The day after classes (Magic and Fencing), I saw her again. That girl. Anna.

  She walked up to our table without an ounce of hesitation and sat right down with us. Lianel and Alexia were clearly taken aback, and Lianel looked downright furious.

  "Hey, Greg, how's it going?" she asked. And, without waiting for an answer, she immediately started running her fingers through my hair.

  Alexia and Lianel stared at me, their faces completely tense, nerves fraying visibly.

  "I'm fine," I replied, feeling that familiar warmth pooling in my chest.

  "We fight after Potions today," Anna reminded me. "Don't be late."

  I nodded.

  Lianel couldn't take it anymore. "What do you want, Anna?" she asked, her voice like ice.

  Anna glanced at them. "Oh, nothing from you two. I'm just here to collect Greg's debt." She continued playing with my hair, clearly relishing the effect it was having on both me and the princesses.

  "I'm going to destroy you at the festival this year, Anna," Lianel threatened darkly.

  Like always, I opened my mouth without thinking: "Nope. Lianel, you're way weaker than her."

  "GREG!" the princesses erupted in unison. "You're supposed to be on our side!"

  Anna laughed.

  "Alright," I finally snapped out of my trance. "So your name is Anna?"

  "Yes," she confirmed.

  Alexia, trying to wrestle control of the situation, asked: "How do you two even know each other?"

  Ignoring the princesses' murderous glares, I recounted the whole story: "Well, she chased me down in the courtyard, shoved me into the lake because I stank. We raced, I won. Then I went to her room so she could bake me a pizza..."

  "On her lap?!" Lianel suddenly interrupted.

  "Yeah," I nodded. "She said I was resting on her lap while she scratched my head."

  Both princesses looked like they were about to have a stroke.

  Anna, smiling smugly, finally stopped petting me. "Alright, see you at training."

  SCENE: The Truth Revealed, Divine Pizza, and the Pain of Being Used

  The moment Anna was out of earshot, Lianel laid into me: "Do you have any idea what you're doing?! You're training our enemy!"

  "She said she's only ranked tenth in the Academy," I muttered defensively.

  "How could you believe her?!" Alexia was horrified.

  "I didn't," I said, shrugging. "I saw it with my own eyes. She's stronger than you at fencing."

  "Greg!" Alexia leaned against the wall, exasperated. "She is the number one fencer in the Academy! She's a living legend!"

  The puzzle pieces clicked into place in my head: That's why she was so fast. That's why she's allowed to have an oven in her room. That's why she caught up to me so easily.

  "Well," I looked at Lianel. "Pity for you, Lianel. You really are weaker than her."

  Lianel stood tall, pretending not to hear me, but her lips twitched.

  In History class, I surprised them again: 80/100.

  "You're improving, Greg!" the teacher praised.

  Alexia got an 85, Lianel an 83.

  "I'm stepping on your heels," I smirked.

  After Potions, I headed to the gym. Anna was already there, practicing strikes. She tossed me a sword.

  "Today, you only defend," she commanded.

  "Alright," I agreed.

  The swords were iron, but blunt. She had clearly prepared them so they wouldn't shatter against my density.

  The spar began. Dozens of blows rained down on me. Anna's sword probably went completely dull just from making contact with my skin. True to my word, I only defended, blocking and dodging. She was impossibly fast, but she lacked the raw power to break through my guard.

  Half an hour later, completely out of breath, Anna lowered her weapon. "That's enough for today. You make an excellent sparring partner."

  We sat down to rest, then headed to the dorms.

  When we walked into her room, the smell hit me. God! What is that? Anna smiled. "A full hour on low heat. An absolute masterpiece."

  She pulled the dish out of the oven. Pizza. My mouth instantly started watering. I grabbed a slice and shoved it into my mouth. It was divine.

  "Don't eat so fast," Anna said, her voice turning soft, almost maternal. "Eat slowly. Stretch the feeling out."

  A vivid spike of déjà vu pierced my brain.

  "Slowly. Stretch the feeling out..." Someone had said that to me before. With love. With pain. It wasn't about food; it was about life.

  I chewed, desperately trying to remember.

  Suddenly, loud, insistent knocking rattled the door. "Who's in there? Open up!"

  The door swung open, and Alexia and Lianel stood in the doorway. Their eyes were practically sparking.

  "GREG?!" Alexia was aghast. "What are you doing here? On the girls' floor?!"

  "Eating," I replied through a mouthful of cheese.

  "Go back to your room!" Lianel barked. "Anna and I need to have a word!"

  "Nope," I said, taking another bite. "I haven't finished my pizza yet."

  Anna laughed. Loudly. Openly. She stared down the princesses, thoroughly enjoying their tension.

  And right then, I felt a sharp, unexpected pain.

  I realized it. She was using me. She was using my hunger, my vulnerability, my desire for affection. She was training at my expense, humiliating my "allies," and flaunting her dominance over them. I wasn't a comrade, a friend, or a student to her. I was just a tool for training and humiliation.

