Interrogation

Whoosh—

That evening, a light breeze blew into one of the Academy's classrooms.

It eased the oppressive atmosphere in the room a little.

But only a little.

The classroom was packed with people.

Many of Star Torch Academy's teachers and researchers sat solemnly along the west, east, and north sides of the room.

They weren't the only ones there. Even the Academy's Principal sat in the main seat across from the person being questioned.

The Principal of Star Torch Academy: Losera.

With so many important figures from the Academy gathered here, the person they were questioning had to be someone extraordinary.

And that person was...

Mo Bai.

"Mo Bai, you caused serious damage to the Academy's Sonoro today. We therefore have reason to question why you came here."

Professor Verlaine, seated to Mo Bai's left, began his questioning.

Mo Bai remembered him.

After all, Verlaine had questioned Lynae too, and the face he had shown at the end had left Mo Bai deeply uncomfortable.

Normally, Mo Bai wouldn't have bothered with someone like him.

But this incident had caused quite a stir and drawn the attention of various factions within the Academy.

He had heard that Star Torch Academy was full of all sorts. Someone was probably hoping to use him to stir things up and take advantage of the confusion.

Mo Bai himself didn't think he had done anything terribly wrong.

The students caught up in it were all right, and he had pulled Moqu out of Sonoro in the end.

Tch. This is why I hate complicated relationships. They always turn little things into a huge mess.

After grumbling to himself, Mo Bai turned toward Rover, who sat to his right.

She was here too.

Once she learned that Mo Bai had rescued the student named Moqu, she had quickly begun negotiating with the professors, hoping to give him a chance.

She believed she knew Mo Bai well enough to be certain he wasn't a spy.

Apart from his past, which he had never told her about, she knew almost everything else about him.

That was why she had concluded he couldn't be a spy.

But her judgment alone meant nothing. Mo Bai had to defend himself as best he could and convince the people around him.

After glancing at Rover, Mo Bai turned back to Verlaine.

"Professor, I'm just an ordinary student. The damage in Sonoro happened because something went wrong with my Resonance Ability," Mo Bai explained.

"Nonsense!" Verlaine thundered.

Honestly, Mo Bai found the whole thing tiresome.

Being startled by someone suddenly shouting in the middle of a discussion served no purpose that he could see, beyond proving that the man was loud and noisy.

And with Verlaine glaring so fiercely, Mo Bai even found him a little ridiculous.

The same expression could have very different effects on different people.

When someone was truly furious, a wide-eyed glare could make others feel pressured.

But what if it was an act? What if he was only borrowing the atmosphere to make himself look intimidating?

In Mo Bai's eyes, Verlaine was the latter.

Mo Bai was more sensitive to negative emotions than most people.

And as far as he could tell, there wasn't a trace of anger in Professor Verlaine's eyes.

"Teachers, professors, and Principal Losera, please forgive my outburst and the way I addressed this student."

Verlaine lightly rubbed his forehead as he spoke. Then he frowned and fixed Mo Bai with another hard stare.

"But this incident is far too serious! We've discovered traces of the Remnant Star Society inside the Academy!"

When Verlaine finished, images began appearing on the tablets held by the teachers, professors, and Losera.

They showed footage of Moqu being contaminated by the Remnant Star Society's frequency inside Sonoro.

"Everyone, look! Look closely! Nothing like this ever happened in Sonoro before Mo Bai entered!"

Beside Mo Bai, Rover frowned as she listened.

She noticed he had deliberately left something out.

"Professor Verlaine, didn't Mo Bai rescue Moqu afterward?"

Rover began defending Mo Bai like a lawyer representing a client.

"He may have staged the whole thing to gain our trust. Mo Bai needs to prove himself, and I propose that he demonstrate his Resonance Ability here."

While Verlaine and Rover argued, Mo Bai sat silently.

He was watching Verlaine.

Just as he had suspected, most of the man's expressions were an act.

But that last remark had made his goal obvious.

Very few people knew Mo Bai was a Jujutsu Sorcerer, not a resonator. Even counting Lu, the Doctor who had examined him, there were only three.

Lu was clearly on Rover's side, and they seemed to have known each other for years, so he wasn't a concern.

The organization behind Verlaine had probably sensed something unusual about Mo Bai and wanted to use this chance to pin down exactly what he could do.

They hadn't managed to record his earlier fight with Mo Hei. Sonoro had been too unstable then because of the Cursed Energy.

The Academy's been infiltrated this badly? Even professors might be undercover agents?

Maybe I should just get out of here...

Unlike Lynae, Mo Bai felt little attachment to this place.

Rover seemed to notice his lack of fighting spirit.

That side of him gave her a bit of a headache.

Mo Bai cared deeply about his own affairs and his friends' affairs. As for everything else...

Most of the time, he ignored anything he found boring or repulsive.

For someone who could slip into shadows, most problems weren't problems at all.

"Mo Bai."

So Rover said nothing more. She simply looked into his eyes and called his name.

Mo Bai instinctively turned toward his friend and met her golden gaze.

Unlike his own pitch-black eyes, which seemed devoid of life, Rover's shone with light and emotion.

Often, she didn't need to say a word. A look from her was enough to tell him what she meant.

And now, looking into those golden eyes, Mo Bai understood exactly why she had called to him.

She wanted him to stay at the Academy.

More precisely, she wanted him to stop thinking about running away.

"Sigh."

Since it was his friend asking, Mo Bai could only sigh helplessly.

But just as he was about to speak up, Principal Losera, who had been silent until now, spoke first.

"Professor Verlaine, Rover, please calm down."

At her words, Verlaine fell silent and backed off for the moment.

Mo Bai could sense the emotion he was hiding.

Frustration.

“Star Torch Academy was founded by the Deep Space Union to study Tunnelers and the stars. But more than that, it is an Academy.”

Losera's voice grew firmer on the final words.

Unlike most of the academy's professors, who cared more about their research reports, she seemed to care more about the students.

"Humanity's future isn't only in those distant stars. It's in the students right here before us."

Whirr—

As soon as Principal Losera finished speaking, the classroom's automatic door opened.

Lu Hess stood there, with a group of students behind him.

“Principal Losera, the students in the Infirmary insisted on meeting the person who saved them. I couldn't stop them.”

Lu Hess gave a helpless, wry smile and spread his hands.

Seeing this, Verlaine gritted his teeth in secret.

He excelled at using his authority to pressure others. But if this many students stood with Mo Bai, he had no chance this time...