Chapter 31
The disappearance of Aaron Stingray.
With the Crown Prince suddenly vanishing without a trace, New Valhalla City began to shake violently.
Even though Aaron and Vladimir were not the type of figures who were often mentioned in the media, the stock market fluctuated wildly, and politicians, seeing a chance to raise their profiles, poured out provocative remarks to the press.
The police spread an extensive net in an attempt to catch the culprit. Because of this, those who had been involved in shady dealings—even though they had nothing to do with the current incident—had to spend their days holding their breath.
However.
The heir of Militech, Vladimir Kharitonov, who was most deeply involved in this case, came out uncooperative with the investigation, and so the resolution of the case stalled.
-Mr. Kharitonov! Is it true that Militech is deeply involved in this incident?
-No! I’m also a victim!
-Where is Mr. Aaron Stingray?
-I told you I don’t know!
-You killed him! You’re the one who killed him!
-What?! You think I killed that guy?! If you think it’s possible, then you try it!
Tears welled in the corners of Vladimir’s eyes as he shouted in fury. Experts were divided over the real meaning of those tears, and conspiracy theorists online raised their voices.
Other companies searched in every possible way to uncover the truth of the incident, but there was nothing more to be found.
And so, the case gradually fell deeper into a labyrinth.
In the end, three days passed without any results.
-Aaron Stingray is not dead.
-Where could the Crown Prince be?
-The future of the Imperial Family and the Stingrays? BNS Channel special coverage!
“……”
Iri switched off the dormitory TV and rose from the sofa.
Since dawn, the so-called experts running their mouths looked no different from swindlers, and she was sick of it.
“I guess it’s about time to go eat.”
But before that, there was someone she had to take with her.
Iri threw on her Academy uniform and stepped outside. She walked along the long corridor, stopping in front of one room.
Knock knock.
“Miyu, let’s go out. Time to get up.”
“……”
At first there was no response, which made her worry, but soon the door opened and a small head peeked out from the gap.
It was Miyu.
“Ah, Miss Iri…?”
“Good, you’re up. Come on, hurry out.”
“Uh, I–I’m sorry, but I’m not m–mentally prepared yet…!”
“Mental preparation, my foot!”
“Hieeaaah!?”
Iri boldly kicked open Miyu’s dorm room door and walked in. Not long after the door closed, the two came out together into the hallway.
Miyu had her hair, which usually fell to her ankles, tied up. She clung to Iri’s arm like a frightened baby koala.
Though slightly annoyed, Iri allowed Miyu to latch onto her as if she had no choice.
“Good grief…”
How had it come to this?
Iri recalled the events.
Right after Aaron left the Academy, the news of his disappearance threw Miyu into a complete panic.
Unable to watch her in such a state, Iri had hugged and soothed the panicking Miyu, and from that moment on, Miyu had clung to her like a baby koala whenever they went anywhere.
‘Honestly, it’s a bit of a hassle…’
But how could she leave a girl like this alone? Especially when she was already having a hard time with Aaron’s disappearance—she wasn’t coldhearted enough to push her away.
‘In a situation like this, bringing up my module problem would be a bit much, huh…?’
She had ended up playing the older sister role she’d never expected to, but there was no helping it. She had to accept it.
‘Was this what my brother felt like?’
She suddenly recalled her childhood self.
Before she grew up, she had clung so persistently to her brother that it might have caused him trouble. Now it was just a distant memory.
Her reminiscing didn’t last long.
“M–Miss Iri…”
“Mm? What is it?”
Iri replied a bit awkwardly.
She still didn’t really know how to deal with this girl called Miyu. At that, Miyu hung her head, eyes brimming with tears.
“I–I’m sorry…”
“Sorry? For what?”
“A–at first… I thought you were a bad person… You felt similar to the girls who used to bully me…”
“Ah.”
Bullying.
At that word, Iri unconsciously sighed. That must have been the root of what made Miyu the way she was now.
Well, it was such a blunt first impression that it might have been a little hurtful, but she decided not to mind it too much. She was aware that she didn’t exactly have a gentle-looking face.
“It must’ve been tough for you.”
“Those girls bullied me every single day… They said my speech was awkward and gloomy… They hit and kicked me… They broke the things I made… They even cut my hair with scissors…”
“Uh…”
Okay, but… why bring that up out of nowhere?
Was this really the kind of story you told on your way to breakfast? Miyu clearly lacked tact in that regard.
Still, it must have been a huge wound for her.
Out of nowhere or not, Iri couldn’t help but feel sympathy.
“That’s why I was scared of women… Much more than men…”
“So that’s why you were scared of me at first?”