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  It hurt. It was profoundly sad. But the pizza was damn good.

  SCENE: The Final Embrace, Defensive Logic, and Plasma Secrets

  I stood in the middle of the room, feeling completely used, yet entirely unable to resist the taste of the pizza.

  Just as I was about to take another bite, Anna stepped behind me and wrapped her arms around my neck.

  Those feelings again. I stood rooted to the spot.

  She smiled, looking right over my shoulder at Alexia and Lianel. It was a pure, theatrical display of power. I wanted to step forward, to throw her off me like I did with fire and sand. But I couldn't.

  She started whispering some nonsense into my ear. About the wind, about the stars, about how my green eye suited me. Meaningless drivel, but the warmth of those words, the sheer proximity of her—it was intoxicating. My anger fizzled out. My body surrendered.

  "You can go now," she said, releasing me.

  Like an obedient little dog, I walked to the door. I didn't even say goodbye. I just ran.

  Leaving her room, I felt utterly disgusted with myself.

  Enough, I thought, clenching my fists. I'm not falling for this anymore. I'm being used as a prop to humiliate them. But I knew that if she petted me again, I'd fold instantly.

  I walked into my room. Alphus was standing by the window and spun around when he saw me.

  "GREG!" his voice was thick with nerves and sheer envy. "How does a freak like you end up hanging around with princesses? Even Anna herself came and sat with you!"

  I sat down on my bed, feeling entirely drained. "If you're lonely, just come sit with us," I told him.

  Alphus was stunned. "Seriously?"

  "Yeah," I nodded. "Whether the princesses kick you out or not is up to them. But until they do, just sit. Good luck, White Cloud. Seems like you're slowly growing a spine."

  He scoffed, but a spark of smug satisfaction glinted in his eyes. He walked over to the mirror, adjusted his collar, and admired his reflection.

  I just lay there. My goal was lost. My answers were lost. My self-respect was lost.

  The next day, Magic and Fencing classes went on as usual. In Fencing, they kept pairing me up against Lianel. I stuck strictly to defense, making her work for every swing.

  At lunch, I sat eating while Alexia read some massive tome.

  "Can I eat this?" I asked, pointing to her untouched portion.

  "Yeah, go ahead," she replied without looking up from her book, and, purely out of habit, she scratched my head. She smiled slyly. She knew exactly what was about to happen.

  Right on schedule, Anna sat down at our table. She immediately reached for my hair. I could feel the warmth starting to spread, my body desperately wanting to relax and melt. But I gave zero reaction. I was barely holding myself together.

  She moved behind me and hugged my neck again. I froze.

  Just then, I saw Alphus timidly taking a seat near our table, clearly terrified to approach the princesses directly. I decided to shift the focus. He was my lifeline.

  "Alphus, how's it going?" I asked, completely ignoring Anna's radiating heat.

  "Fine," Alphus said. He looked at me like a drowning man begging for a raft.

  Anna was still hugging me, whispering warm, meaningless things into my ear, but I locked all my focus onto Alphus's voice.

  "Alphus, did you understand today's topic?" I pressed right on the sore spot. "In Magic class. Specifically: compressing fire and turning it into plasma."

  I waited for his answer.

  Alphus instantly pivoted from his social inferiority complex to his magical inferiority complex.

  "I... I... yes, well, no, I didn't get it!" Panic laced his voice. "I didn't understand how to contain the fire!"

  He tried to conjure a flame on his fingertip. A tiny spark appeared, but it kept shifting frantically, trying to escape. Alphus tried to hold it together, but the fire sputtered and died.

  "Oh, I didn't get it either," Alexia chimed in, snapping her book shut. "This page says that..."

  And just like that, a lively conversation sparked to life. Me, Alexia, and Alphus began fiercely debating the thermodynamics of magic, the logic of plasma containment, and the structural stability of spells.

  I finally felt my body stop reacting to Anna. My brain was too busy.

  Anna realized she had lost. She dropped her arms, releasing me abruptly. It was a gesture of defeat. She leaned in, quickly brushed her lips against my ear, and walked away.

  I felt sick. I was barely alive, completely hollowed out. It felt like my mana had been drained dry. But it wasn't my mana—it was the forceful shutdown of my emotional core.

  But Alexia looked at me and smiled. She had seen how I used logic to disarm Anna's most powerful weapon.

  I felt terrible after Anna left. My body felt unplugged. Alexia, sensing my weakness, immediately reached out. Her fingers touched my hair, and I melted. All the remaining tension washed away. I leaned into her, closing my eyes.

  Alphus, watching this scene unfold, was entirely lost. He clearly didn't know how to react: should he be jealous, or should he run screaming from the princess? He decided to ask questions. A lot of questions.

  "Princess Lianel," he began cautiously. "What is Greg... to you, exactly? You said he was a relative."

