After having a delicious lunch, the crew made their way back to the front of the gates. Thankfully, the weather remained cool past noon, a rarity in late August. Normally, people would be sweating over noon if they weren’t inside the air-conditioned school.

“So what’re we doing?”

“We’re going to see the kids’ hero show. For the kids of course.”

Caius had to emphasize the ‘kid’ part of it.

“So you’re the kid.”

“No, you’re the kid.”

“Noooooo. You are.”

“Ultraman is a classic so it doesn’t matter if I’m a kid or not. It’s a must-watch.”

Eon declared confidently to the rest of them. That’s the spirit, brother.

While Mirabelle was helping Evie sort out the issue with her bizarrely damaged entry ticket at the gate’s counter, the rest of them passed through the gates and waited for them on the dry and dusty pavement. Coincidentally, Alice was finally separated from them for Kato to approach her again.

“How’re ya enjoying the Bozz so far?”

“Much more fun and easier on my mind without you around me.”

A painful response followed, as if picking up right from where they left off a few hours ago. Enough was enough. It was time for him to cry and beg.

“Please, have mercy. I promise not to be stupid for the rest of the day.”

She turned away and paused for a moment, but fortunately, she was relenting.

“You’d better keep it then.”

Kato breathed a sigh of relief. Luckily, Alice was not one to mince her words. She meant what she meant, and to that, he grinned widely.

“Thanks.”

Alice peeked back at him to see the grin, and immediately got the wrong idea.

“You’re already doing it again!”

“No! I’m not doing anything! I’m just relieved that you were so agreeable.”

“Then should I have been less agreeable?”

“No. You should keep being agreeable.”

“Apparently at my expense.”

“Don’t think of it that way. I appreciate that part about you, really.”

“Now you sound so fake.”

“Stop! Mira and Evie are rubbing off on you.”

She finally smiled.

“They told me a lot. I was like, how were you two able to bear your presence, and their answer was to make it unbearable for you.”

“Sounds like them, all right. Now, don’t learn from those two, please.”

“Too late, this is the only way to not make this one-sided.”

Alice was laughing by now, and Kato too laughed with her. Unfortunately for him, it might have been inevitable that she would be influenced by Mirabelle and Evie.

“Then I’ll have at you. I’ve been in the business ever since I’ve known them. Bring. It. On.”

Alice’s warm laughter echoed through the air like sleigh bells. The moment was blissful, a complete contrast to her fiery personality.

“You’re right. I haven’t been doing this as long as they have. No wonder you’re such a prick.”

“A newbie is no match against a veteran of a thousand battles.”

A bit of his snarky self resurfaced there, but it was only a bit. He just needed to keep it dialled back.

“We can put off this battle to another day. Today, you’re laying down your arms and spending the rest of the time with me.”

She smiled radiantly. He returned it.

“You’re right. I did say that.”

Then he noticed a familiar person walking through the front gates, directly towards their group. Unfortunately, Mirabelle and Evie were still stuck at the booth, so they didn’t notice this bigwig passing by. The newcomer’s presence silenced everyone as he approached, specifically toward the two of them.

“Good afternoon. I hope the two of you are doing well.”

Gilbert gave them a cool and steady salutation. Beside Kato, Alice shuffled closer to him and held him by the end of his shirt sleeve, wide-eyed and wary of the surprise visit by Gilbert.

“We’re doing well, and so is the rest of the crew here, thanks.”

Kato corrected him implicitly on who he should have addressed, and he nodded in acknowledgement and apology. The Elites and the Jupiter sisters looked on curiously without any interruption.

“What are you doing here?”

Alice’s animosity was obvious. Although it was nice to have such a prideful girl clinging to Kato like this, the disdain on her face reminded him that her situation was something very serious.

“I’m just here to spend a bit of time with my fiancée. Is that too much to ask?”

She furrowed her brows, confused by the light response from Gilbert. He did come alone and without his usual crowd of lackeys, so she was right to be confused.

“Then what’s your plan? I’m here to enjoy the day with my group of friends, not you.”

Alice huddled even closer to Kato, arms touching and her hand still tugging on his sleeve. Kato appreciated the skinship, but this was her way of rebelling against Gilbert.

Gilbert, as expected, remained unfazed. Initially, he suspected it was because of his personality, but if Bianca’s words had any truth to it, then half of it might be pride as well.

“You can still enjoy the day with your friends. I’ll just be taking about an hour of your time here before I must make my leave. Is that possible?”

