Deliberate

With another day of classes drawing to a close, Vahn returned to his room while Phae and Gandr continued going about their own business at his behest. He was actually starting to enjoy seeing the world through them, as, despite controlling their each and every thought, emotion, and output, they almost felt like completely different people.

As was often the case, Gandr was making his way through Evankhell's Resort with Shibsu, Hatsu, and, though she was basically just accompanying them for a 'free pass', Nare. The latter currently had a big smile on her face as she held up her pocket, drooling slightly as she saw the number on the display.

For reasons she wouldn't divulge, Nare had an 'extreme' fondness for money. Though she had only gotten 750 points for being the second person to place her Pocket on the pylon, it was still a huge boon for a Regular who had just started out. Because of this, she had chosen to forgive Gandr for his lack of 'delicacy', beaming radiantly when Hatsu and Shibisu only received 500 and 250 points, respectively.

Though he had received the fewest points within the group, Shibisu, surprisingly, didn't even try to complain. The swim had cooled his head quite a bit, and, after seeing more than a hundred corpses of Six-Petaled Flower Mantids, any indignation he felt had vanished in an instant. After all, they had struggled to defeat a version of the Mantid that was just over three meters in length, half the size of the smallest Mantid defeated by Gandr.

Shibisu knew he was basically getting a 'free ride' just by being Gandr's friend, so, while he liked to mess with the boy every now and again, he also feared and respected him. Because of this, he and Hatsu were usually the ones to follow after the boy, effectively becoming his 'posse' and constantly receiving benefits just by association. Of course, this wasn't their actual intention, the boy practically forced the benefits onto them, smiling all the while doing so...

Just as Shibisu was thinking about using his reward to treat the rest of the group, the four of them arrived in the bustling commissary. The Scout candidates had been the last to return today so most of the other Regulars were already present. Despite this, there were still a few empty spaces left at the two largest tables, spots clearly reserved for the four of them.

Noticing one particular seat, a smile spread across Shibisu's face as any desire he had to treat the rest of the group dried up. Then, after lightly nudging the boy at his side, he motioned towards the empty seat and teasingly remarked, "Your crystal palace awaits, my Leige~."

Understanding the meaning of Shibisu's words, Gandr just rolled his eyes before making his way over to the counter to order his food. The kitchen staff there were 'very' familiar with him at this point, and, so long as he paid them an additional fee, they would bring his mountain-sized portion of food directly to the table.

After paying for his meal, parting with 480 points in one go, Gandr made his way back to the group table, occupying the only remaining seat. This brought an end to the awkward tension around that particular section of the table, as, with Gandr to separate them, Anak and Endorsi no longer had to put up with being seated next to each other.

Since Anak rarely talked to others unless it was to pick a fight, Endorsi was the first to speak, smiling as she asked, "So, how did your classes go today, Gandr? Still lugging around a bunch of additional baggage~?"

As someone who believed in individual strength and effort, Endorsi wasn't too fond of the growing number of people that seemed to rely on Gandr. The boy in question, however, enjoyed his position as the 'heart' of the group, frowning slightly as gazed up at the woman and said, "My Master taught me that friends help each other. They aren't extra baggage, Princess. Stop saying rude things all the time..."

Endorsi didn't actually care about the company Gandr kept; he had more than enough strength to take care of himself. She had just wanted to tease him a bit, so, hearing his instantaneous retort, her face became slightly red as she issued a loud 'hmph' before remarking, "Whatever..." in an annoyed tone.

Never missing the opportunity to pick a fight with the people she didn't like, Anak didn't hesitate to laugh at Endorsi's expense before promptly exacerbating matters by smiling at Gandr and warning, "If this ghost-eyed hag ever tries to bait you into her room with candy, make sure you immediately inform an adult, okay?"

If she was annoyed before, Endorsi was completely incensed upon hearing Anak's little remark. Her cheeks immediately turned a vibrant shade of red, completely ignoring the fact Gandr was seated right next to her as she exclaimed, "Who are you calling a ghost-eyed hag!? You're even older than me you rock-headed lizard!"

With his enhanced hearing, Gandr's ears flattened in response to the shrill noise just centimeters away from his fuzzy ears. This hadn't escaped Endorsi's notice, but, before she could apologize, the words got caught in her throat as she noticed Gandr's eyes change from gold to scarlet as he, quite literally, snarled at her. Though this actually made him look rather adorable to others, Endorsi felt a cold sweat envelop her body under the diminutive Vanargandr's gaze...

Fortunately, just as the atmosphere seemed to reach a critical level, the kitchen staff emerged from the double-doors leading to the food-prep area with large service carts. This immediately eased the tensions at the table, Gandr's eyes shifting back to a glimmering gold the moment food was placed in front of him.

