Underneath the Silhouette
Chapter 111: Trust Fall

Chapter 111: Trust Fall

Eirin stared at the rough, firm stone wall of their hiding place, a silent testament to the academy’s ancient origins. Time stretched, each second a slow tick, as she sat in the empty silent area, doing nothing but waiting. The distant sounds of the frantic Manhunt game were barely audible, reduced to a faint, irrelevant hum.

"Until when are we going to stay here?" she finally asked, her voice a soft murmur in the stillness, boredom creeping into her tone.

Shade, rested his heads on his arms, propped behind him, his posture, relaxed, almost listless. "Until the bell starts ringing. It’ll start soon, don’t worry. Trix is probably killing them all out there." A faint, almost imperceptible smirk played on his lips, a hint of dark amusement.

Eirin’s eyes widened, a genuine alarm in their depths. "W-What? Is he allowed to do that? Kill them?" The naivety in her face and voice, the earnestness of her question, made Shade’s forehead crease, a faint line appearing between his brows. He looked at her as if she were a creature from another world, unacquainted with the brutal realities of their own.

Shade flicked Eirin’s forehead with his finger, a sharp, quick tap. Eirin let out a small groan of pain, her hand flaying to her forehead, rubbing the sting. She glared at Shade, disbelief coloring her eyes. "Why did you do that? What was that for?"

"You’re too gullible," Shade retorted, a hint of exasperation in his voice. "Are you that stupid? Of course he’s not killing them. It’s a game, Luxfield."

Eirin rolled her eyes, a familiar exasperation rising within her. "You could have just told me you were joking! Why did you—"

Before she could finish her protest, a deafening crack shattered the silence. The wall, old and thick, suddenly disintegrated into a shower of dust and stone, crumbling inward with a violent crash.

Shade reacted instantly, a blur of motion. He lunged forward, using his body to shield Eirin, pulling her close and covering her from the torrent of debris that rained down on them. The impact shook the very foundations of the room, and the sudden influx of light and noise was jarring.

"We found Shade Cromwell!" A triumphant shout pierced the air.

One of the students, a burly senior with a triumphant grin bellowed the announcement, causing a rush of other students chasing after the young man to appear in the gaping hole where the wall had once been. Their faces were grim, determined, their eyes gleaming with the thrill of the hunt.

"You cocky freshman, this will be the end of you!" the senior chuckled, a guttural sound, as he charged at Shade, followed by several other blue-team members.

"Wait! Eirin Luxfield’s with him! We should get her too!" another student yelled, spotting Eirin tucked behind Shade. The realization seemed to electrify them, adding a new target to their pursuit.

Shade pulled Eirin up, his grip firm on her arm. Eirin, still reeling from the sudden assault, held onto his arm, pressing close. Hs gaze locked onto hers, intense and unwavering. "Do you trust me?" His voice was low, cutting through the sudden clamor, a serious question amidst the chaos.

"You told me you’ll protect me! Keep up with your words!" Eirin retorted, pulling at Shade’s shirt, keeping him close, hiding beneath his huge frame. Her heart pounded in her chest, a frantic drum against her ribs. "We’re gonna die!" she cried out, the panic bubbling to the surface, her voice a high-pitched squeak.

Shade threw back his head and laughed, an unburdened sound that vibrated through Eirin’s body. He seemed to relish the raw panic on her face, finding it amusing. "Okay, wrap your arm around my neck," he said calmly, his voice a steady anchor in the storm of her fear.

Eirin scowled at him, annoyance momentarily eclipsing her fear. "Hurry!" she snapped, but complied, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck, burying her face into his shoulder.

The next moment, they shot into the air, a sudden upward surge propelled by Shade’s wind, leaving the charging students below staring up in stunned disbelief.

The other students looked up, their heads craned back, following the two with their gaze, their expressions ranging from shock to frustration. "You know you could do this too, but you chose to be my baggage," Shade said, his voice a low tease against Eirin’s ear, causing Eirin to look at him in bewilderment, pulling her head back to stare at his face. He was smiling again, that rare, uninhibited smile.

The implications of his words hit her: she could fly, given her flair, but she had been too panicked to even try.