“An hour? Doing what?”

“Enjoying ourselves at this theme park. Afterwards, you’re free to join with your friends again.”

She loosened her iron hold on Kato’s sleeve, evidently less nervous than she was a moment ago, but she didn’t let go. And as long as she didn’t, he wouldn’t let her go either.

“That sounds a bit tame. Is that all there is to it?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Alice turned to Kato apologetically. He could see it in her face that she was going to acquiesce to Gilbert’s demand. It was still in her best interests to do things in her family’s best interests, and this request wasn’t too hard to swallow.

But for some reason, it didn’t sit well with Kato. Maybe it was because she gave up too easily, or maybe it was because he had seen her leave him for Gilbert one too many times by now. Despite that, Kato too thought it was, unfortunately, the best course of action she could take.

“I’ll go with him. Where can we meet up later once it’s over?”

“We’ll meet again right here at the front, but you’re not going alone. I’m coming with you.”

“What?”

There were multiple ‘whats’ actually, from Alice and from the Elites.

“I have to make sure you come back to us.”

“But, you need to take care of your own people, right? Mira and Evie are waiting for you.”

“They can keep waiting. Also, I am taking care of my own people. You’re one of them.”

Ah, I feel like I’m spewing out some really irresponsible things right now.

However, to Kato, the Elites were his heart and soul. He would never give up on any of them, including Alice.

“That’s fine. We can bring Kato along with us. In fact, I welcome it.”

Gilbert, surprisingly, agreed to this arrangement without a fuss. Alice was looking back and forth between Kato and Gilbert, confused to no end. Kato responded first.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, there’s no problem with you coming with us.”

Kato held tightly onto the hand that was tugging on his sleeve, not letting it go. She jumped a bit on contact, but she didn’t resist. Excellent. Tacit agreement. Gilbert, like always, did not show any emotion.

“Kato…”

She squirmed a bit, but Kato’s eyes weren’t on her. It was on the statuesque black-haired man, trying to find any read on his emotions. Kato’s spirit rose in anticipation of conflict. There was no doubt that Gilbert was here to maintain the status quo with Alice, and there was no way Kato would let Alice remain under her family’s shadow, when clearly she was happier outside of it.

“Then let’s go.”

---

“Gil, did you have time to mail in the request?”

“Marley’s doing well. Recently I’ve been able to walk him consistently, so he’s quite happy with it. Usually it’s been our domestic staff taking care of that big boy.”

“My home’s making a bit of a renovation starting next week. Albert thought some parts of the house were getting too old.”

“The business is chugging along just fine. There’s not much right now besides maintaining the current market situation.”

They sat around a small lawn table with Alice in between the two boys. It was in a small open area with several stalls that sold candies, cold desserts and on-the-go hot food. In front of them were bowls of ice cream, which for Kato was still a tad too cold to eat in this unusually mild weather for August.

Kato was half-listening to their idle conversation, to which he was surprised about its amiability. Then again, there had to be some kind of familiarity between the two if they were going to be married.

Somehow, he had not yet let go of Alice’s hand. It remained connected from the beginning, and through this contact, he could make out what Alice was feeling. At the same time, she didn’t seem to want to let go of his hand either, so he let it be.

Kato was a bit sad that he was left out of their conversation, and here actually, it was the first time he heard this much about Alice’s everyday life outside of school. At school, they would just be throwing jokes around or arguing with each other like every other normal high-schooler group. Here, the atmosphere felt more like between coworkers than high school students.

She finished her ice cream before either of them, and suddenly turned to Kato.

“Kato, give me some of yours.”

She reached with her spoon into Kato’s bowl without even asking for permission, only declaring her intent. She showed no shame at all.

“Yes, you can have some of mine, but I’ll have to reprimand you in return.”

He reached out with his free hand to tug on her cheek lightly. Alice froze up on contact to brace for the pull, but giggled once he let go of her.

“That pinch is gonna cost you the rest of your ice cream.”

“Go for it, you gluttonous beast.”

“FYI, I can eat as much as I want and never get fat.”

“That may be true, but it seems like all that food isn’t going into the right places anyway.”

Then she waddled on her seat like a child and threw her free arm up in the air.

“Don’t even remind me! I already know! I get it every time I see Mira and Evie.”

Somehow, this was a trigger for Alice. Kato made a mental note for later. At least she didn’t blow up at Kato.

