The stale air of the girls' locker room hung heavy with the scent of sweat and cheap perfume. Kael, still clad in Catherine Benjamin's surprisingly scratchy uniform, crouched behind a row of benches, trying desperately to shrink himself into nonexistence. The frilly ribbon around his neck felt like a noose.
His voice, strained and low, crackled through the communicator: "Selene. I need you. Now."
A pause on the other end. "Why? What's wrong now?" Selene's voice was tight with exasperation.
"I'm in the girls' locker room."
Another pause, longer this time. "...What?"
"And I'm still wearing Catherine's clothes."
A strangled sound came from Selene. "...WHAT?!"
"Just—get here before someone sees me!" Kael hissed, peeking over the bench. The coast was clear for now, but the dread of being discovered here, dressed like this, was far worse than facing Rax again.
Minutes later, the locker room door creaked open, and Selene slipped inside, her face a mask of mortification. She spotted Kael immediately—a pathetic figure hunched in pink ruffles. The sight was so utterly ridiculous, she had to clamp a hand over her mouth to stifle a giggle.
"Oh, for the love of—" she muttered, shaking her head. She quickly pulled a spare set of Kael's clothes from her bag—a plain training uniform—and tossed it toward him.
Her aim, however, was less than stellar. The uniform arced through the air and landed with a wet splat inside an open shower stall.
"Seriously?" Kael groaned. He scrambled from behind the bench, trying to maintain some semblance of dignity while in a dress. He darted toward the shower stalls, a flustered, frilly blur.
Just as he reached the stalls, the locker room door swung open again. A cheerful gaggle of girls flooded in, chatting loudly about their afternoon classes.
Panic seized Kael. He couldn't be seen! With a desperate surge of dark energy, he attempted a blind teleport, aiming for a dark corner near the lockers. Dark mist swirled, and he vanished.
He reappeared with a metallic clang—inside a locker. A very small, very cramped locker. The metal pressed against his face, the frills of the uniform scratching his chin.
"Mpph!" he grunted, trying to push the locker door open from the inside.
Outside the locker, Selene's eyes widened in horror, then narrowed in determination. She needed a distraction, and fast.
"Oh my gods, did you guys hear?!" she said loudly, turning to the entering girls, her voice laced with feigned excitement. "Rax's father is coming to the school today to find out what happened to his son!"
The girls stopped, their gossip forgotten. "Really? No way!" one gasped. "Looks like Kael got himself in a really big mess this time, huh?"
"I feel sorry for him," Selene said, playing along. "He was just trying to protect me. Rax should be punished, not Kael."
One of the girls smirked. "For a moment, I thought Kael did great. He did something no one could do in the past. But Rax has a strong background. I know he was just trying to protect you, but he shouldn't have done that… unless you two have some secret relationship?"
Kael, still struggling inside the locker, gulped.
"What? There's no way I'd be interested in a guy like him!" Selene scoffed. "And same goes for him. I'm just following him because of his big sister."
You better return the favor, Kael, by introducing me to your sister, Selene thought to herself.
Under the cover of their horrified fascination, Kael managed to burst out of the locker, snatch his uniform from the shower stall, and—with a final, desperate surge of Void energy—teleport out of the locker room entirely, leaving behind only a faint shimmer of dark mist and the lingering scent of cheap perfume.
He reappeared in a deserted corner of the school grounds, gasping for breath, clutching his uniform. He quickly shed the humiliating dress, stuffing it into a nearby trash bin, and pulled on his own clothes. The feeling of normal fabric against his skin was a luxury he hadn't appreciated until now.
They met up in the abandoned classroom on the third floor—a dusty, forgotten space rarely used for lectures. Darin was already there, nervously adjusting his glasses. Ten arrived moments later, grinning broadly.
"Sooo, Kael," Ten began, waggling his eyebrows. "How was the girls' locker room?"
Kael glared at him, still slightly winded. "I was too busy trying not to die of embarrassment to notice!"
Selene and Darin turned slowly to stare at Ten, their expressions flat.
"What?" Ten protested, throwing his hands up. "It's a valid tactical question! Gotta assess the environment, right?"
Yeah, environment. I know what kind of assessment you're looking for, Selene thought to herself.
"Priorities, Ten," Darin said deadpan, pushing his glasses up his nose. "We're criminals, not perverts."
Kael shuddered. "And for the record, ribbons are a serious choking hazard."
