“Do you notice it?” Larissa asked while observing the group surrounding Taro.
Luna rolled her eyes, pretending to be more interested in her notes than the conversation. “Notice what?”
Larissa smiled and suddenly wrapped her cousin in a hug. “Don’t play disinterested, it’s getting old!”
“Larissa!” Luna protested, her cheeks reddening while trying to break free. “We’re in class!”
“Not anymore… And I won’t let go until you admit you’ve noticed it,” Larissa sang near her ear.
Luna struggled a moment more before surrendering with a sigh. “Fine, yes… I noticed it,” she murmured, her voice barely audible.
“And?” Larissa loosened her grip a bit but didn’t release her completely.
“The… the two beasts inside Taro,” Luna continued in a low voice, avoiding looking directly at her cousin. “The patterns fluctuate very well between them. Even…” she stopped, as if considering whether she should continue.
“Even what?” Liora also leaned in to hear better.
“Even better than Julius’s synergy,” Luna completed quickly. “His is simple because at least it’s the same element, but this…”
“Must be Ren’s work,” Liora suggested thoughtfully. “If what little you told us about what happened in the seed is true…”
“Speaking of Ren,” Larissa interrupted and smiled while finally releasing Luna. “What do you say we ask his advice about what second beast we should…”
“Shhh!” Luna and Liora interrupted simultaneously, frantically looking around. The mere mention of “second beast” had put them on high alert.
“Are you crazy?” Luna hissed. “You can’t talk about… that… here!”
“About what?” Larissa smiled innocently. “About how the three of us are…”
Liora covered her mouth with a hand while Luna looked about to faint.
“Alright, alright,” Larissa laughed when Liora finally released her. “But I’m going to ask him after class. You can come if you want.”
“We can’t just…” Luna began.
“Why not?” Larissa interrupted. “Nobody will suspect if we just ask him theoretical questions. Everyone’s obsessed with Ren lately anyway.”
It was true. Looking around the classroom, at least half the class was trying to get close to Taro just to obtain information about his luminous friend.
“Besides,” Larissa added with a mischievous gleam in her eyes, “don’t you want to know what beasts could better complement your… powerful first beasts?”
Luna and Liora exchanged looks. The temptation was evident on their faces.
“Just theoretical questions,” Luna murmured, as if trying to convince herself.
“Purely academic,” Liora nodded.
“Of course,” Larissa smiled. “Though…” she added while watching Taro being bombarded with questions, “maybe we should wait for the crowd to disperse a bit. We don’t want anyone else hearing our… academic theories.”
Her cousins nodded vigorously, though Larissa noticed how their eyes occasionally drifted toward the group around Taro, clearly anxious for answers.
‘This will be fun,’ she thought while her mineral fairy pulsed softly.
♢♢♢♢
“It’s strange,” Han commented as they walked toward Yang’s class, “I always thought the grey wing was for… well, you know.”
“Losers?” Taro completed with a smile, remembering his own initial prejudices.
“I didn’t mean it like that!” Han waved his hands, embarrassed. “It’s just that…”
“It’s okay,” Taro laughed. “I thought the same before getting there. Turns out the grey wing was the best thing that could have happened to me.”
“The best?” Mira approached, still touching her nose. “Well he certainly didn’t lie about the different beast and faster cultivation, but maybe it’s too soon to…”
“Min,” Taro looked at her worriedly, “don’t you want me to ask Min for help? His water snake has healing abilities and…”
“The nurse said it would heal on its own,” Mira interrupted quickly, though Taro noticed how she avoided eye contact.
“Doesn’t it hurt?” Han leaned in to examine Mira’s nose, his eyes shining with genuine concern. Despite his serious expression, there was something adorably childlike in how he wrinkled his forehead.
“Just a little,” Mira touched the bandage carefully, her small fingers tracing its edge. “But, I want to hear more about the grey wing… What about you Taro?”
Several more students approached, curious. Most had never thought much about the dormitory’s other wings.
“My family has a restaurant in the Terragon district,” Taro explained. “We’re a minor branch of the family, but the business is doing well.”
“Terragon?” Han whistled impressed. “The family with the most earth controllers?”
“A very, very minor branch,” Taro emphasized. “So minor I only visited once a year. All I got from that was the brown egg… I thought I was doomed when they gave me the beetle…”
“But you were wrong,” Mira smiled. “You were the first to evolve!”
“Thanks to Ren,” Taro added automatically. “Besides, he’s bronze now too so…”
“Ren doesn’t count,” someone commented from behind. “Nobody has really seen his evolution.”
“It’s true,” another voice added. “We just know his mushrooms glow a bit more.”
Taro contained a smile, remembering the true form of Ren’s mushroom. If they heard it they’d…
“The point is,” he continued, “that the grey wing doesn’t determine your potential… Mira I can’t stop looking at your nose, I insist Min help you, if not now then in the room after class… Ren and Liu will be there.”
Mira tensed at hearing Liu’s name.
“It’s just…” she began quietly, “I don’t want to cause trouble. With everything that’s happening…”
“Trouble?” Taro arched an eyebrow. “Min would be delighted to help… Really it’s not…”
Larissa, who had been observing the interaction with Luna and Liora, approached casually. “It’s curious,” she commented with feigned innocence, “how some accidents happen right after certain… uncomfortable questions.”
Luna gave her a subtle elbow, but her eyes also showed concern.
“It’s nothing,” Mira insisted, though her voice trembled slightly. “I just… tripped and hit my nose.”
“These hallways can be treacherous,” Liora commented softly, her gaze meeting Mira’s.
“Especially when certain adults are asking too many questions,” Larissa added, her usual playful tone replaced by something more serious.
Taro observed the two. Mira, with her bandaged nose and Han… Both trying to appear strong while carrying an invisible weight.