"Hey... I'm sorry, but I need to go."
Dren couldn't think of a better way to escape, so he decided to be direct.
"Where do you think you're going?..."
Luck gripped his arm firmly, staring at him with eyes that reflected something close to madness.
'What's wrong with him now?' thought Dren, horrified as he observed his companion's terrifying face.
"A beautiful girl speaks to you and you try to escape? That's so unfair... Many would wish to be in your position... What kind of man are you?" Luck muttered, not hiding the envy he felt about the situation.
'I think he's lost a screw or something.'
"Is everything okay here?" asked Alice, visibly uncomfortable with Luck's behavior, an uneasiness shared by all the students surrounding the scene.
"If I'm not at the level to converse with someone like her, at least allow me to enjoy her presence while she's nearby..."
As Luck spoke, his eyes trembled, giving him the appearance of a genuine lunatic.
'This guy is too weird. Why did I have the misfortune of running into him?'
"Are you going to respond, Dren, or will you keep ignoring me? That's not very polite from a Valemont. If you continue like this, I'll leave," said Alice, averting her gaze with disdain.
"Oooooh..."
The students around reacted with surprise at Alice's comment, expecting Dren to try to defend himself.
But he was too busy trying to understand why Luck had begun to grip his arm more tightly when Alice mentioned she would leave.
"Let me go, Luck. I don't like these kinds of situations with lots of people," Dren said firmly.
"Yes, but that girl is very beautiful and I don't want her to leave... If you let that happen, I'll tell everyone here your secret, is that clear?"
Faced with this new threat, Dren yielded and sat back down, finally freed from Luck's grip.
"Yes... everything's fine... Don't worry. What is it that you want?" asked Dren in a voice so low it was barely audible, avoiding eye contact with Alice.
"Excuse me? I couldn't hear anything. Can you speak up?" Alice responded with an angry expression.
Luck, fearing that Alice might decide to leave at any moment, elbowed Dren.
'I know, damn it, but it's very embarrassing to raise my voice with so many people around.'
"So...?" insisted Alice.
"It's somewhat difficult for me to talk with so many people around..." said Dren, this time loud enough for Alice to hear and understand the situation.
"I see, so you're shy. You should have said so from the beginning." Alice looked at the crowd surrounding them. "Could you please leave? We need to talk privately," she requested with a charming smile.
"How boring..."
"I thought we might see what would happen..."
"I bet anything they'll become a couple or something."
In a few seconds, all the students moved away from the area.
"Thank you very much!" exclaimed Alice. "Now! Explain to me, Dren, why are you hiding considering you're practically the most popular student in the academy?"
"I... uh..."
Dren scratched his head, searching for what to say.
"Yes! It took us a long time to find you! We've been following you for so long!" The girl who was previously positioned to Alice's right abruptly joined the conversation, revealing something that Alice apparently didn't want to mention, judging by her horrified expression.
"Melissa! What are you saying? That's clearly not true! I simply knew you were going to be at the academy and happened to see you sitting here, so I took the opportunity to talk about something I've wanted to discuss for a long time." Alice explained hastily, trying to justify herself.
"You were... following me? That's not right... It's harassment." Dren completely ignored Alice's explanation, which seemed to devastate her.
"I already told you we weren't following you!" Alice emphasized vehemently.
"Anyway... It doesn't matter. Tell me what you want to talk about once and for all, I'm in a hurry."
"What? You're rushing me? What's the big hurry, huh? It doesn't seem like you're doing anything better right now!" Alice didn't take Dren's comment well at all.
'Oh god, what did I do to deserve this? I'm just wasting my precious time,' thought Dren as he listened to Alice's indignant words.
"That's right! You have no right to say that to her, weakling!" interjected Luck, delivering a hard blow to Dren's back, causing pain visible on his face.
"And what's your problem?" said Alice, glaring at Luck.
"Huh?"
Luck turned pale with fear instantly.
"You have no right to hit someone like Dren! And even less to call him a weakling! I bet you'd be humiliated instantly in a duel against him!" Alice defended Dren with surprising vehemence.
'This girl is very bipolar, I don't understand her...' thought Dren, already fed up with the whole situation.
"I... The thing is, I've known Dren for many years, so we have a lot of trust and that's why we treat each other that way and use those kinds of nicknames, right, friend?" said Luck with a forced and uncomfortable smile, while inside he only felt disgust for what he had just said.
Dren didn't respond, so Luck stepped hard on his foot to make him react.
"Uh... Yes, that's true, we're friends," confirmed Dren, his face contorted with pain.
"Ha! Even so, you shouldn't allow them to give you those kinds of nicknames considering the social status you have," said Alice, apparently believing the lie.
"Hey, by the way, aren't you planning to invite me to sit down or something? I'm a lady, in case you haven't noticed, and your attitudes aren't very gentlemanly, to tell the truth!"
'Looks like this is going to take a while...'
"You! Boy who hasn't said a single word!" Alice now addressed Gary.
