Hunter Academy: Revenge of the Weakest

Ethan stared at the screen, the images of Astron and Irina still there, frozen as if mocking his attempts to make sense of them. The more he thought about it, the more surreal it felt.

"Astron…" he muttered, shaking his head. "He’s always been a mystery. Closed off. He doesn’t let people in easily. I’ve tried more times than I can count, and even now, I feel like I’m only scratching the surface."

Jane nodded, her expression thoughtful. "He doesn’t seem like the kind of person who opens up. I’ve seen him around, and… well, he’s not exactly approachable."

Ethan chuckled softly, though there was no humor in it. "That’s putting it lightly. He’s like a fortress. It took a lot of effort just to get him to acknowledge me as more than a passing acquaintance. And Irina?" He leaned back, rubbing his temples. "Getting close to him with her fiery personality? That would be almost impossible."

Jane tilted her head, curiosity flickering in her eyes. "You know Irina better than I do. She seems strong, determined. But… bickering with someone like Astron?"

"They’ve done it a lot," Ethan said with a sigh. "Irina’s mentioned him before. Back then, her impression of him wasn’t exactly glowing. She called him cold, frustrating, and…" He paused, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "I think she once called him a ’stone-faced jerk.’"

Jane blinked, then laughed softly. "That… sounds about right." Explore new worlds at

Ethan nodded, though his expression remained conflicted. "That’s why this doesn’t add up. Astron’s not the type to seek someone out, and Irina? She’s not the type to tolerate someone like him for long. Their personalities are like fire and ice."

"And yet…" Jane gestured toward the screen, her voice trailing off.

"And yet," Ethan echoed, staring at the pictures again. The scenes captured in the images—Astron and Irina together, their postures far from hostile—felt entirely out of character. He could hardly imagine Astron willingly spending time with someone else, let alone the Emberheart heiress. And Irina? She’d always seemed too focused, too sharp, to entertain whatever this was supposed to be.

"This whole thing feels surreal," Ethan said finally, his voice quiet. "I can’t picture them like this. Not after everything I’ve seen."

Jane leaned forward, her green eyes narrowing. "Same here. I don’t know Irina personally, but that junior… Astron. He doesn’t seem like the type for… this."

Ethan leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table as he stared at the screen, his thoughts a swirl of contradictions. "But at the same time," he said slowly, "Irina isn’t the type to spend her time with someone she doesn’t like. She’s too… deliberate for that. And Astron? He wouldn’t willingly stay in someone’s presence unless he wanted to. If such people even exist for him."

Jane nodded, her brows furrowing as she considered his words. "Exactly. Neither of them strikes me as the kind to fake anything. So, if these photos are real—and they look real—it’s hard to deny that there’s… something there."

Ethan exhaled, the weight of the realization settling over him. "Who would’ve thought?" he murmured, almost to himself.

Jane tilted her head, studying him. "Does it bother you?" she asked cautiously.

Ethan blinked, surprised by the question. He leaned back, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "No. Honestly… I think it’s kind of nice."

"Nice?" Jane echoed, her tone skeptical but curious.

Ethan nodded, his gaze softening as he looked at the images again. "Yeah. It’s not something I ever would have expected, but… knowing them, it makes sense in a strange way. They’re both guarded, both carrying so much on their shoulders. If anyone could understand Astron’s silence or Irina’s fire, it might be each other."

Jane was silent for a moment, then smiled faintly. "That’s… a surprisingly optimistic way to look at it."

Ethan chuckled, scratching the back of his neck. "What can I say? I like seeing people find a connection, even if it’s unexpected. They might bicker, but maybe that’s their way of… well, getting closer."

Jane leaned back, her arms crossing as she regarded him with a mix of amusement and admiration. "You’re not what I expected, you know that?"

"How so?" Ethan asked, tilting his head.

Jane shrugged, her green eyes sparkling. "Most people would be stuck on the scandal or the drama of it all. But you’re here rooting for them, even when it doesn’t entirely make sense."

Ethan’s smile grew. "Guess I like the idea of Astron not being alone for once. And Irina? She deserves someone who gets her, even if it’s someone as unlikely as him."

"I see….."

*******

Sylvie leaned back in her chair, her damp hair falling in loose waves over her shoulders as she scrolled through her notes. The faint hum of her desk lamp filled the quiet room, and for a moment, she felt a sense of calm settle over her. The evening had been a whirlwind of emotions, and she welcomed the peace that came with solitude.

Just as she picked up her pen to jot down a few thoughts, her phone buzzed on the desk. She glanced at the screen, her brow furrowing slightly as Jasmine’s name popped up with a message notification.

