New Friends

"Am I too early?"

Kaycee had this thought as he made small, nervous strides in the hallway that led to Theo's room. He could feel his throat itching as his sweaty hands twirled the long strands of hair that danced on his head thanks to the uncertain movements he made.

After gulping in enough air and saliva, he quickened his pace and reached Theo's door, working up the courage to knock.

'Will he be ready yet? I know we agreed to meet up for his registrations, but it's only been a few hours since dawn…' Kaycee had wanted to wait until later before stopping by, but since he had nothing better to do on his break, he showed up anyway.

'I wonder if—'

His thoughts froze as soon as he heard a female voice emerge from within the room. It was a loud laugh, and it filtered out right as Theo opened the door—even overshadowing the creaking sound that the mobile barrier before him made as it shifted.

"Kaycee!" Theo beamed as he saw the tall, nervous—and now confused—boy. "You're right on time!"

"Sorry for coming so ear… wait, really?"

"Come in, come in!"

Kaycee awkwardly entered Theo's room, greeted with the cool breeze and pleasant aroma that oozed within the vast space. He was unable to focus on these sensations for very long, however, since he noticed a girl seated on a sofa not too far from the entrance.

'Who is that?' His eyes widened, unable to turn away from the beauty that greeted his previously distracted gaze.

She had white hair, which was neatly packed by ribbons, and clear crimson eyes. She also wore a colorful gown, with a glimmering necklace that had a whistle-shaped gem at the very center. Her overall demeanor was cool and collected, and it appeared as though she was an angel that had fallen straight from heaven.

'T-this is…!'

"Kayce… meet Liyah." Theo quickly jumped to introductions. "Liyah, meet Kaycee."

"H-hello."

Kaycee raised his hand to awkwardly greet Liyah, already wary of her personality. Posh girls like these usually ended up being cruel and snobbish. He had no idea how Theo was able to get someone like her in his room, but there was no doubt in his mind that she wouldn't be so welcoming to someone like him.

"Kaycee, hello." She jumped to her feet and curtsied. "Theo has told me so much about you. Though, now that I've seen your face… I think I recognize you."

"Yeah… we were in the same class at the Academy." He responded with an awkward laugh. It took him a moment to recognize her due to his shock, but there was no way he could forget someone as popular as Liyah.

"Really? I knew your face was familiar!"

"Haha…"

Kaycee wasn't too surprised she didn't know about him. Their lives in school was akin to Great Sun and Grand Moon's domains. He often noticed her, and knew quite a bit about her—including the fact that she had a sister who was an influential member in the Guild. However, it was no surprise at all that she barely recognized him.

No, wasn't it a good thing that she didn't?

"A-ah! I remember now!" She beamed. "You're the the guy who was assigned to my team during our final year group project. You kept to yourself and talked very weirdly back then… and your hair was a lot shorter, right?"

"Y-yeah…"

Kaycee was beginning to wish the floor would swallow him whole just based off how mortifying this experience was.

Theo watched all of this with excitement, and even when Kaycee turned to him and gave him the signal to save him from the conversation, he only made matters worse by expressing curiosity about their lives at the Academy. That led both Kaycee and Liyah to reminisce about their lives in school—something the former never expected to be doing so early in the morning.

'I was such a recluse back then.' Kaycee thought. 'Not much about that has changed, even now, but… I'm surprised she remembers a nobody like me.'

"You should have socialized more." Liyah said, and Kaycee nodded in agreement—a wry smile on his face. Determined to change the subject, he turned to Theo and quickly asked him about the registration plan they had for the day.

Unfortunately for him, he received a most horrifying answer.

"Liyah and I already registered yesterday. Actually, it's sort of related to how we met." Theo went on to explain the entire situation to Kaycee—emphasizing that he intended to stick to their agreement, but he did owe Liyah so he decided to go along with her.

"I get it… I understand."

Kaycee didn't want to make a big deal of the matter, so he brushed it aside. However, with the registration already sorted out, there was no reason for him to remain in Theo's room. A paradoxical blend of relief and disappointment echoed in his heart as he mildly clutched his chest and made an awkward chuckle.

"Glad you sorted it out. I should be taking my leave now." He turned towards the door.

"Already? I thought today was your day off at work." Theo quickly answered, his eyes sparkling with mild disappointment, clearly not wanting to impose too much on Kaycee. "Or do you have any other engagement for the day."

"Well… not really, but—"

"Then you should come join us for our training session!" Liyah suggested, her crimson eyes glistening with excitement. "It'll be fun, and we need a referee anyway! Right, Theo?"

"Yeah, exactly!"

Kaycee had a doubtful look on his face.

He genuinely didn't want to intrude, and he certainly feared the horrid feeling that would come from being a third wheel in whatever arrangement they had. But, without anything better to do with his day, he had no choice but to agree.

'I should socialize more… this is a good chance for me.'

Theo and Liyah were already fully dressed, and so they all exited the room not very long after Liyah's suggestion. Since Theo had no cash on him, he couldn't help but look to either Liyah or Theo for financial aid.

"I don't have any White Arcas on me… not even Blue ones. Just Red and Purple." She quickly admitted. "But there's no need to be so concerned."

