Ancient oak trees spread their dense canopies along both sides of Iketerite Academy's main avenue. Sunlight streamed through the gaps between the leaves, spilling across the stone pavement in shimmering streaks.
Not far away, the Learning and Education Building stood tall and imposing. It was one of the academy's landmarks and was always bustling with activity.
Lanchi, Hughberlian, and their new classmate were walking along this very avenue when they saw Loren suddenly appear.
Dean Loren's leather shoes made a faint scraping sound against the ground as he approached the three of them. All he could hear was the cheerful laughter of the other students and the rustling of leaves in the breeze.
"Lanchi, Hughberlian."
Dean Loren spoke, his eyes fixed intently on the two of them.
"What was that match between you and Adams about, Lanchi?"
For the moment, he had no time to concern himself with why Lanchi and Hughberlian were mixed up with a student from the Yarolan Kingdom.
It was not a serious matter. As long as the two of them did not send some perfectly innocent student to prison, Loren felt there was nothing worth making a fuss over.
Lanchi and Hughberlian exchanged a glance, clearly not expecting to run into the dean here.
"Dean Loren!"
Lanchi looked quite delighted to see Dean Loren, as though he had been planning to seek him out anyway.
"My friendship match with Adams is already over. He chose the Despair Bone-Piercing Cage Artificial Shadow World, and I agreed."
Lanchi answered Loren's question first.
"It's over?"
Loren asked in confusion. If the match was already over, why was Adams still in the Seventh Floor Central Courtyard?
"...And why hasn't he been able to contact Juliana all day?"
"Adams is still inside the Shadow World..."
"Hm? You didn't win?"
"I