John was tempted to just leave without even talking, but the cocky noble might have had some kind of proposition he wanted to make, and it might not hurt to hear him out.

"What do you want?" John said, suppressing a groan.

"Nothing."

John almost let out a curse.

"It's just nice to see you after so long, John Quarta," Draco said, but he couldn't hide that disgusting smirk of his.

"...you trying to say something?"

"I know your name, John. I know who you are."

"Great, so do I."

John took Prota's hand and walked away, rolling his eyes. It was clearly meant to be a threat. Draco had pulled some strings and gotten his information from somewhere, but he didn't care. This was the reason he never left a paper trail. He wasn't interested in letting people know who he was.

Even if he had left a paper trail, it would lead into mystery. If he didn't know his own identity, then how could others? Besides, his existence was an anomaly in itself. He hadn't been born to anyone in this world. No birth certificate. No official citizenship. Nothing.

After all, he wasn't meant to be here.

"Come on, Prota. Let's go get you a dress or something."

~~~

For the next few weeks, the island was abuzz with excitement for the upcoming dance. John was more excited about the amount of snow they were getting, though. There were blankets and blankets, perfect for tons of winter activities. What with the longer nights and clear skies, he could often be found taking strolls around midnight.

They weren't just for pleasure, though. The cold night air helped him think.

"What next?" he muttered to himself.

"The dance is in a week, John. Better think of something."

With nobody nearby, John's soul popped out. His scarf was wrapped around his face as if he were cold. That was impossible. Zero's body couldn't interact with anything physical, but he seemed committed to the bit. John watched his breath come out in puffs of fog, floating up and vanishing into the air.

"What's gonna happen?" John muttered.

"Why do you keep expecting something from me?"

John shrugged. "I dunno. You can't be helpful for once? We have this discussion over and over. You ever gonna give me a freebie?"

"I don't know, John," Zero sighed. "You know what my answer's gonna be."

"Yeah, yeah. Make it a good story or something."

He swept the snow off a bench and plopped down, hanging his arms over the back as his head leaned back, staring into the sky. The stars weren't visible, but the flurry of snowflakes was almost just as pretty.

"Why? Why did the [Author] of this [Story] put me in here if they know I'm not going to be a good [Character], Zero? What was the point?"

The soul floated down beside him, resting on the bench. Two twins, one and the same.

"I can't tell you that, John."

The boy stood up with a sigh. His hoodie was getting wet from all the snow.

"Well. That's that, I guess."

"You're not mad?"

John turned back to look at Zero.

"What can I do, man? There's no point in getting mad anymore. I've just gotta push forward. What else should I do? Sit and cry?"

~~~

The day of the dance came. School was out of session to allow the eager students to prepare for the big event. The stadium's roof had been closed and fitted with a chandelier, and a smooth platform had been put down so the children wouldn't have to dance on a dusty floor. The balconies had been redecorated, so the place almost looked like a royal ballroom.

John had to admit it was sort of impressive. Still, he wasn't looking forward to the event for multiple reasons.

Prota was far more excited than he was. She was wearing the dress her brother had gotten just for this occasion, and she'd gotten her hair straightened and arranged. It wasn't very well done, considering John wasn't a hairstylist, but it was the most proper she'd probably ever looked in her life.

The dichotomy between the two was almost comedic, though. John, who had that small smile, as usual, looked far more excited than Prota, whose face was but a mask of neutrality. Yet, despite their appearances, Prota was the one glowing with excitement, while John was the one dreading the upcoming event.

As if to compensate, John was still dressed in his usual attire. That, at least, let people know how little he cared for the dance.

"You can't be wearing that."

They'd bumped into Destiny and Celestia on their way to the dance. The [Protagonist] was tucked out in a fine satin tuxedo, the shiny black material and white shirt accenting his combed silver hair and shining golden eyes. The princess was similarly dressed in an elegant green dress, looking as if it were made of pure emerald.

The two of them were looking at John, who was dressed as a bum.

"No, seriously. I don't wanna hear a single argument out of you. Go get changed," Destiny said.

John opened his mouth, but Destiny immediately chanted a spell and sucked the air out of his lungs, shutting him up.

"Go."

At that moment, Danjo and Briar walked by. The dwarf was wearing an ill-fitting suit, but paired with his glasses and messy, sooty hair, it was almost more fitting than a tuxedo would've been. Briar had a simple, slim black dress, but it was still quite nice. They likely couldn't afford anything better, but at least they were dressed for the occasion.

