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When I returned to the room, Tadao was already back, sitting at the desk, staring at something.

"Hey," I greeted him first. He glanced at me and raised a hand in response. "How did it go? I didn’t see you guys at dinner."

"I suppose it went well enough," Tadao answered after thinking for a moment. "At least for me."

"Oh, that sounds great." I said, imagining all the possible scenarios behind his "at least for me" response. "Congrats on a successful resolution?"

"My Senior Mentor got switched to Hamp senpai," Tadao said, sparking my curiosity and making me wait for his explanation. " Donald refused to spend any energy on me, and he wouldn’t cough up any of his points. So Hamp senpai told that Rottweiler he could shove his points up his own ass, and from now on, I’d be under him." Tadao shrugged and smiled at me. "It felt just like when my parents got divorced."

I wasn’t sure how serious he was about that joke or even if he fully understood the concept of divorce, but I went along with his mood and chuckled a few times.

I pulled out my change of clothes, intending to take a shower and then go straight to bed. I hadn’t done much today, but I still felt utterly exhausted. I guess this was what they called social burnout?

"Oh, by the way, I think that's for you." Tadao pointed at the wall, and I noticed something—a tube? In the middle of our shared space, at the bottom of the tube, was a semi-transparent capsule. I couldn't tell what was inside, but I could see my name labeled on the capsule.

"Thanks." I thanked Tadao and walked over to the tube. After signing for it with my biometric data, I opened the capsule. Inside was a small blue pill and a note. Reading the note, I realized it was like a prescription, filled with various warnings and precautions, and a description of the medication’s purpose—to prevent the user from entering a state known as Tel'aran'rhiod.

I shrugged. Not seeing any reason to object, I swallowed the pill.

The note also explained that I wouldn’t be eligible to apply for a "Dreamwalking" license until my third year and suggested some prerequisite courses.

I’d have to take this for three years, so I decided to review the common side effects once more—constipation—well, maybe I could counter that by eating more vegetables?

I put the empty semi-transparent capsule back at the bottom of the tube, watching it get sucked away with a soft whoosh, disappearing into the ceiling.

How… retro.

"Richter." Just as I was about to open the bathroom door, Tadao called out to me from behind.

I turned around and saw that he was still sitting in the chair but had turned to face me.

"I'm sorry for earlier… for acting like an asshole," he said quietly, not breaking eye contact. "And for touching your… property without your permission. I’m really sorry."

I hadn’t expected him to bring this up; it felt sudden. But I didn’t really mind.

"Uh… I think it’s no big deal," I said. I wasn’t sure how serious these matters were from his perspective, but I didn’t care much, especially considering it wasn’t me who almost got blown to bits. "But if you could stop acting like an asshole too, I’d appreciate it." I said, my ears flattening.

"I’ll do my best." He smiled, which made my tail sway slightly.

Just as I was about to turn away, Tadao continued speaking.

"I know you probably… think Kotetsu senpai is a good person because that’s the impression I get too," Tadao said, his tone and expression growing serious. "But you shouldn’t trust him too much…" He hesitated for a while, his words coming out in fits and starts. "He’s an Altai Wapiti. They… are fundamentalists of the Federation."

I tilted my head in confusion, my ears folded back and pointed toward Tadao as I narrowed my eyes.

"I'm a red deer, the most common species in the Federation—but that’s not the point." He tapped his chest twice for emphasis. "Red deer—Cervus elaphus—really don’t like being mistaken for Altai Wapiti because their stance is way too extreme, even for the Federation's nationalists." Tadao’s tone became irritated.

"So… does this mean anything?" I wasn’t sure where this conversation was headed, so I asked directly.

"He’s the Federation’s strongest psychic, and you’re the Empire’s strongest psychic. Does that make sense now?" Tadao crossed his arms, looking increasingly impatient.

"Oh…" I scratched my ear. "But… that doesn’t mean anything…"

"Are you telling me Kotetsu senpai didn’t show an unhealthy obsession with forging a complete adamantine weapon?" Tadao rolled his eyes at me, and I could only silently accept his statement as fact.

