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As he arrived at the entrance of the university, he made up his mind. He went straight for his lesson. He was late but the teacher welcomed him nonetheless after he spouted nonsense about being lost in the campus. He worked hard to try to comprehend the lessons and go back to the day when he was strongly focused on this.

From time to time, his thoughts went to the file he was given by the doctor. The supposed proof that the video had been trafficked. There wasn't much he could do about it at the moment. If he tried to upload it on his wrist-com, people would be able to know about it. After all, this wrist-com was a 'gift' from the government.

As for finding someone else to help, he believed it was a bad idea. For one thing, he didn't want to implicate an innocent in his shit. The doctor did mention that he was scared to go further and the whole hospital thought the same.

Whoever planned for Laila's death was powerful.

And he was weak. Powerless.

His only way to find out something was to do it by himself and so, he needed to learn. Nothing had changed, knowledge was a form of power. He would make sure to get this kind of power.

And time went by.

Two days later, he was picking up the many pictures he asked to be printed. He brought them to his apartment and began to glue them into the books he bought. He placed a single picture on every page and proceeded to describe the events related to it.

There were no graves and no one else would ever remember those moments. Maybe even the memories of these people would be lost to time. But with this book, at least, there remained a proof that they lived. A proof that what happened back then, his happy days, were real.

He stored the books preciously. They became his most precious possessions…

A week or so later, a particular lesson began. It only began at that time to let the students first grasp the routine back. It was going to span for the entire half a day. And both Ron's department as well as the most prestigious one, the augmented department, were scheduled to assist together. It was called 'Practical Battle Simulation' and took place in the outer courts.

As Ron arrived, he saw most students from his department wearing sportswear and stretching. He was wearing his usual stuff. Not too far, he could see a group of a few students. They wore particularly eye-catching outfits. Not because of their colors but because they had mechanical parts to it. Ron guessed that those were the students from the augmented department.

Not long after the bell rang, a teacher arrived. He was a bulky man in his fifties with two mechanical legs. He smiled brightly as eh welcomed the students back for another semester. Most students were quite happy to see him too apparently.

The teacher began to explain without much details: "Alright guys, pair up as usual and let's start with some mock battles! I don't want to see any pairings with two augments students! And try to change compared to last semester to get more experience! Alright?!"

"Yes, Sir!"

A few minutes later, he saw the kids pairing with one another. He sighed. They were mostly the same duos as the last semester. That lass was still alone at the side, coldly glaring at everyone… Oh? Who was that? There was someone else alone? It shouldn't be possible since he had an odd number of students…

He double-checked through his wrist-com and the information pertaining to the student appeared. He grinned. Finally, there was someone to pair up with the lass!

He instructed the students to find other groups to spar with and went to speak with the lass. Then, he brought her towards the lone kid that stood there looking vacantly at the other students brawling around.

He coughed a few times to attract his attention and said with a bright smile: "You must be Ron, the new transfer? Welcome to the academy!"

"Thanks, teacher"

The teacher nodded with appreciation at his polite greeting that followed his thanking. He spoke a few pleasantries before introducing the lass behind him: "Ron, this is Celine. She's from the augmented department and she will be your partner for the next semester. Now, you two get along and try to spar a few times, alright?"

They both nodded without much zeal, making the teacher laugh. Then, the teacher let them alone to get acquainted and went on to rebuke other students and give them guidance on how to properly fight.

Celine was a blond young woman of average looks but she had something the others did not. An impressive background and even more spectacular abilities. Due to her upbringing, she had many opportunities to learn and cherished them. She was smart and strong. To the point that she was the head of her class in the augmented department. It was quite an achievement.

Unfortunately, due to her upbringing, she also ended up becoming arrogant. It wasn't anyone's fault and she couldn't be blamed either. She could back up her arrogance with her capabilities after all.

It's just that she gave a very bad first impression to most students and no one dared get close to her. Because she was a pain in the ass. She didn't mind it and had no one in her eyes.

The first words she said to Ron after being forcefully paired up with him were: "Don't you dare think of yourself highly, I was forced to pair up with you. During the spar, just stand aside and let me deal with everything. Make sure to at least not be a hindrance"

She huffed and puffed, trying to assert dominance. Ron didn't like her attitude but what she wanted was perfectly fine with him. Even better, he loved the idea. He didn't want to fight one bit after all! He didn't mind pain but he wasn't fond of it enough to go brawl with others for no reasons. Even if he learnt close-combat, wouldn't he be shot into a beehive once in the frontlines anyways?

So, he answered her nonchalantly: "Sure, have fun"

And then he laid down lazily on the ground.