“I know all you guys like them big, so I’m sorry I’m born with these small, useless things.”

She didn’t sound any calmer. She narrowed her eyes at Kato and continued on her rampage.

 “You like them big, right?”

“Why wouldn’t I? If you’re a man, you’d like them big. Any guy who tells you otherwise is lying.”

“Aggggh! This world is so unfair!”

She threw herself back in her seat again as Kato snickered, triggering her once more. Looking over to the gentleman on the other side, Gilbert maintained a serene look on his face that he had from the start.

“All your sisters’ are bigger than mine. Probably even Yui, too. Am I truly irredeemable?”

Speaking more to herself than to anyone else, her melancholic side made a rare appearance as she continued to curse at the unfairness of this world.

“There’re other things to be proud of yourself, my flat princess. You’re one of the Three Heroines for a reason.”

“That may be true, but in the end we would be ranked by size. I’d be last out of the three every time.”

Then she narrowed her eyes, suspicious towards Kato. She started again.

“I was expecting a more scathing reply than that. What gave you the change of heart to help me feel better?”

Kato almost face-palmed.

“I was bound, by somebody with blonde hair and a big ego, to not say anything so scathing to her for the rest of the day.”

Impatiently, he made it very obvious in his tone that he was pretending to explain to her as if she had no clue about it. Her usual fire returned in an instant.

“I’m glad you remember that, so you’d better end this insolence at once.”

A clap from the third man out severed their conversation.

“Let’s get to our next destination before our time is up, shall we?”

Gilbert was still in good spirits despite having watched them from afar.

“Sure, we can go to the arcade. The Elites aren’t going there, right? The Jupiter sisters didn’t want to go.”

Alice suggested right off the bat. She was already off of her seat before she finished her sentence. In that moment, Kato’s eyes were drawn to her exposed midriff and her bare legs, which had the curves and smoothness comparable to Evie’s. She was a tall girl too, so it amplified its allure and was definitely worth a swallow.

“What are you staring at?”

She accused Kato with a look of disgust on her face. He grinned, and he probably shouldn’t have.

“Nothing. There’s nothing worth staring at—”

She immediately twisted the hand that she was holding onto and he winced. Saying anything at this point would have ended in the same way.

“If there’s really nothing worth staring at, then stop staring and get going.”

She pointed to a nearby building that was the arcade. This was probably the reason why she chose to take a break at this ice cream stand. Plus, spending time in the arcade would pass the time quick enough to get rid of Gilbert.

So they made their way indoors and out of the mild sunlight. The arcade was a more recent addition to the park since its electronic games were a fairly new-age thing. It caught on quite well in the last couple of years and now there were plenty of arcades around the city. The vast, dark space lit by the machines’ neon lights definitely gave that sense of modernism.

The venue wasn’t too busy yet as it was too early in the afternoon. The space was divided into two, actually—one for the arcade games, and the other for a small bowling alley.

“How about a game?”

The bowling alley was no place for the lower class like Kato, despite technically living in a middle class home. They just didn’t have the time or facilities to learn bowling.

“Alice, here’s your bowling ball. I believe this is the weight for you?”

“Yeah. Thanks, Gil.”

Gilbert and Alice, however, played this game perfectly while Kato stumbled along in frustration. He struggled to get a single strike as they both spared and struck one after another. Their forms were excellent and made it seem effortless, but Kato would not gain an advantage through reading their forms. He felt prideful in learning this game by himself.

A few rounds and a sore arm later, when Gilbert showed a faint smirk and Alice smiled apologetically, Kato conceded defeat and sat himself on the bench. Even with his physical superiority, it wasn’t enough to learn the game fast enough on his own.

“Kato, wanna take a break?”

“Please let me do so. The two of you can keep going, though.”

“No, it’s a good time for us to stop, too.”

She instantly shed her bowling shoes, jumped off the bowling alley’s ledge and onto the arcade floor, going towards the arcade games. Now, that was what the Elites were good at. Arcade games.

Although Kato had no qualms about losing to Alice, losing to Gilbert was maddening, especially after he made a scene that would have pissed off any other man. To that, he could respect Gilbert’s character.

Perhaps surprisingly, Alice went straight for the shooter game and shoved away the small crowd to get to the front. Declaring her intent to play, the boys at the front yielded to her command and handed over the laser gun to her.

As Kato carefully untied the laces on his bowling shoes, he watched her form from a distance and smiled at the energy and spirit she had. Her attitude had slowly gotten more cheerful from that first day he sat with her in physics class.

