Moqu

What Mo Bai didn't know was that after he left the Screening Room, some of the students still inside began talking.

"Was that really a Flying Snow Velvet song?"

"I haven't heard one of her songs in ages. She used to be a campus star."

"It's a shame. I wonder if she's safe now."

The students who knew the former Academy star's story all regretted her disappearance.

Walking across campus, Mo Bai couldn't decide what to do.

One session in the holographic training had left him wanting more. The practice was a huge help in real combat.

But the thought of someone attacking him in there earlier still sent a chill through him.

I'll discuss the Remnant Star Society with Rover when they get back. They seemed pretty concerned about that organization.

But for now...

He had taken the day off, so he planned to go outside and subdue two new Shikigami.

Tap, tap, tap.

Just as he headed toward the Academy gates, he spotted a familiar figure.

"Moqu?"

After all, few people at Star Torch Academy liked wearing a white coat all the time.

Only then did Mo Bai remember that Moqu had arranged to put on a play at the Academy with him.

From a distance, Mo Bai saw that the smile Moqu usually wore had vanished beneath a dark expression.

Looks like he's run into trouble.

With that thought, Mo Bai walked over.

He wasn't one to meddle, but he had made a promise to Moqu. He didn't like owing anyone; it left him uneasy.

Tap, tap, tap.

Even when Mo Bai reached him, Moqu didn't turn around, as though he hadn't noticed him.

Mo Bai saw that Moqu was looking up at the classroom before him.

He remembered the place. Moqu had set it up as his clubroom earlier.

Now, seen from outside, all the balloons and decorations had been taken down.

It looked no different from an ordinary classroom.

After taking it in, Mo Bai lightly patted Moqu's shoulder.

"Hey."

This time, Moqu didn't put on his usual exaggerated show of surprise. He simply turned around in silence.

"Mm."

Mo Bai felt awkward at the quiet reply.

Looks like I picked a bad time.

"Did they shut down the club?" he asked tentatively.

"Mm."

As before, Moqu only gave a slight nod.

With the conversation stalling, Mo Bai had no idea what to say.

All his friends were outgoing, each more than the last, so he rarely found himself facing an awkward silence.

After some thought, Mo Bai pointed to a place nearby.

It was the nearby Cafeteria, where they had first met.

"Want something to eat? My treat."

Normally, fast food like Suck-Suck Jelly was free at Star Torch Academy.

But the Academy occasionally offered special meals with better flavor and texture.

As for where Mo Bai had gotten the money...

"Use these Shell Credits for now, as thanks for showing me Cursed Energy and explaining it."

He had never imagined he'd someday be living on a friend's handout.

Rover had called it payment at the time, but Mo Bai could tell they were just trying to spare their friend's pride.

It was money given to him for nothing.

And why was Mo Bai sticking so close to Moqu now?

The reason was the same as before: he owed Moqu a promise.

"Let's go, then..."

Moqu finally nodded and walked to the Cafeteria with him.

At the Cafeteria, Moqu ordered an extra-spicy meal.

Mo Bai noticed that tears began running down Moqu's face as he ate.

He couldn't tell whether the food was too spicy or Moqu had been holding too much inside.

Mo Bai, meanwhile, had grown used to the taste of Suck-Suck Jelly.

He had time to look around at the other students eating in the Cafeteria.

Most of them wore miserable expressions.

Looking at them now, he figured it couldn't be just the Academy food.

Like Moqu, they probably had troubles of their own.

After finishing his extra-spicy meal, Moqu invited Mo Bai up to the rooftop.

"Ready to tell me what happened?" Mo Bai asked, walking over to him.

From his perch up high, Moqu looked toward the classroom that had once housed his club. Then he turned to Mo Bai and answered.

"Mm."

But first, he asked Mo Bai a question.

"Why did you come looking for me? And buy me a special meal?" Moqu sounded puzzled.

"No special reason. You showed me around the Academy, and I don't like owing people." Mo Bai spread his hands.

"I see..."

Seeing Moqu lower his eyes, Mo Bai suspected he'd given him the wrong idea.

He wasn't the sort of do-gooder who rushed over to counsel everyone who looked depressed.

That was Doctor Lu's job in the Infirmary.

"Fair enough. At least someone's willing to listen to me complain." Moqu gave a bitter smile, as if he'd come to terms with something.

Then Moqu told Mo Bai a little about his past.

Star Torch Academy recruited talented people from all over.

In short, if you had ability and no criminal record, the Academy would admit you.

Moqu was from Rinascita, the land of Echoes, where people loved the revelry of festivals.

Being a genius recruited by the most famous Academy in Solaris hadn't stirred the slightest excitement in him.

Many new students found themselves in a difficult position.

They struggled with insecurity and worry.

Some had come from places where people looked down on them. Surrounded by so many bright, cheerful geniuses, they couldn't help feeling inferior.

Others couldn't immediately accept that they were no longer considered geniuses.

Before enrolling, each had been a genius back home.

But at Star Torch Academy, where geniuses gathered, they were no longer exceptional. They were just another face in the crowd.

Moqu wasn't among them.

He was from Rinascita and had grown up amid its carnivals.

He had also occasionally seen performances by the Fool's Troupe, founded by Captain Brant.

In his eyes, being a "fool" who helped geniuses relieve their stress was better than being a genius who knew everything.

That was why he had founded a club at Star Torch Academy.

It was why he spent his days acting like a clown, putting on exaggerated displays to draw attention and make people laugh.

But in the end, he hadn't managed to make anyone laugh. Instead, the atmosphere at the Academy seemed to rub off on him, leaving him more depressed by the day.

His jokes hadn't reached anyone. Even now, he hadn't made a single friend.

Nobody wanted to be friends with a weirdo who joked around all day.

In the end, the club he'd founded was shut down because it had never accomplished anything.