"Hmm..."

Luna sat on her dorm room bed, deep in thought.

"A ball..."

A short while earlier, she had been chatting with Ena.

In their conversation, she discovered something new.

- Luna, you know there's a ball after the finals, right?

This was news to Luna.

A ball that is held after all the academy's schedules are over.

Luna, who was focused solely on her studies, did not know of this.

- And you absolutely must be the first to dance! With Rudy!

"But..."

Luna had never danced before.

She hadn't had a chance to attend a ball because she hadn't been properly introduced to society.

She had learned to dance, sure.

But she'd never danced with a partner before.

"Dancing with... Rudy..."

She began to picture it.

Underneath the sparkling chandelier, she and Rudy danced, both of them dressed elegantly.

They exchanged smiles and held each other close, feeling the warmth of one another's bodies.

Then, she felt Rudy's breath and their faces were close...

"Uh..."

She stopped her imagination and looked at her reflection in the mirror nearby.

It showed her flushed face.

"Pervert..."

She muttered, covering her red cheeks with her hands.

Despite this, she kept thinking about Ena's last words.

-The couple who dances first at the ball is said to promise eternal love.

This claim was based on a romance novel set in the Liberion Academy.

"Eternal love..."

Just as Luna was about to sink into a daydream inspired by Ena's words,

Knock, knock.

"Yes, yes, yes, yes!!!!"

The knock startled Luna, causing her to yell out.

"Luna, can I come in?"

It was Rudy's voice from outside.

"Uh, uh, uh!!! Come on in!!"

Hearing Rudy, Luna quickly tidied her hair.

As Luna was getting ready, Rudy entered the room with a puzzled expression.

He looked around.

"What happened?"

In response to Rudy's question, Luna waved her hands.

"Ah, ah, no! Nothing at all!"

He sensed something odd, he shrugged anyway and sat down on a chair next to the bed.

"Then let's study."

After Luna was hospitalized and woke up, many people came to visit.

At that time, Rudy offered to tutor her.

He insisted, wanting to return the favor for when Luna had helped Rudy during his own hospitalization.

She didn't mind Rudy's suggestion to study at all.

She was simply thrilled to have more time with Rudy.

He began pulling out some handouts,

"Well, let's start with the liberal arts subjects."

"Okay!"

And so, he began explaining, using his own notes as reference.

His explanation was clear and easy to follow, breaking down complex concepts and demonstrating them with examples from his extensive notes.

But despite having such a capable tutor, Luna found herself unable to concentrate.

'Ugh....'

Leaning towards him as he spoke, she could smell Rudy.

A fresh, warm scent, like he'd just stepped out of the shower.

As Luna found herself blanking out, Rudy asked,

"Do you understand?"

"Huh?"

Rudy saw Luna with her eyes half-closed and her mind seemingly elsewhere.

"......What are you doing?"

Startled, Luna snapped out of her daze and lifted her head.

"Oh......ahhh......"

Her face blanched as she started panicking.

'What does he think of me?'

A pervert, shameless......

Quickly, Luna thought of an excuse and began to speak.

"Rudy, thats-"

However, just as she was about to voice her excuse, Rudy spoke.

"Feeling tired? Do you want to take a break?"

From his perspective, it seemed like Luna had been dozing off, eyes shut and head drooping.

Luna paused, taken aback by Rudy's words.

"Huh? Oh, yes!"

Then, she quickly regained composure and responded.

"I-I'm fine! Let's continue!"

Rudy gave her a concerned look, but upon seeing her bright smile, he continued the lesson.

As their study session continued, day gradually turned into night.

"Ugh......!"

At the end of Rudy's lecture, Luna stretched towards the ceiling, letting out a massive yawn.

Rudy chuckled lightly at the sight of it.

"You did well, Luna."

Luna shook her head at Rudy's praise, startled.

"No, no! Rudy, you're the one who worked hard, not me."

Luna, saying that, opened her mouth carefully with an apologetic look.

"More importantly...... Did I disrupt your studying, Rudy? Finals are coming up soon."

Rudy dismissed her worries with a shake of his head.