“Kato. I’m surprised that you let Alice take over you like that.”

“Let her take over? How so?”

“She’s attached to you because it’s her way of expressing her will. Though you two were holding hands the whole time, it’s not of a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship.”

“You’re half-right. We aren’t boyfriend-girlfriend, but it wasn’t Alice who wanted to impose her will. I led that charge.”

“Oh? What’s in it for you?”

“Alice is a friend, after all. Sticking with your friends when they’re in trouble, is what friendship is all about.”

“Friends, huh. I was almost sure that it was Alice who wanted to do this, since she is defiant when it comes to anything related to her family.”

“And from the looks of things, the two of you are actually friendlier to each other than that first encounter I had. Care to explain why?”

“She doesn’t want anything to do with me at school for some reason. It’s the one place where we see each other on a daily basis, so I’ve always found it strange that she’s so against it.”

Gilbert switched over to Old Yue mid-sentence, now that Alice had gone elsewhere.

“Isn’t it obvious? School is her escape from her duties for her family. Of course she would make a big fuss about it.”

“But running away doesn’t make her accept her fate any easier. In fact, it makes it harder, speaking from someone with experience.”

Gilbert sighed heavily as Kato continued to bombard him with questions.

“Is that why you’re so patient with her?”

“That’s part of it. I’m also a patient person to begin with, if you haven’t already realized.”

Kato detected a feeling of helplessness from Gilbert. With that, he basically confirmed his previous suspicion that, for one reason or another, Gilbert was someone who was worn down and tired.

“I guess you are. You were like that in middle school too. You haven’t changed.”

“No, I haven’t. Also, perhaps surprisingly to you, I appreciate your leadership of Class F.”

“Really?”

“It motivated me to get to and come on top of Class A. Your determination was inspiring for me.”

“I’m glad it helped you out, though you’ve only stayed in Class F for about a couple of months or so? If I remember correctly.”

“Yes, that sounds about right. I transferred and was new to this school, and was temporarily placed into Class F.”

They replaced their bowling shoes at the check-in counter and made their way back into the middle of the arcade, where Alice continued to break top scores.

“I think you skipped to Class C right away? That was the last I heard of you, and we never got to know each other. Unfortunately.”

“Unfortunate indeed. Otherwise, I would have a reliable contact in Class F right now.”

Kato popped open a can of soda that he got from the vending machine on the way back, and Gilbert too followed suit.

“How do you think of Alice?”

“What do you mean?”

“What is she to you? A classmate? A fiancée? Or to put it ungratefully, a means to an end?”

“I see. Well, there’s no meaning to answering that question, because our individual existences are meaningless. We only live for our parents and our company. To put it in other words, what she is to me is not as important as what she is to the family.”

“Then do you think she’s aware of that?”

“Way more than she shows, at least to me.”

Upset, Kato scratched his head as Gilbert said, albeit with a distant tone.

“I think that’s the wrong way to think. That you’ve been defeated before you’ve begun.”

“It’s not about the moral victory or defeat. Even with such a victory, our fates will not change. Rebelling against our families won’t bring us freedom.”

“But you’ve thought about doing it, right?”

“Why, of course. But as you get older, you’ll come to understand that escaping your responsibilities is not acceptable to the people around you or yourself. In other words, the people and places you came to meet and love were made possible because of the situation you were given, so to return their favour, you’re responsible for playing your role as well.”

They leaned against the plastic railing, chilling next to a cool air-conditioning vent amongst the many heat-generating arcade machines.

“As much as I don’t like to admit it, I understand that line of thought.”

“I appreciate your understanding.”

It was true. What Gilbert described was exactly Kato’s circumstance. He was forever indebted to Eternia for the life he lived, so he must shoulder the responsibilities that came with living that life. So to Kato, it sounded arrogant and presumptuous of him that he wanted Alice to be freed from her chains, when he himself came to Gilbert’s conclusion when Kato was forced to evaluate his own circumstance. And hurting Bianca was the price he paid for that evaluation.

“Then is that your expectation of Alice? To realize that it is best for her to play her role in society?”

“Like I said, she knows it all too well. But she will need some time to accept it.”

“Why?”

“Because she hates this world she lives in. The pendant she keeps around her neck, it belonged to a boy she once loved and died in front of her eyes.”

Kato’s eyes widened in shock, at both this premise and the heartless voice he used.

