“Hey! Glad you could make it! Come on in, don’t be a stranger!”
“O-Oh...”
“Pardon the intrusion...”
One day, a pair of students—a boy and a girl—paid a visit to Yugo’s room.
Met with an enthusiastic welcome from a beaming Yugo, the two visitors—Verda and Peewee—looked a bit taken aback. They were students who had crossed paths with him not too long ago through a certain turn of events.
“I don’t have much to offer, but make yourselves at home! Oh, that’s right! I haven’t introduced Ryuga yet!”
“It’s alright, Yugo. I’ve met them once before. Thank you for your help in capturing those criminals the other day. It was a big help.”
Ryuga, who had met them during a previous disturbance, greeted the two as they entered the room with a pleasant smile. Verda and Peewee were momentarily stunned to find that the two of them were roommates, but after considering their respective levels of ability, they quickly decided it was a natural arrangement.
“So, what brings you here today? If you went out of your way to visit me, you must have some business, right? I mean, if you just came to hang out, I’m happy for the company too.”
Once the light greetings were over, Yugo prompted the two to speak. Verda and Peewee looked at each other and, grateful for the opening, began their story.
“Actually, we have a favor to ask. But before that, there’s something we need to explain...”
“Maybe you’ve already heard rumors... but we’ve officially left Cyan’s party.”
“What?! You did?!”
Yugo’s eyes widened in surprise at Verda’s report. Speaking in his stead, Ryuga addressed the two.
“I’d caught wind of that. Was the incident the other day the catalyst, as I suspected?”
“Well, you’re not far off. It wasn’t a matter of whether we performed well or not; we just finally hit our limit with that man’s behavior.”
“Ah... I think I get it.”
From the first time they met during the Cooking Club’s training camp until now, as far as Yugo knew, Cyan had consistently acted recklessly. Since he’d been thick as thieves with Egos—who had already faced School Expulsion—it stood to reason they were two of a kind. Yugo found himself oddly convinced; it felt as though the golden veneer of Cyan’s title as a Hero Candidate was finally stripping away.
“The real issue starts here,” Peewee said. “Besides Verda and me, there’s one more person in Cyan’s party... and we want to talk to you about her.”
“Another one? Have I met her before?”
“No. She’s currently shut herself in her room.”
At Verda’s words, Yugo and Ryuga looked at each other. In a complicated situation where the pieces were starting to fall into place, a grave-faced Peewee began to speak about the final member, Neries.
She explained that Neries was a timid girl who served as the party’s Buffer and was a close friend to both her and Verda. During the recent Insect Museum Incident, they had been utterly crushed by a Magic Armor Beast. The experience had traumatized Neries so deeply that she had become a total shut-in.
Yugo listened to the whole story seriously, nodding repeatedly as he murmured softly.
“So that’s what happened... How did Cyan handle it? What did he say to Neries?”
“He did absolutely nothing. Between Egos’s School Expulsion, the Kurotobari Incident, and the drama surrounding the Warrior Shrine Maidens, things have been chaotic, right? That man got so caught up in those high-profile cases that he completely neglected Neries.”
At Peewee’s answer, even Yugo couldn’t help but scowl. Neglecting a wounded friend to chase after other things... While reflecting on Cyan’s actions during the recent Regen’s Incident and silently criticizing him for having his priorities backward, Yugo listened as Peewee continued.
“The Academy Side has decided they can’t allow Neries to remain enrolled if she stays like this. They’re going to hold an exam, and if she fails... Neries will face School Expulsion.”
“But in her current state, passing an exam is the last thing on her mind,” Verda added. “She won’t even step outside her door.”
“Are you able to talk to her? What kind of state is Neries in right now?”
“...Even when we visit, she doesn’t really react. She should know about the exam, but she won’t give us an answer...”
“At this rate, Neries is going to be expelled. We realized we couldn’t handle this on our own, and that’s why—”
“You brought the problem to me, huh...”
Having grasped the situation, Yugo nodded with a solemn expression. Gauging his reaction, Verda asked the question.
“This might be a lot to ask out of the blue, but you’re probably the only person left who might be able to persuade Neries. Please, will you help us?”
“Of course I’ll take the job. A Hero never abandons someone in trouble, and friends are supposed to help each other out. That’s just how it is.”
Yugo replied to the bowing Verda with a serious face. As a Hero and as a friend to the two of them, he decided without hesitation that he had to help. He immediately set off for the Female Dormitory to speak with Neries.