Despite her momentary annoyance at his jab, Eirin continued holding onto Shade, clinging to him tightly as they soared through the air. Their blatant display, Shade Cromwell holding Eirin Luxfield in his arms, floating above the field, did not go unnoticed by anyone.

"Oh? What is this? Is there a lover forming through this game?" Mr. Blade’s voice boomed over the loudspeakers, laced with playful teasing as Shade and Eirin floated in the center of the field, a very public display of their unlikely partnership.

Trixtan chuckled from the red team’s area, looking up at them, his grin as wide as ever. "Isn’t it too early for that, my dear friend? They haven’t even confessed yet!" he shouted, his voice carrying easily.

A faint, knowing smile formed on Queen Regina’s face as she looked at Scarlett standing beside her chair, observing the spectacle. "See? He’s turning exactly like you," she teased, a glint of amusement in her eyes, drawing a silent, private comparison.

Scarlett’s face reddened, a rare blush creeping up her neck. She pressed her lips together, clearly flustered. "That’s too embarrassing. I’m not like that."

Just then, a loud, clear bell began to ring, signaling the end of the Manhunt game. Everyone’s flair, active and buzzing moments before, vanished in an instant. It was Mr. Blade’s flair. His rose pink eyes glowed as he nullified everyone’s abilities.

The energy that had thrummed in the air dissipated, leaving a sudden, unnerving silence. This sudden loss of Flair caused Shade to start falling to the ground, the wind that had held them aloft abruptly gone.

Eirin screamed at the top of her lungs, a raw, piercing sound, her arms tightening around Shade’s neck, moving her body closer to his, instinctively seeking to merge with him, to somehow mitigate the impact.

A smile formed on Shade’s face, a flicker of amusement even in the freefall, as he strengthened his legs, bracing for impact, before landing with a controlled thud on the ground, absorbing the shock with surprising ease. They landed amidst the splattered paint and scattered debris, but otherwise unharmed.

Eirin’s eyes were wide, her breathing heavy and ragged as soon as they got on the ground, safe and sound. The adrenaline coursed through her veins, leaving her trembling slightly. She immediately scrambled out of Shade’s arms, almost pushing herself away, leaving the young man standing there, clueless, a slight frown on his face. She felt a sudden, intense need for personal space after their close call.

Mr. Blade, now back to his professional demeanor, looked around the field, a satisfied smile on his face. ’That Trixtan. He sure eliminated a lot. Oh, Pierre too,’ he thought, impressed by the two boys’ destructive efficiency. He cleared his throat, his voice regaining its booming authority. Okay, everyone that got paint on their shirt are eliminated, please go to the bleachers and just watch the games unfold," he instructed, gesturing towards the spectator stands. The bots moved with renewed purpose, efficiently guiding the painted students away.

Eirin, still in a state of heightened panic and focused solely on her mission, suddenly took off her shirt, a startling movement that caused all the male students within view to gawk at her slim body, their eyes wide with surprise. She couldn’t notice other people’s attention as her focus was on her shirt, frantically looking all over to make sure there wasn’t any hint of paint, any stray speck that would mark her as eliminated. She knew her clean shirt was their ticket to the next round.

Coleen, having rushed over, immediately wrapped Eirin in a protective hug, her own face flushed with a mixture of relief and exasperation. "What are you doing, Ei? Those perverts are looking at your flawless body," she hissed, referring to Eirin’s revealing her camisole to everyone. She quickly made Eirin wear her shirt, pulling it back over her head, her movements swift and efficient.

Eirin could feel her face heating up, a deep blush creeping up her neck. "I’m sorry, I panicked," she mumbled, pulling her shirt back down, suddenly aware of the curious stares.

Coleen patted Eirin’s shoulder, a gesture of assurance. "No worries," she said, her eyes landing on Shade, who was standing a few feet away, his expression unreadable, but a faint, almost imperceptible tremor in his jaw.

’I’m more worried about the men gawking at you,’ Coleen thought, a silent assessment. She could see the simmering flame in Shade’s eyes, a possessive glint that was far too visible. ’He’s too obvious for his own good,’ Coleen’s head kept shaking in disbelief.