A Remarkable Upperclassman

"Mo Bai..."

After introducing himself, Mo Bai's mouth twitched slightly.

The guy in front of him was over-the-top in both speech and movement.

But since he'd called Mo Bai his junior...

"Are you an upperclassman?"

It wouldn't be bad to tag along with him and learn more about the academy.

Besides, what the Rover and Linnae were about to do had nothing to do with him now.

All he wanted was a quiet life.

Given the choice between hunting down the Remnant Star Society and joining a club, he would definitely join a club.

"That's right. Second year. I'm your upperclassman. As for how I knew you were new, freshmen usually react exactly like you did when they first eat at the cafeteria."

Hearing the other person speak, Mo Bai remembered the look on his own face when he had eaten the cafeteria food.

So that was how the guy identified freshmen? It was a pretty reliable sign.

"You didn't introduce yourself as a club president because you're trying to recruit me, did you?"

Mo Bai recalled some of the club recruitment tactics he'd seen online.

People acted one way before you signed up and another afterward. They were all charm during recruitment, then cold as ice at the interview. What a hassle.

"No, I just want to borrow your resonance ability, junior."

As Moqu spoke, he glanced again at the White Divine Dog beside Mo Bai.

"Then... let's talk while we walk," Mo Bai said, getting up.

He couldn't take the looks the other students were giving them.

He thought the others might mistake him for the same kind of person as Moqu. That wouldn't do, so he hurriedly asked to talk somewhere else.

"Sure, no problem!"

Moqu gave a thumbs-up and led Mo Bai toward the teaching building. Before leaving, the guy even swiped a few bags of food.

As they walked, Moqu talked at length about the academy.

Mo Bai noticed that an unusually large number of people turned to look at them.

"Heh. Noticed it, have you, junior?"

Moqu had clearly noticed too, and wore an expression that suggested he knew everything.

Of course, Mo Bai just thought the other guy looked smug and annoying.

"So, will my well-informed upperclassman tell us why so many people keep turning to look at us?" Mo Bai asked, playing along with a blank face.

Could this guy really have done something impressive at school?

"Isn't it obvious? A brilliant, brave, and upstanding senior like me is simply too captivating—"

"Keep bragging and I'll knock another ten points off my opinion of you."

Mo Bai's next words shut Moqu up on the spot, and his theatrical pose froze halfway through.

That one sentence from the other person snuffed out the illusion Mo Bai had just formed.

"Ahem. See the Tunneler Swarm Creatures over by the academy's landscaping?"

Moqu began explaining to Mo Bai in a serious tone.

Mo Bai followed the other person's finger toward the landscaped strip.

A mechanical elk stood there.

"Apart from a few native species that evolved in unusual ways out in the wild, Lahai Luo's animals are all these walking hunks of metal—Rover Swarm Tunneler Swarm Creatures."

Mo Bai nodded as he listened to Moqu's explanation.

Lynae had told him about Tunneler Swarm Creatures. Supposedly, they came from parts shed by the legendary giant robot known as the Tunneler.

Now he had a fair idea why people were looking their way.

Strictly speaking, they weren't looking at him or Moqu. They were looking at the White Divine Dog he'd summoned beside him.

At an academy with nothing but metal animals and terrible food, a big, fluffy dog was bound to draw the students' attention.

Mo Bai patted the White Divine Dog on the head, then followed Moqu into the drama club's space.

It was really just a borrowed classroom.

The club members had decorated it rather extravagantly, though. Mo Bai spotted balloons hanging on the wall as soon as he entered.

"So what do you want to do with my ability?"

Mo Bai couldn't be bothered to explain sorcerers and Cursed Energy, so he used Moqu's terms.

Moqu had told him a few useful things on the way, including the academy's layout and where to find resources outside it.

This longtime student did have his uses. After getting his help, Mo Bai didn't intend to refuse him outright. He would hear what the guy had in mind first.

"It's a drama club, so I want to borrow your ability to put on a spectacular show!" Moqu said, waving his arms.

"So you want to use my ability to make things appear 'out of thin air'?"

Mo Bai figured Moqu must have seen him summon the White Divine Dog.

"Exactly! That ability of yours can do more than summon that big dog, right?" Moqu asked excitedly.

Mo Bai was about to summon Nue to demonstrate, but then something else occurred to him.

Tap, tap.

He walked to the lectern, picked up one of the bags of food Moqu had grabbed earlier, and tossed it at his feet.

Plop.

There was a splash, and the bag vanished into Mo Bai's shadow.

"That's amazing!" Moqu exclaimed.

As far as he could tell, if Mo Bai could put something in, he could surely take it back out.

That meant when they staged a play, Moqu could ask Mo Bai to produce much more than just the big dog.

"Just so you know, what I can store depends on its weight. I definitely can't put an entire house in there," Mo Bai explained.

He had only just tested the ability himself.

It worked much like sinking into his shadow. And since the bag of food wasn't alive, he didn't have to worry about it drowning.

"By the way, if you're putting on a play, where is everyone?" Mo Bai asked, looking around.

Mo Bai could see costumes and props piled in a corner, but right now there were only two people in the classroom.

Where were the other members? Classes should be over, so shouldn't they all be free?

Unless...

Mo Bai suddenly thought of another possibility.

One that would fit this extraordinary character perfectly...

“Heh. I'm from Rinascita,” Moqu said with a sudden smile.

"I've seen carnival parties with my own eyes many times. Even on my own, I can perform like an entire cast!"

With that, Moqu spread his arms like a dazzling actor beneath the spotlight!

In reality, the classroom had no spotlight. It barely had people—just the two of them.

“You mean you think you can recruit me and put on a successful show when you're the only member?” Mo Bai asked bluntly.

"Yes."

He's beyond help...

Watching Moqu nod, Mo Bai figured the most he'd get out of this was a front-row seat to a fiasco.