Despite his anger, Cain found himself a little impressed with the girl who had acted like a papparazzi. It wasn't everyday that one came across someone who could use such interesting magic, especially one associated with stealth and espionage.

However, he couldn't excuse the fact that someone had invaded his privacy and had taken candid photos of him. He was certain that if he hadn't noticed the gaze from the person behind the spell, they would have obtained nude photos of him. Something he did not want by any means.

Noticing that the girl who had been selling photos of Cain without his permission and the fact that she had been caught, the people who had already bout photos scattered like they were running from the cops, leaving the poor girl to face down the 'Law' by herself.

Absolutely terrified, the girl undid her magic while kneeling on the ground, staring up at Cain with tears in her chocolate brown eyes.

"I-I'm sorry! I won't do it again! I will ask for permission next time!" She shouted before she bowed her head, prostrating herself before Cain, catching him off guard and leaving him flustered as she shamelessly did this in the main courtyard.

Someone prostrating before him in the main courtyard of the Academy could not go unnoticed. Cain heard the whispers and murmurs of his fellow students who were gathering like birds to scattered grain. The blue-haired girl on her knees was the center of attention, trembling so hard Cain half expected her to pass out.

She lifted her head slightly, voice shaking but loud enough for the growing audience to hear. "I-I'm Zara Rassia! Second year! I swear I didn't mean any harm! I wasn't… I mean, I didn't think anyone would notice, and then you noticed, and then everything went wrong, and oh no, I'm rambling, aren't I?"

Cain stared at her. The girl seemed ready to spill her entire life story right there in the courtyard.

She kept talking, words tumbling out faster the more nervous she became. "I'm actually good at stealth magic. It's the only thing I'm good at. My combat classes? Awful. Failed the first aid unit twice. The cooking course? They banned me after the dorm fire alarms went off three times in one week. I didn't even know eggs could explode like that. And then—"

"Zara," Cain interrupted, his tone quiet but sharp enough to cut through her nervous chatter.

She froze like a deer caught in torchlight. "Y-Yes?"

Cain kept his voice calm but firm. "You said you would ask for permission next time?"

Zara flinched, eyes darting left and right before returning to him. "I-I didn't mean… well, I did, but… not in a weird way," she stammered before realizing how suspicious that sounded. Her hands flailed as if trying to physically pull the words back into her mouth. "I mean, I just need the money, okay? Tuition here costs a fortune. Food is expensive. I didn't qualify for a scholarship. My parents can't help me. So I just… started selling photos."

Cain exhaled slowly, crossing his arms. "You could sell photos of others, could you not?"

Zara bit her lip and shook her head so hard her blue ponytail whipped around. She hesitated, then reached into her pocket with trembling fingers.

"Look," she whispered, pulling out a small glossy print.

Cain's jaw tightened when he saw it. It was him. Shirtless. In his dorm room. He remembered that morning. He had just been getting dressed when he felt the faint prickling of magic eyes on him and thought it had been his imagination. Clearly, it had not been.

Zara held the photo like it was a winning lottery ticket. "A shot like this made me more money than everything else combined," she admitted, sounding both terrified and strangely proud at the same time. "People paid triple for it."

The courtyard went utterly silent as she added in a small voice, "I can even splurge this month. Get the premium instant noodles instead of the cheap ones."

Cain blinked. Premium instant noodles. That was her idea of splurging? He had been ready to scold her, to demand she destroy every copy, but that small confession hit him in a way he had not expected.

She was risking public humiliation for fancier cup noodles.

Zara puffed her chest a little, as if proud of her resourcefulness. "It even comes with dehydrated vegetables. Like, actual carrots and stuff. I've never had those before."

Cain felt a headache beginning to form.

Before he could say anything else, there was a sharp movement at his side.

Jayden.

She moved like lightning, snatching the photo straight out of Zara's hands.

Zara made a strangled noise of protest. Cain just blinked as Jayden held the photo for all of two seconds, expression unreadable, before sliding it into the pocket of her jacket with smooth finality.

The blue-haired girl gawked. "Wait… was… was that yours?" she asked weakly, staring between the two of them like a rabbit surrounded by wolves.

Cain let out a slow breath through his nose, the beginnings of that headache flaring behind his eyes. Jayden had no intention of destroying that photo. He could tell already.

The glare she had been aiming at Zara since the start was gone now, replaced by something far cooler, something that made Cain suspect the photo would never see the light of day again for entirely different reasons.

Zara, completely missing the shift in atmosphere, started babbling again in panic. "I wasn't going to sell that one! Honest! I mean… maybe I was, but not before editing out the background because your room was messy and people might laugh, and I didn't want anyone to think you were messy because the mysterious and broody aesthetic sells better, and oh no I said that out loud too."

Cain's shoulders sagged. "Zara," he said again.

She snapped to attention like a soldier caught slacking. "Yes?"

He looked at her flatly. "Next time?"

Zara winced. "I just meant… if I asked for permission, maybe you would let me keep taking them? Just the normal ones! Not the… uh… shirtless ones. Probably. It's just good money. I can eat better. Pay rent. Maybe even get a second blanket for winter."

Cain stared at her for a long moment. He wanted to be angry. Truly, he did. But the image of this trembling girl using black-market shirtless photos of him to buy instant noodles and a second blanket was so pathetic it looped back around to pitiful.

Zara seemed to think his silence was judgment because she blurted out more useless information in a rush. "I even reuse the water from boiling eggs to make tea so I don't waste anything. That's how broke I am."

Cain closed his eyes briefly. He felt very tired all of a sudden.

Finally, he said flatly, "Try not to cause a scene next time."

Zara blinked. Then blinked again. Relief crashed over her like a wave. "I won't! I swear I won't! Thank you! Oh, thank you so much! You won't regret this!"

Cain had the sinking suspicion he absolutely would.

Jayden, silent the entire time, patted her pocket where the photo now rested like a dragon hoarding treasure. Her expression was neutral again, but Cain knew better.

The crowd, realizing the show was over, slowly began to drift apart, still whispering about what they had just witnessed.

Cain rubbed his temple. This entire situation had spiraled so far out of control he was not sure where to even start. One thing was certain though.

Zara Rassia was going to be a headache for him for a long time to come.

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