Nine points of light.
Like nine meteors, they shot out from the void, streaking across the night veil above Buji Island and piercing the pale golden membrane of the protective magic array.
Six orange points of light paused in midair, then changed direction and descended toward the Pedestrian Street. There, behind the show window of Three-Have Bookstore, a real Yellow Calico Cat crouched on the sill, head tilted up as it waited joyfully for their return.
The other three scarlet points of light turned midway.
They fell into the depths of the school.
Without alerting anyone.
After entering the campus, the three points of light paused briefly in midair, as if confirming their bearings. The school was quiet at night. Only a few streetlamps remained lit, casting dim yellow halos. Now and then, one or two students returning late hurried past, their footsteps making soft tapping sounds against the flagstone paths.
After a long while.
The points of light slowly drifted toward a large, square building.
It was the main building of the Applied Magic Research Institute.
Along the way, several fourth-year upperclassmen with spellbooks hanging from their belts and four gold threads embroidered on their cuffs seemed to sense something—they stopped at the same time and looked up.
There was nothing.
Only a squirrel sat among the Tree tops, clutching a hazelnut as it bounced from branch to branch beneath the moonlight. Its fluffy tail swished through the air, making it impossible to tell whether it had two tails or three.
"Did you feel that..." one tall male wizard asked hesitantly.
"...Like there was something?" Another upperclassman wearing glasses frowned as well.
"Maybe it was a night bird. Or maybe it was just that squirrel." The third upperclassman let out a huge yawn and closed the spellbook in hand.