Chapter 202: Misunderstood By Kane And Sabel, Vesper Calls For Injustice!

That was when a hand reached out from behind a pillar near the corner.

Kane’s mouth fell open.

Sabel stared in a daze.

They turned to look at each other, the same thought flashing across both their faces.

"Did she just—"

"Damn it. Someone grabbed her!"

Without a second thought, they ran.

They pushed through several students, nearly colliding with a boy carrying a stack of books. Sabel shouted something over her shoulder that was either an apology or a curse. They skidded around the corner by the east corridor, where the pillar was, and they stopped short.

Neither of them could say anything for a long, long second.

Aisha stood with her back pressed against the wall with Vesper standing in front of her, a hand planted beside her head and his body leaning down, caging her in so that she had nowhere to go. His expression was so serious; he looked like a domineering bully who had caught a meek and innocent female student alone and was about to take advantage of her.

Sabel’s hand trembled.

Kane’s eyes were wide enough to fall out of his skull.

"Y-you..."

"You two... what are you doing?!"

Vesper turned his head, and his own eyes widened in surprise when he saw them. He happily greeted them.

"Oh—it’s you tw—"

He didn’t get to finish.

Kane and Sabel both looked at him with accusation in their eyes. And before Vesper could say another word, Sabel had already launched herself forward, her leg swinging high through the air.

"DIE!"

The kick landed squarely against Vesper’s side, sending him flying several steps away from Aisha before he crashed onto the ground and rolled to a stop beside the wall.

***

By the time Aisha and the three others reached their classroom, the bell had not yet rung, but the classroom had filled with its usual noise.

Vesper entered last.

His hair was messier than before, and there was a faint footprint-shaped smudge on the side of his uniform. His shoulders were slumped, and he walked as though he had survived an entire day of classes before the classes even started.

The moment their classmates saw him, they burst into laughter.

"Whoa, what happened to you? Did you get run over by a shuttle?"

"Looks like Vesper had a lot of fun today. Bro, where did you roll around?"

"Did someone finally kick some sense into you?"

A few of them whistled while others patted his shoulder as he passed, and one even offered him a tissue as though he’d been crying. Vesper swatted the hand away and harrumphed loudly, dropping himself into his seat so hard the chair creaked beneath him.

He crossed his arms and glared at the wall.

Kane and Sabel glanced at him helplessly. Feeling both sorry and guilty, they sat down on their own chairs without a word.

They had gotten the explanation from Aisha on the way here, and after hearing everything, they understood that Vesper’s intentions had been good. He had only wanted to keep her away from Prince Soren, who was lying in ambush for her.

Still, Sabel mumbled under her breath, "Even so... Vesper shouldn’t have stood so close to Aisha."

Vesper snapped his head toward her, glaring. "What did you say?"

He opened his mouth, ready to argue.

"If someone else had seen it instead of us," Kane cut in quietly, "he might’ve had his entire arm cut off."

Vesper’s mouth closed.

Slowly, he recalled the scene inside that brothel at Sector 9. He remembered how Nykos had stood behind Aisha as they both entered the room, close enough to cover her whole back, his gaze sweeping over everyone present as though daring any of them to get any closer to her.

It was the look of a man guarding something that belonged to him.

A cold shiver ran down Vesper’s spine, and he rubbed his arm.

"...Yeah." He slumped over his desk. "Maybe you’re right."

Aisha didn’t glance their way.

She had sat down by the window and was already focusing her attention on the front of the room.

The door slid open at the exact moment the bell rang. It was time for Instructor Zeke’s class. But the person who walked in wasn’t him.

A middle-aged professor with thinning hair and a stack of documents stepped up to the podium, introducing himself in a dry voice and announcing that he would be taking over for the time being.

Aisha’s gaze lowered slightly, feeling a little disappointed. She stared at the surface of her desk and found that she was no longer interested in the lesson.

The professor droned on about the day’s topic. But no one was interested in listening anymore, as they, too, felt the difference.

And time quickly passed by.

Before long, the final bell rang, and the time they had been waiting for finally came.

The students filed out of the class, chattering about their afternoon plans and heading out of the academy. But Aisha’s group didn’t follow them. They walked in the opposite direction, toward the arena in the middle of the academy where tournaments could be held on short notice.

They changed into tactical suits in the preparation room, silently fastening their belts and gloves.

When they finished, they stood in front of the door that led straight to the arena. It was a heavy metal door, and beyond it, they could already hear a low murmur, like waves rolling in the distance.

Sabel exhaled slowly.

Kane’s hands curled and uncurled at his sides.

Vesper rolled his shoulders, trying to look relaxed even though his foot was bouncing.

Before they opened the door, Aisha turned around to look at them.

"Are you ready?"

Sabel nodded firmly. "Yeah."

"Of course," Vesper said with a wide grin. "I’ve been ready since yesterday."

Kane hesitated, swallowing once. But when he lifted his head, his eyes were steady and determined. "...Yes."

Aisha looked at the three of them for a moment, then nodded.

She turned back around and pushed the door open.

And froze at the sight before them.