"My name is Gary, I'm your biggest fan, Miss Ashbourne!" Gary responded so happily that Alice had spoken to him that even his eyes sparkled.
"Whatever, sit in this chair over here and give me your place. I want to sit next to Dren."
Alice didn't even show interest in what Gary said.
"Alright..." Gary obeyed and gave up his seat.
"Wait... What?"
Dren, who was trying to lose himself in his thoughts to detach from what was happening, reacted when he realized that Alice would now sit by his side.
Alice took a seat and, in doing so, accidentally brushed against Dren's leg, leaving him blushing.
"OUCH! Be careful! Let me know if you're going to sit down!" exclaimed Gary as he was pushed when Melissa sat down next to him by surprise.
"Or what? Are you going to hit me or something?" Melissa responded aggressively. "And you, Sarah, what the hell are you waiting for? You look stupid standing there!" She addressed the girl with the depressed face, who didn't seem to have any intention of sitting down.
"But Dren Valemont doesn't seem to like us being here very much... In fact... not even an invitation to sit has come from his mouth," said Sarah in a timid voice.
"What are you talking about, Sarah? Just sit down already!" exclaimed Alice.
"But..."
"I said sit down!"
With that violently resonating order, Sarah sat down immediately, leaving the three boys completely surprised by what seemed like an act of total submission.
"Speaking to her that way, I think that was too much..." commented Dren, still shocked.
"Oh... that? It was nothing, she always behaves rebelliously. But please, let's focus on the main topic, shall we? Tell me, do you have a girlfriend, Dren?"
Hearing that question, Luck felt rage burning inside him.
Dren, for his part, was looking at her strangely, bewildered by her sudden change to angelic and calm behavior.
"I... to tell the truth, no. Although it's not something I'm really interested in either."
'That question seems to be on everyone's lips, doesn't it? It's somewhat frustrating, to be honest.'
"I see... so I have a chance, don't I?" asked Alice, forming a smile on her face.
"I don't think you'd want to be with someone like me, to be honest," Dren responded evasively.
"Yes, that's true. I don't think you'd want to be with this weakling."
Luck rejoined the conversation, consumed by jealousy at the closeness between Dren and Alice, but was completely ignored.
"And how do you know that? Aren't you the great Dren Valemont? I'm sure any girl would do anything to be your girlfriend."
Alice came dangerously close to Dren's face, making him visibly nervous.
"H-hey... s-shouldn't you respect my personal space a bit? I-I'm just saying, and don't forget there are also other people sitting at this table, they'll feel uncomfortable."
"I don't think anyone here feels uncomfortable..."
"No, Miss Ashbourne..." Melissa responded submissively. "Not on my part either," added Sarah.
"I feel uncomfortable..." protested Luck angrily.
"And I..."
"You shut up! Nobody asked you!"
Gary was about to respond but was immediately silenced by Melissa.
"You see? It would only be uncomfortable if I were doing something wrong, but that's not the case, is it, girls?"
"Of course not, Miss Ashbourne," confirmed Melissa. "Not at all," Sarah seconded.
"I think that's quite clear, unless... wait, do you think I'm flirting with you or something?"
"Huh? I never said that!"
"Could it be that having the Valemont surname and inheriting all that power makes you believe that I, an Ashbourne, will stoop to flirting with you and beg you to be my boyfriend? Or is it that you see even a girl who bears a surname as important as mine as easy to seduce and make your girlfriend?"
"Not at all! I don't think that! I would never think something like that about you!"
"What? Are you underestimating me now? Don't you think the Ashbourne surname is worthy of standing alongside the Valemont surname?"
"I... I'm sorry! I didn't mean for you to think something like that!"
'I'm in trouble. From what my father told me and what I've heard, the Ashbournes are also one of the most powerful families when it comes to magic. If she were to falsely spread that I think that, it would only cause trouble for my entire family, as it would be taken as a sign of disrespect that could even lead to a declaration of war between families.' Dren lowered his head as he apologized.
"Hehe... just kidding, come on, don't take it so seriously."
"Huh...?"
'She was just joking...? You don't joke about things like that!'
"You should have seen your face, you almost looked like you were going to have a heart attack," said Alice between laughs.
"That wasn't funny..." muttered Dren, watching her laugh.
"Anyway... now I'd like to go straight to the point..." Alice wiped the tears she had on her face due to her fit of laughter. "You see... I imagine you've already noticed, but being young and part of a family with such renown is truly difficult. I know we should continue with that same competitiveness that our parents and relatives developed, but, you know, I'd like to not see this as a competition and be able to support each other and learn together... I don't know what you think about that."
'I didn't think someone else would feel the same way about the competition between families,' thought Dren, perplexed at the honesty and sincerity Alice expressed.
"I know that you may be very advanced with your magic spells, but I would really appreciate if we could progress together..."
"Advanced in his spells...? Please... if you saw his orb that's hidden in his backpack you'd think someone stole all his magic, with how gray it is..." Luck muttered.
