'Ah, I see.'

In Shiro's mind, the outline of the person called Yuto began to take a new shape.

Bounties, money, social advancement. He had thought those were the principles that drove Yuto.

He had not been wrong. Yuto was certainly someone who acted on those motives. His newly mentioned claim that he had gone all the way to Belkain to secure connections at the academy was an extension of those same motivations.

But there was more to him than that.

'Resentment toward the constellations' wrath. Disillusionment over promises the upper classes failed to keep.'

At that moment, there had been unmistakable indignation in Yuto's eyes. Shiro judged that it had not been an act. His scalpel had failed to cut directly through Yuto's mask, but the emotion Yuto had just displayed was a glimpse of the flesh beneath, exposed of its own accord.

Here was someone who had lived in poverty, trampled by the injustices of the world. Though he acted out of selfish motives—bounties and social advancement—anger at the world and a yearning for justice still smoldered like embers deep within him.

Of course, Yuto had verbally denied those true feelings. But the actions he had shown thus far, and the emotions that had now slipped out, were "honest."

He had said he fought Belkain's Black Mages to save his own life. But what of the feelings he had experienced before that, at the sight of Belkain's ruins and the restless spirits being exploited? What of the indignation he had poured out? Why search for justice in the constellations' wrath while claiming to have no sense of justice at all?

'Someone in whom selfishness and a sense of justice coexist. No, someone who conceals his inner sense of justice beneath a veneer of selfishness.'

That was how Shiro defined Yuto. Someone unable—or unwilling—to acknowledge his own sense of justice. Someone whose life in poverty had denied him the luxury of believing in justice and following it, leaving him to dress every action in selfishness.

'Someone like that is easy to handle.'

Shiro's thoughts shifted from investigation to application.

A person driven solely by self-interest was easy to predict, but could not be expected to show loyalty. It was in such a person's nature to leave once there was nothing more to gain.

But someone who harbored a sense of justice was different. All Shiro needed to do was set it alight. He himself could be the one to kindle those embers. If he could cast himself as the man who restored the justice this former slum dweller had abandoned after being trampled by the world, then Yuto would be bound to him by something beyond personal gain.

'Just as we were in our past lives.'

Yuto was feigning embarrassment. An adventurer from the slums had become the guest of honor at a lavish party the likes of which he had never attended in his life. He had become House Marigold's benefactor by saving its head, a hero by driving the Black Mages out of Belkain, and now, with his enrollment at Maria Academy approaching, he was speaking to Shiro, prince of the Kingdom of Ristal.

All of this was bound to elate a "fourteen-year-old boy." Yuto had intended to create precisely that situation, and precisely that impression. And Shiro had fallen squarely into the trap Yuto had laid.

Yuto could feel that Shiro's gaze was no longer as sharp as before. In that brief moment, Shiro had finished defining the boy before him. And now he would be assessing how useful Yuto might be.

'I have value to him.'

Yuto was certain of it.

'Shiro Ristal. I don't know what your true objective is. But in our past lives, we—no, I—was the star of a script staged for a constellation's entertainment. You decided that, and my entire life was used for it.'

He suppressed the emotions seething within him.

'Think of me that way again. Find a use for me, and use me. Make me the star of the script you write for the constellation's amusement.'

Yuto had no intention of fighting Shiro right now. He still lacked the strength to face him. For the time being, he needed Shiro to lower his guard.

"Maria Academy..."

Shiro spoke with a gentle smile, mulling over the information Yuto had given him. They would enroll at the same academy next year. That meant he would have ample time to observe Yuto at close quarters and, if necessary, bring him into his fold.

"You truly are candid. Securing connections so that someone from the slums can survive at the academy... That is a very pragmatic decision."

Shiro leaned slightly toward Yuto.

"Yuto, I will remember your name. After all, we have met here today. If anything, I worry that you might forget mine once we are at the academy."

"Your Highness, whatever do you mean? How could I possibly forget your name?"

"Haha, thank you for saying so. But I will not be the only royal at the academy. There will be royalty from other kingdoms as well. You will... attract a great deal of attention from them, too."

Warmth shone in Shiro's eyes.

"Even then, I do hope you will remember our meeting today. I sincerely wish to maintain a good relationship with you. It may be strange to say this to someone I have only just met... but I feel that we could become good friends."

His voice lowered a little.

"It is not because I wish to repay my debt to Belkain. My desire to know you better is sincere. I believe our time at the academy will give us that opportunity."

As he listened, Yuto bowed his head humbly, wearing an expression of deep gratitude.

'You've taken the bait I offered.'

With his head still bowed, Yuto smiled. It was a smile Shiro could not see.

'I've made you think you can use me. Go ahead and try, Shiro. The closer you come to use me, the closer I can get to you.'

Yuto raised his head. The deeply moved expression he had shown earlier was gone, replaced by resolve.

"You honor me beyond measure, Your Highness. Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to see you at the academy."

Shiro raised his glass with a satisfied smile.

"I look forward to that day."

Their glasses met with a clear ring.

Yuto and Shiro were both smiling. Yet the warmth of one smile was the exact opposite of the other's.

"Shirin."

