Sweat trickled down the side of his head with his teeth rigidly clenched as he stubbornly rejected giving up. His feet and raised hand were trembling slightly, indicating the amount of determination he had put behind his skill.

The grey orb the size of a regular globe was levitating above the surface, maintaining a distance of eight feet away from the ground yet unsteady to call it completely in control.

The training program allows the user to manipulate the orb above the ground level using their skill as long as they can. However, there was a slight modification in the tool.

Weight amplification.

Passing each minute the weight of the orb multiplies to the double of previous weight. Many students use similar kinds of tools with the same mechanism to enhance their strength and train their stamina. But Seth was using the gymnasium property to strengthen his psychokinesis.

The current weight of the orb was around 2560 kilograms and only eight minutes had passed but considering how much the orb was moving if compared to its initial state, one could easily deduce that Seth was nearing his limit.

"Gaah!!! " Releasing a strong exhale, Seth's concentration broke and the heavy orb began to fall to the ground. Just before it could hit the floor and possibly create a small crater, the security mechanism kicked in and the orb began floating just centimeters above the ground, back to its original weight of ten kilograms.

Seth rested his palms over his bent knees as he panted heavily, trying to fill his lungs with as much air as he could. He has been doing physical work and weapon training as well which didn't allow him to progress much in his ability of psychokinesis.

"Here." Seth has long sensed Setena watching him even though schooling hours have already been over.

"T-haah-thanks... " In between his labored breathing, Seth took the dry towel before he straightened his back.

Slowly moving the fabric across his drenched arms and face, Seth glanced at the blond girl who was looking toward the levitating orb without much focus to say.

She was zoning out since earlier and without peeking in her mind Seth could tell that she was troubled.

"Even though you turn insomniac or eat less in concern for your senior, it won't be going to help in any manner, Serena. "

Serena's maid was his source of information.

Serena has been like this since the disappearance of Laila. It has already been three days since Seth read that letter left by his ex-fiancee yet nothing evident has come up regarding Laila's whereabouts.

Now the only clue Seth had was the old man who originally was supposed to inform the Protagonist about the treasure room. However, until now neither of his Shadows has found anything about it.

"...I know...but whenever the thought about what she might be going through crosses my mind, it makes me... "

Tears streamed down her cold pale cheeks, with her head hanging low in guilt and remorse.

Seth looked at the girl for a moment before he transferred the towel in his other hand and pulled Serena toward him.

Serena didn't show any resistance or surprise before she rested her hand on his chest and began sobbing a bit louder...allowing herself to let go of the restrain she always put while expressing her emotions.

Serena didn't know why she was comfortable in his arms to expose her broken side but neither she wanted to think about nor she disliked this liberty.

Seth silently let the girl cry her grief as he stood there while rubbing her back slowly, to comfort the girl.

After some minutes, Serena finally calmed down with a red-clogged nose and tear-stained eyes as she separated from Seth.

He helped her wipe those tears softly as his warming whisper reached up to her, "I promise you that I will find Laila. So stop harming yourself, alright?" Both of them knew what Seth meant by those words.

Serena nodded to her fiancé with her cheeks slightly red before she walked out.

She wanted to leave the school with Seth but he told her about some pending work before seeing her off near the gym entrance.

After being left alone, Seth took out a vessel of water as his dry throat left some words for particularly no one, "I don't like being spied on. Next time don't expect me to be so humble. "

He took a mouthful of water before gulping it down as the corner of his vision caught the figure of a young lady, appearing out of thin air.

Her ruby-red eyes seemed stone cold under dim lighting yet Seth had no particular change of expression.

"Your fiancee...she does know how to play her cards...I wonder where she learned that from~"

Her lips were smiling yet Maydeath didn't seem to be casual about the small episode that occurred between Seth and Serena, at all.

If anything, Seth wanted to ask her to put some effort into suppressing her blood lust.

"Why are you here, Maydeath?" Seth asked as he did a quick survey and found Serena was fine and was walking toward her dorm.

When it comes to women around him, Seth really couldn't believe Maydeath and Anabelle at all...

"Why you ask... " Maydeath feet only came to a halt when she reached inches away from the man of her dreams. Bathing in his manly scent and enjoying this heat he was radiating, Maydeath found her mind getting a little dizzy and excitement rising exponentially.

Since she was almost a head shorter than him, she had to look up at him with those crimson eyes as she finished her words in a whispering tone, "... I just wanted to see you. Am I being a bother?"

Would it matter even if I said yes...was what Seth wanted to say but he didn't bother and turned on his feet to place the gym equipment back into place.

He didn't need to physically move anything but visibly focusing on the object allowed his psychokinesis to work at its best.

However, before he could begin rearranging the tools, Maydeath twirled on her feet and stood facing him. Her hands hooked around his neck as she stubbornly said, "Why are ignoring me?"

Her bold initiative allowed Maydeath to finally get to touch him. God, how elated she was to finally get to feel him after so long.

But Seth didn't share the same sentiment as he spoke in slight annoyance, "Listen Miyuki...I am not really in the mood right now to entertain you jokes... "As he said his hands took a hold of her thin waist before Seth tried to move her away.

But before he could put any strength in his hold, Maydeath's following words made his body freeze at the spot, "You still like Laila, don't you?"

Since he leaned forward to grab her waist, their eyes were aligned at the moment as Seth's eyes flashed with slight surprise upon hearing Maydeath's words.

Only the two of them knew that their current position wasn't out of mutual affection but from any third person's perspective, it would seem otherwise.

And the said third person who rushed inside the gymnasium was none other than...

"Seth I need to talk-"

....Arata.

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A/N: - Drop a comment if you liked the chapter~