Moqu

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

"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."

"Yeah. I just hope she's safe, wherever she is."

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

Walking through campus, Mo Bai found himself at a loss for what to do.

One session in the holographic simulator had left him wanting more. Training in there did wonders for his combat skills.

But whenever he remembered that someone had tried to attack him in there, his heart clenched.

I'll talk to Rover about the Remnant Star Society when she gets back. She cares a lot about that organization.

As for right now...

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

Tap, tap, tap.

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

"Moqu?"

After all, not many people at Star Torch Academy liked walking around in a white coat.

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

From where he stood, Mo Bai could see that Moqu's usual cheerful smile had vanished beneath a dark expression.

Did something happen?

With that thought, Mo Bai walked over.

He wasn't the type to stick his nose into other people's business, but he had made a promise to Moqu. He didn't like owing anyone; it never sat right with him.

Tap, tap, tap.

Even when Mo Bai reached him, Moqu didn't turn around. It was as if he hadn't noticed him at all.

Mo Bai saw that Moqu was looking up at the classroom in front of him.

He recognized it. Moqu had previously decorated it as a clubroom.

Now, though, all the balloons and decorations inside had been taken down.

From the outside, it looked no different from an ordinary classroom.

After taking it in, Mo Bai lightly patted Moqu on the shoulder.

"Hey."

Instead of giving one of his usual exaggerated jumps, Moqu merely turned around in silence.

"Mm."

The quiet response left Mo Bai feeling awkward.

Looks like I picked a bad time.

"Your club got shut down?" he ventured.

"Mm."

As before, Moqu only gave a slight nod.

The conversation stalled, and Mo Bai had no idea what to say.

All his friends were outgoing in their own ways, so he rarely found himself in this kind of situation.

After a moment's thought, Mo Bai pointed into the distance.

He was pointing at the 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...

"Take these Shell Credits. Consider them payment for showing me your Cursed Energy and explaining it."

He had never imagined he'd end up living on a friend's charity.

Rover had called it payment at the time, but Mo Bai knew she had only phrased it that way to spare her friend's pride.

She had essentially given him the money for nothing.

And why was Mo Bai still bothering Moqu now?

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

"Let's go, then..."

Moqu finally nodded and walked to the Cafeteria with Mo Bai.

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

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

He couldn't tell whether the spice had brought them on or Moqu had been holding them back.

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

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

Most of them wore miserable expressions.

Looking at them now, he doubted the Academy's bad food was the only reason.

Like Moqu, they probably had troubles weighing on their minds.

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

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

Seated 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 had a question for Mo Bai.

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

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

"I see..."

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

He wasn't such a soft touch that he'd offer counseling to every gloomy person he met.

That was Doctor Lu's job over at the Infirmary.

"Fair enough. At least someone's willing to listen to me complain," Moqu said with a bitter smile, as though he'd made up his mind.

Moqu then told Mo Bai a little about his past.

Star Torch Academy recruited talented people from all over.

As long as someone had ability and no serious record against them, the Academy would admit them.

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

Being called a genius and accepted by the most famous Academy in Solaris had barely stirred him.

Many students struggled when they first enrolled.

They felt insecure and anxious.

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

Others couldn't accept suddenly losing their status as geniuses.

Before enrolling, they had been geniuses in their hometowns.

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

Moqu was different.

He was from Rinascita, raised amid its carnivals.

From time to time, he'd also seen performances by the Fool's Troupe, founded by Captain Brant.

So he had decided that rather than become a genius who knew everything, he'd rather be a "fool" who helped geniuses relieve their stress.

That was why he'd started a club at Star Torch Academy.

It was also why he spent his days acting like a clown, putting on exaggerated displays to catch people's attention and make them laugh.

But he had failed to bring anyone joy. Instead, the atmosphere at the Academy seemed to have rubbed off on him, leaving him more depressed with each passing 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 was always laughing and fooling around.

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