The morning breeze blew softly through the eastern courtyard gardens of Asterblume. Dew still clung to the tips of the tall grass, and mana-lilies bloomed lazily under the golden kiss of early sunlight. Birds chirped. Leaves rustled.
It was disgustingly peaceful.
Yuxin didn't like peaceful.
She walked with her usual half-lazy, half-don't-bother-me gait, hands stuffed in her uniform coat, eyes scanning the area like she was already annoyed she had to wake up this early for this.
Blanche walked just behind her, proper and composed as ever, hair tied with that signature Equinox precision, though a faint crease between her brows betrayed her cautious curiosity.
Ruka was there too—trailing behind a little, hugging a small notebook to her chest like a makeshift emotional shield.
"So where exactly is he?" Blanche asked, her voice crisp in the morning air.
"He's usually around here in the mornings," Ruka said softly, glancing at a spot just ahead.
And sure enough, there he was.
Aria Cross.
Stretched out comfortably on a long marble bench under the curved shade of a flowering archway.
Eyes closed.
Arms behind his head.
Expression: totally at peace with the world.
He looked like someone who hadn't worried about grades, training, or social expectations a single day in his life.
Yuxin stared.
Blanche raised an eyebrow.
"Is… he asleep?"
"Probably," Yuxin muttered. "Figures."
"Should we… wait?" Ruka whispered.
"Nope."
Yuxin took one step forward and promptly kicked the edge of the bench.
"Rise and shine, sleeping prince."
Aria's eyes snapped open instantly, like he was waiting for that exact moment. He sat up in a smooth, almost fluid motion, turning toward the voice with a lazy smile curling on his lips.
He didn't even blink when he saw her.
"Oh… it's you."
Yuxin blinked. "Yeah?"
Aria stood—slowly, gracefully, like a noble on a stage. He didn't hesitate.
He reached out, caught Yuxin's hand, and—
Lifted it gently, bowing slightly over it.
"Good morning, Lady Shadows. Even the sun seems dim compared to your arrival."
Blanche's eyes widened.
She moved like she was about to pull Yuxin away, fully expecting a punch, a kick, or an explosion.
"Yuxin—wait—he's—!"
But Yuxin?
She didn't flinch.
Didn't recoil.
She just… blinked once, then tilted her head slightly, lips curling into a smug half-smile.
"Still the same as ever," she said, pulling her hand back slowly.
"Flirting before breakfast. Did no one teach you restraint?"
"It's hard to stay restrained when the most terrifying girl in school says good morning to me," Aria grinned.
Yuxin just turned away with a short huff, a "queen-walk" step back toward the others.
"I forgot how annoying you were," she muttered.
"But maybe you're useful."
Then she turned, flipping her hair back like a trained noblewoman, and casually glanced at Blanche with a look that could only be translated as:
"You see that? I'm unbothered."
Blanche stood frozen.
"Wait, what just happened—"
Aria, meanwhile, turned smoothly to Blanche.
His entire posture shifted—still elegant, but now laced with the kind of carefully respectful grace reserved for talking to royalty or angry librarians.
He gave a slight nod, hand over his chest.
"Lady Equinox, I presume. A pleasure. Your presence carries the same chill of discipline I've heard rumors about."
"...Chill?" Blanche repeated, unsure if that was a compliment or a warning.
"Don't worry. It's a good thing."
He gave a short smile, all charm and mystery.
Ruka, who had just caught up, gave a tiny wave. Aria smiled at her too—less flirty, more… warm. Familiar.
"Ruka. Long time no awkward silence."
Ruka giggled a little, hiding behind her notebook.
"You haven't changed at all…"
Yuxin rolled her eyes.
"He never does. That's the freaky part."
Aria sat back down on the bench, folding one leg over the other, as if they were all gathered for tea.
"So. What can the academy's most chaotic rising stars possibly want with a guy who hasn't won a single match this year?"
He looked at Yuxin. Then Blanche. Then Ruka.
Eyes calm.
Voice steady.
Posture too relaxed to be innocent.
"Let me guess... team issues?"
Yuxin crossed her arms.
"Maybe."
"And someone told you I was good at team fights?"
"No," Blanche said plainly.
"We were told you're weirdly good at losing with style."
Aria smirked.
"Style's everything."
And in that moment, the wind picked up. Cherry petals fluttered behind him like someone was paying a stage crew to make it perfect.
Yuxin sighed heavily.
"Ugh. He is annoying. But I get it."
"Get what?" Blanche asked warily.
Yuxin leaned back against a nearby tree, shadows curling lightly at her feet.
"He doesn't win. But no one ever really beats him either."
Aria tilted his head.
"Flattered, are we?"
"I didn't say that."
"But you thought it."
"Don't get cute."
"Too late."
Yuxin rolled her eyes, but she didn't walk away.
Blanche just blinked again, caught between suspicion and curiosity.
"So… will you help us?" she asked cautiously.