Nod.
Miyu lowered her head in affirmation.
“But Miss Iri is fine… Just like Mr. Aaron said…”
“W–what did he say about me?”
“Well…”
Gulp.
Why was it?
Iri swallowed unconsciously as she waited for Miyu’s next words.
“He said that even if you look rough at first glance, you’re actually a really good person…”
“O… ohh…”
Iri didn’t realize her cheeks had flushed slightly. But her good mood lasted only a moment.
“I think Miss Iri is like a mom to me, too…”
“…Huh? Mom?”
“Yes.”
“Not older sister?”
When I asked again,
Miyu shook her head in reply.
“Mom.”
Her voice was firm.
For some reason, it felt like this was the one thing she absolutely wouldn’t yield on—there was even a sense of unshakable conviction to it.
“……”
Iri Elisbell.
At the age of twenty, she was told she felt like a mother.
And that, from a girl of the same age.
For a moment, I thought she was slyly teasing me, but Miyu’s eyes were nothing but serious and pure.
She truly meant it.
That made it even more unpleasant.
But what could I do?
“…Let’s just go eat.”
While saying that, Iri subtly tried to shake Miyu off, but the more she did, the tighter Miyu clung to her arm.
“Sigh…”
Really, Iri had ended up playing the mother role she never asked for.
After Aaron Stingray’s disappearance.
The atmosphere within the Academy also changed noticeably. Especially beneath the surface, the tension between the Stingray scholarship students had grown even more intense.
For Iri, who didn’t particularly feel any sense of belonging to the Stingray scholarship group, it was nothing but a headache.
-Those two are here.
-Two special scholarship students.
Sure enough.
When the two special scholarship students—who could be said to be favored by Chairman Aaron—appeared, the air in the Stingray dormitory cafeteria shifted.
‘Look at them rolling their eyes.’
I still wasn’t fully accustomed to Academy life, but understanding the ecosystem here wasn’t hard.
This year, when Aaron returned as chairman of the Foundation, the scholarship students’ stances split broadly into two camps.
One was pro-Aaron.
The other was pro-Benedict.
-Since Lord Aaron is back, we should side with him.
-You don’t know what you’re talking about. Haven’t you heard he’s been leaving most of the work to Lord Benedict lately?
-What does that matter! The fact he created a special class right after returning means he’s absolutely not handing over his position!
-Idiot! That’s actually proof he’s getting pushed aside by his little brother!
I didn’t know why they were all so well-versed in the Stingray Group’s internal power dynamics, but everyone was scrambling to get into the Imperial Family’s good graces for their post-graduation prospects.
And as special scholarship students, Miyu and I were firmly assumed to be on Aaron’s side, earning us either the envy or jealousy of the regular Stingray scholarship students.
When Aaron disappeared, the political landscape among the scholarship students shifted once more, and the regular students were now testing the waters on how to treat the two of us.
‘Pathetic.’
To me, their behavior was nothing but pitiful and disgusting.
If they wanted to put on masks and brawl among themselves, fine—but dragging us into it was another matter entirely.
“Don’t mind them. Let’s go, Miyu.”
“Y-yes…”
I pulled Miyu along.
Since it was a buffet-style cafeteria, we headed to the serving area first.
There were basic Western-style breakfast items like toast, ham, cereal, juice, milk, and cheese.
Next to them were rice and various Asian-style soups referred to as guk, and finally, a variety of fruits and desserts.
Especially the dairy products, eggs, and processed meats—they weren’t “edible plastic” but had a high content of the real thing, which was obvious just by their appearance.
‘If nothing else, just for this, signing that contract was worth it.’
The menu lineup was so dazzling that my mouth nearly watered again in awe.
But with so many eyes watching, I didn’t want to look provincial, so I filled my plate naturally.
Keeping an eye on whether Miyu, who stuck right next to me, was getting her food properly, we eventually headed to an empty table.
“Let’s sit here.”
“Okay.”
I sat down first, and Miyu sat right beside me. Just as we were about to start eating—
“Science and Technology Department’s Modular Miyu?”
Someone suddenly addressed us.
It was a female student I didn’t recognize—probably one of the regular Stingray scholarship students.
At the appearance of this stranger, Miyu clutched my sleeve tightly.
This girl is someone I have to protect. Thinking that, I calmed Miyu and glared at the other girl.
“Who are you?”
“Oh my, why are you looking at me like that? People will think I’m here to harm her.”
“Seems like you are.”
My instincts told me so.
This girl absolutely hadn’t approached us with pure intentions. She was the type who hid a knife behind a smile—a textbook villain. Back when I operated between Sector E and the Fallen Sector, I’d seen plenty of people fall prey to types like her.
