The Academy's Dark Side

"What about you? Is anything troubling you at the academy?"

After talking about his own problems, Moqu asked Mo Bai, who stood beside him.

But though he was speaking to the person beside him, he never once looked at Mo Bai.

He was probably lost in his own world.

Troubles...

To be honest, Mo Bai had always lived by the belief that every extra day was a day gained.

So Mo Bai had never had any worries as serious as those of the students here.

But he could hardly say to Moqu:

"Hey, I'm not like you geniuses who worry about everything. I don't enjoy making problems for myself."

That would be far too tactless.

When someone was suffering, sharing some of your own hardships seemed to make them feel better.

Maybe it helped them realize they weren't alone.

Or maybe seeing someone worse off made their own troubles hurt less.

"I do have some troubles. They aren't mine, though. They're about a friend."

Mo Bai thought for a while, but in the end, the image that came to mind was Rover's retreating figure.

"A friend..."

Moqu, who had few friends, clearly couldn't quite understand what Mo Bai meant.

"We just have different aspirations." Mo Bai spread his hands, then went on:

"For example, most students at the academy want to accomplish something great, while you only want to make people laugh." Mo Bai explained to Moqu.

"My friend and I have different ambitions."

Moqu listened to Mo Bai's words and nodded, though he only half understood.

"But you and that friend are close, right?" Moqu asked.

At the same time, he pictured himself being ignored by the other students.

Mo Bai neither confirmed nor denied it.

He knew what Moqu was getting at.

His relationship with Rover wasn't as strained as Moqu's relationship with the other students at the academy. Mo Bai had it better than he did.

So trying to win him over by pretending they were both miserable wouldn't work.

Tch. Teenagers are hard to deal with.

He hadn't had this many worries back when he was in school.

He had been practically invisible in class, so no one bothered him. Whenever he had time to spare, he would read a novel he hadn't read before.

That little pastime alone had been enough to keep him happy for an entire week.

"So, what exactly is troubling you right now?" Mo Bai asked bluntly.

He understood now that he didn't have Rover's gift for showing people a way forward when they were lost.

So he might as well rip the bandage off Moqu's wound and slap the medicine straight on.

"I took the day off today, so I'd like you to come with me to see the Dark Side of the Academy."

Moqu's words baffled Mo Bai.

"The Academy's Dark Side?"

This veteran student knew a lot. Mo Bai, a newcomer, had no idea what the "Dark Side of the Academy" was.

Only then did Moqu realize he had been lost in his own world for too long, so he explained to Mo Bai:

"It's a Sonoro formed from the negative emotions students have built up over time."

With that explanation, Mo Bai understood.

It sounded much like the way Cursed Spirits formed. Both fed on negative emotions.

As for the term Sonoro, Mo Bai had read about it in his textbooks.

It was essentially a small, separate world that existed in a gap in the real world's space.

Usually, it could be opened through certain frequencies or by triggering a mechanism.

"Let's go, then."

Now that Mo Bai knew where Moqu wanted to go, he stretched and headed for the stairs.

"You're... coming with me just like that? You aren't going to ask what I want to do there?"

Moqu was puzzled by how readily Mo Bai agreed.

"If it's a place where students' negative emotions accumulate, then your worries must have taken shape inside it too. I'm guessing you want to face them."

Mo Bai spread his hands as he offered his guess.

"But you're just..."

"Yes, I'm coming with you just like that. Remember our agreement? Until I've made up for what I owe you, I'll stay with you for the time being."

At the stairs, Mo Bai waved to Moqu behind him.

"..."

After hearing that, Moqu stopped arguing and followed him off the rooftop.

Afterward, Moqu took Mo Bai to the dormitory, pulled out two pillows, and handed one to him.

“This is your ticket into the Dark Side. When you want to leave, find the ‘Key’ inside. It's an alarm clock, and it'll let you out.”

After that brief explanation, the two returned to their respective rooms.

Click—

Back in his room, Mo Bai recalled what he knew about this Sonoro.

Formed from students' negative emotions, it was a place where most students could face their inner demons and overcome them.

A student like Moqu, who had spent a long time at the school, must have built up plenty of negative emotions in this Sonoro. As for Mo Bai himself...

He was new here. He probably hadn't left many negative emotions in the academy yet.

With that thought, Mo Bai lay down on the sofa and rested his head on the pillow Moqu had given him.

Never thought I'd actually find out what it feels like to dream together with someone...

Whoosh!

Mo Bai jolted upright and found himself somewhere else.

It wasn't his room. It looked more like a corridor outside some classrooms.

Still, since this Sonoro was called the Dark Side of the Academy, it made sense for it to contain scenes from the academy.

Then he noticed something else.

"Huh? This place is that convenient?"

As he spoke, Mo Bai stamped a foot on the corridor floor.

The place certainly lived up to its name. Shadows covered the entire space.

If he wanted, he could slip into one right now and pass through walls.

“Right. First things first, I need to find Moqu.”

Clap!

With his goal set, Mo Bai formed a hand sign and summoned the Divine Dogs.

Nothing was better at finding things than the Divine Dogs.

"Sniff, sniff... Grrr..."

But soon after the black and white Divine Dogs lowered their heads to pick up a scent, Mo Bai noticed something.

They began growling like engines toward a nearby corner.

Mo Bai narrowed his eyes and immediately ran that way.

Only one thing in the academy could put his Divine Dogs so on edge.

The Remnant Star Society.

Thud, thud, thud!

When Mo Bai reached the corner, he found a dead end with no one in sight.

The Divine Dogs had stopped being on guard too.

Did they get away?

As he wondered, something on the floor caught his eye.

A long strand of hair woven with pink and blue.