Repulsion

Lakar returned to the academy a day before the opening ceremony. He had been undergoing closed-door training as scheduled, so he hadn’t received the letter about Luna’s death. After belatedly checking the letter sent by Kane, Lakar immediately packed his bags.

,I need to be by Boss’s side.’

Even watching from the sidelines, I could feel that Ross and Luna genuinely loved each other. Lakar, worried about how hard it must be for Ross to lose Luna, arrived at the clubroom and sensed that something was wrong.

,Did you have a good vacation?’

Ross, who was reading a book related to magic engineering, greeted Lakar with a faint smile, looking no different than usual. Lakar, taken aback by the unexpected sight, stammered.

,Uh, uh… I’ve improved a lot.’

,Really? For your information, I’ve already cleared all the Trials of the Room.’

Ross smiled playfully as he said that, showing no signs of sadness whatsoever. Confused, Lakar forced an awkward smile and headed to the hideout beyond the closet to unpack.

Before going through the closet, he glanced over his shoulder and saw Ross drinking coffee and reading his book again.

,Has he already overcome it…?’

Lakar felt strangely uneasy. He had rushed here to comfort Ross in his grief, but… he was even a little disappointed to see him looking no different than usual. Was Luna so insignificant to Ross that he could forget his grief in just a few days?

,Yo, you’re here.’

Lakar snapped out of his thoughts at the voice.

,It’s been a while, Kane.’

,Yeah. I figured it was about time for you to come back. Well, since the opening ceremony is tomorrow. It’s only natural, though.’

Kane naturally took some of Lakar’s luggage and matched his pace. Lakar bit his lip, pondered for a moment, and then carefully opened his mouth.

,…Hey, about Ross.’

,He seems fine, doesn’t he?’

Lakar nodded without realizing it at Kane’s reply. Kane scratched his forehead with a dark expression.

,There’s a saying that people go crazy when they’re too shocked. That’s what’s happening to Ross right now. He can’t accept that Luna is dead. He just thinks she’s taking a long break somewhere out of sight.’

Lakar could finally understand at Kane’s words. The reason Ross was acting the same as usual was because he was pretending that Luna’s death never happened. Lakar realized his misunderstanding and gave a bitter smile.

,…Boss really loved Luna a lot, huh.’

,Of course. I tried to help him accept Luna’s death naturally with Aria several times, but… he gets scarily serious whenever I bring up Luna.’

,…Sounds like he’s in a pretty dangerous state.’

Instead of answering, Kane shrugged and even helped unpack the luggage. Once things were somewhat organized, the sound of quick footsteps approached, and Aria burst into the room noisily.

,Lakar! Long time no see. Did you bring something delicious?’

,Of course, I prepared it. You sent me letters several times telling me not to forget to bring it.’

Lakar took out the snack box he had prepared from his luggage and handed it to Aria. Aria, with a happy face, took the box and immediately turned around and left the room as if that was her only purpose.

,…Aria hasn’t changed.’

Lakar felt a sense of relief and gave a faint smile. Then, Kane, who had finished unpacking and was sitting on the bed, leaned back and said nonchalantly.

,Oh, I don’t think I mentioned it in the letter, but Aria and I decided to start dating.’

,…?’

The questions of why and how rose to his throat, but Lakar miraculously swallowed them down and took a moment to compose himself before answering.

,…You’re surprisingly well-suited.’

There’s a saying that opposites attract.

,Right? You can tell we’re a good match just by looking, right? Hehe.’

Lakar frowned reflexively at Kane’s reaction and scratched his head before saying.

,…What are you planning to do about Boss in the future?’

Kane, who had been grinning, sighed at the question.

,I don’t know. Actually, I should say I haven’t had time to talk to him? Ever since Luna died, Ross has been busy running around every day. He doesn’t seem to sleep either, and he hasn’t even come over to the hideout. It’s hard to even see his face.’

Ignoring Kane’s afterthought that he liked having more time alone with Aria thanks to that, Lakar stroked his chin thoughtfully. It seemed like Boss’s condition was quite serious. Lakar looked around for a moment and then shared his thoughts.

,…Could it be because there are still a lot of Luna’s traces left in the hideout? Like a primal aversion?’

There were several traces of Luna left even in Lakar’s room. Luna, who had one hand inconvenienced, was more enthusiastic than anyone else about decorating the hideout, leaving her mark everywhere.

,Maybe. But getting rid of everything related to Luna already….’

,Would be a bit much.’

,Yeah, a bit much. And I don’t know how Ross would react.’