“Sorry, but this is a matter between Science and Technology Department students. I’d prefer it if a third party stayed out of it.”
“Sorry, but that’s your problem. How about you state your business clearly first? Can’t you see she’s scared?”
“Oh my, didn’t you hear what I said? Or are you too dumb because you’re from the Tactical Combat Department? Ah… or maybe from the Fallen Sector?”
“You—!”
I clenched my fist for a moment.
But I quickly released it, suppressing my anger.
Hadn’t I already caused trouble over something similar once? I didn’t want to repeat the same mistake.
“…Sure, I’ll admit I’m an uneducated woman. But I’m not so naïve that I’d let a mere ‘regular’ scholarship student talk down to me like that.”
“W-what?!”
Bullseye.
She clearly hadn’t expected to be hit back, and her face flushed bright red with anger.
But that only lasted a moment—soon, other students joined her side. Two more female students and two male students, making a total of five.
Among them, one female and one male looked like Tactical Combat Department adaptees. Judging by their turtle-shell-like facial skin, they’d equipped skin armor modules.
They wordlessly surrounded the table where Miyu and I sat, clearly siding with the first girl.
I frowned and spoke.
“…What exactly do you think you’re doing this early in the morning?”
“What’s that supposed to mean? It’s not like we’ve done anything, right? We just want to have a conversation with that girl, Miyu, over there, so I’d like you to step aside.”
“I’m pretty sure I already told you—state your business clearly first, before trying to play a game of intimidation.”
“I told you, it’s none of your concern.”
“…We’re not getting anywhere.”
Bang—
Iri abruptly stood up.
The Science and Technology Department students took a few steps back as if frightened, but the Tactical Combat Department students stepped closer toward her in defiance.
“Iri Elisbell. You still think this place is your world, huh? You’d better wake up.”
“…What?”
“Aaron Stingray is dead. You’ve got no kind, tall uncle to watch your back anymore.”
“Heh.”
Iri replied with a scoff.
“That man isn’t the type to die so easily. Get your facts straight before you talk.”
Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d say something like that myself. It almost sounded like I was defending Aaron Stingray.
“Anyway, instead of swarming around and picking fights first thing in the morning, why don’t you eat your breakfast and leave?”
“Ha, so you’re that calm because you’re still under the delusion that he’s alive. Well, fine. You’re free to believe what you want.”
The male student who seemed to be their leader stepped even closer, pressing in on Iri. Since she wasn’t particularly tall, she had to lift her head to meet his gaze.
“…Are you trying to pick a fight?”
“I’ve said it repeatedly, we don’t have business with you. The one we want to talk to is Miyu over there.”
Then, the male student pulled a card from his pocket and tossed it onto the table. A hologram flickered to life above it.
“My name is Leon Albert. Miyu, I’ve heard about your abilities as a Modular. I think it’d be good if you helped out our study group a little.”
“…S-study group?”
Miyu managed to squeeze out the words from behind me, her voice tense. The male student shrugged.
“Yeah, a study group. The Academy’s enemies are everywhere—let’s help each other out until graduation.”
“…”
“Of course, I’m not saying you have to decide right now.”
Seeing Miyu completely frozen, Leon finally stepped back a bit and continued.
“After that unfortunate accident a few days ago, the situation has changed. If it’s just the two of you clinging to each other, you’ll only get weeded out here.”
“…And what exactly do you mean by that?”
“I mean you’d better choose your side carefully. With Lord Aaron gone, how long do you think your precious special class will last? At best, until the end of the first semester.”
His voice carried a strange certainty.
Had he gotten his hands on some information others didn’t know?
“So you’d better prepare in advance. That’s all the advice I’ll give you.”
With that, Leon turned his back. The rest of his group quietly followed him.
But then Leon stopped mid-step and looked back at Iri and Miyu.
“Oh, and for the record, the five of us here aren’t all there is. Our study group is much bigger than you think.”
“Showing off your numbers, huh? Almost sounds like you’re saying you won’t leave us alone if we refuse.”
“Bingo, Fallen girl.”
At my words, Leon smirked.
“Make sure you convince Miyu to join us by the end of today. If you do, I’ll graciously overlook the rudeness you’ve shown today.”
“…”
That strange confidence again.
Where exactly was it coming from?
“And if we refuse? Planning on a group beating or something?”
“No, who would do something that violent? We wouldn’t do anything.”
“Yeah, sure I believe that.”
“It’s true. It’s just that… without friends like us…”
Leon’s eyes turned cold as ice.
“…you might just find yourself wanting to leave the Academy on your own.”