"Those guys... what on earth are they doing?"

"I'm not sure..."

A teacher monitoring the students muttered in confusion. Displayed on the screen were the five playable characters, but it wasn't their impressive performance that caused the surprise.

Quite the opposite.

Their actions were utterly baffling.

That was the question I wanted to ask.

What are they doing right now?

"Two of them are sleeping, two are fishing like they're on a camping trip... and the last one... ha, let's not even talk about it."

"..."

The stares were piercing.

The looks questioning if these were the promising students I had thought of were unbearable.

They are... they really are...

Why do you have to act like that...?

Alright, I could understand the three I hadn't met yet.

But Orca and Leo, I didn't expect you two to betray me like this.

"Well, don’t get too upset. This isn't for grading anyway. It's just to understand the students' tendencies, right?"

"...That's true."

"Besides, the students' tendencies... should be quite easy to judge."

With that, the teachers resumed their monitoring, ensuring no dangerous incidents were occurring.

...And why am I not doing the same?

I thought I'd have to keep watching too, but no.

They just wanted to give me an idea of the situation and told me to rest.

Well, they were right.

I'd be busy once this ended.

Because I'd have to scold Orca and Leo.

"Ah-choo."

"What, did you catch a cold?"

"No, I think I just choked on something. Don't worry about it..."

"Why don’t you eat slowly? There's still plenty left."

"That's good to hear. But why aren't you eating, Aileen? This is delicious."

"Yeah, right... it is. I already ate a lot, so I'm fine. Fishing is just something I do to pass the time."

"If you say so."

Is he crazy...?

She had no interest in this friendly match.

She didn’t care about socializing with others or seeing who could last the longest.

Competing to see who was superior didn’t interest her; she just wanted to sleep a bit more.

At first, she thought about letting a passing student knock her out.

But she changed her mind.

The scenery was too beautiful.

Since she was here, she decided to do something she had always wanted to try.

Freshwater fishing, maybe a hammock—something with a bit of romance.

Something she couldn't experience in the city.

Whoever thought of creating such a place inside the school must be brilliant.

The principal is amazing, truly.

But there was one thing she hadn't anticipated.

It wasn’t as fun as she thought.

She caught quite a few fish, but...

She couldn't cook.

She burned everything, and picking out the unburnt parts meant dealing with many bones and a strong fishy smell.

It wasn't fit for human consumption, she thought.

But seeing the boy in front of her devour it made her question her judgment.

"Honestly, I've never cooked before."

"Yeah, I figured. You held the fish too close to the fire, so the outside burned while the inside didn’t cook well."

"...Is it good?"

"Most people wouldn't be able to eat this, but I find it tasty, so it's fine."

"Sorry, I don’t really understand..."

Seeing him eat so happily, she thought it might actually be good and tried a piece herself, only to squirm in disgust.

Her mouth was filled with a fishy taste.

No salt, no pepper, just grilled fish. The unique smell of freshwater fish didn’t go away.

Without any other spices or wine to wash it down, it was unbearable.

She swallowed it down, not wanting to spit it out due to her upbringing, but...

The experience ranked third on her list of never-want-to-try-again tastes.

For context, first place went to raisin cookies disguised as chocolate chip cookies, and second place to a foreign traditional dish she tried out of curiosity.

But this fish...

How could he find it tasty?

Maybe he's not human after all...

"I guess I've eaten all sorts of food since I was young. This is quite delicious compared to the food I found in trash bins."

"..."

How should she respond to that?

Parents?

No, that’s not it. If he lived like that since he was young, he probably didn’t have parents or guardians.

Or if he did, they weren’t good people.

Talking about the weather now would just make her look foolish.

Should she tell him that what he ate back then wasn’t food?

No, if he gets hurt...

Even if he threw the story out casually, it didn’t mean it wasn’t a sensitive subject.

Damn. What should I do?

Why am I being tested like this?

I should have just slept.

Whenever I try to do something, it never goes well.

Doing nothing is best for everyone...

"We have visitors."

"...Visitors?"

Aileen finally sensed the presence around them.

About ten people, stronger than the students she had driven away to claim this spot.

They must have approached while she was engrossed in talking to the boy.

Looking around, she saw their escape routes were cut off.

...They were surrounded.

"Well, I guess I should repay the favor of the delicious fish."

I told you it’s not good...

Aileen reluctantly got herself ready.

Alright.

Meeting here is fate, and I can’t just leave Leo to fend for himself. What kind of face would I show in class after this?

I'll give it my all today.

"Haa-aahm."

Orca stretched and yawned as the sunlight hit her eyes.

How long had she been sleeping?

That girl must be gone by now, and what should she...

"Finally awake."

"What the... You scared me..."

"Did you sleep well?"

...She’s still here.

"Don’t you have anything else to do?"

"More than you can imagine? I may not look it, but I hold an exclusive position in the church."

"Yeah, I know. You’re a Watcher, right?"

The Watcher sent out by the church is famous.

Almost comparable to the Emperor.

Among countless believers, only one.

A noble existence in a class of their own.

That’s the Watcher.

I heard this year, both a princess and a Watcher enrolled in the academy, causing a stir.

Having such noble people enroll in the same era only to be tainted by impurities, some complained.

The ones who complained?

...They’re probably picking their teeth off the ground somewhere. Not my problem.

No, that’s not what I meant.

"That’s not what I’m saying."

"...?"

"If you’re such an important person, could you please just leave me alone?"

But why would someone so high and mighty be so interested in someone at the bottom of society?

Orca couldn’t understand.

"If you’re so important, go talk to someone else. Isn’t there a princess? She enrolled too, right?"

"Oh, I talked to Stella recently. Thanks for your concern, but..."

"Concern my foot. Can’t you hear me telling you to leave?"

"..."

"Why are you so interested in someone like me?"

"The Lord said even demons are not inherently evil. They’re born that way. With love, they can become better..."

"Liar."

Orca was certain.

This girl was lying.

"Even if you’re a servant of the Lord, you still lie?"

"...What are you..."

"Be honest. You think demons can't be reformed."

"..."

There was a unique atmosphere.

A sense of danger, rejection, and fear towards the demon-possessed.

It was faint, but unmistakable.

She could feel it in Anastasia’s demeanor.

"Your words and actions don’t match... Fine. If you’re just going to say what you think I want to hear, leave."

And finally, Orca understood why she had followed the teacher's words.

Unlike everyone else, that teacher believed she wasn’t harmful.

He genuinely believed, without a shred of doubt, that she wouldn’t hurt him.

"I have no interest in talking with you... And it seems the situation isn't right for it either."

A group of students approached, and Orca stood up to chase them away.

...For some reason, the Watcher's gaze remained fixed on Orca.

Even with her eyes covered in bandages.