  Lianel instantly jumped into the game. "He is our... brother," she stated with deadpan seriousness. "Through our stepmother's sister, who was adopted by the King's third cousin, who was her godfather by baptism. It's very complicated, Alphus. Don't worry your head about it."

  Alphus, utterly overwhelmed by the sheer genealogical complexity of the lie, shifted his attention fully to Lianel. They began discussing this "family tie."

  Meanwhile, Alexia kept scratching my head. I was in pure bliss.

  "Listen, Greg," she asked quietly while I hovered in a state of half-sleep. "How exactly do you compress fire to make plasma? I really didn't understand the textbook."

  Docile and relaxed, I started explaining: "When you compress fire, you have to heat it to extreme temperatures. Remember the color of the flame that elf had? And as you compress it, you have to feed it oxygen and electricity simultaneously. You squeeze, you squeeze... and at a certain point, it starts to separate. Like that."

  I cracked one eye open and looked at the flame Alphus was once again trying to conjure on his finger.

  "But it's going to be hard for you guys," I added. "I think more than half the class is going to fail and get detention. You lack the processing speed to manage three variables at once."

  Alexia immediately pulled her hand away to scribble notes in her pad. "Thanks, Greg!" she said. "You're a genius!"

  SCENE: The Librarian, the Book of Heroes, and the Guardian's Panic

  The Man walked through the city. He was certain that Halibut couldn't have just vanished into thin air. He thought logically: Where would a person go who has lost his memory but retained a thirst for knowledge?

  The library.

  The Man walked into the oldest library in the city. There, sitting behind the desk, was that very same shriveled Librarian whom Greg had nearly killed with a paperback.

  "Hey, old man," the Man asked. "Have you seen a kid around here? Black hair, highly unusual eyes. Extremely rude, but interested in books."

  The Librarian perked up instantly, his eyes flashing with indignation. "I have!" the old man hissed. "The absolute nerve of him! He asked for a book about great heroes, and in Ancient Elven no less! I thought he couldn't read, but it turns out he reads it like it's his native tongue!"

  "Dammit all..." the Man muttered.

  "And then he..." the old man continued, breathless with gossip, "He was running away from some princess!"

  "WHAT?! FROM WHO?!" The Man went pale.

  "I don't know! And then they teleported right into here together!" the old man finished triumphantly. "And then they flew away together!"

  The Man buried his face in his hands. "WHAT?! A princess?! Oh no! Halibut! How do you get yourself into these messes so fast?!" he groaned. "How am I supposed to find you now?!"

  "Why are you looking for him, anyway?" the old man asked suspiciously.

  "I need to deliver a letter to him," the Man lied smoothly.

  The old man looked at him, then at the massive, battered satchel slung over his shoulder. "Well, if the royal family is involved... he's most likely studying at the Academy. Maybe your recipient is there?"

  "Thank you, old man," the Man said, clenching his fists. "I think you're right."

  He bolted out into the street, grabbed the nearest horse, and spurred it toward the Academy.

  "Please, Halibut," he whispered to the wind. "Wait for me. I'm coming."

  I no longer understood the point of my presence at this Academy. It was like Groundhog Day: the same classes, the same faces. Everyone except Alphus. He was integrating deeper into our little group every day, and now he was sitting right next to Lianel. It had become his permanent spot.

  Today was the final practical exam in Magic. I had passed all my tests on the very first day, so I was incredibly bored. I sat through Professor Elandr's class, practically falling asleep. Elandr, naturally, hated this: he was a strict, serious instructor, and here was a student openly dozing off out of sheer boredom.

  The Plasma exam began.

  Lianel went first. She struggled to compress the fire for a long time, and finally managed it: a tiny sphere of plasma shot forward exactly one meter before instantly dissipating. She looked deeply frustrated.

  Next was Alexia. She concentrated intensely, compressing the flame, then—a spark of discharge. The resulting plasma was very small, but more importantly, it was highly stable. She hurled it right at me. I lazily opened my mouth and pretended to eat it.

  Then came Alphus. He tried for a very long time, and at the very end, he produced something vaguely resembling plasma, but it crumbled instantly.

  Professor Elandr nodded. "Good effort, Alphus. 73/100."

  In the end, besides them, barely anyone managed to pass. Almost the entire class was staying back for weekend detention.

  Lunchtime rolled around. I sat and ate. Alexia, as usual, was reading a book. And, as usual, she was stroking my hair. Every single time, it felt like the very first time: intensely, incredibly pleasant.

  Suddenly, I heard a massive commotion outside the Academy gates. The guards were rushing toward the noise.

  I glanced into the mirror hanging on the opposite wall. I saw a tall, exhausted man who looked like he was ready to tear the Academy gates right off their hinges.

  I shrugged and went back to eating my food.

  Alexia continued to pet my hair. And the outside world simply ceased to exist.