Selene finally let out the laugh she'd been suppressing. It started as a chuckle and quickly escalated into full-blown, teary-eyed amusement. "You… you were a statue… in a dress… and then stuck in a locker!"
Darin added with a hint of amusement. "So how does it feel to be the proud collection of Master Enjiro's statues?"
"Oh man, why am I the only one who missed all of that?" Ten groaned. "But just imagining you in the girls' uniform and at the same time in the coffin—" He also started to laugh.
Kael looked at him with frustration. "You're the only reason I got stuck in that situation!" he snapped, anger in his voice. "You always ask me to sneak into girls' rooms! So when I tried to teleport myself out of the room, my imagination got messed up, and I got stuck in that form!"
"But seriously, guys, please stop laughing. This is not funny at all," Kael grumbled. "And we still don't have the card."
But they all laughed harder after hearing Kael's frustration. Only when their stomachs began to hurt did they finally stop.
"Please, forget about everything that happened today," Kael pleaded. "Can we please start on the next part?"
Darin sighed. "Which means the 'teleport into the office' plan is out. We need a new approach."
Ten snapped his fingers. "I've got it! The 'Fake Love Letter' Gambit!" Classic Ten and his ideas revolving around romance and love life.
Selene and Darin exchanged skeptical glances. Kael just raised an eyebrow. "Go on..."
"Okay, so Selene writes a super romantic love letter to Master Enjiro, right? From a 'secret admirer'," Ten explained, pacing the room. "We lure him to the school garden tonight. While he's all distracted and dreamy, Kael teleports in and snags the card!"
"A love letter?" Selene said, a blush creeping up her neck. "To Master Enjiro?" Then she snapped back. "Do you believe everyone is like you? Huh?"
But Darin stroked his chin thoughtfully. "It has to be convincing," he said. "Something that would appeal to his… ego.
Ten puffed out his chest. "Leave the writing to me! I'm a master of romance!"
"If you were going to write from the start, then why the hell did you add my name first?" Selene thought to herself. Then a realization hit her about Ten's horrible acting. "If his fake love letter is as bad as his acting, we're doomed."
Selene and Darin simultaneously recoiled. "Absolutely not," they said in unison.
"Why not?!" Ten looked offended.
"Because your idea of romance is probably describing someone's eyes like... poorly mixed concrete," Selene said dryly.
Ten sputtered. "That was one time! And it was a metaphor for strength!"
Despite their reservations, Ten eventually wore them down. Writing the letter became a group effort:
Ten contributed overly flowery language ("Your lectures are the foundation upon which my admiration is built").
Darin added technical metaphors ("Your intellect structures my very being, like a perfectly engineered bridge").
Selene tried (and failed) to rein them both in.
The final product was... unique:
To my esteemed Master Enjiro,
Your mind is a fortress of knowledge. Your eyes shine like... well, like very clean laboratory glass. Meet me in the school garden at midnight. A secret admirer awaits.
—A Symbol of Balanced Forces
Selene, who had helped write the letter, suddenly thought to herself, "I can't believe what I'm doing now. Why am I doing this? Not just once, but twice?"
Deep down, she knew—this was friendship. And despite the absurdity, it was fun.
They slipped the letter into Enjiro's mailbox that afternoon.
That night, they gathered near the garden, hiding behind a large oak tree. Kael was ready to teleport, Darin monitored via mana-sense, and Selene and Ten were on lookout.
Midnight struck. The garden remained empty.
"Did he get it?" Kael whispered.
"Mana signature is still in his office," Darin replied. "He didn't come."
Just as they were about to give up, they heard footsteps. Not one set, but many. And voices.
When they saw the entire staff with Enjiro, their eyes widened.
Darin was the first to run from the scene. Kael stood there, frozen, believing in his powers to escape. They had not expected this reaction.
"This is clearly a trap, colleagues!" Enjiro's voice boomed. "A prank! But who would dare?!"
Enjiro emerged into the garden, followed by half the school faculty, all armed with glowing staves and wary expressions.
"A secret admirer, indeed!" one teacher scoffed. "More like a student trying to make a fool of you, Enjiro!"
Enjiro clutched the letter in his hand, looking both outraged and slightly flattered. "But the metaphor about the laboratory glass... it's quite astute!"
Darin, who was running while listening, felt a little proud—he was the one who added those lines.
"It's a distraction!" another teacher warned. "Stay alert!"