Aria looked at all of them again. Measured.
Then leaned forward, elbows on his knees.
"Sure."
"Just like that?" Blanche frowned.
"You're interesting. And bored people like me make bad decisions when we're curious."
He smirked again.
"Besides… I haven't seen a team this broken since the last time I tried to form a jazz band with two fire mages and a banshee."
"...What happened?" Ruka asked.
"They all cried."
Pause.
"Because of the music?"
"Because I was better than them."
Everyone just stared.
The garden had settled into a quiet hum. Soft wind stirred the flowerbeds, distant chimes rang from somewhere in the training halls, and for once—just for once—no one was yelling.
The group sat—or stood awkwardly—around Aria Cross, who remained comfortably parked on his bench throne like a cat who knew no consequences. He leaned forward slightly, elbows resting on his knees, fingers steepled together as if he was actually taking this seriously now.
"So," he said, glancing around at them with casual amusement.
"What exactly's your deal? Coordination issues? Team ego? Communication breakdown? All of the above?"
Blanche gave a mild nod. Yuxin folded her arms. Ruka looked at the ground like she had personally disappointed the gods.
"We're not exactly... synced," Blanche admitted.
"They fight well alone," Ruka added softly. "But together, it's... loud."
Yuxin rolled her eyes.
"Excuse me for not trusting people who talk like spreadsheets."
"Excuse me for trying to win like someone with a brain," Blanche countered.
Aria smirked, waving a hand like he was brushing off sparks.
"Yeah, yeah. Don't worry. I've seen worse. I've been worse. I can fix this."
Blanche narrowed her eyes.
"How?"
Aria tilted his head, his bangs shifting with the wind.
"You let me test you. As a team. Let me push you from the inside out. I don't just watch how you fight... I make you see how badly you're not fighting together."
Ruka nodded slightly, looking to Blanche.
"He's actually done that before. I've seen him join random student teams, even weaker ones, just to study how they move."
Aria blinked.
"You were watching me?"
"You stood in the fountain during that one skirmish," Ruka replied.
"Right. That was strategy."
"You got hit by six fireballs."
"Tactical damage. Part of the experiment."
Yuxin stepped beside him and gave him a hard thump on the head with her knuckle.
"Stop goofing. If you're helping us, act like it."
Aria chuckled, rubbing the spot.
"Yes, General Shadow. I'll behave."
But just as he turned to face her again—he froze.
No.
Not froze.
He stopped breathing.
Because—
She walked in.
Down the path.
Slow. Steady. Unbothered.
Blonde hair like threads of silk catching the sunlight. That faint shimmer of magic always lingering around her like the last note of a forgotten song.
Vilaphine Nhrfreya.
Her expression was calm. Her steps even. Her presence... quiet, yet impossible to ignore.
To Aria Cross?
Time. Actually. Slowed.
His breath caught in his throat.
The air shifted.
Mana shimmered.
Flower petals danced like they were pulled by her gravity.
"Who...?"
He stood.
Slowly.
Automatically.
And then—he walked.
Not ran. Not stumbled. Walked, like he was being pulled forward by an invisible thread of destiny.
Yuxin's brow furrowed.
"Yo. Where are you—?"
Aria didn't respond.
He stopped right in front of Vila, dropping to one knee without hesitation.
One hand over his chest, the other lifted forward.
And then—
"...I have seen fire. I have seen storms. But never have I seen something... this devastatingly elegant."
Vila tilted her head slightly.
"Pardon?"
"You," Aria said, dead serious. "Are beauty incarnate. Tell me—was the sky this pale before your existence? Or has it simply faded in jealousy?"
Blanche's eyes went wide.
Yuxin squinted like she was watching a man lose his soul
"...You gotta be kidding me," she muttered.
Vila blinked, seemingly unphased.
"Oh. Thank you."
She nodded politely.
"That is a kind comment."
Then she turned to the others, completely missing the fact that a man had just risked cardiac arrest for her mere presence.
Aria staggered slightly, overwhelmed.
"Her voice. It's perfectly modulated. Like glass rain on ancient marble—"
"Stop." Yuxin growled.
Aria snapped out of it, looking back like someone getting yanked out of a dream. He barely noticed Yuxin's hand grabbing the back of his collar.
"Okay, Romeo. That's enough slow-mo for today."
"Wait, wait—what's her name?!"
Vila blinked, then gently placed a hand over her chest like a princess from an elven ballad.
"Vilaphine Nhrfreya."
Aria nearly fainted.
"A name that tastes like moonlight. Goddess, she even introduces herself like a poem."
"I'm going to choke you" Yuxin said flatly.
She dragged him back toward the group by the collar.
"Oh my dear, I would be pleased" Aria said as Yuxin pulled her collar.
The others watched in silence.
Blanche sighed.
"So... is he officially helping us now?"
"Oh, I think he's fully invested," Yuxin muttered, tightening her grip.
Vila just blinked.
"Was that a mating ritual?"