Under the Veil of Night

Time passed swiftly. In the end, Laura didn't bother Kanae again after several minutes of teasing. It seemed that Laura didn't really have the intention to make her sister stayed awake for the lesson. She just wished to spend some time with her sister just to have some fun.

Different than usual, Misae didn't go home directly today as she made her way to the teacher's office. Her eyes were looking towards the plate as she pondered about her action.

KNOCK! KNOCK!

"Excuse me," Misae opened the door and peeked inside. There was only one teacher inside, which was Teacher Charlie.

Teacher Charlie glanced towards Misae. "Is there anything that I can help, Miss Misae?"

"I'm looking for my homeroom teacher," Misae answered.

"He doesn't come to school today. You might want to talk with me if you want," Teacher Charlie offered.

Misae hesitated before walked into the room. She took a seat in front of Teacher Charlie as she held her own hand to ease her nervousness.

"Is there anything wrong with your lesson lately? Or is it related to the Student Council?" Teacher Charlie decided to ask since Misae didn't immediately tell him the reason for her coming here.

"Teacher knows that I'm part of Student Council?" Misae was shocked.

"Of course I do, I still remember you very well from the previous little incident because of me. I hope you don't bear any grudge for dragging you in a dangerous situation, Miss," Teacher Charlie answered politely.

Misae smiled. "There's no way I will blame you, Teacher."

"Now, do you mind telling me if there's something wrong?"

"I want to ask about the procedure of getting out of school and the transfer notice," Misae replied.

Teacher Charlie's eyes widened slightly when he heard Misae's request. From what he knew, this girl was indeed a bit too soft hearted, which was unsuitable for this city. However, he found out that she got good friends around her, so she was being partially protected.

Although he didn't have any intention to pry into a student's life, he decided to look at hers because of her rather foolish action before. Hearing that she wanted to move school, he felt slightly relieved. A dangerous school like this one was a bit unsuitable for a woman like her.

"Do you have the plan to move school?"

"I still don't know," Misae replied nervously. She did want to move because she was afraid, but at the same time, she wanted to move because she hoped that she could be stronger. Right now, she kept on being bother to her friend, so she wanted to grow up to be more suitable in this city.

Teacher Charlie noticed the girl's hesitation. "If you wish to share, I can lend you my ear. I might not be able to help much, but I can give you some guidance in case you need it."

Misae was stunned to hear the teacher's words. On the second thought, she knew that he was doing his job as a teacher. After all, a good teacher didn't only teach material but also help their students when they have some problems.

Besides, she knew that it was easier to tell things to stranger at times.

"I'm thinking of moving school," Misae admitted. "I just keep on having the feeling that I'm unsuitable to stay in this city because of many things, so I want to stay outside for some time and return back when I'm ready to face them all."

She has stayed in this city ever since her youth and back then, her parents were there to protect her all the time. They helped her to stay out of danger, making her oblivious to danger most of the time. As she grew up, now she started to realize that it was impossible for her to stay like that.

She needed to change.

Even though it was not impossible to stay in this city and learned things, she didn't want to hinder her friends anymore. They were protecting her unconsciously, and she didn't want that. She wanted to be able to face them all on her own.

"Why do you think that you can fare better outside," Teacher Charlie asked again.

Why?

"I want to follow my mother's footsteps and become a lawyer. By meeting a lot of different people, I want to be able to accept them more openly and not stuck like I am now," Misae replied.

It might seem to be running away to some people, but Misae didn't care about it now. She just wanted to learn to accept the differences of people around her. They have their own lives and believes, which made them different from one another.

Teacher Charlie nodded. "I see. I think it's quite good for you if you want to learn from outside cities. This city is a bit special in this country and it'll be good to expand your views."

Misae looked at the teacher in front of her. "Do you think that I will be able to learn a lot of things?"

"I'm sure you will. The difference in culture can help you see things from different point of view," Teacher Charlie acknowledged. "I used to live overseas for quite some time too, and I hope to change the education system in this city."

"Change the education system?"

"Yeah," Teacher Charlie nodded. "The education in this city is lacking behind because of the street condition. At the very least, I wish to help the children have better sense of rules and become a proper adult even in this kind of environment."

Listening to the teacher in front of her, Misae started to understand why Teacher Charlie was always so strict to the students. His method might be harsh, but he just wanted them to learn to stand by themselves and become good students.

However, his words seemed to bother her a bit. Studying overseas needed a considerable amount of money and if Teacher Charlie came from a prominent family, why would he want to become a teacher?

Mind you, in this city teacher didn't have good wages.

Misae opened her mouth to ask, but she closed it again as she felt that it was improper to ask something private. Teacher Charlie must have his own reason. Besides, she didn't want to start asking people around her for their background information as it was not that important.

"That's a good dream, Teacher Charlie."

Teacher Charlie smiled. "Thank you, Student Misae. Have you come to a conclusion regarding your decision?"

"I still want to talk with my parents," Misae replied. "But I think that there's high possibility for me to leave."

"Whatever your decision, I'll support you," Teacher Charlie nodded and smiled warmly, showing a rare side of him. "Now for the procedure…"

Misae listened attentively as Teacher Charlie explained to her about the procedure carefully.

…

Ryukalin Clan

Neo didn't have plan to pry into other people's business, but he kept the camera in the school. Upon seeing Misae came to the teacher's office, he looked towards her mouth carefully, trying to deduce what she said. It has been quite some time since she knew about Mike, so her complexion did seem far better.

"Neo, it is time for practice," Mike called. He glanced to the monitor only to see Misae on the background. "Neo, what is that?"

"Mike, this is the hidden camera that I set in teacher's office," Neo answered. He was about to close the monitor when he saw Misae smiled and laughed in front of that teacher. Before he could close the monitor, Mike's hand blocked him.

"Mike!"

"Just a moment, just a moment," Mike replied. His eyes were locked into the monitor as he saw the girl's face. He thought that he already got over her, but seeing her smile made his heart warm, yet hurt at the same time. She looked beautiful when she smile, but that smile was no longer directed to him. It was towards other people.

Neo watched as Mike's gaze locked into the screen. Trace of sadness appeared within the latter's eyes.

"Neo, is it really impossible for people who lived in the underworld to have a normal relationship?"

"I don't know, Mike. I don't know," Neo repeated his answer as he saw Mike closed his eyes for a few seconds.

By the time Mike opened his eyes again, he had returned back to normal. With an amiable smile, he looked towards Neo. "Let's practice."

"Wait, no, I'm not going to the field to practice. Just take Boss with you."

"He'll naturally be there, so you're the one who I have to bring along."

"Gah! Help me! I don't want to die yet!"