I sighed and curled myself up into a ball within the closet of the hotel room I had snuck into. Hopefully, those guys wouldn't find me here. They didn't put their luggage in here, so I saw no reason for why they would open it, to begin with.

I closed my eyes and dozed off.

"Hey, there," a voice called out.

I opened my eyes and saw a blond boy grinning at me. The first rays of sunlight started pouring into the room via the window I had used to sneak in.

I pushed myself up. "How did you know I was there?" I asked, trying not to raise my voice. The blue-haired boy was still fast asleep, while the other two were nowhere to be seen. Hopefully, he wasn't calling security on me.

He entered the closet and closed the door behind him. "I woke up earlier to go on my daily jog and heard metal clattering in here. I chose to ignore it, but there it was again when I returned. Traced it back to here."

I sighed. The guy turned out more perceptive than I expected.

"I'll be going now," I said, raising my hand. The blond boy grabbed my hand before I could snap my fingers. "Wait, don't go! Come with us!" He looked straight at me with his crimson eyes.

"Huh?"

He turned away and grumbled. "Wait, I'm not even sure if he or she is fifteen."

"I-I am, but what about it? Why does my age matter to you?"

The boy grinned. "Great! Then you can come with us to Nine Petal."

What was up with this guy?

"Nine Petal? The famous Kyuu Seishinian academy?" I asked, tilting my head.

He nodded. "Yup! The one and only!"

I pulled my hand away from his grasp. "Why do you want me to accompany you?"

"You said that you had no place to go. That'll change if you get admitted to Nine Petal."

I lowered my head. "Would they even admit someone like me?"

"They've probably had several weird individuals go there in the past. Or at least ones who've tried."

I looked up at him. "Y-you think I'm weird?"

He scratched his cheek and chuckled. "Well, you are wearing that armor. If you're only worried about your face, you would've worn a mask."

I lowered my head. "Right." I couldn't remove this armor. At least not with people around. If I did, the world would be thrown into a loop.

"Do you have a body image problem?"

I snickered weakly. "That's one way of putting it."

"Wish I could see your face, but it's fine. Hopefully, you'll open up more."

I turned away. "It's not like that."

He blinked, having missed what I just mumbled.

I waved my hand. "It's nothing."

He stood up and held out his hand. "Then, will you join us?"

My magic was probably enough to get into Nine Petal, plus my knowledge on how magic worked was pretty good, thanks to Mom's tutoring. Perhaps, I could be admitted.

I grabbed hold of his hand. "Alright."

He flashed me a toothy grinned and chuckled. "Great! Welcome aboard. Oh, right. My name's Carter!"

I smiled. "Thank you, Carter."

He continued to grin. "You're smiling underneath that helmet, too, aren't you?"

My cheeks warmed. Was I that obvious that even a stranger could tell?

I let go of his hand. "Well, this is the first time that someone asks me to join them. Wherever I go, most want me gone."

He frowned. "Even your parents?"

"Dad died when I was little. Mom raised me by herself until she fell ill." Had they lived, would they have continued to love me? My friends turned against me after I was forced to wear this armor.

Carter gulped. "You're an orphan?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I was to go live with my grandparents, but I ran away before that. Not that I think they would've been comfortable with me around. I would've reminded them too much of their son."

"You didn't even try to find out?"

"I know so. After my dad died, my grandma would cry whenever she saw me."

"What about your maternal grandparents?"

"They weren't fond of me to begin with since I was the child of a 'lowly carpenter'. Mom was given some money and disowned."

Carter curled his hands into fists. "So, they were like my dad."

"Your dad? Did he kick you out for falling for someone poor?"

Carter shook his head. "He kicked me out, but for another reason. It was my older sister he exiled because of who she fell in love with. At least your mom's parents gave her money. My sister was thrown to the streets after recovering from her fight with our Father."

I gasped. "They fought?"

"Dad said that he would accept her marriage to the man who would become my Master only if she defeated him in battle. She accepted, but she ended up getting beaten badly." He gritted his teeth. It was hard to believe he was the cheerful boy from a moment ago.

I grabbed him and pulled him in for a hug.

"Huh?" he asked, blinking.

"Calm down, Carter. Don't let hate cloud your heart."

He pulled up the collar of his yellow coat, covering half of his face. "Sorry."

"Despite what happened, you appear to have made it this far without him."

Carter lowered his collar, revealing a slight smile. "I had my sister, Master, and my niece supporting me. " He lowered his head. "Though, there was a time when I thought that I wouldn't make it."