"You're wearing that?" Briar frowned. "What are ya, a bum? I'm poor, and I'm still wearin' something nice. Come on, go get changed!"

John sighed. He didn't say anything; he just invited them into his room. Prota looked disappointed, as if she knew what was coming next.

"Here. Here is the problem," he said.

John threw open his closet door to reveal a bunch of red shirts, black pants, and a couple of spare hoodies and scarves. Other than underwear and socks, there wasn't a single article of clothing that stood out in any way.

"Y-you're kidding me…" Danjo muttered.

There was a collective silence as they all stared at John's wardrobe.

"You- you could've said something, you know," Celestia said timidly. "We could've-"

"He's doing it by choice, I think," Destiny said hesitantly. "I don't think I've seen him wear anything else. I- I should've seen this coming, to be honest."

John just sighed. "Alright, everyone out. I'll get something out of my bags."

Danjo's eyes widened. "What-"

"Just get out."

He slowly pushed everyone out of the room, shutting the door behind them. Their whispers could still be heard on the other side, but he ignored them as he stepped into his washroom, leaning on the sink counter. He looked up into his tired, red-and-black eyes, questioning whether he was really about to do this or not.

"John?" Prota said quietly, looking at him in confusion.

"Damn. Guess you do, in fact, lose some."

With a sigh, he pulled a black tuxedo out of his pocket dimension, complete with a shiny red satin vest and frilly white shirt. There was a visible expression of disgust as he looked at the outfit, but it seemed he didn't really have a choice in the matter. He slipped into the monkey suit with an air of defeat as his symbol appeared once more on his back, gave himself a quick look in the mirror, and stepped outside.

"There you are, we were wondering-" Destiny started, but stopped as his jaw hit the floor. "Hey. So you can dress properly."

"Yeah, yeah. Shut it. Let's just get this over with, ok?"