“Is that why she visited the white temple?”

“So you’ve heard? Yes, the person she visits there is that boy.”

The mystery of her pendant was being solved piece by piece. She held that pendant in such high regard because of its connection to a past where she found happiness.

“…”

“And she sees the world she currently lives in as somewhere devoid of happiness.”

Kato thought it was hypocritical enough of himself already to wish Alice happiness when in the past he chose to give up, but that was his past self. What he learned was that their paths should remain as true to their desires as possible, whether or not if the end was already predetermined. And Alice should have came to the same conclusion too.

“No, that’s not right. Alice may hate this world a lot, but she still believes in finding happiness for herself. That’s why she’s able to make friends with us.”

“That’s Alice escaping reality. But it isn’t like I’m forcing her to recognize it. It takes time for that to happen.”

“So that’s your attitude towards her? Wait for her to recognize it?”

“I’m kind and patient enough to do it. Believe me, if it was somebody else, our families would have smothered her rebellious will out of existence by now.”

Kato gritted his teeth. Gilbert didn’t understand. He was still hung on the end than the means to it.

“You may know her situation, her past and even her future, but you don’t know what she likes and what she dislikes, what idiosyncrasies she has, and what makes her happy. That’s the difference between us. You may be kind towards her, but that’s true only for you. To her, your kindness is nothing but static noise.”

Maybe for the first time ever, the expression on Gilbert’s face was unrepentant and he was visibly frustrated.

“What do you mean? Explain yourself.”

“Can you name, off the top of your head, three things she dislikes?”

“…”

“She doesn’t want to speak in Old Yue because of her accent. She hates how easy it is to read her emotions from her face. She doesn’t like it when things are untidy.”

“…”

“Things she likes?”

“…”

“She loves playing the trumpet. She loves listening to EC’s modern albums. She loves the Yue café menu and cooking it.”

“…”

“Her mannerisms?”

“…”

“She’s an honest girl. She goes for the physical abuse without hesitation. She’s bossy and will act on it.”

“…”

“What makes her happy?”

“…”

“She wanted somebody to want to know the real Alice. That her friends want to know and accept her for all those things I listed. “

Kato ran his mouth off like an uncontrollable chainsaw. That had got to hurt Gilbert’s ego a bit, but he was not down and out yet.

“When the year ends, she must face the same reality she always needed to. No matter what she does, the cage she’s trapped inside won’t change.”

He fired back, but Kato stood defiant.

“Knowing your fate doesn’t justify leaving yourself in despair. She’s desperately trying to find her way out of that despair, even though what awaits her at the end won’t change.”

“Even if the end brings her despair anyways?”

“Yes. Because you’d regret keeping your wings folded. A bird’s wings are still meant for flight, even if it’s caged. She may resent that cage, but she still looks for happiness within it.

“Living is not just about the end. It’s also about the present. She must have learned that when that important person to her passed away. To learn to appreciate living in the present.”

 “…”

A very big roar of the crowd around the shooter game caught their attention. Alice, unequivocally alluring in her skin-exposing outfit, raised the laser gun high in triumph. Apparently, she beat the game on her first try and completely wrecked the previous high score. She blew away the imaginary smoke from the muzzle of the laser gun and laughed haughtily like the stereotypical princess, garnering laughs and cheers from the crowd.

Kato nodded approvingly at the snobby pretentiousness that gave off, true to the spirit of the Elites. Beside him, Gilbert’s expression remained hard, but ironically it probably showed more of his real thoughts than when he was docile.

“Hmm. I didn’t know that she could laugh like that.”

He let it slip under his breath.

“If anything, this is the Alice I see every day. Though to be fair, I’ve only known her for a week.”

Kato threw his empty soda can into a nearby trash bin.

“Is that so?”

As Alice handed over the laser gun to the next person, she grinned widely at the crowd that returned her good nature with cheers. She caught sight of the two of them and waved in their direction as well.

“Gilbert. Do you think she will ever smile for you like that from within her cage? She already had for me.”

Kato promptly walked into the crowd and up to Alice, pulled her along by the hand and out of the arcade, leaving Gilbert behind inside. Kato picked up the pace after they were under the sun again and brought her to a corner of a nearby open resting space.

“Kato, what’re you doing?”

“Sorry. I thought it would be better if I can talk to you alone.”

“What is it?”

She did not seem spooked or surprised. Kato thought his forcefulness would have put her off, but it worked out somehow.

