"Sighs… so we only have one mission together left," William spoke as he sat with a calm, almost resigned demeanor, his posture relaxed despite the weight of his words. Nobody in their right mind would be happy to lose a powerhouse like Asher from their team, someone whose presence alone shifted the balance of any battlefield. Still, all of them understood the reality of the situation. They simply could not continue participating together in missions, not when Asher had grown into something far beyond the scope of a normal student. He was, in every sense of the word, a monster.

At the side of the room, Finch was busy explaining everything he knew about the Star Academy to Lior, his words flowing without pause as the Emovira listened intently. Lior had wanted a proper introduction to everything and anything related to the Academy, its rules, its structure, its dangers, and its strange culture, and Finch, surprisingly, had taken the role of guide rather seriously.

"You can approach those you wanted to approach; there isn't enough time anymore," Asher spoke with a flat, detached tone as he stared into the book he was holding, his eyes skimming over line after line. He did not even look up as he spoke. Personally, he just wanted to complete the third mission as soon as possible and then throw himself fully into training, shutting out every distraction and unnecessary interaction that might slow his progress.

William glanced toward Lior and Finch, who were both standing by the window. Sunlight filtered in through the glass, casting long shadows across the room. With a quiet sigh, William stood up from his seat and walked toward the door. As he reached for the handle, he spoke without turning around, "I'm going to recruit the eighth-ranked student, Oliver Twist." His words were clearly directed at both Asher and Finch.

Asher's eyes shifted briefly toward Lior and Finch before his gaze dulled slightly, his thoughts drifting inward. 'Bonding, huh.' Although Finch had benefitted from it, Asher had already made his stance clear to himself. He had no intention of bonding his life to another person or being. No matter the benefits, no matter how powerful the results, that kind of connection was not for him.

With that, he gave a subtle shake of his head and decided to forget about the matter entirely. It had nothing to do with him, at least not directly. Still, he had already concluded that he would check out information on bonding in the Star Academy Library at some point. Even if it cost points, it was information worth knowing, and points were something he had in abundance.

Within a few minutes, William returned from his recruitment operation. The door creaked slightly as it opened, drawing Asher's attention. "So?" Asher asked, lifting his head and turning toward the door as William stepped inside. "Did you recruit him?"

William nodded as he spoke, his tone casual but satisfied. "I did. It was surprisingly easy. It seemed he didn't really like the team he was in. My guess would be a shitty team member," he stated before sitting back down in the seat he had left only minutes earlier.

Asher arched an eyebrow slightly. "How many missions has he been on?" he asked, his eyes still fixed on William.

"One," William replied smoothly. "But he's scheduled to go on a second mission in two days' time. He'll join our team when he returns."

Not everyone was like Asher or William, people who, after their very first mission, dove straight into the second without even considering rest. Well, they had rested, technically, by using the days provided during the missions themselves. Still, not everyone functioned the same way, especially those who didn't benefit from Asher's frightening level of efficiency within a team.

"He wanted to meet you, actually," William continued. "It seems he's a fan of the Wargrave family."

Asher's purple eyes shifted away from his book once more, settling on William as he spoke. "He knows I'm the one leaving the team?"

William nodded in response. "Yeah, he asked, and I told him. After all, there's nothing to hide. He wanted to meet you, but I already know you don't really like meeting people. So I told him you were in your room and that he should meet you there," William stated calmly, as though this was the most natural thing in the world.

Asher nodded faintly. He wasn't a fan of meeting new people or making friends; to him, Finch and William were more than enough. Even though William had told Oliver Twist to head to Asher's room, Asher doubted the boy would actually knock. Fear alone would likely stop him. After all, meeting the Tenth Sun on the road was one thing, actively going to his room was another matter entirely.

"Anyway, tomorrow I'll be heading to the Training Facility building to train for a bit," Finch said, having finally finished answering the numerous questions Lior had presented him with. He stepped away from the window and joined the conversation. "What about the both of you?" he asked.

"I'll be heading there tomorrow as well," William replied without missing a beat. "We've got enough points to spend from the two missions."

Both William and Finch then turned their black eyes toward Asher, who remained silent for a moment before he finally spoke, "I would like us to take the third mission immediately after the twenty four hour break requirement imposed by the Logistics and Missions Operation Hall," Asher stated evenly.

His words caused Finch and William to fall into silence. After all, this meant they would be taking a third mission back-to-back, barely giving themselves any time to breathe.

"You really want to leave the team that badly?" William asked, his expression flat but probing.

"Not that," Asher replied. "But since Oliver will be going on a mission soon, we might as well go on ours. We complete it around the same time Oliver completes his, I leave the team, he joins, and everyone wins." His explanation was calm, his logic precise. If they waited, Oliver would have to sit idle for days after finishing his own mission, waiting for Asher and the team to complete theirs.

The real reason Asher proposed this, however, was far simpler. He didn't want to enter training only to be pulled out almost immediately. He didn't want the third mission hanging over his head like an unfinished task. He would rather be done with it, free to train as much as he liked, without any obstructions or lingering obligations.

After a few moments, William and Finch nodded at Asher's words. Although they agreed, William could see the true reason behind Asher's suggestion. Did he care? Absolutely not. They were holding someone back, and it was better to let him go sooner rather than later.

"Sighs… so another mission in the next twenty-four hours," Finch muttered. "I feel like ever since I joined the Star Academy, my days have been filled with blood and death."

"Hoo… I'm looking forward to this," Lior stated from the side, his eyes still fixed on the world beyond the window. "I wonder what you humans' missions look like."

William and Asher turned toward him briefly, then ignored him entirely. There was nothing to say. After all, who wouldn't be happy to have a Rank 5 being on a mission with them? That alone was an extra layer of protection, one that could mean the difference between survival and death.

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