The bell above the door chimed a cheerful welcome as Simon and Lorraine stepped into the campus cafe. Given its location near the main gate, the cafe was packed with an unusually high number of first-years. They had their textbooks and notebooks spread out, chattering away as if preparing for their final exams.

"Hey, give that back!"

"Hahaha!"

"Hey! How many times do I have to tell you kids that curses are strictly prohibited inside the shop?!"

The first-years were as lively and mischievous as ever. Simon and Lorraine watched their boisterous juniors with fond amusement before walking up to the counter.

"Miss Lorraine! Welcome back," the apron-clad cafe owner rushed out to greet her enthusiastically.

Lorraine returned the greeting with a warm smile. The two seemed to have known each other for quite some time. Naturally, the owner’s gaze shifted to Simon.

"Oh my," the owner said, her eyes twinkling. "Could this be your boyfriend?"

Lorraine gave a simple smile. "He’s the Student Council President. Don’t you recognize him?"

"Oh! Right, of course!" the owner gasped. "I saw you at the Dark Festival! Please excuse me. I’ve been so buried in work that I’m completely out of the loop with school affairs..."

"I’m Simon Polentia," he introduced himself with a polite smile.

Lorraine spoke up again. "Is the table I asked for earlier available?"

"Of course, of course. Head right on up! What can I get you to drink...?"

Simon ordered an iced coffee, while Lorraine asked for some complicated strawberry concoction. Since they had a lot of stairs to climb, they waited for their drinks near the counter, feeling the weight of gathering stares.

"That’s the president and Lorraine, right?"

"Whoa. What a combo. I can’t believe they’re hanging out."

"What do big shots like them even talk about?"

Reverent gazes could be felt from all directions.

Just then, a first-year blurted out, "But didn’t I hear Simon is stepping down as Student Council President?"

"Keep your voice down!"

Simon smiled bitterly as he listened to the juniors whispering.

’I haven’t stepped down just yet.’

It seemed he had grown quite accustomed to the position. It would be a lie to say he had no regrets, but he had no intention of clinging to it either. He would simply do his best in the match after the final exams.

Drinks in hand, they climbed the stairs to the fourth floor. The rooftop terrace was completely empty.

"Nice, isn’t it?" Lorraine asked.

"Yeah. It’s quiet."

According to Lorraine, it was a spot occasionally used by professors or staff for meetings. Reserving this area would be like reaching for the stars for regular students, but nothing was impossible for the future President of Kizen.

The two sat down and looked out over the Kizen campus under the setting sun. It was a picturesque view.

Lorraine suddenly reached across the table and pulled Simon’s hand toward her.

Simon flinched, his cheeks flushing. "L-Lorraine?"

Lorraine remained silent.

She was staring intently at the bandages wrapping his hand. "You didn’t actually get into a fight, did you?"

It seemed to be bothering her quite a bit.

Simon stammered out an excuse, clarifying that the injuries were genuinely from his "supplementary lessons."

"I’m not exactly the type to go around picking fights, you know," he added.

"Didn’t you duel Hector at the end of our first year?"

"Ah, there were a lot of circumstances behind that..."

She let out a soft giggle and let go of his hand. "Alright, alright. Shall we get to the main point, then?"

She was far more curious about the events in northern Kalos. Knowing that Simon was the Commander of the Legion of Betrayal, she wanted to know exactly what had happened there.

Simon told her everything without holding back. Meeting the Grand Duke, marching with the Northern Army, and rescuing Zairos to crown him as the new God of the North.

"I see. So after the Death Land, the Frost Field has also fallen to the 7th Legion." Nodding slowly, she set down her strawberry shake and smiled affectionately. "Congratulations, Simon."

"Thanks."

She stirred her drink with her straw for a moment before speaking. "You’ve truly become indispensable to the Alliance, Simon."

"Huh?"

"You’re systematically taking control of the very territories that have been massive headaches for the Dark Alliance."

’Is that how it looks?’

Hearing Lorraine put it that way made him feel a bit strange. He had only done what he felt he had to do.

"Honestly, I thought my mother was being too hasty when she revealed the 7th Legion to the public," Lorraine said, lifting her head to look up at the sky. "Was there really a need to drag a buried truth to the surface and cause such an uproar? Wouldn’t it just give you more to worry and stress over?"

"But in the end, it was something we had to face. The atmosphere on the continent is slowly shifting. Things are getting better, little by little."

She smiled warmly. "If you ever need my help, just let me know."

Simon nodded, feeling an unexpected swell of emotion in his chest. "Thank you, Lorraine."

He felt genuinely energized by the brief conversation.

Setting the heavy topics aside, they chatted about school. Simon burst out laughing when he heard Eshe had blown up her lab equipment during Summoning Materials and had been forced to stand at the back of the room with her arms raised for two whole hours.

Eventually, the conversation naturally drifted back to the presidency.

"So, you postponed the duel until after finals." Lorraine rested her chin on her hand, her brow furrowing.

She clearly disapproved of dueling over the position, but since it was a directive from the former president, she kept her complaints to herself.

"Wait, now that I think about it..." She looked at his bandages again. "You said you got those during supplementary lessons?"

"Yeah."

"Hmm, I thought so. The professors must be pushing you pretty hard, huh?"

She smiled knowingly.

"Do you know why?" Simon shot up from his seat.

"I only heard rumors, but..."

According to Lorraine, a turf war had broken out between the second-year and third-year faculty during a recent professors’ meeting. Fundamentally, the presidency was the exclusive domain of the students. The professors couldn’t interfere directly; they were only supposed to express mild concern.

But then...

’What duel? Simon should take the hint and step down. The Student Council President symbolizes the strongest in Kizen. Having a second-year in the role is giving me a headache; I have to explain the situation to everyone I meet.’

