The student salon, just as Olivia had mentioned, boasted an enormous scale.
It was so vast that it brought to mind the imperial banquet hall in the palace of the Lutinas Empire, often used for hosting grand parties. Its size made it impossible to see one end from the other.
Whenever I searched for Enoch Gray in the imperial banquet hall, I always looked for a ‘human donut.’
By finding the group of people forming a circle with an empty center, I could always locate Enoch at the heart of it.
“…It’s Enoch.”
Near the center of the student salon, I spotted a human donut that was all too familiar in the Lutinas Empire. As usual, Enoch was surrounded by people here as well.
The only difference now was that his tall stature made him stand out, with his head towering above everyone else.
Even from afar, it was unmistakably clear that Enoch was in the middle of the group.
Enoch was conversing with one person after another. Whenever someone handed him a book and he pointed to a specific part with his finger while explaining something, the people around him nodded enthusiastically, expressing admiration.
It seemed that Enoch was teaching them something they didn’t know.
“……..”
I had imagined how I might greet Enoch if I ever saw him again after five years.
How have you been? Have you grown taller? You’re just the same as ever.
I thought I would say a few trivial things like that, then we’d argue and fight as if those five years had never passed, eventually ending up sparring together as always.
That was how I had envisioned my reunion with Enoch.
‘Why doesn’t it feel unfamiliar?’
The Enoch I remembered from five years ago had always seemed too mature for an eighteen-year-old.
But now, at twenty-three and on the verge of graduating from the academy, Enoch… how should I put it? He no longer seemed like someone acting grown-up; he had truly become an adult.
The sharp, tense edge he always seemed to carry—like someone constantly on alert—had vanished, replaced by the relaxed confidence typical of adulthood.
“Cherrya…?”
From a distance, Enoch somehow noticed me.
When our eyes met, I had the illusion that his deep blue irises sparkled like sunlight on the ocean. His previously expressionless face softened into a graceful smile.
“When did you get here?”
With just a glance, he silently signaled the other students, who quickly stepped aside to clear a path for him.
As Enoch leisurely walked toward me, I instinctively took a step back.
“Cherrya?”
My awkward retreat made Enoch pause, his brows furrowing. I couldn’t read anything in his gaze, which was so unlike before, when I could tell what he was thinking or feeling just by looking at his eyes.
‘Why does this feel so awkward?!’
I internally screamed, overwhelmed by the unfamiliarity of the moment.
Although he wore the same academy uniform as the other students, something about him felt different.
It was the stark contrast to the times when we trained together, sparred, and I knew his every move back in Lutinas. Now, I could feel in my heart—not my mind—that he had changed in ways I didn’t understand.
The Enoch standing before me was someone I didn’t know. It took this moment, after five years, to realize that.
“Oh, yeah. Nice seeing you again. I just arrived today and I’m really tired, so… let’s catch up tomorrow, okay?”
Unable to bear the discomfort, I awkwardly stepped back again, my voice clumsy and hesitant.
“………”
Enoch’s face twisted with displeasure as he noticed my unease.
“Why are you avoiding me?”
“What? I’m not!”
“You never replied to my letters, didn’t come to visit, and every time you returned to the empire during breaks, you were always out somewhere.”
“Hey, that’s because I was busy…”
“And now? Why are you avoiding me now? Don’t try to use tiredness as an excuse, Cherry. Don’t forget, I know your stamina better than anyone.”
“……..”
Enoch strode toward me with long strides, his words sharp, as if releasing all the pent-up frustration he had accumulated over the years.
“How am I supposed to interpret this?”
“There’s no meaning to it…”
“You seem to have forgotten our promises too easily. We said we’d do so many things together. But you gave up on entering the academy and became the Emblem Commander instead.”
“You know I had no choice!”
“How would I know? You hardly even kept in touch after enrolling here.”
Enoch looked both angry and frustrated. And, though I hated to admit it, he seemed hurt by me.
“Why am I the only one who…”
He stopped mid-sentence and bit his lip. In that moment, I caught a fleeting glimpse of the old Enoch, a fragment of the boy I used to know.
It reminded me of when we were kids, and he’d run away from home, sulking in a corner of the Emblem Garden, biting his lip.
“I’m sorry. I was really busy. Honestly. I guess I took for granted the fact that we’ve been close since we were little, thinking I could just meet you or talk to you whenever I wanted.”
“………”
When I apologized so straightforwardly, Enoch looked startled, as if he hadn’t expected it at all.
“That uniform suits you well. Have you been managing that scary little group of yours properly? I warned you back then that if you kept talking recklessly, you wouldn’t make any friends at the academy.”
“…I didn’t. So I don’t have any friends.”
“I knew it.”
It felt as though Enoch and I had gone back to how things used to be, joking and chatting like before.
Even though his rapid growth was still a bit jarring, it wasn’t hard to find traces of the old Enoch Gray within him.
“Does being the Emblem Commander suit you?”
“Yeah, it’s more fun than I thought it would be. You should try it after you graduate.”
At some point, Enoch and I found ourselves seated somewhere in the student salon, catching up on everything we hadn’t talked about.
“………”
“………”
I didn’t even notice when the bustling student salon suddenly fell silent.
“Can an encounter between the Emblem and the Gray really be this peaceful?”
“That’s not what I learned.”
Students from other countries, not from the Lutinas Empire, tilted their heads in puzzlement.
“…Unbelievable.”
“Oh, my God. This must be a sign the world is coming to an end.”
Meanwhile, the students from the Lutinas Empire were utterly shocked, their faces twisted in disbelief and horror.
There was something else that amazed the academy students.
“I’ve never seen Senior Enoch look so relaxed before.”
“I didn’t even know Senior Enoch could smile like that.”
“Right now, I feel like I could approach him too.”
Their whispers as they watched Enoch talk to me reached my ears one by one.
Just from that, I could clearly picture how Enoch’s life at the academy had been. Clicking my tongue, I shook my head.
“Why are you like this, seriously?”
“What?”
“Why haven’t you made a single friend since coming here?”
“…Because I don’t need any. They’re all boring and dull.”
“You really need to learn to control that sharp tongue of yours.”
“Isn’t this much fine?”
“It’s not fine. Work on your social skills, Enoch.”
Ignoring my words, Enoch cast his gaze toward the small groups of students whispering among themselves. Without saying a word, he managed to scatter them in a panic.
“Let’s spar, Cherry. It’s been a while.”
“Sure.”
I nodded at Enoch’s suggestion and stood up. The students who had just dispersed began gathering again, their eyes gleaming with excitement.
“An Emblem versus Gray sparring match!”
Excited gazes sparkled as they fixed their attention on us.
“………”
“………”
Enoch and I met each other’s gaze, then spoke at the same time.
“Let’s do it later.”