Feeling as though she had just escaped a disaster, Endorsi issued a sigh of relief before rising from the table and saying, "I've lost my appetite..." in an uncharacteristically demure tone. Just as she was about to leave, however, Gandr stopped her by saying, "Phae gave me a ton of cookies to pass out to all my friends. You should stay and eat with us. Your body is super thin so I'm a little worried you aren't eating properly."

Even if it wasn't meant as a compliment, Endorsi's mood immediately improved the moment Gandr called her thin. She was constantly concerned about her figure, putting great effort into maintaining her 'national treasure' level beauty, so it always made her happy whenever someone complimented her, even if they weren't trying to.

With a beautiful smile spreading across her face, Endorsi plopped back into her seat as emulated Phae's action of combing through her hair. This was evidence that Endorsi actually looked up to, or, at the very least, envied the former. People had an instinctual tendency to emulate the behaviors of the people they saw as 'above' themselves, even if they weren't consciously aware of it.

Since it was a good opportunity, Gandr returned a smile of his own, producing a veritable mountain of cookies for the entire table as he asked, "Is that an actual horn on your head? I thought it might have been a part of your hair accessory..."

Happy for the attention, Endorsi raised her bangs to allow a better view of the tiny horn poking out above her right temple, explaining, "Though it's only a cutaneous horn, it is one-hundred percent real. How about it? I'll let you touch it if you let me touch the fluff inside your ears~."

Though it had only been a day since he lambasted Endorsi for always trying to touch his ears, Gandr didn't get too annoyed since she actually asked this time. He was, however, still a little annoyed, so, in response to her proposition, he deadpanned and asked, "You think touching your horn compares to touching my ears? That's like me saying you can poke my cheek in exchange for letting me touch your bottom. Are you an idiot?"

With her eye twitching slightly, Endorsi removed her hand from her head and opted to momentarily ignore the brash boy seated to her left. She had just calmed down moments prior so she refused to make a scene after failing to storm off the first time. Instead, she comforted herself with the cookies piled up at the center of the table, genuinely surprised by how delicious they were...

---

With dinner still ongoing, the last group of Regulars, the Light Bearer candidates, began to file into the commissary. The core of this particular girl was comprised of Phae and Khun, the former being the literal center of attention since nearly every other Light Bearer candidate, excluding Rachel and Chung-Chung, were male.

Though she had gotten used to being the center of attention, Phae didn't like to be congregated around, so, as soon as the group reached the commissary, she offered a polite smile to the group and said, "I'm afraid this is where we part ways. I'll see everyone in class tomorrow. Make sure you don't stay up too late trying to master your Lighthouses. Proper rest is often even more important than effort."

Realizing they were effectively being dismissed, the majority of the Light Bearer candidates replied with parting words before quickly moving to their respective groups. The only person to stay back was Khun, who, immediately after the rest of the group had dispersed, adopted a troubled look as he asked, "What did you give that woman to change her appearance so drastically? You must have been able to sense what kind of person that woman is...why did you help her become even more dangerous?"

Combing back her bangs, Phae smiled in response to Khun's question before answering, "As I have said time and again, my Lord believes that everyone deserves a chance at happiness. I understand your concerns, but that woman has yet to do anything that merits severe treatment. Judge people based on their actions, not your assumption of their character. All you truly know about Rachel, at least for the time being, is that she helped your best friend become the person he is today. Even if her true nature is that of a snake, there are some poisons that are as equally effective as medicine..."

As if he had gleaned some insight into Phae's intentions, Khun's eyes widened a bit as he said, "So that's how it is...I understand now..."

Resisting the urge to give the young man across from her an incredulous look, Phae just giggled in response to his words before honestly admitting, "I'm not sure what Mr. Khun is trying to imply~?"

Surprised by Phae's convincing performance, Khun made a mental note never to underestimate her as he fixed his tie and said, "I must have misunderstood then...well, I suppose I should be going. It was a pleasure speaking with you, Ms. Phae..."

Offering a polite nod in response, Phae watched as Khun made his way over to where Baam was seated among the other Regulars. He was seated at the very end of the table containing most of the group, but, despite this, it was almost like he had become a secondary center of attention.

Though there was no one around to observe her act, Phae giggled lightly before turning away from the commissary and heading to Vahn's room. Since she was his vassal, she had to check in on him a few times a day just to keep up appearances. It was also an opportunity for them to bounce ideas off of each other, as, despite being one and the same, it was surprisingly effective to have an actual person to talk with. Thus, while doing her best to understand what Khun had misunderstood, Phae leisurely walked through the halls while pretending to ignore the invisible presence that constantly monitored nearly everything that took place on the 2nd Floor...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Shibisu is jealous of our goodest boi...','Gandr about to slap a ho...','Khun has a propensity to overthink things (O w O)...')

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