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

~~~

The dance was, to be fair, quite well prepared. The food and drinks were wonderful, and the place was so well-decorated that you would have never guessed it was a stadium. The live music and environment were pleasant. The students were having a wonderful time, and there was a great amount of mingling between the various years, something that didn't happen all that often. Even Prota, who was uncomfortable around crowds of people, was enjoying herself, grabbing snacks and wandering around wide-eyed at such an interesting event.

"Come on. It can't be that bad," Zero said in John's mind.

John just shook his head. "It's not. It just sucks. I'd rather be at home."

In the end, he ended up sipping on a drink while sitting in a corner. He was telling the truth. The dance wasn't actually that bad. He wasn't an introvert, nor did he have some kind of social anxiety. He just didn't find dances interesting, especially when there were far more entertaining things he could be doing.

So there he was, snacking on the various finger foods prepped along the way, watching with mild interest as the kids danced around. There were some interesting observations to be made, he had to admit. You could immediately tell the class difference between the children depending on who was dancing in pairs, who was shimmying around to the music on their own, and those awkwardly tripping over their feet trying to replicate the choreographed dances of the nobles. The clothes obviously helped, but John was trying to amuse himself, which meant making things harder for himself.

Interestingly, Draco had yet to approach him. He would've thought the brat would have said something given what'd happened earlier, but no, the rodent was dancing with some random girl in his sparkly white and gold suit.

"I need some air," John muttered, putting his drink aside.

He walked around the seats to a set of double doors, lazily pushing through them to be greeted with the crisp, cold night air. He took a deep breath in, savouring the freshness of the winter weather.

"At least the air quality's pretty good here," Zero tried again.

John rolled his eyes. "That's what you want to say now that we're alone?"

Nothing. Again, nothing happened. How long would this go on for? Was it time to just hang it up and let himself go loose? Maybe the [Author] had heard his complaints and decided to give him a break. He'd been under the assumption that his days at school were part of the [Story], but it was possible this entire period of time could be skipped with just a single line.

Four years later.

That's all it would take. Three words to skip over four years of John's life.

"I mean, it's better than the shitty city air, right?" Zero said quietly.

"Again, that's what you wanna talk about?"

The soul shimmered into existence, his legs swinging as he sat on the railing.

"It's a nice night."

"...yeah. It sure is."

He pulled out his revolver, the one he'd been using for so long. It was just an ordinary weapon. Nothing special about it, other than the fact that it would never work in a real-life setting. This thing was truly a work of fiction. The metal shone in the starlight, but it'd seen enough action. It wouldn't cut it anymore. With some reluctance, John put it back in the pocket dimension, and it would stay there.

"Couldn't find a partner?"

John nearly jumped as Lupin opened the doors behind him, leaving the bright lights of the party to join his student in the darkness of the outside. The wolf Mystic looked sharp, dressed in a clean black suit with a blue vest and a white shirt. The light glinted off his perfectly shined shoes, and his cane was made of ivory gold rather than the usual black.

"I thought you were supervising the kids," John said hesitantly.

"You speak as if you are not a child yourself."

"...yeah."

John had to remind himself he was in the body of a child, not his usual young adult form.

"The other teachers have it covered quite well. I have grown to dislike loud noises over the years. Perhaps I am growing old."

John didn't know if that was supposed to be a joke or not. Was it something about him being a wolf? Was he really getting old? Perhaps 'over the years' meant over the past few centuries. That would make sense.

"So, uh… what're you doing out here?"

The Mystic chuckled. "Still as disrespectful as ever, I see."

"You're a lot more jolly than usual."

"I need not fill the role of a mentor at the moment. As you have not seen the need to fill the role of a student for a while, now."

John stiffened under his suit. What did he mean by that?

"Come. As I've said, we are not the idiots you might think we are. Even if you were merely here for your sister, a normal student would not be so blatantly casual around the professors, especially if they are Mystics. And like I told you, you are no idiot."

Lupin leaned on the rail, his eyes sweeping the land.

"I heard there was an incident involving souls recently. In fact, only a few months before you came to the school."

John sighed, turning around and leaning against the rail. He looked into the stadium, where the students were still dancing around, the muffled sounds of laughter and music leaking through the closed doors. The light was warm. Inviting.

But once again, a reminder that this wasn't where he belonged. Despite his desire for peace, it wasn't for him. His body, his mind, they were built to endure hell, and he was getting pantsy without it.

"You sound like a crazy old conspiracy theorist, but sure, I'll play along," John shrugged. "Let's pretend that I'm, what, some kind of Mystic spy? Sure, let's say that. What do you want from me?"

Lupin didn't react to that. John was surprised. He'd thrown out a bait, a pretty juicy one at that, but the real Mystic hadn't even questioned his theoretical situation. Either the old wolf had already theorized this, or he knew for a fact that John wasn't this world's version of a god.

The second was a lot more likely.

"Your intentions at this school. What are they?" Lupin said, his tone turning slightly more dangerous.

"I told you. It's to watch over my sister. That's really all it is."

"Then why not disguise yourself better? Why not use mana?"

"My core-"

"That cannot be true. Ms. Dawn told me about your sister's skills. There are few close to her, and even fewer that could teach her how to perform mana reinforcement on her nervous system. Asking me to teach your friend Destiny was a clever ruse, I admit, but he is not yet at the level that he could teach your sister such a thing. As such, there is only one variable left."

John cursed inwardly. Lupin had used the wrong formula to get the right result. Asking him to teach Destiny had nothing to do with Prota's new abilities, and he himself hadn't thought much of teaching her such a skill. Still, it didn't explain anything.

"What does that have to do with my core?"

"Come, you expect me to believe that someone without a core could understand such a technical ability to the point that they could teach it?"

John sighed. "I don't have any mana, man. I really don't."

"You gain nothing by lying here."

"I'm not."

Lupin gave a long, heavy sigh, steam blowing from his nose, drifting up into the night sky.

"I do not know who you are. I do not know what role you plan on playing. But there are forces larger than you may think. Forces at play larger than the nobles you are trying to deal with."

"...if you're so unsure about me, then why warn me?"

"You believe yourself to be the only one who can hold secrets?" The old professor stood up, dusting some of the snow off the sleeves of his suit. "I do not believe you to be a good person, John Quarta, but neither do I believe you to be bad. You simply are. And to me, that is far better than chasing after a moral high ground."

He walked over to the door, pushing it open just a crack. Warm air flooded through, blasting John in the face along with the amplified music and sound.

"All I warn you is that, if something happens, I will not necessarily stand on your side. Whether or not you are someone to be trusted remains to be seen. So keep your eyes open and your ears keen."

The doors shut on their own, and John continued to look into the building even long after Lupin was gone.

"What do you think?"

"Why're you asking me that?" John muttered to someone not visibly present. "I just… damn. Old dude, huh? First time I feel like I lost in an exchange of words."

"That's cause you didn't get the last word in, John."

"...fair enough."