Lakar ran a hand roughly over his face at Kane’s troubled expression. The more you worry about things like this, the more hesitant you become.

,I need to have a talk with Boss.’

,…Okay, I hope it goes well.’

Lakar immediately went through the closet to the clubroom. Lakar plopped down in front of Ross, who was reading a book, looking no different from before.

,Boss, let’s talk for a bit.’

Ross, who had been looking at his book, raised his gaze and looked at Lakar with a slight smile.

,Are you going to tell me what happened during the vacation? Then a short chat won’t be enough.’

,No, it’s about Luna.’

The smile on Ross’s face instantly disappeared. Ross stared blankly at Lakar without any expression and asked in a monotone voice.

,…What about?’

,I heard that something bad happened to Luna. So I thought you must be having a hard time- ‘

,Luna is fine.’

Ross interrupted Lakar and said with a gentle smile.

,So you don’t have to worry about anything.’

Lakar didn’t back down at Ross’s reaction, which clearly drew a line, telling him not to talk about Luna anymore.

,Boss, Luna is dead.’

Lakar felt a sudden strong pressure and unconsciously placed his hand on the sword at his side. He had reacted reflexively to the energy that Ross had unconsciously emitted.

Lakar, tense, swallowed and slowly removed his hand from the sword. Ross, who had been reading, closed the book and placed it on the table before saying.

,…No, Luna will be back soon.’

,Boss… I know it’s really hard and sad, but… you have to accept the truth. Luna is dea- ‘

Lakar stopped abruptly and froze. The blade of a spear was already touching Lakar’s Adam’s apple, preventing him from acting further. It was an unbelievable speed. Lakar’s muscles were tense, and he reacted immediately to Ross’s actions, but he had only managed to draw his sword halfway.

,You’ve gotten stronger, as expected. Boss.’

Lakar had trained hard every day during the vacation and grown considerably, but Ross was several times stronger than Lakar remembered. Ross, sensing Lakar’s genuine admiration, deactivated his spear and said.

,No, that’s not it.’

Ross shook his head violently as if denying Lakar’s words and said with his head down.

,I’m not strong, and I’m not the boss anymore.’

,What does that mean…?’

,You’re the boss of the Messiah club from now on.’

Lakar felt uneasy at Ross’s nonchalant voice. Lakar asked, hoping that he was mistaken.

,W-wait a minute. Don’t tell me you’re thinking of leaving the club? The club that you created?’

,Yeah.’

Lakar felt a sudden sense of betrayal at Ross’s answer without a moment’s hesitation. Lakar, who considered the Messiah club and its members the most precious things he had gained at the academy, felt a great sense of betrayal. He had even thought of Ross as a lord he wanted to follow in his heart several times.

,That’s… that’s not how it works! We’re not the Messiah club without you, Boss.’

,…Then disband it.’

,Are you serious? Is the Messiah club only worth that much to you, Boss?’

When Lakar asked to confirm, Ross raised his head and met his gaze. Lakar bit his lip at the emotionless look in his eyes.

After a moment of silence, Ross muttered quietly.

,…Isn’t this much playing house enough?’

,What?’

Ross gave a bitter smile at Lakar’s incredulous look. Ross opened his spatial storage and took out the key to the clubroom, placing it on top of the book cover and said.

,I don’t belong in the Messiah anymore.’

Lakar finally understood why Boss, who had been so busy that it was hard to see his face, had been reading a book in the clubroom.

,…You waited for me just to say this?’

Ross didn’t answer Lakar’s question and got up. Lakar turned around and shouted at Ross’s back as he tried to leave the clubroom.

,We’re still friends even if there’s no club. Even if you walk alone on your own, we’ll be friends who will be walking with you at some point. So, if you need help, tell us anytime. No, you don’t even have to tell us. We’ll help you however we want! You’re always the boss of the Messiah club, and my precious friend!!!’

Ross stopped walking abruptly and looked back at Lakar over his shoulder with a bitter smile.

,There’s nothing you guys can help with.’

Ross said that and left the clubroom. Lakar stared blankly at his retreating figure, leaned back against the chair, looked at the key on the book, and muttered.

,…But we’re still friends.’

He felt betrayed by Ross’s actions, but the fact that he was more worried about Ross than anything else was clear evidence of their friendship.

The opening ceremony of Transcendence Academy proceeded as scheduled the next day.

New freshmen entered the academy, and under the strict instructions of Vice Principal Leora, the returning students successfully finished singing the school anthem.

However, Ross was nowhere to be seen in the academy.