Shiro spoke, his gentle smile still in place. Shirin turned from her conversation with Levian.

"Come over here. Lady Levian, please join us as well, if you would."

Shirin and Levian approached together. Shirin stood beside Shiro, while Levian returned to Yuto's side. The four of them now faced one another in a loose circle.

"What were you talking about, Brother?"

Shirin's gaze lingered briefly on Yuto before returning to Shiro. Perhaps it was the lingering impression of their conversation during the waltz, but every time she looked at Yuto, she felt a subtle emotion stir within her. Naturally, she let none of it show.

"I was listening to Yuto's story. The academy came up, and I thought you should hear about it too."

Shiro lightly patted Shirin's shoulder.

"Since you'll be enrolling with me next year."

As he spoke, Shiro turned his gaze to Levian.

"Lady Levian, you are already attending the academy, are you not?"

"Yes. I enrolled last year, but I took a leave of absence this year because of my father's illness. Now that he has fully recovered, I will be returning next year as a second-year student."

Her voice was composed, but inwardly she was rapidly assessing the situation. Shiro had not invited her over merely to socialize. A merchant's daughter had at least that much discernment.

"Then all four of us here will meet again at the academy next year."

Shiro looked delighted.

"Brother, are you already building a faction at the academy?"

Shirin smiled teasingly, and Shiro shrugged.

"A faction? I meant nothing so calculating. I simply thought that with all of us gathered here, and enrolling around the same time, one might call it fate."

His gaze moved between Yuto and Levian.

"In truth, something occurred to me as I was speaking with Yuto. You said you needed to build connections to survive at the academy as someone from the slums."

Sympathy entered Shiro's voice.

"They say the academy puts ability and grades first, but the reality is different. In a place where royalty and nobility make up the majority, the hardships a student with no backing would face... Even I can imagine them."

Shirin's expression shifted subtly. Though she agreed with her brother, she remembered the look in Yuto's eyes during their dance.

Yuto had said he came from the slums. Yet the person she had sensed in him had been far removed from a slum dweller.

"Thank you for your concern, Prince Shiro. But I have Lady Levian, and now... I have had the good fortune to meet you and the princess as well. I do not think life at the academy will be too difficult."

Having said that, Yuto adjusted his expression. He needed another variation here. His smile took on the unnerving edge and ease peculiar to an adventurer who had weathered every hardship.

"No. To tell you the truth, even after I enroll, I would rather not accept your help for a while. Particularly if that help comes in the form of 'protection.'"

"Oh? What do you mean by that, Yuto?"

Shiro's eyes gleamed. He was enjoying his conversation with Yuto. More precisely, Yuto himself was a source of enjoyment to him, for he felt as though he was gradually coming to understand him.

"Given my background, I am not particularly fond of nobles. Not all of them are like this, but most despise the poor. The word I have heard most often from nobles is 'rat.'"

The look in Yuto's eyes changed. His gentle smile faded, revealing a raw temperament beneath.

"I imagine I will hear that sort of thing even more often once I enter the academy. How dare someone from the slums set foot here? A rat like you thinks he can sit at the same table as nobles? Things like that."

Yuto spoke calmly, but there was unmistakable anger in his words. Shirin's gaze wavered ever so slightly. The Yuto she had seen earlier had seemed nothing like someone from the slums, but the emotion he was revealing now was entirely in keeping with that background.

"I am used to that kind of treatment. In the slums, it does not end with verbal contempt. Beatings from nobles' servants are commonplace, and the unlucky ones are sometimes executed merely for offending someone's sensibilities."

Yuto gave a light shrug. His tone was that of someone discussing an unremarkable part of everyday life. What he was saying now was no fabricated lie. Before his return to the past, Yuto had known nothing of life in poverty, but afterward, he had learned. For the two years before he came to the Marigolds, he had lived the life of a "slum dweller."

"So, while I appreciate your kindness, Your Highness, there is something I would like to say frankly."

Yuto looked Shiro straight in the eye.

"I would be grateful for your protection, but that would also place me in your shadow. Then the students there would look down on me all the more. They would call me a rat who can solve nothing on his own, who hides behind you or Lady Levian."

His voice gained strength. This was resolve, not anger.

"There is one thing I learned in the slums, and as an adventurer. Do you know how to silence a mouth that spews contempt? You smash it."

Interest shone unmistakably in Shiro's eyes. Shirin held her breath at Yuto's words, while Levian stared at him. Her lips twitched faintly. It pleased her to know that, of everyone present, she alone was familiar with this side of Yuto.

"I hear the academy has a dueling system. You follow the proper procedures to challenge someone, then compete under established rules. Royalty, nobility, commoners, slum dwellers... As long as you are a student at the academy, only victory or defeat matters in the dueling arena. So I have heard."

Yuto gently swirled his glass, making the drink inside slosh.

"If someone at the academy picks a fight with me because I come from the slums, I will gladly answer with a duel."

The corners of Yuto's mouth rose. This was nothing like the smile he had worn throughout the party.

It was the smile of someone tempered on the battlefield. Someone who would not break beneath adversity.

A rough, sharp, dangerous smile.