Kael, hidden behind the tree, sighed in frustration. The plan had backfired spectacularly. He decided to cut his losses and teleport back to the abandoned classroom.
He activated his dark energy, aiming for the familiar dusty room. Dark mist enveloped him.
He reappeared with a rustle of leaves—outside the principal's office, perched in a tree. His powers had backfired again.
"Not again, you damn Affinity!" he muttered to himself.
Then, suddenly, the principal himself exited his office—an old man dressed in a suit, walking with a cane and wearing a hat. When he saw Kael, he frowned.
"What do we have here?" the principal asked, peering up. "What are you doing here? And what's your name, boy?"
"My name is Kael, and I'm a student in Class 4, Section 3," Kael said quickly. He couldn't lie about that. "I'm studying nocturnal botany! Fascinating, the way the mana flows through these hedges at this particular time!" He gave a weak, forced smile, trying to appear completely absorbed in his thorny predicament.
The principal, an experienced fellow, narrowed his eyes. "But why are you on top of the tree right now?"
"Yes, sir!" Kael chirped, trying to sound enthusiastic. "Research project! Very important for understanding structural integrity in natural environments!"
The principal, ever susceptible to the idea of his students applying his lessons, nodded slowly. "Hmm. A dedicated student. Carry on, Noxvel. Just... try not to get stuck."
As the faculty dispersed, still grumbling about potential traps, Kael finally managed to extract himself from the hedge, covered in scratches and leaves.
Back in the abandoned classroom, Ten was doubled over with laughter. "Nocturnal botany?! You were studying nocturnal botany?!"
Kael threw a leafy branch at him. "Shut up! Your stupid letter got us into this mess!"
"Hey, the laboratory glass part was gold!" Ten defended.
Darin sighed, pushing his glasses further up his nose. "Okay, the love letter plan is a bust. And Kael's teleportation seems to be having... environmental issues. We need something simpler."
Selene rubbed her temples, the faint lines of exhaustion etched beneath her eyes. "Simpler than a love letter? What, are we going to trip him?"
Suddenly, an idea sparked in Darin's mind—brilliant, reckless, and just insane enough to work. His lips curled into a slow grin as he placed his right hand thoughtfully against his chin, eyes locking on Selene.
She saw the look. That mischievous gleam was all too familiar.
"Oh no," she said sharply, backing a step away. "Don't even think about it. I know exactly where this is heading, and you can count me out. I'm not doing anything this time."
Her tone was firm, but Darin didn't flinch. If anything, his amusement deepened.
"Really?" he said, tilting his head. "Maybe I've been wrong about you all along."
Selene crossed her arms. "Try me."
Darin took a step closer, his voice dropping just enough to make it personal.
"I've always known you don't approve of our plans. You scowl, lecture us, act like you're above it all—but deep down?" He leaned in slightly. "You enjoy the chaos just as much as we do. You like being part of something wild... even if you won't admit it."
Selene's expression faltered, just for a moment.
He smiled knowingly.
"I've already figured you out, Selene. No point pretending anymore."
"
That one—and this one—are completely different, Darin," Selene said, her voice low but steady. "There's a lot more risk this time, and you know it."
She paused, then exhaled softly. "But… I think you're right. When I first met all of you, I thought you were just reckless troublemakers with a few screws loose. But the more time I've spent with you…" She glanced at him, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "I realized I actually like what you're doing. Deep down, I think I felt relieved—like I belonged."
A moment of rare sincerity hung in the air until Ten shattered it.
"Well, if we're being honest," he chimed in, arms folded behind his head, "I'm only doing all this because I'm hoping Kael feels bad for me and finally teleports me to the place I want."
Kael, Darin, and Selene all turned to look at him, blinking, slightly disturbed. The silence between them spoke volumes.
Seriously?This guy never learns.For the love of the gods...Each of them thought something different, but all arrived at the same conclusion: Persistent idiot.
"What?" Ten asked, blinking innocently at their collective stare. "I was just joking. I mean, who would do something like that?" He waved a hand quickly. "I'm doing it for the fun. Totally."
Darin snorted. Selene rolled her eyes. Kael raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah…" they all thought in sync.We know exactly what kind of 'fun' you're after.
"Anyway, I know you guys are helping me, but I can assure you, I'm not doing this just to satisfy my curiosity. I want to know more about my powers. Just like my sister, I want to achieve more. I need to do more. And to do that, I have to find out if there are any other affinity users like me."
