"I'm back."
Coming with Putri, I tried to give a signal to Alysha to try to understand this rather complicated situation.
When I made eye contact with Alysha, I tried to think about something complex, hoping she sensed the situation.
"Oh... Putri! Come sit."
Understanding my signal, Alsyha gave me a wink and a smile back.
Alysha patted the spot next to her. Putri sat beside her, and I sat next to Violet.
I was relieved Alysha understood that our situation is a bit complex, which needs her cooperation.
"Let me introduce them. Violet Edina—she's in the student council."
"Violet Edina," Violet said with a small nod, keeping her polite and calm tone.
"This is Putri, my classmate."
"Valentine Putri Aulia. Just call me Putri," she replied in her usual expressionless voice, bowing slightly in greeting.
I motioned between the two of them as they exchanged polite bows, their movements formal but not overly stiff. It was clear neither of them was the overly chatty type, but there was a quiet understanding in how they acknowledged each other.
Even without words, there was a strange sense of mutual respect, or at the very least, awareness. They were both observant, both capable in their own ways.
I wanted to continue the conversation that Putri couldn't finish earlier. But if she couldn't speak directly, that made things tricky. Was someone eavesdropping?
To test the waters, I started tapping my finger rhythmically on my thigh, short and long pulses. A simple Morse code. I didn't expect much, but… did she get it?
Putri's eyes widened slightly, a rare shift in her usually blank expression. She was surprised, not just that I knew Morse code, but probably more so because she understood it too. For a moment, I thought we had a way around this.
"I don't think you can use that," she replied quietly, her lips barely moving.
So even Morse code was off-limits? I glanced around again. What was watching us?
No matter how hard I focused, I couldn't feel any Skills targeting our group. That meant it had to be magic, subtle and strong enough to suppress any obvious presence.
I looked at Violet, who was very sensitive to mana. If magic was involved, she'd feel it. Sure enough, she looked uneasy.
I looked over at Violet. She seemed restless, fidgeting with her drink can and adjusting her posture like something felt off.
"Vio… are you sensing something? Like yesterday?"
She jumped slightly, startled by the question.
"Y-yeah. I've been feeling… uneasy this whole time."
Violet sensed something around her, making her uneasy.
So it really was magic. Thinking back on it, it made sense that Putri knew what was happening; she was a magician too.
But the real problem was that whoever was doing this must be at least a mid-to-high-level mage. There's no way they could disrupt an S-class mage without serious skill.
"Vio, can you redirect the flow without moving it?"
I recalled that even if magic is static, its flow can be disrupted using surrounding mana currents. Since Violet was used to channeling a small amount of mana and probably sensitive about it, I figured she could probably do it.
"Of course. I can do that."
Violet nodded calmly, then closed her eyes for a brief moment, drawing a long breath. Her hands moved subtly, fingers twitching like she was playing an invisible instrument. The air around us shifted, so faint I could barely sense it, like a gentle ripple in a still pond.
But it was there. A low, steady current of mana began circulating around our group, redirecting whatever flow had been aimed at us.
She was doing it.
Even though I couldn't feel it clearly, I knew from her focus and the slight tightening of her brow that Violet had successfully manipulated the flow. She wasn't displacing the magic entirely; just shifting the current to disrupt any direct interference.
It actually just looks like camouflage. We are blending the mana surrounding us to make it look like we just don't do anything weird, silent, and just eat our food.
Putri, standing silently nearby, began glancing left and right. Her eyes scanned the surroundings, brows furrowed.
She wasn't alarmed. just aware. About the movement flow of Mana around us.
From her expression, it was clear she could feel the shift in mana too. Maybe not the whole picture, but enough to know something had changed.
It was subtle. Controlled and elegant.
And Violet, sitting there so composed with a small breath escaping her lips, finally opened her eyes and nodded.
"It's done," she said softly. "I've redirected the flow around us."
"As expected of the princess of magic. Impressive control."
Putri praised Violet's control. Even as a mage herself, she admitted it would've been hard for her to do the same. But Violet had pulled it off effortlessly.
"Thank you. But I think you're amazing too, being able to suppress your own mana."
