Tenebrous Wolf-Chapter 37: Neighbour

"Well, that was certainly something. They didn't say that the meeting would be both draining and scary."

Klaus grumbled as he casually strode back to his dorm room.

The meeting with the administrative worker went smoothly. At the very least, he thought it went smoothly. That female worker, Reaper Sable, was more frightening than he expected. Though he did not sense anything, she excluded an air of authority and power.

She definitely wasn't just an ordinary administrator.

To begin with, not just anyone could work as an administrative officer for the Awakened Ability Review and Utility Assessment. The main qualification for the job was being able to distinguish truth from lies. If he hadn't been careful with his words, she might have seen right through him.

Fortunately, there had been no 'accidents' in his fabricated truth or rather, none that could be exposed.

He had successfully created the perfect image: that his Mysticism Ability was completely useless, lacking even the most basic utility. In fact, if someone asked him to prove his ability's offensive power, he probably wouldn't even be able to damage a towel.

Ironically, his former boss, Reika Fujita, had always said that he was a natural liar and deceiver.

With a wry smile, he briefly wondered what that useless Succubus of his would think about his ability.

The same person who has said that the pride of the Sanctuary, Neon Angelions, were nothing but a giant piece of scrap without a second thought. Needless to say, that person was quite unreasonable and might even laugh at him even he told her his ability.

She was probably still angry about his attempt to seize her most precious iPad. It wouldn't be good if she held a grudge. Maybe he should stop by the cafeteria and grab a few fruits.

Not that he was trying to bribe her or anything.

Since they were inside the Ascension Academy, Briar's freedom was heavily restricted. She was confined to his personal room, the only place safe enough for her. Unless she entered his Soul Stream, she wouldn't be able to leave, even in her human disguise. Otherwise, she would be discovered and captured.

Certainly, this place was a lion's den for demons.

Worst-case scenario, she could be tortured for information on the demon race or worse, harvested for her body and organs, subjected to endless experiments.

If killing was an act of mercy, then the cruelity of humanity could not be measured on a scale.

The thought of his stubborn, annoyingly prideful, but still somewhat cute servant succubus being subjected to such a fate left a bitter taste in his mouth. Their relationship was rocky, but he didn't want her to die.

So as her master, it was his duty to prevent all those negative and undesirable possibilities.

Her identity as a demon had to remain a secret for her sake and, more importantly, his too

A few minutes later, Klaus arrived at the cafeteria and ordered a selection of fruits and takeout dishes.

During the month they had lived together in his crappy apartment complex, he had learned that Briar was a picky eater. She didn't seem to like overly sweet foods, nor did she enjoy anything too bitter. Strangely, she had a preference for fruits that were slightly sour or mildly sweet things like green apples, citrus fruits, and occasionally, grapes.

Klaus glanced at the food in his hands, wondering if she'd throw another tantrum if he got her something she didn't like. She was stubborn like that, refusing to eat anything she deemed "unworthy" of her refined palate.

But she was also completely at his mercy.

The thought brought an sadistic smile to his lips. He wasn't cruel enough to starve her, but it would be fun watching her struggle between pride and hunger.

That succubus needs to experience a few misfortunes to gain experience points. Sadly, I don't have the heart to starve such a cute thing. Even so, I can get back at her some other way.

For example, he could mess with her iPad. Maybe delete a few of her saved YouTube videos or her favorite games and then blame it on some kind of virus.

After all, her knowledge about technology was so laughably low that she didn't even know how to set a password. That meant he had full access to carry out a few harmless "pranks."

Satisfied with his selections, he made his way back to his dorm. Just as he reached for the door handle, a voice suddenly called out to him.

"... Klaus?"

He froze.

Turning his head, he saw someone staring at him in shock.

The person in question was a young man with dirty blonde hair, a lean yet athletic build, standing at 188 centimeters with sharp brown eyes. There was something oddly familiar about him.

Wait... could it be...?

"...."

For a few moments, they simply stared at each other, both caught off guard. Then, the blonde-haired boy finally snapped out of his daze.

"Ah, sorry for suddenly calling you out, but I was just surprised to see someone from my old school here. I don't know if you remember me, but we used to attend the same high school together. My name is Adrian Lei Feng."

Of course, he remembered.

How could he not? With the way his fangirls screamed his name like lunatics, Adrian was practically a celebrity back then.

Thinking so, Klaus smiled slightly before he replied:

"I remember. You were pretty popular back then."

Adrian's face brightened, clearly pleased that he hadn't been forgotten.

"I see. That's a relief. I didn't expect to run into someone from high school here, though. Ah, speaking of which, you were the second person in our school to awaken, right?"

Klaus gave a small shrug.

"That was me. But I didn't think anyone would remember though."

It was a reasonable thing to say. After all, he had been practically a loner back in high school. At least, until graduation.

Well, until he was turned into a clown by his so-called ex-girlfriend.

Tch. Damn it. He cursed inwardly.

