Train

Noah stared at Asher for several seconds after hearing that answer, then he slowly pointed at him with a genuinely disturbed expression.

"...You say things so casually that I can't tell when you're joking anymore."

"I usually don't joke," Asher replied calmly.

"That somehow makes it worse," Noah muttered.

Even Adam looked slightly unsettled now. "You just said you haven't had many chances to kill people."

"Yeah."

"...That is not a normal sentence."

Asher blinked once, then nodded as if he had understood something. "Oh."

A brief silence followed, then Aria suddenly spoke. "You've been talking more lately."

Everyone looked toward her.

She continued calmly, "You used to ignore almost everyone completely. Now you keep responding to conversations instead of walking away."

Noah immediately nodded. "Yeah, that's actually true."

Adam crossed his arms. "You're still insufferable, but compared to before, you're strangely cooperative."

Asher looked mildly confused by their reactions. "Not really."

"You literally joked three times in the last five minutes," Noah said.

"That's because hiding is pointless now."

The atmosphere shifted slightly as Aria's eyes narrowed faintly. "What do you mean?"

Asher stretched lazily before answering. "Before, I avoided attention because attention creates problems."

"That still sounds accurate," Adam muttered.

"But now," Asher continued, "the Headmaster already exposed me, half the academy keeps staring at me, professors are watching me, and random people keep challenging me."

He looked genuinely tired for a moment. "So there is no point pretending anymore."

Noah blinked. "...Pretending?"

"Mm."

Asher spoke casually, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I acted quiet because it was the easiest way to avoid unnecessary interactions."

Adam frowned. "So your entire personality before was fake?"

"Not fake," Asher corrected. "Just inefficient."

The three of them went quiet.

Noah slowly raised a hand to his forehead. "You optimized your social behavior?"

"Yes."

"Who even thinks like that?!"

Asher ignored him and continued, "If people think you're cold and unapproachable, they leave you alone."

Aria looked at him thoughtfully. "That actually makes sense."

Noah immediately turned toward her. "Why are you agreeing with him?"

But Aria kept her gaze on Asher. "So now that hiding your abilities failed, you stopped limiting your behavior too."

"Exactly."

Adam stared at him for a moment before speaking. "That's insane."

"Probably."

"But you realize acting like this attracts even more attention now, right?"

"Yes."

Adam's brow twitched. "Then why act like this?"

Asher looked genuinely puzzled by the question. "Because I don't care now."

Adam suddenly stopped, and for a moment, his expression shifted slightly, as if he had finally understood something unpleasant.

"...You really don't care what people think about you."

"No."

"Not even a little?"

"No."

There was no hesitation in his answer, just honesty and that somehow made the group quieter.

Most people claimed not to care while secretly wanting approval, but Asher truly seemed detached from that entire structure.

Aria observed him silently for a few seconds before asking, "So the reason you changed isn't that you became comfortable around us."

"No."

The answer came instantly.

Noah looked oddly offended. "...Wow."

Asher glanced at him. "You're not boring, though."

"That is not better."

Adam sighed deeply. "You really have no idea how conversations work."

"I do."

"No, you absolutely don't."

Asher ignored that and looked toward the targets Aria had created earlier. "Anyway, since hiding no longer matters, I might as well enjoy myself."

Noah narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "That sentence sounds dangerous."

"It means I'll stop pretending to act normal."

The three of them froze.

Noah spoke carefully this time. "...You were pretending before?"

"Yes."

"That was you pretending to be normal?!"

Asher nodded calmly.

Adam suddenly looked concerned for the future. "That explains too much."

Aria remained quiet for a few moments, then a faint smile appeared on her face, small but clear. "You truly are strange."

Asher looked at her. "Thanks?"

"I'm not sure that was a compliment."

"That's fine."

Noah stared between the two of them with disbelief. "Why does this conversation somehow feel peaceful now?"

"Because you've finally accepted reality," Adam replied flatly.

"No, I rejected reality two days ago," Noah corrected.

Asher opened his subspace and summoned a few more juice packets before tossing one toward each of them. "Drink this and stop overthinking."

Adam caught his packet instinctively and looked down at it. "...Why do you carry so much juice?"

"Because life is disappointing without good flavor."

Noah opened his packet with a tired expression. "You genuinely live in your own world."

"Yes."

Aria quietly took a sip before speaking again. "So what exactly changes now?"

Asher thought for a moment, then answered, "Nothing important."

The wind passed through the training ground, moving softly across the open field.

Then Asher pointed toward the floating targets. "Anyway, are we training or just analyzing my mental state?"

Noah immediately pointed back at him. "Your mental state is absolutely worth analyzing."

"I disagree."

"Of course you do."

Adam let out a long sigh. "For once, I actually understand why Victor gave up arguing with you."

"That guy was weirdly emotional."

"You called him the light-blocking guy," Noah said flatly.

"He was blocking the light."

Aria lowered her gaze slightly, hiding another faint smile before looking toward Adam.

For the first time since his duel with Asher, Adam no longer looked truly irritated, just confused.

Because the more they interacted with Asher Astrean, the harder he became to understand.

Adam adjusted his grip on the juice packet before taking a cautious sip, and a second later, his expression shifted slightly. "...Okay. That's actually good."

"I told you," Asher replied. "Good flavor improves quality of life."

Noah stared at the packet in his hand. "You talk about juice like some ancient philosopher."

"Because people underestimate small happiness."

"That sounded weirdly wise."

"Accidentally."

Aria quietly watched the group as the atmosphere shifted. At first, this team had felt unstable, with too many personalities and too many unknowns.

But now, it felt oddly balanced, and even Adam no longer looked like he wanted to punch Asher every few minutes.

Only occasionally.

"We should stop wasting time and begin testing coordination," Aria said.

Noah immediately straightened. "Right."

Adam nodded. "What's the plan?"

Aria looked toward Asher. "You're the hardest variable here. Start."

"Why me?"

"Because if we can't adapt to your movements, the rest of the formation won't matter."

Asher thought about it for a moment, then nodded. "...Fair enough."

He stood slowly and stretched, then pointed toward Noah.

"You defend the front and keep enemies occupied."

Noah nodded. "Got it."

Then Asher pointed toward Adam.

"You provide long-range pressure and stop anyone from escaping."

Adam crossed his arms. "Fine."

Finally, Asher looked at Aria.

"You interfere with enemy focus and support from the back."

"And you?" she asked calmly.

"I stab people."

Silence followed.

Then he added, "And heal allies if they stop functioning properly."

Noah's mouth twitched. "That wording somehow made healing sound threatening."

Asher ignored him. "Anyway, let's test this properly."

The four moved into position.

Noah stepped forward first, and earth mana spread beneath his feet as stone walls rose across the training ground, forming defensive barriers and narrow pathways.

Adam followed immediately.

Wind gathered around him in rotating currents before condensing into several floating blades.

Aria closed her eyes for a brief moment and a faint, invisible pressure spread across the field.

Mental interference..

Even Adam frowned slightly. "...Your magic feels unpleasant."

"That means it's working," Aria replied calmly.

The three of them then turned toward Asher.

He was still standing where he had been drinking juice.

Adam stared at him flatly. "...Are you participating or spectating?"

"I'm participating."

"You're holding a juice packet."

"I can multitask."