"But you did."

He laughed. "Yeah!" He turned and opened the closet door. "I'm going to go shower, but if Nate gives you issues, tell him that you're coming with us." He unzipped his coat and threw it to the messy bed next to the blue-haired boy's.

Was it a good idea for me to stay here when he was gone?

"Don't worry. He might be a bit of an oddball, but he's a nice guy once you get to know him!" Carter said, waving at me as he stood outside of the bathroom.

"Who are you calling an oddball, weirdo?" Nate asked with a smirk on his face.

Carter jumped. "You're awake!"

He laughed. "I'm surprised that you're not asleep. You seemed like the type to sleep in."

Carter's face turned red. "I only ever sleep in when I don't wake up to go on a jog."

"A jog?" He looked him up and down. "Is that why you're drenched in sweat."

"Yeah." Carter raising his shirt a little, revealing a set of abs. "I run until I break a sweat. Seems that I'll need to increase the intensity as it's taking me longer."

"I see," Nate said, running a hand through his blue hair. He leered at me. "I assume you invited it like you did Kanja?"

"Yup! Please be nice to our new companion."

"Well, at least it didn't kidnap anyone... that I know about." He narrowed his eyes at me as he removed the blankets partially. "That said, are you a boy or a girl?"

"I'm thinking a boy," Carter said. "I can talk to it normally."

"My name is Mira," I said, averting my gaze.

Carter made a choking sound. "M-Mira? You're saying that y-you're a girl?" He quickly lowered his shirt.

I sighed. "Are you going to treat me differently if I say yes?"

Carter shook his head. "N-no! You're still my friend."

Nate smiled at him. "That stutter isn't convincing at all."

Carter picked up his pillow and threw it at Nate. Nate blocked it and laughed.

"S-shut up!" Carter said before running into the bathroom.

Nate covered his mouth, trying to contain his laughter.

I snickered. "You two seem close."

He looked at me with a child-like curiosity. "We do? We barely met yesterday."

"What?" I asked, staggering back. Was Carter that good at bonding with people? Then again, he did make me feel like his friend.

Nate lowered his hand, revealing a wide smile. "See what I mean by he's a weird one?"

I blinked. "It appears that you aren't far behind. Can't tell if you're friendly or not."

His eyes widened. He turned his head away. "Can you turn your back to me? I'm going to change."

"Oh, okay," I said, turning around. Did I hurt his feelings? Hope not. But maybe I should apologize. "I'm sorry."

"Huh? For what?" Nate asked.

"I didn't mean to make you upset. It's just, you're a hard one to read."

He laughed. "I get that a lot."

Then why did he react negatively just now?

The door suddenly opened, and in came the black-haired guy with green eyes. "I brought you some fluffy pancakes!" He blinked as soon as he noticed me. "Why is the ghost back?"

"I'm not a ghost!" I yelled.

He rubbed his chin. "How can we be sure you're not possessing a suit of armor if you haven't shown us your face?"

I sighed. "Just trust me."

He smiled a little. "I see. In that case, I should probably introduce myself. I'm Aurelius. Would you like some fluffy pancakes? Huo and I got them just now."

I could feel interest from the two of them and the one hiding by the door. Did they want me to say yes so that they could see me take off my face?

"Sure," I said.

Aurelius beamed and held his plate closer to me.

I picked up a pancake and ran over to the closet.

"Huh?" the three boys said.

"You're eating there?" Aurelius asked.

"Yes," I said, closing the closet behind me.

I felt a set of eyes peer at me. They were blue eyes.

"Some privacy, please," I said, blushing.

"Uh, sorry," Nate said, backing away.

I sighed and lifted my helmet just enough to reveal my mouth. I threw the pancake into my mouth. It was as soft as its name implied. Though, I wouldn't have minded if they were a tad more buttery.

I touched my stomach. Eating pancakes reminded me of the ones Dad used to make me for school every morning. He would always make them buttery.

Tears rolled down my face. Dad. Why did you and mom have to die? Why did I have to be cursed? If only I weren't, then I could've at least lived with my sister and my paternal grandparents.

"Are you alright in there? I hear sobbing."

I turned around and saw a green eye peering into the gap between the closet doors.

"How rude, give her some space!" I heard that had hidden away say.

I wiped my face. How embarrassing. Good thing they can't see me.

