"You know, Vanny... they say Stacia hasn't really been spending time with the other classmates lately," Emilia said quietly, her breath forming a soft puff in the cold air. "Reina and Uriel told me."
Vanessa didn't look too surprised.
She took a bite of her sandwich before replying, "Isn't that kind of natural? All of us in the specialized courses have to train closely with our seniors. Even me, Reina, and Uriel aren't exempt from that. Though... Flamme's a bit of a special case. She just casually ignores her assigned senior. I actually feel bad for him—he seems like a decent guy, too."
"I-I see..." Emilia hesitated, fidgeting with the edge of the sandwich wrapper in her lap. "But... Stacia's training partner—her mentor—is Senior Riley, right?"
"Yes." Vanessa turned to her. "Is that a problem?"
They sat quietly on the old stone benches in the central square park of the academy.
The area was mostly empty, a rare pocket of peace in the middle of campus.