"Then why are you telling me this…?" I lowered my gaze, feeling a bit uncomfortable. "Aren’t you also a citizen of the Federation?"

"Because…" Tadao sighed. "I don’t know, maybe because… I feel like it’s wrong?" He shook his head forcefully. "It’s not important. Just remember, the Altai Wapiti always have their own agenda."

I wasn’t sure how to process this information. I believed Tadao meant well, but I also knew how much damage stereotypes and prejudices could cause. I didn’t think I should change my opinion of Kotetsu senpai just because of his race. Even if his actions did seem a bit suspicious… it could simply be that I didn’t know him well enough yet.

"That’s why I didn’t let him know I had seen… all of Gray Snow’s memories." Tadao glanced at the sword hanging on the wall. "From start to end, only two people have truly touched that sword. One is Qana—the big white wolf." He paused and made eye contact with me again. "The other… is you."

"Oh, isn’t that expected?" Doesn’t that just mean only we’ve handled Gray Snow?

"Because Kotetsu senpai is far too interested in adamantine weapons—which I can understand, considering herbivores can hardly forge them." Tadao sighed, leaning back in his chair. "So I checked some details with Hamp senpai, including what we talked about at lunch."

I recalled our conversation in the cafeteria. Some details were fuzzy, but I could remember the main points.

"Based on the rules for forging a complete adamantine weapon, the forgers of Gray Snow must be Qana and you." Tadao spoke in a conclusive tone, his brown eyes fixed on me, possibly waiting for a response.

"But…" That didn’t make sense. Did I complete my part unconsciously? However, if forging an adamantine weapon requires at least two people and only Qana and I had ever touched Gray Snow, then… logically speaking, we must be the forgers. That was the only explanation. "What does that mean?" I finally broke free from my chaotic thoughts and asked the red deer.

"I don’t know." Tadao shrugged. "But I thought I should tell you since it’s… my fault." He glanced at Gray Snow again.

"Then…" I was just about to touch the bathroom’s sliding panel but couldn’t resist turning back. "What did you end up seeing?"

Tadao’s expression fell. He averted his eyes and turned back toward his desk.

"It’s hard to describe… a formless, ever-shifting monster…" he muttered quietly. "I don’t know what I saw, but it was terrifying. I can’t put it into words."

"Oh, okay." I sighed internally, suppressing my suspicion that he might be lying. "Well… see you tomorrow, then?" I saw that Tadao was shutting down his terminal and appeared to be ready for bed.

He responded and wished me goodnight before climbing into bed. Once the lights dimmed in the room, I waited a while longer before heading into the bathroom.

It had been a long time since I’d had a proper shower. But I felt like I really needed to remember the sensation of warm water at just the right temperature flowing over every inch of my body, washing away my scattered thoughts and exhaustion.

Lowering my muzzle, I relaxed my entire body, letting my ears and tail droop naturally as I watched the tiny droplets gather at the tips of my now-soaked fur before falling. Drip, drip, forming momentary ripples on the shallow water pooling on the floor.

I took several deep breaths, letting the misty steam enter my nostrils, soothing the dryness of my muzzle.

I was so incredibly tired.

I’d forgotten how much I disliked socializing. And all these years without practice certainly hadn’t helped.

Political scheming, the undercurrents of power struggles, factional alignments, invitations from masters with unclear motives… It was all so exhausting.

I turned off the water and tilted my muzzle upward, shaking my head vigorously.

I didn’t want to start my new life this way. But… as long as there’s interaction, isn’t this bound to happen?

With a deep sigh of resignation, I decided that whatever problems there were, they could all wait until tomorrow.

Expanding my consciousness, I dried myself off and got dressed before leaving the bathroom.

Judging from his breathing, Tadao was already asleep. So, I silently slipped into bed, feeling satisfied with its softness and comfort, just as it had appeared.

After adjusting my position, I stared at the ceiling for a few seconds, then decided to follow through with my final plan: closing my eyes into unknow. Perhaps it was the effect of that blue capsule, but on this busy night, I quickly fell asleep and slept deeply.