"I'm fine, thanks for asking," I said, putting my helmet back on. I stepped out of the closet. "Thanks for the pancake."

The green-eyed boy gave me a gentle smile. "It's nothing. I was hoping to share them with my roommates. Sadly, Carter is showering. It's best to give them to someone who can enjoy them warm."

But he offered them to me before he knew Carter was showering. Or could her hear the running water as soon as he entered? If so, his hearing must've been pretty great as it was hard for me to register it from the entrance.

"Feel bad for Carter," Nate said as he licked his fingers.

Aurelius grinned. "I'll be sure to get him some later."

"Good idea!"

Carter sure was lucky to have made some caring friends in so little time. Maybe going with him would be a great decision after all.

"If you're joining us, we should probably go talk to Koukyuu," Nate said, glancing at me.

"Koukyuu? Who's that?" I asked.

"She's our guide," Aurelius said before biting down on the last fluffy pancake.

"She's also one of the proctors of the Nine Petal entrance exam," Nate said.

Then, I likely should meet her.

"Can you take me to her?" I asked.

"Sure thing," Aurelius said. "I can get some fluffy pancakes for Carter on the way back."

"I'll stay here, wouldn't want Carter to think we got rid of you," Nate said, sitting down.

"I barely know him, but he doesn't seem like the type who would think that way."

"I agree. He's a glass half full kind of guy," Aurelius said.

Nate put his hands behind his head. "I guess that's true. In that case, I'll come with you."

Huo sat down on the bed next to the window. "I'll stay back, just in case."

"Alright!" Nate said.

The two boys and I left the room and went across the hall.

"Wait, it's here?" I asked, staring at Aurelius as he knocked on the door.

"Yeah. Au could've told you to go across the hall," Nate said, smirking.

"I wanted to see if you trusted us," Aurelius said, looking back at me. "For all you knew, we could've led you astray."

My eyes widened. I hadn't thought about that. Maybe I was as naïve as Carter...

"Yes?" a girl with silver hair asked as she opened the door. She had on a cute denim skirt and a white blouse. If only I could wear clothes like that.

"Is Koukyuu here?" Nate asked, giving the girl a stern look.

The girl leaned against the doorway. "She went to the cafeteria to get some food for the two of us. Have you boys eaten?"

"Yeah, except for Carter, but I plan to bring him something once he's done showering," Aurelius said.

The girl's blue eyes shifted toward me. "What's with the giant armor? It looks creepy." She put a hand against my abdomen and gasped. "This metal, it's made of black iron with traces of orichalcum."

"I know," I said.

She let go of me and jumped back. "It spoke!"

"You couldn't sense the person inside?" Nate asked, giving her a deadpan look.

"I felt something weird, but it wasn't a person."

The two boys gave me odd looks.

"So, you are a ghost!" Aurelius said.

I lowered my head. "I'm not, but I am similar to one." I raised a hand toward my helmet. "My connection to this world is weak. Without this armor, I would've vanished from this world by now."

"If you aren't a ghost, then what are you?" the girl asked.

I turned away. "I am a cursed child."

"Cursed?" the three of them asked.

I nodded. "My curse is being unable to exist in this plane of existence."

"Who has magic that powerful?" the girl asked.

"Sounds like dark magic. There's a lot of forbidden tomes out there," Aurelius mumbled.

"Right. The one who did this is a witch in possession of such a tome."

"Why did she attack you?" Nate asked.

I lowered my eyes. My lips opened, but no words came out of it.

"Is there a way to undo this curse?" the girl asked, touching her chin.

"I'm seeking one, but I haven't found one yet."

"Maybe you'll be able to find something in Nine Petal," a voice called out. Coming our way was a white-haired woman with gold-pink eyes. Accompanying her was a cyan haired girl in a black suit with a frilly white undershirt.

I stomped over to the woman. "For real?" I asked, moving my arms up and down.

She smiled. "No promises, but it's a possibility."

"Well, Mira here was thinking of joining us anyway," Aurelius said, patting me on the back.

"Really?" the cyan-haired girl asked, smiling. She gasped and cleared her throat. "The name's Lidia Ōuyáng."

The woman smirked and held a hand out to me. "Welcome, Mira. I'm Koukyuu Zettai. On behalf of our group, we're glad to have you with us."

I took her hand. "Likewise," I said, trying not to cry. Could I actually find a way to break this curse? Or was I letting myself be lead on by a false hope?

**Solar Note: Hope that you enjoyed this chapter :).**