It was Kael who said all of that, his face set with determination.
"My powers are unknown. There's no one who can teach me except for my sister. But her powers aren't the same as mine—our affinities are only similar."
"So I need a shortcut to get some guidance. If I waste time trying to figure everything out on my own, I might run out of both time and hope."
Selene, hearing about his sister, softened. She hadn't realized Kael was trying to follow in his sister's footsteps—that he was chasing after her. Quietly, she decided to help. But she didn't say so. Not yet.
"I know what we're doing is risky, but like I said: 'Every hero begins with a leap of defiance.'"
"Okay, fine," Selene sighed, folding her arms. "Only this time I'll help you guys. But if I get caught—I swear—I'll rat each one of you out." She pointed at all three of them.
"So what's the new plan?" Ten chimed in, a little too eager, like he was ready to charge in right away.
"Looks like someone's inspired," Darin muttered. "But we don't have time to plan anything for today. We'll work on it tomorrow."
Everyone was too drained to argue. They wrapped up for the day, agreeing to meet again the next day for phase two.
Darin, ignoring Selene's sarcasm, was already at the dusty chalkboard, his fingers sketching diagrams and scribbling equations. The air in the abandoned classroom grew thick with the scent of old chalk and Darin's concentrated energy.
"Statistically," he began, adjusting his glasses with a precise tap, "Master Enjiro has a 78% chance of carrying his keycard in his left breast pocket. If we induce a controlled fall at a 35-degree angle, inertia should cause it to dislodge momentarily." He tapped a point on his diagram.
Ten, slumped against a desk, perked up with fascination. "So we trip him? But how?" His eyes gleamed with mischief.
Darin allowed himself a small smirk. "Alchemy Class's Friction-Nullifying Solution. Odorless. Transparent. Lasts exactly 27 minutes—plenty of time for Kael to teleport in and retrieve the card."There was a gleam in his eyes—the unmistakable look of a mad scientist unveiling his masterpiece to the world.
He reached into his satchel, producing a glass vial of clear, innocent-looking liquid.
Kael eyed the vial, suspicion flickering. "Why do you have this?"
Darin's face remained blank. "For science. Also... revenge on Rax's gang. Long story." He shrugged, like carrying a potentially dangerous alchemical concoction for personal vendettas was completely normal.
Selene groaned, burying her face in her hands. "I hate that this actually makes sense." She looked up, resigned. "Fine. But I'm not pouring it. Last time I had to deal with Ten's horrible acting. I'm not doing that again."
"Heeeyyy," Ten whined, looking wounded. "I thought I did great back there."
Everyone knew he didn't.
"Okay, then just get Master Enjiro to the target location," Darin explained. "The odds of him being there on his own are about ten percent."
After going through the plan a few more times, they agreed to act the next day. Operation Chaos was a go.
The Execution
The main hallway outside Master Enjiro's office was usually a bustling thoroughfare of students and faculty. Today, however, it was the stage for Ten's attempt at stealth. Clutching the vial of Friction-Nullifying Solution, Ten crept toward the office door, a look of exaggerated sneakiness on his face. His mission: pour a small amount near the threshold.
"Here I go. Watch it, Master Enjiro. Because after today, you will look at every step you take."
But as he raised the vial, a group of girls, their laughter echoing down the hall, walked past. Ten, ever susceptible to a pretty face, froze, his eyes following them. His concentration wavered, and the entire vial of solution glugged onto the polished floor with a disheartening splash.
He was pouring the liquid while his gaze followed the girls down the hallway.
Darin watched from above and sighed. "Hopeless."
Result: Instead of a small, targeted patch, a 10-foot radius around Enjiro's office door became a zone of invisible, frictionless ice.
Darin, who was standing at the top of the school, realized what had been done, slapped a hand to his forehead, his whisper-yelling barely audible. "Ten! That was three doses!"
Ten, however, remained unfazed, a wide, unapologetic grin spreading across his face. "More fun this way!" he whispered back, giving a thumbs-up.
Selene, despite her internal dread, stepped forward, forcing a smile that felt brittle around the edges. Master Enjiro emerged from his office, looking fatigued—the past few days had been filled with strange incidents that had never happened before. He was thinking about the love letter at that moment, wondering who had tried to lure him out but never showed.
Lost in thought, he didn't notice Selene until she greeted him.
"Hello, sir. How are you doing? I was hoping to get some extra guidance on the topic you explained today. And I wanted to thank you for the gift you gave me." She spoke with calm, cool expressions.