"It was actually helpful explaining things to you. It helped me organize my thoughts. I find that I understand things better when I explain them to someone else."

Seeing Rudy's smirk, Luna let out a soft chuckle.

She then found herself filled with a playful spirit.

"Then, thanks to me, you'll score well! You should be grateful to me!"

Luna strutted around, hands on her hips, while Rudy laughed in response.

"Thank you very much~."

The two of them, caught in a lighthearted moment, burst into laughter together.

After their laughter faded, Rudy spoke up.

"Then, I guess it's time for me to go."

"Oh, you're leaving?"

"I need to go eat dinner."

Rudy explained as he began to collect his things.

Luna watched Rudy packing, her mind racing.

-You must! You have to ask Rudy first! Before someone else beats him to it.

Ena's words echoed in her mind.

So, how should she say it?

'Do you have someone in mind to dance with at the ball?'

She shook her head. This was too direct a question.

'Do you want to be my partner at the ball?'

Ball partner.

In this context, partner refers to the man who escorts the woman.

But this also seemed too forward to just blurt out.

'First, I have to bring up a topic...!'

As Rudy methodically packed up his things, Luna tentatively spoke.

"Rudy, do you know what's happening after the exams?"

At her words, Rudy, who was in the process of packing his things, paused with a confused expression.

'Why, why would I ask such a question!!!!!'

Luna inwardly chastised herself, seeing Rudy's confused expression.

But it was too late for regrets. She had to quickly switch to the next topic.

"Ah, you know there's a ball coming up soon, right? The ball... It'll be really fun, won't it?"

'Aghhhhhhh!!!!'

Though she maintained a calm faade, Luna was internally panicking.

She felt like hiding somewhere, embarrassed by her awkwardness.

Rudy wore a puzzled expression before it shifted into a frown.

Seeing his reaction, Luna's heart sank.

'Ah, ah, ahhhhhh!!!'

Rudy, his brows furrowed, pointed at Luna.

However, the words that tumbled out of Rudy's mouth were unexpected.

"Luna. Final exams are coming up soon. You should think about your exams before you think about having fun."

"Ah......"

At Rudy's words, Luna bowed her head.

"A student's duty is to study. You should focus on your studies."

Rudy's words hung heavy in the air as Luna silently nodded.

And so, Rudy's lecture continued.

"I'm... sorry."

Only when Luna murmured an apology did the reprimanding speech come to an end.

After his lecture, Rudy exited the infirmary.

"Come to think of it... there's a ball coming up...."

Rudy pondered aloud about the upcoming event.

"I don't think anything special will happen... maybe I won't attend...."

He casually muttered words that would have made Luna despair had she heard them.

Then he shook his head.

"Well, I'll think about it later."

With that, he headed towards the cafeteria.

"Yeniel has arrived."

As a man announced the visitor, a black-haired man seated inside nodded and spoke.

"So, Yeniel is here."

The man in the chair greeted Yeniel arrogantly.

"I am honored to meet the leader."

Yeniel bent one knee in reverence to the black-haired man in the chair.

She slightly lifted her gaze to meet the man's face.

Black hair, red eyes.

Despite a casual gaze, the man seemed to emit an almost radiant glow.

The leader spoke, his eyes trained on Yeniel.

"We need to find a person."

"Just give me the order, and I will immediately find them."

Yeniel bowed her head in response.

"I don't know who they are. Just bring me the one who is watching us."

"......Understood."

Yeniel responded quietly.

The one keeping tabs on The Rebels.

Yeniel had a fair idea who this observer was.

Before she had arrived at The Rebels' location, Yeniel had run into someone.

The Principal of the Academy, McDowell.

-I have been watching The Rebels recently. They seem to have some idea of this as well. I don't know why they've reached out to you, but if anything happens, use this bead. If you use the bead, I will come immediately.

Yeniel recalled McDowell's words.

However, it didn't seem like it was something she needed to be overly concerned about.

The leader didn't appear to have any specific plans for her, and anyway, she wasn't sure if McDowell was an enemy himself.

McDowell was also currently at the Academy, so Yeniel thought that she should just lay low and prepare for the final exam.