When Professor Verona said there would be a special announcement today, Vincent took her at her word, expecting a pleasant surprise. He shouldn't have been so stupid.

  "Another field study, seriously?" he muttered.

  It was inevitable that one would come sooner or later, though he hadn't known anything about it. Apparently, a significant part of the academy's curriculum consisted of field studies. He supposed there was a limit to what could be taught in a classroom, beyond history, mathematics, and other subjects that would be offered in a normal academy for NPCs.

  So yes, it was bound to happen eventually, but it had only been a month and a half since he'd had to be an errand boy to earn forgiveness for being too honest during the last field study. It felt too soon, really. Thanks to all that, and also to the visit from Ayame's brother, it felt like it had happened just yesterday, almost. In short, he hadn't had time to recover.

  "We'll manage," Ayame said, placing a hand on his leg and squeezing. "We always do."

  "Besides, we're stronger now," Tara added.

  Yes. Between dungeons here and quests there, and the training in class… Well, he didn't know how much their levels had gone up, but he currently had almost all his stats at 20 or higher. Except for luck, of course. Except for luck. This was evidence enough of that.

  "I'm sure some of you will have mixed feelings about this announcement," Verona said.

  That's an understatement, Vincent thought, and she glanced at him, or at least it felt like she had. Maybe her gaze had just passed over his spot by chance. Maybe the woman had almost forgotten about it already, but either way, the comment felt personal.

  "However, this time it will be more supervised and structured."

  Right, Vincent thought. I'll believe that when I see it.

  "To begin with, no shifts. All first-year students will go together, although once we arrive, we will split up. And the Student Council will accompany us—one person for each group."

  Meaning, Verona and the girls from the Student Council. Four of them, from what he had heard and seen.

  "Elizabeth," he murmured.

  He hoped she would be assigned to his group, or at least that the trip would be compensated by being able to see her more often. To really see her, to talk. He liked her, but it wasn't like he had many opportunities to start a conversation with her, and anyway, he had no idea how to make friends. There was a reason he only socialized with Ayame and Tara. They were great girls, more than enough for him. But still… Ayame, who, by the way, still hadn't responded to his feelings, and Tara had more or less fallen into his lap without any effort. Ayame had sought her out in the forest for her own reasons. Then Tara had sought them both out because Ayame had worked wonders to build her a good reputation. Beyond that, he had nothing, no idea how to start. Well, it wasn't like he was desperate to make friends, but Elizabeth was a good person. It would be nice.

  Unfortunately, after that exciting announcement, they still had two classes left. And naturally, they felt longer than usual. Every second was like a minute. Melodramatic, of course. So what? He had the right to be.

  As soon as the bell rang, they retreated back to their room. Their home, he supposed. They were like family and earned the right to sleep here every day by force. So yes, it was a home, and that feeling grew stronger every day.

  "I guess we'll have to start packing everything up again," Ayame said.

  Clearly, he wasn't the only one who felt it was too soon to repeat this whole circus.

  "It feels like it was just yesterday," Tara said. It sounded almost like a response to his own thoughts.

  "Uh-huh. You said it. I'm tired, but better now than putting it off, I suppose." Ayame crossed her arms, her gaze fixed on the bed. "Vincent, would you give me a hand?"

  "Of course," he answered without hesitation.

  "Why do you like me?"

  Vincent tensed up but forced himself to relax.

  The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  "Because you're my friend. So… yeah. The other kind of 'like' is true, but that has nothing to do with this."

  Ayame looked away, clearly a little embarrassed. Okay, he got it. She blushed and twirled a lock of her hair around a finger.

  "I didn't mean it in a bad way, or anything."

  "I know."

  She was testing the boundaries, so to speak. She didn't have enough of a frame of reference, so this was the only way for her. It was something new, and Vincent's feelings were serving as practice for her to understand what this was all about, and her own feelings.

  Vincent understood perfectly. He didn't have to like it. Every day after the confession had been harder than the last. In that sense, the doubt was eating him up inside, and even worse, the hope. But he knew he had to give her time. Forcing her to choose wouldn't lead to anything that would last. Besides, if she had to answer today, he was almost certain she would say no. Therefore, it was in his best interest in every way to be patient and keep his mouth shut. She would probably think about it a lot and come to the conclusion that it wouldn't work, that he deserved better, but that would be fine. Even that, because it would be an answer, an ending, and he had never had much hope anyway.