"Yeah, I'll sort out the bill… so don't worry about it." Kaycee retorted as they left the building, a warm smile on his face. He had more than enough to pay for all three of them, and it was his pleasure to do so.

"Thanks, Kaycee… and as for you." Theo growled at Liyah. "Our last experience in the S'ub should have taught you a lesson. Why would you come all the way out here without change? What if we entered the same S'ub as last time, and they spotted us because of your lack of change?"

"There's no need to be so loud about it…" Liyah shook her head and sighed.

"Yeah…" Kaycee agreed. "I'll pay, so it's fi—"

"That's not what I meant." It was at this point that the group noticed a sleek, sophisticated vehicle parked in a corner. It was jet black, glittering under the sunlight as its considerably large frame caused passing eyes to widen in amazement.

Theo and Kaycee also gawked at the mechanical beast, but Liyah simply walked towards it and pointed in a presenting manner.

"I rented a R'ac this time." A proud smile formed on her face. "We don't need to hail a S'ub, and you all don't need to spend any money… hehe… you're welcome, by the way."

"Whoa… Money is amazing."

"Damn straight."

As Theo and Kaycee walked to the R'ac, their eyes shimmered in wonder. Theo gently opened the door to the front, and Liyah smiled at the sight.

"Thank you for—" Before she concluded her statement, he hopped into the R'ac, completely shattering her expectations of him being a gentleman. A thick vein appeared on her head, and it was only after Theo noticed this that he slowly emerged from the vehicle and allowed her to enter.

"Much better!" She beamed happily. "What a gentleman…"

A sigh escaped his lips as he joined Kaycee in the back seat, which he found to be a lot more comfortable compared to the front. His tiny embers of regret vanished, and he soon found himself engrossed with the interior of the R'ac.

It was much smaller than a S'ub, only able to contain a maximum of four passengers—three behind and one in front—but the luxurious seats, sleek design, and cool atmosphere offered a comfort that no other transportation vehicle could beat. The hum of the engine was much lower than the S'ub, and the tinted glasses of the vehicle presented them utmost privacy. Despite all the windows being closed, cool air still permeated everywhere, creating an ambiance similar to Theo's room.

'This is… awesome!' Theo's eyes seem to say, and Liyah couldn't help herself from smiling proudly upon noticing this.

"I'm guessing this is your first time in a R'ac." She said.

"Yeah! Clearly!"

"What about you, Kaycee?"

"Ah… oh, I've been in one before… but it wasn't nearly as fancy as this one." He retorted, remembering when the Head of his Department offered him a ride after working late during his early days at work.

"I see… I see." Liyah nodded. "Well, we have it all to ourselves today. Ah, looks like we'll soon arrive at our destination."

One major difference between a R'ac and S'ub was speed. The latter could carry more passengers, and was optimal for mass transportation, but no one could deny the speed and efficiency of the former. In the end, they arrived in the Sparring Arena in half the time they would have used if they took the alternative.

"We could have gone faster, but…" Liyah stopped mumbling once she looked at the two boys behind her, smiling in delight that they had a such a good time that minor details like her complaint seemed irrelevant.

"Come on… let's go. The driver will get a parking permit from the establishment and wait until we're done."

"Okay."

They alighted from the R'ac and entered the Sparring Arena, this time needing to pay an additional fee since Kaycee had followed them. Kaycee offered to pay for himself, but after hearing the price and paling, Liyah stepped in and sorted the whole thing out.

"Please send my thanks to the manager for yesterday." Liyah said to the man who escorted them to the sparring room they would be using. If not for the Sparring Arena Manger's help in dispatching one of the establishment's private R'acs the previous day, Liyah and Theo would have been stranded—unable to return home.

'Thanks to the R'ac, I was able to get Theo to his doorstep and also get to my place before my curfew.' She smiled in relief.

"I will deliver your message. But this is a service that we offer to our premium members, so I'm sure he would say there is no thanks needed."

"It still remains the polite thing to do."

"I see. Understood."

Theo and Kaycee overheard this conversation and also sent their thanks to the manager, and also Liyah. Much to their amusement, her face turned red after hearing them thank her for the ride.

"I-it's fine! Forget about it!"

Before long, the three were in the same room that Theo and Liyah used the previous day.

"My body's a little stiff from all that sitting…" Theo began to stretch his body, his eyes focused on Liyah, who was also doing the same. She even had a box prepared which contained an outfit she intended to use specifically for sparring purposes.

"I couldn't agree more."

Kaycee noticed the rising tension and automatically walked to a corner to observe the two.

A small smile formed on his face as he watched both Theo and Liyah prepare to spar with each other. He already knew they had chosen the Combat Division in their registration, and merely based off the excitement they had, he could sense an electrifying intensity in the air.

'If only I could be like them…'

As they began their exchange, Kaycee watched—his eyes wide in amazement. He could barely follow their moves, and their body movements all seemed like a blur to him. His heart constantly raced in excitement, just as his body quivered in regret.

A silent wish echoed in his mind, but it was drowned in the loud melody of combat.

'I…'

His smile slowly vanished.

Theo and Liyah, two people whom he desired to be friends with, were both so far ahead and he was stuck—once again—as a spectator.

Just as he feared… he was going to be left behind.