"I told you to stop with those comments!" Dren turned his head toward him, showing his disapproval.
"What...? I didn't say anything bad," Luck defended himself.
"What did he say? That you carry your orb in that backpack?" asked Alice curiously.
'I hope that's all she heard,' thought Dren, observing Alice's inquisitive face.
"Uh... if that were the case, would there be a problem?"
"Not at all... it's just that it would be somewhat strange, since most people left theirs in the classrooms."
Dren froze upon hearing this.
"But I suppose in your case you didn't want to show off, right?" said Alice, nudging Dren's arm with her elbow and raising her eyebrows suggestively.
"Uh, sure... yes, that's why," lied Dren, exchanging glances with Luck and Gary, who knew perfectly well the truth.
"Would you let me see it just for a second? I'm curious..."
Alice tried to put her hands on Dren's backpack.
"No!"
Dren flatly refused, covering his backpack with his arms.
"Well... what a defensive attitude. That's not very cordial of you," said Alice, visibly offended.
"I'm sorry, but I wouldn't like anyone to see it today... that's all."
"Alright, I guess... Although, on the other hand, I have a question: have you always used makeup?"
"W-what...? What are you talking about?" asked Dren, astonished.
"It's just that I wasn't expecting you to wear makeup..." Alice moved her finger toward Dren's cheek to remove some of the makeup, revealing a bruise underneath.
"What is that...? Did you hit yourself with something?" asked Alice with genuine curiosity.
"It's nothing! It's nothing!"
Dren became agitated and stood up from his seat, covering his cheek.
Sarah, meanwhile, had been staring fixedly at the boy, with an indecipherable expression after Alice discovered that bruise.
"What's wrong with you? Why are you acting like this all of a sudden?" asked Luck.
"I... I just have to go now! I'm late!"
"Late for what?" asked Alice.
"Where do you have to go?" insisted Luck.
Dren didn't respond and moved away as quickly as possible.
'This is bad.'
'How could she notice that I use makeup?'
Without paying attention to his surroundings, Dren violently collided with another student, causing him to spill his entire lunch all over himself, soiling the academy uniform.
"Oooooh..."
"Look, Valemont just humiliated Ravenshade!"
"Hahaha!"
Several students present reacted immediately, mocking what had happened.
'Oh no, Ravenshade? I know that surname...' thought Dren from the floor.
"What the hell is your problem?"
The boy was furious, his eyes burning with rage.
"I... I'm so sorry! I didn't notice!"
'Dad told me about this family. He said they're extremely violent, to the point that a few years ago they murdered an entire family they had a rivalry with. Plus, they don't hold us Valemonts in high regard...'
"Of course you weren't going to notice! You're running around like an idiot! And now look what you've done!"
"I'm sorry, I really just didn't see you..."
"You didn't see me? Who the hell do you think you are? I'm going to smash your face in, you damn idiot!"
"Hey, hey! Take it easy, Dante, it was just an accident."
Alice quickly approached, trying to calm the furious young man.
"You stay out of this!"
Dante pushed her away roughly.
"Don't you realize who he is? He's Dren Valemont! If you hit him, you'll be in trouble!"
Alice insisted, trying to make him see reason.
"You're saying this idiot is a Valemont?" asked Dante with disbelief.
"Yes!" she confirmed.
"Damn, what a disappointment I just had. I was expecting someone much more imposing and not this skinny nobody."
Regardless of the consequences, Dante grabbed Dren by the collar of his shirt, lifting him as if he weighed nothing, and prepared his fist to hit him.
"Stop! I told you to stop!"
"What the hell do you want now, woman?"
Alice intervened again, grabbing Dante's arm, which only served to infuriate him more.
"If you're going to fight, do it under equal conditions, make it fair. Have a duel," suggested Alice.
"A duel? I like that idea, it sounds very good!" exclaimed Dante, suddenly enthusiastic.
"But I don't want a duel..." muttered Dren.
"You'd better accept it, idiot... because what you just did I won't let slide as if nothing happened. And besides, it doesn't seem like you have many options, because you're already looking quite ridiculous at this very moment."
Dante's words made Dren look around and realize that several students were recording and taking photos of the incident.
"So either you decide to clean your honor in that duel, or you'll forever tarnish that surname of yours that disgusts me so much..."
'It's true... I have no options...'
"I accept the duel..."
"They're going to have a duel!"
"I won't miss it for anything in the world!"
"It's going to be incredible! Two of the strongest families fighting!"
When Dren accepted the challenge, the students erupted with excitement.
"How I'm going to enjoy this..."
Dante murmured those words and then threw Dren to the ground with contempt.
"I'll expect you today at 6 PM in the abandoned catacombs. I'm going to wipe the floor with you."
With the time and place of the duel established, Dante left, leaving behind an anxious and excited crowd. Everyone except Dren, who seemed to be on the verge of a panic attack, hyperventilating.
'What am I going to do now? I won't be able to escape from that duel.'
'I'm finished...'
'This will be my end.'