THUD.
"This isn't what I agreed to with the Noctis!" Mr. Mister slammed the desk.
His usual calm and composed demeanor was gone—thrown out the window. Even his slicked-back hair now hung messily over his forehead.
"Now, now, Reggie... Why don't you just behave and do what you're told, alright?"
Ms. Quack's silky voice dripped like honey as she lowered her finger under Mr. Mister's chin, leaning in close.
"Noctis and I had a deal. You shouldn't even be here in the first place. This place is toxic for you."
He brushed her hand away and slumped back into his chair.
"Toxic? You mean this twisted timeline around us?" She shrugged.
"Look at you—nothing's changed. Nothing happens to branded people like us."
"Us?" His eyes narrowed. "Your mark came from the Noctis. Mine was real. If Bell hadn't compromised its mission, none of this would've happened to you."
"Well?" She scoffed. "Being the Champion doesn't always mean 'Honor and Glory,'" she spat on the floor. "If only Dio were here to see what we've become."
"Dio died the day Ashbell broke the pact. We paid the price. He disintegrated into nothing—ashes. Your mind? Bent beyond repair after it revoked your mark. And me? I've been stuck bargaining with the Noctis forever just to keep you intact. I don't even have hobbies anymore..."
Mr. Mister buried his face in his hands.
"Oh, darlin'... We'll get back to that damned book once we find it again. It'll pay for everything..."
Her lips curled in a bitter grin.
"For how long, Martha?" His voice cracked.
"We've been crawling through the Noctis' so-called Immortality Engine for years—maybe centuries. I stopped counting."
"FOR AS LONG AS THAT DAMNED BOOK IS STILL ALIVE! GODDAMN IT, REGINALD QUENTIN MISTER!"
She screamed, slamming her heel into the floor.
Mr. Mister groaned, throwing his head back.
"Look, the point is—because your mark is artificial, every time the Noctis triggers a loop... or Bell starts its nonsense, your mind destabilizes. I can't let that happen again."
Without hesitation, Ms. Quack hurled her dagger. The blade sliced a shallow line across Mr. Mister's neck—but he didn't flinch.
"If you still care about my mind," she growled, "then we find it. I'm sick of hitting fifty, only to wake up thirty again."
She kissed his cheek, turned on her heel, and walked toward the door.
Until—
"THERE YOU ARE!"
Likka's voice tore through the hallway like thunder—sharp, loud, and brimming with judgment.
Rai, Lia, and Niko flinched as if physically struck—after all, they'd been eavesdropping the entire time.
Even from behind the office door, the atmosphere shifted.
Inside the room, both Mr. Mister and Ms. Quack froze.
A chill passed between them.
"...Was that—?" Mr. Mister whispered, eyes wide.
"Yep." Ms. Quack nodded grimly.
"One of the Deek twins. The girl one... I think."
Mr. Mister instantly straightened up—smoothing his disheveled hair, wiping his face, adjusting his shirt.
Ms. Quack exhaled, smoothing her dress and switching gears in an instant—her cold fire melting into that familiar airy, soft persona.
By the time the door creaked open, both teachers looked composed.
Totally normal.
Totally professional.
Totally not moments away from stabbing each other a minute ago.
Now Likka, Niko, Rai, and Lia stood right at the door—and Ms. Quack was waiting for them, smiling sweetly.
"YOU!" Likka pointed a finger straight between Lia's eyes.
"Has she told you to meet me at the gate at 5 PM today, good-looking?" She turned to Niko.
"She did... I guess?" Niko raised both hands, surrendering.
"Then why didn't you show up?" Her finger jabbed toward his face now.
"We were busy doing Mr. Mister's assignment to fix our grades... We've been at the greenhouse all day. We were just about to report our documentation."
He replied with earnest honesty.
Likka squinted.
Not a single lie.
She lowered her finger and calmed down.
"Then why didn't you say so." She shrugged.
"By the way, you haven't told me your name, good-looking."
"It's Niko. Niko Greaves..." he answered, lowering his hands.
She stared at him, sizing him up and down.
Reconsidering every life choice she'd ever made.
"I know an orphan when I see one... but you've got potential."
She smirked. "I'll think about it."
Then turned around and left like nothing ever happened.
Ms. Quack didn't even get a word in.
"Excuse me, boys and girls~"
She giggled, squeezing her way through the group to return to her spot.
"You're late. Hand me your reports, now!"
Mr. Mister barked from behind his desk—newspaper in one hand, steaming coffee in the other.
They rushed into the room and handed over their reports on the anomalies found in the Greenhouse.
"Number one... Mandojack. Two... Pyroper. I might pick this one up later..." Mr. Mister mumbled as he cross-examined their findings against the Official Government-Issued Registered Anomalies list.
"Anomaly #5?" He paused. "What's this?" He stared at them.
"It's a tree, sir," Niko explained. "Gives off a really bad vibe. We couldn't even stand near it for a full minute."
