The car came to a stop in front of the academy’s main gate.

"Ahhh—!"

I stretched my arms wide as I stepped out of the car. No matter how comfortable the ride was, sitting in one place for too long made my body ache.

"Alright, we’ve arrived at the academy, so first, let’s take Alice to see Director Rina—"

As I was mentally organizing the tasks ahead of us, a sudden, sharp noise interrupted my thoughts.

Whoosh—

A dark figure was speeding toward me from the direction of the gate at an alarming speed. Instinctively, I tensed, ready to draw …