Fantasia Library

"Aizen-senpai?"

Kirin Toudou froze at the sight of Aizen standing before her.

"It's you?"

Julis-Alexia von Riessfeld also noticed him, her voice laced with surprise.

The surrounding spectators exchanged glances, then burst into a flurry of chatter.

"It's The Keen-Edged Tempest and The Blazing Star Swordsman!"

"They're here too?"

"Wait… that was…"

"An ambush?"

The crowd buzzed with speculation.

"Are you two alright?"

Ayato Amagiri hurried over, his face tense. His demeanor almost made it seem like the two earlier arrows had something to do with him.

"Are you okay?"

Aizen gave Ayato a brief glance before turning to Kirin, his tone inquisitive.

"I-I'm fine," Kirin replied, finally snapping out of her daze. She bowed deeply to Aizen. "Thank you, senpai, for saving me just now."

However, Aizen didn't accept the thanks.

"Even if I hadn't intervened, you probably would've handled it on your own," he said, sheathing Ser-Veresta. "Honestly, I might've been meddling unnecessarily."

On reflection, Aizen realized that a single sneak attack wouldn't have been enough to pose a real threat to the academy's Rank One.

Still, before he could think it through, he had instinctively moved to act, leaving him feeling slightly exasperated at his own behavior.

"That's not true… Ah! Wait!"

Kirin shook her head quickly before turning to Julis, her voice tinged with concern.

"Are you alright, senpai?"

This question finally brought Julis back to her senses.

"I'm fine," she replied, glancing at Kirin, then at Aizen. With a sigh, she continued earnestly, "It seems I owe you two my thanks."

With that, Julis, unexpectedly serious, gave both Aizen and Kirin a slight bow of gratitude.

"N-no need for that," Kirin stammered, shaking her head shyly.

"It's Toudou who saved you, not me," Aizen added, sidestepping the bow with a casual gesture.

In truth, Aizen hadn't expected events to unfold this way.

In the original storyline, none of this had happened. Kirin wouldn't have been here, Aizen wouldn't have been involved, and it was Ayato who had saved Julis from the ambush—neither Aizen nor Kirin had any part in it.

When he saw Kirin rush to save Julis, Aizen had been genuinely surprised.

"It seems the butterfly effect from my presence is starting to take hold," he thought, his mind racing.

While Aizen pondered and Kirin fidgeted nervously, Julis maintained her serious demeanor.

"Regardless of the circumstances, the fact remains that you saved me. I'll remember this favor."

With that, Julis turned her sharp gaze toward Ayato.

"And you! Our duel isn't over yet!"

Ayato winced visibly at her declaration, his expression filled with dread.

"Um… Can't we just call it even?" he ventured hesitantly.

Ayato had no desire to continue fighting Julis. Facing her was like challenging a human-shaped flamethrower; he had narrowly avoided being blown to bits earlier.

If the duel dragged on, his only option would be to unlock the seals within himself—something he wanted to avoid.

"Don't even think about dodging this!" Julis snapped, her tone brooking no argument. "I've already spared you from being handed over to the disciplinary committee. If you don't finish this duel, don't blame me for what happens next!"

The implied threat was clear: if Ayato didn't comply, Julis would report him.

If that happened, Ayato would forever be labeled "the pervert who snuck into the girls' dormitory" on his first day—a title even Aizen wanted no part of.

"I…"

Ayato opened his mouth, trying to protest, but one look at Julis's unyielding expression made him give up.

"Um… Can we all calm down for a moment?"

Kirin, caught in the middle, seemed completely overwhelmed, her voice quivering with unease.

Given her timid nature, it was no surprise that she struggled to manage such a heated situation.

As for Aizen… well, he was clearly enjoying the show.

Fortunately, just as things reached a boiling point, someone stepped in to diffuse the tension.

"Why don't we all move along instead of lingering here?"

A soft, amused voice broke through the standoff.

"All of you are outstanding students among Seidoukan's ranks. If we keep gathering like this, the crowd of onlookers will only grow larger, don't you think?"

The voice belonged to none other than Claudia Enfield, the dazzling student council president.

Bathing in the collective gasp of admiration from the crowd, Claudia made her grand entrance, effortlessly drawing much of the attention away from Aizen and the others.

"Claudia!"

"President!"

Julis and Kirin reacted immediately—Julis with a frown of displeasure, and Kirin with a flustered bow.

As Aizen turned his gaze toward Claudia, he subtly studied her expression.

At first glance, Claudia seemed no different from her usual self, her face calm and adorned with a composed smile.

Unable to discern anything amiss, Aizen inwardly mused, "It's been some time since that night… I wonder how she's doing now…"

Unfortunately, Claudia appeared perfectly normal. There wasn't the slightest hint of change, leaving Aizen to briefly suspect that Pan-Dora might have been defying his orders in secret.

"And you are…?"

The only one unfamiliar with Claudia, Ayato, seemed a little dazzled by her beauty and poise, asking cautiously.

"Hello, Ayato Amagiri," Claudia greeted warmly, as though they were already old acquaintances. "I'm Claudia Enfield, the student council president here at Seidoukan Academy—or at least, something close to it."

"Claudia," Julis interjected, her displeasure evident. "What are you doing here? Are you trying to stop my duel?"

"By the rules, duels between students can't be interrupted as long as both parties consent," Claudia replied, her smile unwavering. "But since something unusual just happened, and Toudou and Aizen got involved, why not end things here for now?"

Julis furrowed her brow deeply, but she didn't argue further.

"President," Ayato spoke up hesitantly, seemingly relieved that Julis had eased off. "That earlier attack—wasn't it a sneak assault? Is that allowed?"

Ayato's question smoothly redirected the conversation.

"Of course, such actions are against the rules," Claudia responded without missing a beat. "I'll have the disciplinary committee investigate the area immediately." Turning toward Aizen and Kirin, she continued, "Since you two were the first to notice the attack, did either of you see the perpetrator?"

Aizen answered first.

"I didn't see anyone. I just noticed Toudou reacting strangely and realized someone was firing arrows."

His words shifted everyone's focus to Kirin.

"Uh… Um…"

Under the weight of so many stares—especially from the upperclassmen—Kirin's nervousness peaked, her voice timid.

"I-I only saw someone standing by the window of that building over there, holding a crossbow-type Lux and aiming at Miss Riessfeld. They were wearing a black cloak, so I couldn't see their face…"

The direction Kirin pointed to was quite far, and none of the others could make out the details of the window in question.

"Toudou, your eyesight is impressive," Claudia remarked, her tone a mix of surprise and admiration.

"I-I've always had good eyesight," Kirin stammered, blushing. "My family says I often see strange things because of it…"

Her bashful demeanor only added to her charm, causing the tension in the group to ease.

Ayato, in particular, seemed momentarily entranced, even lifting his hand slightly—though he quickly caught himself and lowered it, leaving Aizen to look on with a peculiar expression.

"Is this guy seriously about to pull off the classic head-pat move?"

Please stop your protagonist behavior immediately!