Their "Leader"? [1]

"I hope you don't mind if I ask this..." Everette scratched the back of his head. Even after having his wound healed, he still continued conversing with the white-headed girl.

"Hm?" Alice hummed before giving the nod for him to continue. "Is your hair natural?" A subtle silence rang out between them before Alice bursted out laughing.

"Yes, yes. I have a little condition called Albinism. That's the reason for my pale skin and white hair." She gestured to several parts of her body to emphasise what she meant.

"Oh! I see..."

'She's an albino then?'

Alice then stared into his eyes, "I kind of get called names occasionally because of it." She spoke with a saddened expression.

Everette tilted his head, "Can you give an example? If you don't mind, of course." Alice nodded before responding:

"Don't worry, I'm used to it by now." She held up her hand to accentuate how pale her skin was. "Because my skin is so pale and also quite sensitive to the sun, I get called a vampire sometimes."

Alice then pinched a couple strands of her hair before holding it up, "I also get mistaken as an elderly person because of this." She chuckled a bit at that last one.

Everette, without thinking much about his words, said out loud:

"Well, I think you look better than they ever will." Alice's eyes widened. So did the eyes of a blonde-headed girl who was eavesdropping nearby. Her jaws clenched in irritation.

Alice covered her mouth before laughing at it, "Pfft! I think you're quite good-looking yourself." Everette shook his head, "It's because of a skill, so I wouldn't call it natural."

She shook her head, "Even so, I believe that even if you weren't good-looking, you would definitely be the most charming." Everette's eyes widened before turning to the side.

He rubbed the back of his head while giggling like a fool. "You think so?" She nodded, "I know so."

Ada, not being able to tolerate any more of their blatant flirting towards one another, casually inserted herself into the conversation. "So, Alice... Right?"

"Yes?" Alice shifted her attention towards Ada. "Is there any more of people or...—"

Cough Cough

Before Ada could finish her sentence, From behind one of the many curtains, a coughing noise resounded. Alice swiftly approached and gently pulled the curtains aside to reveal a man with a scar that stretched from his right shoulder to his left hip.

The man's eyes landed on Alice. "W-water." He spoke with a hoarse voice. Alice turned towards Lilly, who nodded in response before dashing away to fetch a cup of water. Alice sat on a stool beside the bed and assisted him in sitting up.

A few moments later, Lilly returned with a glass of water. "Here!" She passed the glass to the man. He grabbed it with both hands and brought it to his lips before desperately chugging it.

"Pah~." The man moaned in satisfaction before placing the empty glass cup on the bedside table. "Thanks a lot, Alice! I could've died." He grabbed her hands and thanked her gratefully.

She smiled before placing her index finger on her lips. "Do keep the noise to a minimum." The man immediately zipped his mouth before whispering his apology.

Lilly came to his side before leaning in. "What did you guys encounter for that sort of wound?" She pointed towards his scar. Alice frowned and was prepared to scold her before noticing the man waving his hand casually to signal that he was alright talking about it.

He then rested his hands on top of his lap. He took a deep breath before answering, "A stag beetle." The group raised a brow. Ada approached and asked him more about it. He nodded and continued:

"Its shell was black and lustre. It ambushed us as we were on a supply run. I'd say it was the size of a bus." He widened his arms to emphasise how big it was. "Its snappers were also quite a nightmarish thing as well. Not only were they long... about three or so meters. Just a SNAP of its jaws shattered Coll's weapon."

Alice and Lilly widened their eyes simultaneously, "S-seriously?" Lilly wanted confirmation. The man nodded, "It also used some weird energy, too."

This time, it was Everette's turn to ask. "Energy? What did it look like?" The man raised a brow before placing the palm of his hand on the side of his head - trying to recall what it looked like.

"I'd say... It was dark greenish...? I can't really remember much. It took me out instantly as soon as it was brought out. I'm sorry..." He then shook his head in disappointment - feeling that he wasn't able to contribute much.

Alice shook her head, "Just the fact you survived its attack and lived to tell us is more than enough." The man nodded towards her with gratitude before coming to a realisation and scratching the side of his head. "Argh... Because of that thing, I guess they're going to kick me off the party."

A couple moments after Alice tended to his wounds to ensure it was alright, he returned to rest. Ada turned towards her and asked:

"What did he mean about the party?" Alice raised a brow before sighing. "It's a singular group that goes out to forage for food to bring back." Ada scoffed, "Why singular? Why not just help the others get stronger and let them help with the resource gathering? Wouldn't that save time?"

Alice nodded before shaking her head, "We all said that, but... Coll..." "Coll?" Ada tilted her head. Alice lowered her head, "He's our 'Appointed Leader.' No one really likes him, but we just listen to him because he's strong."

"You guys don't like him? Why not?"

Alice sighed and stared at her sullenly, "It's because he has a track record of abusing people and even occasionally sexually harassing some of the female students." Ada tilted her head, "And yet the school hasn't kicked him out?"

She nodded with an annoyed expression, "That's because they haven't seen him do it and thought that those complaining about him were just pranksters." She paused before continuing.

"This is mainly because of his near-perfect grades and behaviour in his classes. So the teacher has a pretty good impression of him."

Ada nodded and asked a different question.

"You said he was strong, right? What can you tell us about him?" Ada wanted to know everything about him just in case something happened. Confusion was etched across her face, but she responded nonetheless, "He wields a long sword crafted from the bones of a mutated he killed."

Ada whistled, impressed, "He was able to kill a mutated by himself, huh?" Alice shook her head, "He and his party did. They came back with some serious injuries." When Ada heard that, she deflated at the fact he needed help.

"And what about his party? Any of them special?" Alice raised a brow before listing them off. "His party, including him, consisted of 5 or 4 now, I guess. They're Lucas, The Archer; Jane, The Assassin; Zack, The Tank; And Coll, the Warrior."

Ada nodded, "Did he get a genetic nexus, at least?"

"He did, but I haven't heard much about it. Based on what I heard from Jeremy, I assume it's probably destroyed."

"Perhaps not." Everette decided to insert himself in for fun. "When a weapon is either damaged or bent, it can enter a recovery phase. I'm not sure how damaged it was when he faced the beetle, but it's best not to take it out of the equation."

Alice chuckled, "You make it sound like you might face him in battle."

"..." Alice stiffened, "You guys aren't serious, right?" Ada just shrugged, "Just in case." After hearing about the guy, her wariness about him completely diminished. Even though her Imprint may be wholly outclassed by his, she was sure her fist was more than enough to make up for it.

Ada's eyes skimmed the room, "So... Back to the question I was gonna ask you."

"Yes? What was it you were going to say?" Alice asked after breaking out of her stupor.

People. There are more people, right?" Alice nodded briefly. "Mhm... May I know why you ask?"

"Sure. It's because I wanna meet this Coll-guy."