Jasmine: "You need to see this. Check the forums. Now."

Sylvie hesitated, her heart skipping a beat at the urgency in the text. Jasmine rarely sent messages like this, and when she did, it usually meant something big—or at least something dramatic. Setting her pen aside, Sylvie reached for her phone and opened the message. Her fingers moved swiftly as she navigated to the school forums, her curiosity tinged with unease.

The top post immediately caught her eye, the bold headline practically leaping off the screen:

"Irina Emberheart and Astron: Just Teammates or Something More?"

Sylvie’s stomach dropped. Her thumb hovered over the post for a moment before she clicked on it, the page loading slowly as her mind raced with possibilities. When the images finally appeared, her breath hitched.

The first photo showed Astron and Irina in what looked like a crowded city square. They weren’t touching, but they stood close enough that their postures seemed… comfortable. Familiar.

The second photo was even worse. It was at the Stellamare Museum, the sleek backdrop unmistakable. Irina’s fiery hair seemed to glow in the artificial light as she stood beside Astron, her expression calm but undeniably focused on him. He, in turn, looked completely unbothered, his usual composed demeanor unchanged.

Sylvie stared at the pictures, her mind a whirlwind of emotions she couldn’t quite name. The captions beneath each image only added fuel to the fire, their insinuations impossible to ignore.

"Unlikely pair? Or a budding connection?"

"Is the Emberheart heiress finally showing her softer side?"

"Astron: The enigmatic boy who caught her attention."

Sylvie’s grip on her phone tightened, her chest twisting with a pang of something sharp and unpleasant. She tried to steady her breathing, but the more she looked at the images, the harder it became to ignore the storm building inside her.

Why does this bother me so much? she thought, her heart pounding. They’re just pictures. Just… rumors. They don’t mean anything.

But deep down, she wasn’t sure if she believed that. Irina’s emotions had been clear enough when she’d approached her earlier—blazing pride, trust, happiness. And now, seeing these images, Sylvie couldn’t help but connect the dots in a way that made her chest ache.

Her phone buzzed again, snapping her out of her thoughts.

Jasmine: "Wild, right? Didn’t know they were so close. What do you think?"

Sylvie hesitated, her fingers hovering over the keyboard. She didn’t know how to respond—didn’t know what she thought. Her mind was a mess of conflicting feelings, her [Authority] only amplifying the emotions she didn’t want to confront.

Finally, she typed back, her message short and vague.

Sylvie: "It’s unexpected."

She set her phone down and leaned back in her chair, her gaze drifting to the ceiling. The calm she’d felt earlier was long gone, replaced by a restless energy that refused to settle.

Unexpected. That was one way to put it. But as Sylvie sat there, her thoughts circling endlessly, she couldn’t ignore the one question that lingered in the back of her mind.

Would I ever be in a picture like that with him?

*******

Maya sat in her room, her mind still heavy from the events of the day. The weight of her confrontation with Irina lingered, a dull ache in her chest that refused to fade. She leaned back in her chair, her eyes unfocused as she tried to steady herself.

Her phone buzzed on the desk, breaking the silence. Without thinking, she reached for it and glanced at the screen. The notification was from the academy’s forum, a trending post catching her attention:

"Irina Emberheart and Astron: Just Teammates or Something More?"

Maya’s heart skipped a beat. Her thumb hovered over the notification, hesitation gripping her. A part of her didn’t want to know, didn’t want to see. But curiosity—no, something deeper—urged her forward. She tapped the notification, the page loading agonizingly slowly as her thoughts raced.

And then, the pictures appeared.

The first image was simple enough: Astron and Irina standing in a bustling city square. They weren’t touching, but their proximity suggested a familiarity that made Maya’s chest tighten. Her breath hitched as she scrolled to the second image.

It was worse.

Irina stood beside Astron, her fiery hair glowing under the sleek, artificial lights. Her expression was calm but unmistakably focused on him. And Astron… he looked as unbothered and composed as ever, his violet eyes betraying nothing.

The captions beneath the images made it worse:

"Unlikely pair? Or a budding connection?"

"Is the Emberheart heiress finally showing her softer side?"

"Astron: The enigmatic boy who caught her attention."

Maya’s fingers tightened around her phone, her knuckles whitening as her chest burned with an emotion she refused to name. Her gaze lingered on the second image, Irina’s calm, confident posture radiating a sense of ease beside Astron. The very sight of it gnawed at her, each second building a pressure in her chest that she couldn’t ignore.

And then, as if on cue, the voice came again.

"See…" it hissed, curling through her thoughts like smoke. "That is why you’re losing."

And Maya had accepted that….

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