The infirmary door slid shut behind them with a soft pneumatic hiss, the sound echoing briefly in the quiet morning air.

Emi breathed deeply, her lungs gratefully expanding as she escaped the sterile, antiseptic smell that had filled her nostrils for the past hour.

The fresh morning air washed over her skin like a gentle caress, carrying the invigorating scent of salt from the nearby ocean and the sweet perfume of freshly cut grass from the academy grounds. A gentle breeze ruffled her blue hair, cooling her flushed cheeks.

Dr. Sandoval had been... intense. Unnervingly intense. Emi's hands still trembled slightly from the combination of extended Aspect use and the doctor's unsettling cat-like gaze that seemed to peer straight through her flesh and into her very soul. Those vertically-slit pupils had tracked her every movement as she'd channeled her healing energy into Satori's wounds, making her feel like a particularly interesting specimen under examination.

Beside her, Satori stretched languidly, a slow, deliberate movement that made the muscles in his back ripple beneath his bloodstained uniform. The dried crimson stains created a stark contrast against the white fabric, a vivid reminder of what they'd just been through. For someone who'd been unconscious less than two hours ago, with wounds that would have hospitalized an ordinary person for days, he appeared remarkably unbothered. His face showed no trace of pain, only a relaxed contentment that seemed strangely out of place given the circumstances.

"We should probably head back," Emi said, turning to look for the golf cart that had brought them here, her eyes scanning the small parking area expectantly.

It was gone. Completely gone, as if it had never existed.

"Carmen left us?" Emi squeaked, panic rising in her chest like a trapped butterfly as she spun around, searching the empty parking area more frantically now. She checked behind the small shed, around the corner of the building—nothing. "She wouldn't just..."

A small piece of paper fluttered from the infirmary door, stuck there with a strip of medical tape. Emi plucked it off and read the hastily scrawled note, the handwriting barely legible:

"Had to find caffeine. Try not to die on the way back. -C"

"She abandoned us! How are we supposed to get back to Onyx House?" Emi clutched the note, crumpling it slightly in her grip as she felt her anxiety spike. The academy grounds were massive, a labyrinth of paths and buildings unfamiliar to her still-learning eyes. "I don't even know where we are on campus! We could wander for hours and—and we have training soon and—"

To her surprise, Satori didn't seem the least bit concerned. If anything, a small smile played at the corners of his mouth, transforming his face from its usual guarded expression to something warmer, more open. The morning sunlight caught in his eyes, giving them an almost supernatural glow that made Emi's breath catch in her throat.

"Perfect," he said, his voice low and pleased, like a cat who'd just been offered a bowl of cream. Without warning, he reached for her hand, fingers sliding between hers with casual confidence. His skin was surprisingly warm against hers, his grip firm yet gentle. "This gives us a chance to explore. If anyone asks, we got lost."

Heat flooded Emi's face at the contact, blazing from her cheeks down her neck and warming her entire body. His palm was warm against hers, the grip firm but not restricting. It felt... nice. Too nice. Dangerously nice. Her heart hammered against her ribs like a wild thing trying to escape.

"B-but what about morning training? Everyone will wonder where we went!" she protested weakly, even as her fingers instinctively curled around his, betraying her flustered words. She couldn't remember the last time someone had held her hand like this—deliberately, intimately—and her body seemed to have a mind of its own, responding to his touch despite her half-hearted objections.

Satori turned to her, eyes glinting with mischief. The morning light painted his features in gold and shadow, highlighting the strong line of his jaw and the subtle curve of his lips. "Let them wonder." He gave her hand a gentle squeeze that sent butterflies swirling through her stomach, a kaleidoscope of nervous excitement. "Besides, you used a lot of energy healing me. Your face is pale, and your hands are cold. You need food."

He leaned closer, close enough that she could feel the warmth radiating from him, could detect the faint, spicy scent of his cologne beneath the more clinical smells of the infirmary. His voice dropped to that intimate murmur that always made her heart skip and her knees weaken. "And if I'm honest, I've missed our coffee dates. Let me show you how grateful I am for your help."

The sincerity in his voice made her protests die in her throat. His eyes held hers, dark and earnest, making her feel as though she was the only person in the world who mattered at that moment. Emi swallowed hard, nodding mutely as he led her along a stone path away from the infirmary, her fingers still tangled with his in a grip that felt both comforting and thrillingly unfamiliar.

"The main campus hub should be this way," Satori said, guiding her with gentle pressure on her hand. His thumb traced small, absent circles against her skin, each tiny motion sending electric tingles up her arm. "There's bound to be somewhere we can get breakfast. You must be starving after using your Aspect for so long."

They walked through the carefully manicured grounds of New Vein Academy. Morning sunlight filtered through the leaves of cherry trees, casting dappled patterns of light and shadow on the walkway. Dewdrops still clung to the perfectly trimmed grass, sparkling like scattered diamonds. It was beautiful—peaceful in a way that made the brutal combat training from earlier seem like a distant nightmare rather than something that had happened mere hours ago.

As they approached the central plaza, other students began to appear, first in small groups, then in growing numbers. Most wore the crisp black and white uniforms of NVA, though the colored accents of their respective guilds made them easy to distinguish in the crowd. Silver trim for Argent Sentinels, crimson for Scarlet Phantoms, blue for Cobalt Vipers, green for Verdant Strikers.

And the outcast gray of the Onyx Hounds—their colors, marking them as the academy's rejects, the leftovers, the ones deemed unworthy of the prestigious guilds.

Whispers followed them as they passed, snippets of conversation reaching Emi's ears like the buzz of curious insects.

"That's him—the Stray Dog."

"Is that his girlfriend? The healer?"

"What's a cutie like her doing with that troublemaker?"

"Did you see what he did to Valerius at the entrance exam?"

The stares didn't seem to bother Satori in the slightest. He walked with the easy confidence of someone who expected the world to move out of his way, his posture relaxed but alert, like a predator strolling through territory he already considered his own. Emi, however, felt herself shrinking beneath the curious and sometimes hostile gazes. She wanted to disappear, to melt into the ground or hide behind Satori's taller frame.

A group of Argent Sentinels stood near an ornate marble fountain, their silver-accented uniforms gleaming in the morning light, immaculate and imposing. As Satori and Emi passed, one of them—a tall boy with slicked-back blond hair and a cruel twist to his mouth—deliberately stepped into their path, his shoulder colliding with Satori's with obvious intent.

"Watch where you're going, Stray," he muttered, the words dripping with disdain.

Satori didn't break stride. He merely turned his head slightly, fixing the boy with a look so coldly dismissive that Emi felt goosebumps rise on her arms. There was something in that gaze—something predatory and ancient, something that spoke of carefully restrained violence. The Sentinel actually took a step back, his cocky expression faltering as if he'd suddenly realized he was poking at something much more dangerous than he'd anticipated.

He doesn't care, Emi realized as they continued walking, her eyes studying Satori's profile with newfound wonder. All these people staring, whispering, even trying to intimidate him, and he just... doesn't care. He walks like he belongs everywhere. Like he's untouchable.

Like the academy exists in his world, not the other way around.

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