"I was hoping I could offer you a cup of coffee, and in the meantime, you could explain the part I'm not getting at the moment."
Enjiro, who had been thinking about the love letter, suddenly felt a new surge of adrenaline.
He puffed out his chest, preening under the unexpected praise. "Ah! More and more students have started to appreciate my genius! Let me demonstrate—" He took a step forward, gesturing grandly. After so many tries, they had all learned one thing about Master Enjiro: if you praised him well enough, you'd get whatever you wanted, and if you appeared to be a student in trouble, he would help you to the end.
"Why not? What's your name again? Let's help you out. It will be my pleasure to assist my student." He handled the books he was carrying more proudly now and closed the door. They were both now heading toward the targeted area.
Selene's internal monologue screamed: Oh no. He's coming closer to the death-zone. She began to subtly backpedal, trying to guide him toward the edge of the slippery patch without making it obvious. But Enjiro, caught up in his own brilliance, stopped just short of the affected area.
Enjiro frowned, noticing Selene's unusual behavior. "Why are you sweating, Selene?" he asked, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Selene's mind raced. "Uh... passion for engineering?" she stammered, hoping her flushed cheeks could be attributed to academic fervor rather than sheer terror.
Just as the tension reached its peak, a new element entered the scene. The school janitor, Mr. Flubbert, a man whose existence was usually as unnoticed as dust bunnies, rounded the corner, pushing his trusty mop bucket. He was humming a tuneless ditty, completely oblivious to the invisible danger ahead.
His foot hit the slick—WHOOSH—he slid past them like a human curling stone, his mop flailing wildly behind him.
The Domino Effect was swift and brutal.
The flailing mop hooked Enjiro's ankle, yanking him off his feet and into the air in a most undignified manner. Enjiro pinwheeled, his jacket flapping open, revealing the glint of a key card in his breast pocket.
Kael, who had been waiting for the opportune moment, activated his powers, aiming for the space directly beneath Enjiro. Dark mist swirled, but the lingering magic of the Friction-Nullifying Solution, interacting with Kael's teleportation, disrupted his landing. He reappeared with a sickening thud, faceplanting directly at Enjiro's feet, just as the teacher began his descent.
Kael (muffled by the floor): "I hate everything."
Seeing the key card airborne, Ten, in a moment of misguided heroism, decided to "help." He leaped forward, intending to catch Enjiro or the card, but instead body-slammed the airborne teacher, sending both of them tumbling to the floor in a heap. The impact, however, achieved one crucial thing: the key card popped loose, skittering across the floor.
Darin, ever the pragmatist, didn't hesitate. With a flick of his wrist and a tiny swing of the rope, he guided the card. "Got it!" he declared triumphantly as the card floated into his outstretched hand.
But they were all tangled upon each other, struggling to separate. The dose had been higher than Darin had instructed, so every time they tried to stand, they immediately fell back down.
The chaos had attracted attention. The principal, a stern-faced old man with a perpetually disapproving frown, strode into the hallway, his cane tapping a rhythmic, authoritative beat on the floor. He surveyed the scene—Mr. Flubbert rubbing his backside, Enjiro sprawled on the floor looking dazed, Kael face-down, and Ten looking far too pleased with himself.
"What is the meaning of this?!" the principal boomed, his voice echoing down the hall.
Selene, thinking on her feet: "Master Enjiro and I were on our way to the canteen. I asked him to guide me on a topic I wasn't understanding, but suddenly Mr. Janitor came out of nowhere and dragged Master Enjiro with him. And then came Kael and Ten—maybe they were trying to help." She said it all in one breath, trying to explain what had happened.
Enjiro, still horizontal and slightly concussed, mumbled: "I felt like soup sliding down a slope."
Kael, trying to explain himself: "I heard a loud noise from this direction, so I came to check. But when I got here, Master Enjiro was already on the floor. I tried to help him, but the floor was so slippery, I also got swept up and ended up under him."
Ten, seizing any means to escape the scene: "Yeah, same with my case." Since it was an accident, no one looked for further evidence of what had actually happened.
The principal narrowed his eyes, but Selene's mention of seeking guidance from Enjiro calmed him down. He told them to be careful next time, and they all went their separate ways.
Kael and Ten, realizing no one was watching them now, started running to the place where they would meet Selene and Darin, because their mission had been a success this time.