  The day finally arrived. To be more precise, two days after the announcement. The Runehaven faculty wasn't a big fan of giving advance notice, apparently. They had to leave behind some quests they had been accumulating to complete over the weekend. They were a month ahead on their room payments—they always were—but the race to keep up was relentless, so they couldn't rest on their laurels. They worked as if they didn't have even an hour's worth of money saved up. So far, thinking that way had served them well. What could you do? They had no other choice. And at least, all the first-years were going on the field study. Meaning, other people wouldn't be taking those quests. The second and third-years could, but they probably had juicier quests, too much to bother with these.

  "Elizabeth," Vincent said. "Looks like we got lucky."

  Elizabeth laughed lightly.

  "Luck, huh? Not at all."

  "What do you mean?"

  "I'm the student council president, Vincent. If I want something, I don't ask for it. I put it in writing."

  "Ah, so you volunteered."

  Elizabeth shrugged. Around them, the rest of the students were getting into their respective assigned vehicles.

  "We get along well. You, Ayame, and Tara too, I dare say. So, why not? If I have to do this, I'd rather do it with people I know."

  A simple and direct reason. He didn't know why he had thought she would have a special motive. Of course, he didn't underestimate his own importance or anything like that. It's just that Elizabeth gave the impression of always having everything under control, of being years ahead of everyone. A natural professional. She could be that, she could be even more, but it didn't mean that everything she did had a hidden reason.

  "Whatever the reason," Ayame said, climbing into the vehicle, "I'm glad to have you with us."

  "Me too," Tara said, though she didn't actually seem very happy. She even looked nervous.

  Well, why not? She had to make a good impression, considering she was going to be closely judged by the student council president. Anyone would be nervous. She shouldn't be. Elizabeth was a good person and wouldn't report anything unnecessary to Verona. If need be, she would be fair, but not entirely impartial. Still, he understood.

  "See?" Elizabeth shrugged again. "This is why I'd rather be here. It's better than apologies and fearful glances."

  Vincent and she were the last to get in. Then, five vehicles, one journey. The convoy, so to speak, finally set off. To where? Not back to that crappy city, thankfully. If it were up to him, he would never go back there for the rest of his life.

  Instead, they were heading to the capital, [Capital Name].

  He had never been there in his life. Well, that went without saying. Until recently, he had never been anywhere in his life other than his village. But what he meant was that at least the experience would be worthwhile. The sights, the people, the tons of things to do. What did he know, but it would be a new experience, that's for sure. Maybe he could even see the queen or the princess. Not that he was particularly interested, but hey, if you get the chance to check something important off the list, why not do it?

  "Do you know what this one is about?" Tara asked. She was still nervous, too nervous for his liking. He guessed she was looking for a somewhat reassuring answer.

  Elizabeth looked at her. Her eyes were piercing, not as much as Ayame's, but she wasn't the student council president for nothing.

  "No. But even if I did, I wouldn't tell you," she admitted candidly. "I'll follow the rules. All in due time."

  "Okay," Tara said. Disappointing, but understandable.

  "I don't like it either, but it's for all of your own good. Last time, for reasons I won't discuss, was a bit clumsier than usual. But the field studies are the backbone of Runehaven Academy for a reason. I hope that by the end of this trip, you'll understand."

  "Me too," Tara said.

  "I don't care what it's for," Ayame said as she looked out the window. "I'll protect my loved ones. That's all."

  "You have a very pure heart, you know," Elizabeth smiled. "I've met several vampires in my life, mostly good people. But you have something special."

  Ayame didn't focus on that, however.

  "Mostly," she repeated.

  "Yes, mostly. Most vampires aren't like that, but I've seen criminals in action and also receiving justice. Although, of course, sometimes it has very little to do with being just. Sometimes, the punishment doesn't fit the crime. It's a sad reality."

  Vampires had something to prove, and that was because they were constantly watched, expected to behave in normal areas. Yet, they were treated like animals, and people were still surprised when one of them bit back. Vincent didn't have what you'd call a lot of life experience, but he didn't need it to understand that. Besides, his talks with Ayame had helped expand his point of view.

  Of course, he had always been on the vampires' side—and by always, he meant, since he met Ayame, of course—but she had made him understand to what a sick degree the entire system was stacked against them. Everything required twice the effort and was lost with four times the ease.