I couldn't rule out the possibility!
Kuzon had all it took; the brawn, brain, and personality. No matter the angle at which I considered things, he was much more mature for his age.
Sure, there were exceptional people in this world, but this was too much.
'I could simply be overreacting, but… I can't rule out the possibility.'
I had been humbled by many incidents in my life—both the past and present ones—and came to realize that I wasn't 'special'. I was inept in my past life, and I never possessed a talent for Magic even after reincarnating.
Sure, I was brilliant academically, but there were many like me.
Ana was a prime example. She both possessed smarts and an immense talent for Magic. She was special… unlike me.
Which was why I couldn't rule out the possibility that I wasn't the only one who reincarnated. There had to be others! I refused to be conceited and think I was some 'Chosen One'.
'I've never been that… so…'
The possibility became more visible as I stared at Kuzon and he returned the gaze. Something about him… seemed awfully familiar. I was familiar with his last name, though. Perhaps that had something to do with my connection with him.
There was also the unusual interest he seemed to display regarding me. It was a bit creepy, but… maybe he also sensed something? Could it be some sort of bond between reincarnators?
There was so much I didn't know.
'Kuzon Midas, eh? I need to do some research after this…'
For now, though, more pressing issues required my attention.
"F—fine! Whatever!" Ciara gave in to the pressure, thankfully.
With that, she decided to come with us to the Middle-Class Boys' dorms. With a sigh of relief, we resumed our journey.
Kuzon and Ana smoldered me with their conversations and Ciara nonchalantly moved to keep up with our pace. Despite the dire situation at hand, there was no sign of tension in the area.
'Am I the one who is overthinking things?' I couldn't help asking myself.
My friends often told me that I read too much meaning to things at times. Maybe they were right, but… this wasn't something I could afford to be negligent with.
It bothered me that these top guns were casually strolling the campus. I understood they were strong, but… if they left their dorms, who would protect the rest of the students?
I asked Kuzon, and managed to ask Ciara too.
"I killed all of mine. Then, I alerted everyone and told them the situation before leaving." The former retorted.
"I killed the ones in my path and went for the Lower Class Dorm to—erm, never mind. I killed the ones in my way, that's all."
It exasperated me to the point of lashing out at the two of them. I was older than them both, so the urge to reprimand them for their carelessness nearly took over, but I controlled myself.
Besides, after considering the fact that Kuzon could also be a reincarnator like me, I decided to tread carefully with him.
'I hope those Dorms are okay…'
Sure, other members of the Elite Ten were among the Upper-Class Dorms, but considering I could probably match up to Rank 3 among them in raw power, I didn't have much faith in them.
'Hopefully, it ends up well. For now, I should take everyone to the Middle-Class Dorm. We'll mobilize from there and decide the next step…'
That was all I could do at the moment.
**********
It was a relief to see so many students packed in the Middle-Class Boys' Dorm.
I wasn't simply referring to the ones I left behind, but also the other students that had arrived. Initially, Kuzon and Ciara's actions made me doubt that things would go according to plan, but it seemed they were able to pull through nonetheless.
'Looks like I underestimated the Upper Class… or maybe those two simply got rid of most of the enemies around…'
My strategy was to have every student converge at a single spot. By helping the Middle-Class students, I made everyone gather there. Once the Upper-Class students figured out the situation, I figured they would make a similar move and attempt to rescue the other Class Members—or at least, investigate.
Ultimately, our actions would synchronize, and we would meet at the boys' dormitory.
Once we arrived and exchanged greetings, I personally showed Jerry to Ciara. To my surprise, Ciara didn't seem to show any interest in the boy. She gazed coldly at my respectable senior, causing even me to feel sorry for the guy.
After a very emphasized "Hmph!" she left us and rallied with her Upper-Class comrades.
I was left even more confused than before.
"What's her deal?" I asked the quite sober Jerry.
"I… have no idea." He mumbled.
Apparently, he was used to this sort of treatment from her.
Still, not taking a few discrepancies into account, everything had worked out so far.
It would be easier to mobilize everyone at that point. My goal wasn't to simply weather the enemy's assault, but to figure out a way out of it.
'Being together means we're a better target… that works to the opponent's advantage. But this also means we're a joint front. It'll be easier to fight properly with enough hands.
One problem existed, though. It was an issue that often sprouted when there were many people in a single location—conflict of interests.
"What should we do now?"
"I'm scared…"
"We don't need to worry now that the Upper-Class members are here…"
"The Rankers…"
"But, those things… even Sir Fabian would struggle if they came at him in multiple folds, right?"
"I… you shouldn't say that!"
The unease could be clearly felt around us, but those of us with power and capabilities ignored the pointless ramblings of the masses and held a secluded meeting of our own.
With so many groups together—all scared and anxious—it was obvious we needed to figure out a way to unify the students… and fast!
As a result, our little strategy meeting was established.
The participants consisted of the Rankers, and representatives from each class… apart from the Elites, of course.
I represented the Lower Class.
A boy named Roy Lesryio—the Rank 1 of his Class' Elite Ten—represented the Middle Class.
Kuzon represented the Upper Class.
No one objected to this arrangement, even though both Kuzon and I were First Years.
And so, the meeting began in earnest.