This was exactly why he hated running into old faces. Not that he had anything against Adrian, but seeing people from high school always brought back unwanted memories—specifically, memories of her.

Who would want to remember the person who stabbed them in the back?

And Klaus was one of those unfortunate fools who had been betrayed in the worst way possible.

'I should probably end this quick.'

Reaching that conclusion, he let out a small sigh and said:

"It's really nice to meet you, I guess. But I'll have to go. "

"Ah, wait... I'm actually your neighbor. My room is literally right across from yours," Adrian said before continuing, "I was about to take a look around the academy by myself, but since you're here, would you mind joining me?"

As he spoke, Adrian's gaze drifted down to the bags Klaus was carrying.

"I can tell you've only been to the cafeteria. And with combat classes and the physical assessment exam starting tomorrow, you won't have much free time to explore, right?"

...Ah. That.

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Klaus felt like his weakness had been exposed.

Adrian wasn't wrong. Lancer Jet had mentioned that their training would start tomorrow. In such a situation, there wouldn't be enough time to freely explore the academy's grounds.

And truth be told, Klaus was especially interested in checking out the Western Division of Ascension Academy. That was where the Riders were stationed for their personal training.

There were no strict rules preventing Aspirants and Riders from visiting each other's departments, so long as it was during free hours.

Considering all that, if he missed his chance today, he'd be at a disadvantage tomorrow.

What to do...?

After mulling it over for a few moments, Klaus finally came to a decision.

"Alright. I'll tag along with you. I was planning to explore the academy anyway, and it wouldn't hurt to get to know my neighbor better."

"Ohhh? Is that so?! Great! Thank you very much!"

Hearing that his request was accepted, Adrian's eyes shone, and he bowed his head slightly. His enthusiasm was almost infectious.

Klaus wasn't exactly the sociable type, but he figured there was no harm in spending a little time with his neighbor. As long as Adrian didn't turn out to be a headache, this should be fine.

But he didn't expect him to react like this. Why was he so excited? Surely, it wasn't possible that he didn't have any friends, right?

Then, he remembered something.

'Perhaps due to his connections to the Feng Lei Clan, he became popular in high school quickly, and his looks added to his case. He must have been wary of people since he couldn't gauge if their intentions were pure or not. But it's different here, since there are many Aspirants with similar connections and origins.'

If his thoughts were correct, then that would mean the person before him was rather lonely. This was probably his first attempt to form a genuine friendly relationship.

Indeed, being the center of attention had its downsides.

While he was thinking this, Adrian continued:

"I was planning to check out the training grounds first. I heard the Riders have their own special facilities. It'd be cool to see them in action."

Klaus nodded absentmindedly, though his mind was already focused on something else. The Riders' division was his main goal as well. If he was lucky, he might catch a glimpse of their training methods and get a better grasp of their riding capabilities up close.

"Okay. Let me drop these first."

"Ah, yes. I'll wait here."

Klaus nodded and quickly entered his room. Luckily, the angle at which he opened the door prevented Adrian from peeking inside. Besides, he didn't seem all that interested in his room.

"Oh, you're back. What took you so long?"

Said the lazy Briar, casually using her MiniPad while lying on his mattress, her flat stomach pressed against the sheets.

He frowned slightly before sighing and placing all the bags on the table. Then, he said:

"Hey, I'm going back out. I have something I need to do, and I brought some food for you. It should be enough to last you until the end of the day, yeah? Well, just don't go outside for whatever reason. And don't wait for me too long. I might be back late, so you're free to do whatever."

"Yeah, sure. Whatever."

"Harsh much? A simple thank you wouldn't hurt, y'know?"

Briar gave him a side glance.

"Wow. That was so kind of you~ Thank you so, so, so much~! I might even give you a squeeze?! Or is that what you want to hear?"

"I can literally smell the sarcasm in your words. If you're going to say something like that, at least put all your feelings into it, okay?"

"Tch!"

She clicked her tongue, whereupon Klaus asked,

"Are you still angry about that?"

"I don't know. The guy who tried to seize my MiniPad, chased me around like a cursed spirit, then tackled me just because he was in a bad mood is standing in front of me and acting like nothing happened. So yeah, I'm still holding a grudge, you big jerk!"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! How many times do you want me to apologize? And you even bit me all over my body! Is this the way you show your love?!"

"As if I'd waste my affection on someone as insufferable as you!"

So you say...?

Klaus sighed and rubbed the faint bite marks on his neck. If anyone had seen thsoe marks, they would naturally think they were sex marks.

Even so, he ignored that and spat out a counter of his own.

"You sure talk big for someone completely at my mercy."

That was enough to shut Briar up temporarily.

Tch! Tch! Tch! She clicked her tongue three times before she muttered.

"Just go already."

"Fine, fine. Don't miss me too much, and I'll even make sure to show you some love this day!"

"Pervert! Die! Die! Die!"

Briar threw a pillow at him, which he barely dodged before slipping out the door.