep me up in your arms and carry me, princess style?"

"Is that what you want?"

"......" Kaden stared in disbelief, before propping his chin in one hand and smiling. "Well, Bellamy, what if I took you up on that offer?"

Noah glanced at him from the side coolly. "Will you?"

Then, a person plopped into the seat between them, stretching his arms out as he yawned loudly. "Isn't it lucky that there's a seat next to somebody I know?" remarked Niklas, nodding to himself in satisfaction. "How lucky I am—naturally."

"...didn't I tell you not to bother me, Niklas?"

The blue-eyed man shrugged. "Did you expect me to listen, really? I'm a strong believer in listening to my own stomach thoughts—and that stomach told me you're full of nonsense."

"...your stomach?"

"Our brains are too unreliable." explained Niklas with such calmness, it seemed almost believable. "But we should trust in something, and don't our stomachs always accurately tell us when they're hungry? They're perfectly reliable."

Kaden really felt speechless, thinking that his originally lonely row had been filled with truly annoying creatures. Was this how the rest of his school life would be like?

He wasn't sure how to feel about that.

However, the professor watched them silently; the smile having left his face long ago. "Kaden Chauvet." called Raymond slowly, eyebrows knitted in a frown. "The Watcher of Delusion had chosen to bless you."

Delusion?

Kaden mulled over the title—were his abilities altered to illusions and hypnosis? To bring somebody's nightmares into reality?

Would that be a psychological ability?

While the name sounded somewhat ominous, he thought it was better than the alternative that he feared; being unworthy of being blessed at all.

"That sounds pretty cool." muttered Niklas solemnly. "Am I also going to get something like that? Oh, please say it isn't something sad, not to say that there is such a thing as a sad ability, but I would rather something that is aesthetically pleasing."

"How would you define 'aesthetically pleasing'?" asked a listening classmate at the side.

Niklas shrugged making some sorts of exaggerated gestures in the air. "Think of flowing, majestic. Something grand and elegant, just like myself."

"But you're not elegant..."

"Hm? What was that?" He blinked once, innocently, and smiled, and the student curled back into their seat, saying nothing more.

He stretched his hand out into the air, making the professor tear his gaze away from Kaden. "Yes, Niklas?"

"I missed the whole magical experience—do I get a redo later?"

"Why yes, of course. I can arrange that for you at a different time."

"Brilliant, thank you!"

Niklas's cheerfulness seemed to be contagious, because both Noah and Kaden glanced sideways at that moment, accidentally meeting each other's eyes before turning away. Kaden chuckled lightly from between his hands, and Noah let out an amused huff.

The latter reached out to pull his book, not bothered to pay attention to the rest of the class. He begun to read.

A woman, prim and proper with a serious glint in her eye, raised her hand. Her brown locks gathered to one side, and pride running along straight shoulders. "Professor, are there not rather dangerous Watchers that exist?"

"I suppose, yes, there is danger in everything."

"And presumably, is Kaden Chauvet's not one of them?"

Raymond fell into an unsettling silence, and the rest of the classroom listened eagerly. "That is, one should not be quick to make judgments, as there are multiple variables to consider. To judge somebody is actually to reveal one's own character—"

"He is dangerous, isn't he?"

The Professor, having been interrupted, cleared his throat, but he was not aggressive enough to change the malicious air.

"As I said, one has no choice in regards to their Watcher. To call them dangerous is equal to deeming a person with, say, red hair to be dangerous or mad. Such a thing is ridiculous and—"

"But his abilities are dangerous, Professor. And is that not something us students should be wary of?"

There was the sound of a book promptly closing before a voice called out coldly,

"Are you making an assumption about his character, rather than his Watcher?"

Noah spoke with a persuasive calmness that wasn't easy to refute. Dismissing the woman's startled expression, he continued plainly. "Is it not possible for a blessing like yours, simple as it is, to be dangerous because of your careless character?"

"T-that is unfair to judge myself as such an awful—"

"And what are you currently doing yourself, to Kaden Chauvet?"

Everybody watched the drama unfold, the striking contrast between the woman's now unorganized scowl that lost its etiquette, and the dragon who behaved with a bored leisure to the entire event, as if it weren't even worth his time.

Kaden tapped on the desk, leaning forward to introduce himself to the common, foolish conversation.

He was aware of his reputation that was stretched across the ground and stomped on multiple times, and he didn't think anything would change. However, nobody had interfered for him before.

Regardless, Kaden wasn't so weak that he needed to rely on others to defend his own name.

How does one fit in a place that rejects them?

They don't.

"You know, I can't quite say talking about me in front of my face is much better than talking behind my back. Although you are terrible at both."

The woman flushed, anger spread across her cheeks as he curled up his lips into a devilish smirk, leaning back into his chair with a careless wave. "Since you've been so kind to share your opinions with me, shall the judger become the judged?"

He tapped his lips, pretending to think. The deep green eyes stared straight through her, scrutinizing and sharp.

"Dressed in plain, but confident clothes, the prim and proper sort, hm? Are the sort to flaunt your family's reputation, rely on the strengths of others rather than yourself?"

"And maybe," He glanced over her indifferently. "The type who speaks without thinking. That could get you killed one day, I hope you know. After all,"

His smile dropped. "I'm dangerous, right?"

"How dare you threaten—!"

"Hey! I don't really know what's going on," exclaimed Niklas, waving his hands. "But we're in the middle of class, alright? Let's keep the arguments for later, it's pretty unbecoming of a noble to act so improperly."

His words were light-hearted and seemingly innocent, but stabbed and prodded at the woman's respect. She tilted her chin, turning away with a snap of her head, anger steaming off the top of her carefully combed hair.

Niklas winked at Kaden, while Noah watched for a moment longer before removing his attention elsewhere.

The Professor also clapped his hand to change the direction of conversation, looking relieved that the students didn't persist. He made a mental note to practice a more aggressive speech, to defend his students better in the future.

A certain dragon looked down at his closed book, the title staring back at him mockingly, then at his bookmark, which rested on the table. A sigh slipped from his lips as he spread the pages open with slender fingers, trying to find the page that he'd been on.

It was a long, heavy book—it would take some time to pinpoint where exactly he was.

Regardless, it was against his nature to listen to nonsense so vividly and not say a word. Even if the misunderstood party was Kaden Chauvet.

However, it was the first time he'd acted without a thought.

To the extent he couldn't remember his page.