Violet returned the compliment. This was actually the first time I realized Putri was suppressing her mana. I'd thought her capacity was average or even below, but in truth, she was holding it back. I wanted to ask more, but decided not to; it would raise too many questions about how I knew.
"Is there something you want to ask?"
Putri turned to me with a sharp, almost piercing gaze.
"Uh… about earlier—"
"No, not that. Something else."
I don't think I'm that easy to read, so it is probably just her. Her intuition was too good, especially when it came to me. Or maybe I was just easy to read.
I scratched the back of my head, flustered.
"Heh~ it's rare for someone to read brother like that. You've got talent, Putri," Alysha chimed in, adding weight to the moment. She seemed intrigued by what Putri said.
"I haven't seen you this honest in a while."
Rather than answering Alysha's question directly, Putri gave an opinion about her instead.
Back when we first talked, Putri had said she disliked people who were trying to hide their true selves. That sometimes included Alysha, though she usually kept those thoughts to herself. But today, she seemed more willing to speak her mind.
Alysha gave a small smile. She understood that Putri could see through people's facades. It didn't really bother her, though; she wasn't the type to hide others' faults. But thinking it wasn't the right time to tell others about all of this, she just gave a vague reply.
"Well, it's not like I'm trying to hide it. It's more like it's just become part of who I am now."
She smiled faintly and narrowed her eyes, clearly suggesting we move on.
"Alright, let's get back to the point," I spoke up, conscious of the limited time.
I glanced at Violet, and she just smiled back. She couldn't keep manipulating the mana forever. Even her control is practically one of the best; however, her mana capacity is not sufficient for sustained use.
"Okay then. I just wanted to ask you not to participate tomorrow."
"Like I said—I can't. Your reason still isn't clear enough for me to take that seriously."
"I know. The problem is…"
Putri glanced at Violet and lowered her voice. Violet looked confused as Putri stared directly at her. She then turned back to me, just as she was about to speak again—
"I don't think you need to say it."
From that look she gave Violet, I already understood her reason. More or less. It seemed someone was interfering because of my connection to Violet. Whether I'd done anything or not didn't matter. Someone wanted me out of the way. But…
"I'm not backing out. No matter what they try, I'll fight. Vio, you can stop maintaining it now."
The matches would be in public. Cheating wouldn't be so blatant. And if they tried something outside the arena, I wouldn't hold back.
Violet, though confused, followed my lead. The surrounding mana flow returned to normal.
I didn't want this conversation to continue—it would only make things worse. If we kept going, she might just convince me. I know, even though we didn't know each other for long, she has it to convince me.
I handed a sandwich to Putri.
"Eat. Don't worry about it. I've got this," I gave her a wide smile, trying to reassure her.
Putri sighed but took the sandwich and began eating.
"You two, eat up as well," I told Violet and Alysha. I'd revisit this talk with Putri later. Right now, I couldn't move freely with someone clearly watching us, and I didn't want Violet getting dragged too deep into this.
"By the way, what brings you here? I didn't think you'd go to a crowded place like this."
If she really were like me, she wouldn't be here on her own.
"Just as you said—I don't usually come to places like this to relax. It was a coincidence. I saw you nearby. I live around here too."
She resumed eating her sandwich. Her words didn't sound convincing. The "coincidence" part especially felt off. Why would she go this deep into the park if she hated crowds? She also looked like she was looking for me before.
"I don't know why you're lying, but thanks for the warning. Also, why do you live off-campus?"
The only part that felt true was that she lived outside the area. But I thought all students lived in the dorms?
She choked on her sandwich and made a mess. Still, as usual, her expression didn't change.
"I just prefer peace and quiet," She said while brushing off the crumbs, as if nothing had happened.
Sure, the dorms could be noisy, but couldn't she have just requested a quiet neighbor from the school? Even though we'd gotten to know each other, she wasn't entirely like me. And I was grateful for that. It will be scary to look at the exact mirror of yourself.
Afterward, we all chatted casually. The heavy mood from earlier disappeared completely. We talked like that intense moment never even happened.
Even if she disliked crowds, Putri didn't seem to mind chatting when invited.