“Are you okay with your engagement with Gilbert? The two of you were pretty peaceful today, but the last few times I saw you with him, you were… dissatisfied, to say the least.”

Alice’s eyes widened and her expression turned dark. She let out an anxious sigh.

“Is that what the two of you were talking about?”

“Yeah. Though I probably did a number on his mental.”

“I guess it can’t be helped. I’m the reason why you’re here.”

“…”

“I’m already used to it. As a daughter of the Westgrove family, there’s no other way to live. So it can’t be helped.”

She let go of his hand and looked away, dispirited. Though she was a bit unsteady, she spoke with an affirmation in her words that let him believe they were her true thoughts.

“It really can’t be helped?”

“No. From childhood, I was taught to obey and follow the path of my family. Just like the aristocracy, my marriage is one of political convenience. I’ve had many suitors in the past, and many families wanted the alliance that this marriage would bring. Somewhere along the way, I realized something important.

“Most of them don’t care about me, the person. They only wanted the status and prestige that came with the marriage. It took the death of a real friend for me to realize that.”

She held onto the pendant around her neck softly.

“That pendant…”

“Yes. This is a reminder of that friend. He died in the most mundane and normal of accidents, and only after losing the first shred of happiness I’ve enjoyed did I begin to feel how cramped and tiny the space I was allowed to live in was. If it weren’t for Percy, I would have been an insufferably selfish bitch by now.”

She smiled wistfully at her assessment of herself. Seeing her lighten up a bit, Kato’s mouth opened before he knew it.

“Assuming you ain’t one already.”

Luckily, Alice snickered. He breathed a sigh of relief after realizing what he said.

“Fortunate for you, I suppose. In any case, I probably seemed that way anyway because of how callous I am normally. I closed myself off from everyone when I learned that my family’s world doesn’t have what I sought for.”

“But you became friends with Mira and Evie. And you’ve made friends with the Elites. And myself.”

“It’s because you’re all from a different world.”

“Not necessarily. You said it yourself, right? We’re your friends because we want to be your friend. Gilbert, unfortunately, doesn’t. It’s not about being in different worlds.”

“To an extent. I’m definitely less guarded against you than I am against Gil. My biases of these two worlds are still different.”

“This is less guarded?”

Alice laughed again.

“You’ve seen how I acted in front of Gil before. It used to be a lot worse.”

“Point taken. But it still sucks to see you looking so resigned. If it isn’t that, then you’re frustrated. Is that what you’ll be all the time once you’re married?”

“Haha. I hope not. That’s why you’re here, right? And Mira and Evie, too.”

Ah. So it was true. Alice did come to the same conclusion. Although her walls were high and nearly impenetrable, she nonetheless let people in, accepting that their journey together might not last. From within her cage, she sought for happiness anyway, no matter how futile it was.

“That’s right. We’re here to enjoy life together.”

“I’m not perfect. I might stumble a lot along the way, so please help me when I do.”

“You can count on me.”

This time, she took his hand of her own accord and held them as if they were kindergarteners, swinging them back and forth and pulling on each other. They couldn’t help but smile at each other like idiots.

“There you two are!”

Gilbert finally caught up to them. Kato actually didn’t expect to have had this much time to talk to Alice, and thought Gilbert would be right on his coattails. Gilbert took his time because, clearly, he was still a bit shaken, probably by the conversation with Kato.

“Gil!”

Though they stopped flinging their arms around, their hands remained connected. Gilbert paced himself perfectly to stop elegantly in front of the two of them, which surprised Kato quite a bit. His presentation was worthy of praise.

“Sorry, Alice. I’d have to cut my time here short. There’s a bit more work I need to take care of, so I’ll take my leave here. Have fun, and I’ll see you tonight.”

Alice frowned at the reminder, but she remained well-behaved.

“No problem. I’ll see you soon.”

He then turned to the Class F rep.

“And Kato. We’re not finished just yet, but for now, please take care of Alice.”

“I definitely will.”

They met eye to eye for a single moment, and in it Kato saw the apprehension which told him that Gilbert didn’t accept his way of living. Not surprised that one conversation couldn’t convince Gilbert.

“Then I’ll be on my way.”

He bowed, and when he raised his head, his composure returned. The calm and emotionless expression that was his usual demeanour had been recovered, as if he was mentally prepared for something that was to come. Of course, at the time, he didn’t leave any clues for Kato as to what that was. And just like that, he left.