’Exactly. To think a kid who wouldn’t last a single exchange against Aizel is the president.’

The moment a third-year professor brought that up, Jane and several other second-year faculty members flared up and intervened. It seemed the discussion had even escalated to a debate about Simon’s strength.

’Professors,’ Simon thought with a bitter smile. ’No matter how old they get, people are all the same.’

"The fact that Professor Jane, who is always so calm, got angry says it all," Lorraine said, fiddling with her glass. "So isn’t that why they’re putting you through the wringer?"

Simon nodded. An issue that had spiraled into a battle of pride among the professors. It looked like he was going to suffer quite a bit in the near future.

---

Since the terrace was booked for the next hour, the two left the cafe and walked toward the Summoning dorms.

The path was relatively deserted, allowing them to walk at a leisurely pace. Simon was in the middle of sharing some lighthearted anecdotes from the North when a fierce gust of wind suddenly swept over them, sending fallen leaves spiraling wildly into the air.

"Simon," Lorraine warned, her expression tightening.

Simon calmly stared straight ahead.

The wind subsided, followed by the sharp click of footsteps. A gray cardigan draped over a school uniform fluttered as the newcomer touched down.

Kizen’s strongest, Aizel Bringer.

"It’s been two days."

Immaculate attire, a sharp gaze, and a chiseled jawline. Looking like the picture-perfect elite, he strode forward, pushing up his glasses. He was alone.

"Would you accompany me for a mo—"

"What business do you have with Simon?" Lorraine stepped forward, cutting him off.

Her ruby-like eyes gleamed with vigilance. "I heard the duel was postponed until after finals. During such a sensitive time, is there really a need to approach him?"

Aizel stared at her with emotionless eyes. "I wasn’t asking you."

Kizen’s strongest, Aizel Bringer, versus Nephthys’s daughter, Lorraine Archbold. It was a suffocating battle of nerves, like the heavy calm before a storm.

’But...’

Simon, who knew Aizel’s true nature, noticed a few peculiar details. On the outside, Aizel looked boundlessly charismatic. Yet, tiny beads of sweat were forming on his forehead, and his legs were trembling ever so slightly.

’He’s shaking!’

Skills aside, Aizel’s naturally timid personality meant he was internally panicking under Lorraine’s sheer intensity. To think no one had seen through such a flimsy disguise until now.

"It’s fine, Lorraine!" Simon quickly stepped forward with a reassuring smile. "It’s not about the duel. We agreed to discuss the Student Council’s operating budget! A few things have changed since the start of the semester."

"Is that so?" Her eyes remained guarded, but she slowly relented. "Alright."

Pulling a small communication crystal from her subspace, she pressed it firmly into Simon’s hand. "Contact me immediately if anything happens. Got it?"

"Yeah."

Even as she walked away, her eyes lingered on Aizel. She offered a curt, reluctant nod, the bare minimum show of respect to an upperclassman, before disappearing into the Forbidden Forest.

Aizel watched her leave in silence.

Aizel started walking. "Let’s go."

"Alright."

They walked through the forest in silence. Only when they reached an entirely deserted area did Aizel finally speak.

"That was terrifying." The words slipped from the lips of the previously majestic Aizel. "They weren’t kidding about her being Lady Nephthys’s daughter. That was my first time seeing her up close, and her intensity was so overwhelming I actually got scared."

"Haha," Simon chuckled.

Feeling no need to hide in front of Simon, Aizel dropped the act. His pants grew loose as his height shrank down by several inches. The hair that had been stylishly swept back flopped down limply over his forehead. It was a sight Simon still couldn’t get used to.

"Oh, right. More importantly, have you thought about what we’re going to do about our duel?" Aizel asked.

"Since we can’t avoid it, how about we just fight it out fair and square?" Simon replied, scratching his head.

"No way. If we do that, I’ll definitely end up taking the presidency."

Classic Aizel. The thought of losing hadn’t even crossed his mind.

"I was thinking about it during class. How about this?" He raised his index finger. "The ’Aizel Bringer’ persona I play actually has a benevolent reputation for acknowledging others and showing mercy."

"Right, right."

"So, how about we fight in a way that makes us look evenly matched? I’ll win in the end, of course, but then I’ll say this." Aizel pushed his glasses up and slipped back into his grave, authoritative voice. "To fight on par with me despite being a second-year... you are more than worthy of the Student Council President position."

He immediately took his glasses off again. "Something like that. What do you think?"

"Ugh." Simon smiled bitterly. "So you’re saying we should stage the duel?"

"N-No! That’s completely different from staging it! I’m just saying we should coordinate our moves a bit so it looks convincing."

Seeing Simon’s uncomfortable expression, Aizel smiled brightly and held out his hand. "I know what you’re thinking. Then how about we have a quick, friendly sparring match before finals? The results won’t count, of course."

"Are we allowed to do that?" Simon asked, his eyes widening.

"Take my hand."

The moment Simon grabbed Aizel’s outstretched hand, a deep, resonant hum of mana erupted. Their bodies shot up into the sky. It felt just like riding a teleportation magic circle, the surrounding terrain blurring past them at breakneck speed.

"W-Where are we going?!" Simon shouted, grabbing his hair as it whipped wildly in the wind.

"A place where no one else will ever come!" Aizel shouted back.

"Is there even a place like that on Roc Island?!"

"Hardly. But..."

Simon’s eyes widened. Before he knew it, they had left Roc Island entirely. The vast, open ocean was right beneath their feet.

"We just have to make one," Aizel smiled brightly and gestured with his hand.

A deafening roar of rushing water filled the air.

Simon couldn’t believe his eyes.

The ocean was splitting apart.