Mr. Mister narrowed his eyes and clicked his tongue.
"It's the Tree of Truth," he said, scribbling a note on their report.
"When it's awake, it stares into your soul... and speaks your deepest, most worldly desire."
The trio went silent—stiffening as they exchanged looks, mouths sealed shut. Hoping he wouldn't ask.
"Al-Zebra... check. Twigglepuff? Still there. Poor guy..." Mr. Mister muttered to himself, scanning down the list.
"Angel Vines too? I'll have to check that... but—"
His tone shifted. From mildly helpful to sharp and cold in seconds.
"Who wrote this?" he asked, jabbing his finger at Anomaly #9: Saplings of the Old World Tree.
"I did, sir..." Lia raised her hand hesitantly.
"Who told you about this?" he pressed, suddenly standing.
"I—I found it in an old encyclopedia from the abandoned building you told us to search, sir. I didn't mean any harm..."
Her voice cracked. Tears welled in her eyes as she fumbled with her bag.
Bell looked up at her, and a quiet word etched onto its open page: Sorry.
Lia finally pulled the old encyclopedia from her bag.
Mr. Mister snatched it, flipping aggressively through the pages.
"Where does it mention the Old World Tree?" he demanded.
"Page... sobs... four-forty-four..." Lia now openly cried.
His face twitched at the number '444,' but he turned to it anyway.
There it was—exactly where she said. He recognized it immediately.
The very page he had once licked... to check if it was one of Bell's disguises or not.
Realization hit him like a slap.
He'd just made a student cry. Blinded by hate... he forgot who he was supposed to be.
"I... I'm so sorry, Ms...?" he asked, softer now.
"Lia. Her name is Lia—Celia Vernoux."
A voice interrupted from the doorway.
A girl stepped in without hesitation, walking straight up to the desk and handing in her report.
"Pardon the intrusion. Maybe I came at the wrong time—but I have urgent business too," she said, polite but firm.
"Phoebe. Thank you for your hard work."
Mr. Mister actually smiled at her—the first time any of them had seen that expression on his face.
Lia, still wiping her tears, didn't notice.
"Lia, get it together. Your mascara's bleeding."
Phoebe handed her a handkerchief and compact mirror.
Lia's ears twitched. She took the mirror, dabbed at her face, fixed her look, and—voilà. She was herself again.
"Thanks, Phoebe," Lia said with a smile finally returning to her lips.
"You're welcome!" Phoebe waved, cheerful, and made her exit.
Niko raised his eyebrows, nodding as if to say, Damn, she's got it all together.
But Rai?
Oh no.
Rai was gone.
He'd fallen for her the moment she stepped in. His eyes hadn't left her since.
So much so that Niko had to snap his fingers in front of his face to bring him back.
"Rai? Clack clack. Get it together, man."
Rai blinked and snapped back to reality.
"Where is she?" He looked left and right, frantic.
"She just left," Niko said with a blink.
Mr. Mister flipped to the final entry—Harvessant. And just like that, they made it.
"Alright, you've cleared your assignment. That gives you the bare minimum to pass into the next semester," he muttered, setting his pen down. He slurped his coffee and spun his chair slowly around, turning his back toward them.
"Dismissed," he added flatly.
The three of them grabbed each other's shoulders and stumbled out of the office. Out in the hallway—
"We made it!" the three shouted in unison.
"I never thought being this dumb would land me with so many chores..." Rai groaned as he dropped to the floor, leaning back against the wall.
"Same. Especially crying in front of that monster." Lia wiped her eyes again and swatted the air, as if she could smack Mr. Mister from a distance.
Niko sat down beside them, calm.
"But what about that, Bell?" he asked, eyes narrowing.
"What were Mr. Mister and Ms. Quack talking about? Your name was explicitly mentioned."
His tone turned cold. Serious.
Just like usual.
But the three of them were interested now.
Rai glanced left and right down the hallway.
"Maybe this isn't the place to ask that, Niko," he mumbled.
He pushed himself to his feet, patted the dust off his pants, and looked at the others.
"Let's go."
Without another word, the three of them followed Rai's lead.
They moved quietly through the corridors and out into the open air, making their way toward a familiar place—the hill above the abandoned building. The very place where they'd first met Bell.
Rai stopped at the top of the hill and sat down, gesturing for the others to do the same.
"We'll talk here," he said. "No blind spots. If anyone shows up, we'll see them coming—and we can just change the subject."
For the first time, Rai sounded... reasonable.
Strategic, even.
Lia raised an eyebrow.
Niko nodded, impressed.
They sat in a triangle, wind rustling the grass beneath them. The academy felt far away now.
"You can speak from Lia's bag, Bell," Niko said, his eyes fixed on the horizon.
A beat of silence.
Then—
"I've been hiding behind jokes long enough, kids. It's time you knew the truth."
Bell's voice emerged, calm. Serious.
For the first time, it held no jokes, no riddles. Just truth.
* * *