For a moment, Cloud was unable to respond. Her chilling aura intensified dramatically, as though reacting to a hostile presence within the vicinity, and it shattered his train of thought. It felt like the dread of death itself, even more suffocating than the pressure he experienced before Ignivar.
Was this how the Draconic God perceived him because of his flaw, Predator's Mark?
He did not know. What he understood now was that the girl before him was extraordinarily dangerous. More than that, whatever emanated that deathly aura was reacting far more strongly to his presence. That would explain the brief flicker of confusion she exhibited when he sat opposite her. She certainly had not responded that way to the two boys who had approached earlier.
Instinct urged Cloud to leave the blind girl alone. However, the food before him gleamed like treasure, and he found himself unwilling to abandon it over an aura alone. She had not attacked him, after all.
That meant it was still relatively safe, didn't it?
The blind girl's expression softened with sadness as she spoke in a subdued tone:
"I'm sorry I can't really see… I don't mean any harm. Whoever you are, your presence feels very strong and strangely familiar."
Her voice resembled spring following a harsh winter. A gentle warmth accompanied her words, and her tone embodied that softness.
Cloud remained silent despite her attempt at reassurance.
Quietly, he gathered the cookies and several other snacks, slipping them into his pockets. He then picked up two juice boxes and a small bottle of water, carefully arranging them within the remaining space of his tracksuit pockets.
To him, the girl's remark about his presence being "familiar" sounded almost delusional. This was practically the first time he had ever seen her in his life. As for the "strong" part, he understood what she meant. That was undoubtedly due to his flaw. It explained why her chilling aura had intensified in response to him. It felt as though something unseen lingered around her, guarding her or perhaps orbiting her, and whatever it was seemed openly hostile toward him.
Then again, there was no concrete proof of that.
Realizing that no one had responded to her, and that the only sounds she could hear were the nearby murmurs of other students in the lobby, she fell silent once more and stared into the distance.
Meanwhile, countless possibilities began surfacing in Cloud's mind. As the minutes passed, his curiosity about her deepened. The deathly aura had lessened slightly, though it still lingered faintly in the air. That did not trouble him as much as her blindness.
He could not help but wonder how she had been admitted into the Academy, or how she had navigated the grounds during the past hour. Honestly, he had numerous questions, but he had no desire to entangle himself with someone like her.
In the end, curiosity overcame him, and for the first time in a while, Cloud responded sincerely.
"…Hi? Can you see my hands… no, that's not — I mean, can you see… Ugh. Forget it. It doesn't matter."
The lingering dread he was struggling to suppress caused his words to tangle awkwardly.
The sightless girl became visibly flustered at the sound of his voice. She leaned forward hurriedly, her empty white eyes directed toward him, prompting Cloud to recoil slightly, confusion etched across his face.
"You answered me? Uh… hi again. I'm sorry if I'm being strange. You seem kind. I apologize if it's awkward because I'm blind."
Cloud grimaced inwardly.
'Why does she keep apologizing? She's making me feel an overwhelming amount of guilt.'
He glanced around the lobby and noticed that no one was paying attention to them. A flicker of confidence stirred within him. Perhaps he could attempt a conversation with someone who appeared just as socially displaced as he was. She, too, seemed set apart from the others. In his case, it was because of his peasant background and malnourished appearance. In hers, the reasons were far more apparent.
He swallowed.
"I can tell. Anyway, why did you say my presence feels familiar? And how did you become… blind?"
No!
Cloud's eyes widened in alarm. He nearly winced at himself.
Why would he ask something so painfully awkward?
What he despised most at that moment was the awkwardness hanging over the conversation. Speaking to her felt different. Perhaps it was because she did not outwardly resemble someone from an affluent household, so he did not feel as guarded as he normally would. Moreover, he was curious about her Ability. Whatever it was, it had to be powerful, possibly a mental type Ability, or something akin to that.
Throughout it all, the girl never smiled. She responded only with fluster, shock, bewilderment, or neutrality. At present, she looked utterly dumbfounded.
"I'll answer your questions, especially since you're the first person here to speak to me. But can we exchange names first?" she asked evenly.
Cloud shrugged.
"Yeah, sure. I'm Cloud."
"I'm Mireille. It's nice to meet you, Cloud, although I don't know what you look like," she replied in an indifferent tone.
He clicked his tongue softly.
"You don't really need to. To be honest, I don't have much to say. So you can ignore my second question. I just want an answer to the first one."
Mireille fell silent again, contemplating how to respond without sounding unsettling.
After a brief hesitation, she spoke:
"My Ability reacted to you at first. More specifically, the things that came with it did. When you moved closer, it felt as though we were similar, and I instinctively sensed a familiar presence connected to mine. I don't quite know how to explain it. I'm —"
Cloud interrupted before she could apologize.
"What exactly is your Ability, and what are the 'things that came with it'?"
She hesitated at that question, afraid she might drive away the only student who had dared to speak with her and had not fled in fear. Meanwhile, Cloud was slowly piecing together what her Ability might be, though he refused to believe it. There was no way she possessed something so hostile, something even certain families would regard as a curse. He needed confirmation.
Just as she prepared to reveal the truth, Chris suddenly appeared at the center of the lobby, startling most of the students with his abrupt presence. They froze in surprise.
A male student leaned toward a newly made acquaintance and whispered:
"Isn't that the man we met outside on the main grounds of the Academy?"
"It is. I thought we wouldn't see him again for a while after that introduction. You know, like those NPC characters in games."
They chuckled quietly. Soon, murmurs spread across the lobby as students speculated about his sudden appearance, eager for his announcement. Even Cloud's attention shifted away from Mireille, who remained composed and expressionless.
Cloud furrowed his brows.
'What is he here for? Did he forget to mention something?'
Chris allowed the speculation to swell for a moment, maintaining a bright grin. Then, in the next instant, he clapped his hands together once, commanding absolute silence without uttering a word.
After a brief pause, he began speaking in a calm tone:
"Quite untrained. My mere presence has already made all of you restless, and it has not even been half a day since your arrival. Since not everyone is present in the lobby, the same information I am about to share will be announced again tonight in the privacy of your rooms.
"This serves as my formal introduction. You may address me as Instructor Chris from now on. What I am about to announce concerns a new training schedule for you new arrivals who are set to take the Academy's entrance test in approximately six days. To simplify, one week. Attendance is strictly compulsory, though participation is not.
"Your brief stay here will not be entirely leisurely, even for those who ultimately fail to secure their admission."