~~~

Prota was enjoying herself. She'd found Lilith and Ryan, and while she didn't really know about slow dances or courting or anything like that, the music was nice, the food was good, and she'd found a quiet corner to sort of shimmy around in and watch everyone else move about.

The highlight of the night was definitely Destiny and Celestia. They were both incredibly pretty to look at, especially the princess. Their steps to the beat were hypnotic, perfectly in sync, their bodies moving as one.

"That's the royal spring dance of the elves," Ryan muttered, munching on a piece of bread. "They must've practiced. That's no easy dance."

"Isn't that usually reserved for-"

"Not our place to say," Ryan frowned, casting an unnoticed side eye at Prota.

Lilith covered her mouth hurriedly.

The girl didn't notice any of this, though. She just continued to happily stare at the dance, thoroughly enjoying her time here. Her brother might've had something to say about Lilith's slip of the tongue, but her brother was busy, occupied with something far more important.

As the minutes ticked by, though, nature began to call. With the amount of drinks Prota had ingested, she was bound to feel something eventually. Thankfully, she wasn't busy with any partner, so she dashed off to the washroom. In her hurry, she hadn't noticed someone following her.

She stepped out feeling better, heading back with some more snacks to try in mind, but was stopped by a familiar figure. Draco hadn't gone to John.

He'd gone to Prota.

"Finally. I was hoping to catch you alone."

Her guard immediately came up. This was a threat that could actively end her life. She wouldn't regard him as anything less than that. Her eyes began to glow as mana gathered at her fingertips.

"Whoah, whoah. I don't plan on doing anything to you. And I would suggest that you not try anything here unless you want the teachers to come running."

Prota frowned. He wasn't here to attack her. Then what? Surely, he wanted revenge for what had happened during the exam. She was no John, but even she knew that he would try something eventually.

So why was he standing there so casually?

"You might be interested to know there's almost no record of you anywhere. Your identity was made only a few years ago. You have no infractions. No records. Nothing. As if you didn't exist until a little while ago."

She flinched, stepping back. Had he found out about her past? About her time in the village? Was he here to threaten her with that?

"So I can't really do anything to you, as you may have guessed."

Then what?

"Your brother, too." Draco grit his teeth at that. "Although he was a little more interesting."

Prota was confused now. What did he want?

"But, you see… your weakness is that you see others as people. While to me, they are just insects. My point? You care about them."

She still didn't get it. Destiny? Celestia? Untouchable, right? And Danjo and Briar shouldn't have much to threaten either unless she was mistaken.

"Your friends, Lilith and Ryan Rose. Do you know who they are?"

The small girl froze. Now that she thought about it, she knew nothing about them. Where they came from, who they were, what their history was, all she knew was that they were friendly toward her.

Think. She had to think. Who were they? What were their secrets? Had John been here, he would've been able to tell her within a couple of minutes of thinking, but he wasn't here, and she didn't have his knowledge or insight.

It didn't matter. Draco was about to tell her anyway.

"The Rose family. Led by Earl Rose. Who just so happens to be deadly sick in his home, his funds being sapped to keep him alive. A fallen noble family, barely clinging on to their status."

Prota was confused. Lilith and Ryan were nobles? They didn't act like it. Sure, they had nice clothes, but they weren't the nicest. They had manners, but Lilith was so carefree that it was hard to think of her actions as prim and proper. And they spoke freely-

Oh. Thinking back, it made sense. The times Ryan stopped his sister from talking, the clothes that were once pretty but now worn down, their knowledge of the system, the fact that they had a magic teacher from an early age, it all lined up.

Draco wasn't lying.

"Wouldn't it be a shame," he continued, "if something were to happen to them?"

Fear ran down Prota's spine. For the first time, she understood what other students felt. The fear of having something to lose, the fear that people you love could be exploited, could be brought down by the word of one person.

"So, you little shit," Draco hissed, leaning in close. "You better not act up and do as I say. Or you know what will happen to those two. Do you understand?"

Prota nodded meekly. She wanted to hit him. She wanted to summon her magic and obliterate him from the face of the planet. For once, she understood John's causal attitude toward killing the noble.

But she couldn't. Not anymore.

"Glad to see we've come to an agreement."

He left, the tapping of his stupid shiny shoes echoing as he walked back to the dance, a smug smile on his face, leaving Prota to stand still as a statue, watching his slowly shrinking figure.

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