New day, same classes. To be honest, Vincent had thought there were two options: either Ayame's plan worked, making them cower, making them think twice, or it would further antagonize Runehaven's racist population. But, even now, that hadn't happened. No other bullies looking for trouble, no comments, just many stares, silence.

  "And today no one is going to sit with us either," Vincent said.

  Ayame shrugged and continued eating. Good thing he had seen her eat before he made the mistake of asking: what do you vampires eat, just blood? Or something like that.

  "More space for us and more peace, although not much. There's so much noise here, so many people talking at once, that you can't even hear your own thoughts."

  "That's true."

  "Besides, I don't mind," Ayame continued. "Seriously, having you is more than enough for me. What worries me is you."

  "What do you mean?"

  "If I hadn't chosen you, if you weren't my partner, you wouldn't have so many headaches, and you would have made other friends. I'm sorry."

  "Shhh, don't be silly. I'm proud you chose me, and I'll do everything possible to prove I'm worthy, that you weren't wrong."

  Ayame looked away with a hard-to-read expression, one hand covering her mouth, fingers spread across her cheeks. Vincent wondered what she was thinking. 'I'm glad you think that way, for now?' If she thought this was temporary, that he would eventually feel resentful and turn his back on her, she was dead wrong. He might not be a real knight, but he had honor and decency, he kept his promises.

  "I will never turn my back on you. Don't worry."

  Ayame didn't look at him yet, but nodded slowly, as if self-conscious. After a while, with the meal almost finished, just as they were about to leave, someone appeared to sit with them. To be more precise, a girl dropped down on Ayame's left side, as if to make it harder for her to get up. The first thing that caught the eye was her smile, confident, almost arrogant. The second, her eyes, blue as the sea.

  Vincent didn't know her. Maybe Ayame did. Maybe… well, she didn't look like she knew her, but Vincent was aware that most of the time, Ayame's expression revealed little.

  "Hello, famous folks. I'd like to talk to you. Don't worry, I won't take up much of your time."

  "Okay, go ahead," Ayame said. Vincent chose to remain silent and wait.

  "You see, my name is Tara, and I could really use your help." Tara rested her chin on her hands, leaning forward. Her voice dropped low, becoming almost inaudible. "You see, I have information about a Dungeon, but I need a team to enter it. I'm not crazy enough to do it alone, naturally."

  A Dungeon. Of course, everyone had heard of them, but Vincent knew less about it than he would like. The information he had access to from his village library and the occasional story told by travelers, true or false, was limited.

  "If it's true you've discovered the first labyrinth of the year," Ayame asked, "why would you share that information with us?"

  "Isn't it obvious?" Tara threw her arms above her head. "Because you're strong, because I need you. I can't do this alone, and I want the best of the best by my side. Just the two of you are enough for me. That way, we won't even have to worry about the logistics of entering a Dungeon with a large group."

  Wow, she was confident. He wished he saw everything as simply as Tara did. Anyway, since he didn't really understand what fighting in a Dungeon meant, he would leave the decision to Ayame. Fighting… and the importance the first Dungeon of the year might have, she had said. That sounded more important than he had thought. No, yes.

  "I understand," Ayame said. "And why the rush? Just the three of us, right now?"

  "That's easy too. The faculty gave us a one-month grace period, but I don't feel like sitting around twiddling my thumbs, considering our place in the academy and the roof over our heads are at stake."

  Oh, so that's why the Dungeon mattered. Of course, it made sense. Ayame nodded again, and then for some reason, looked at him.

  "What do you think?"

  It was what she was supposed to do as a partner, include him in important decisions, take him into account, even if he was the weakest link… although it wasn't very hard to be, being a chain with only two links, maybe three, temporarily. Still, he couldn't help feeling she had put him on the spot, especially when Tara's eyes fixed on him, hopeful, practically vibrating in her seat.

  "Ayame, you know I... I don't know many things you take for granted. I leave the decision in your hands."

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  "Okay," Ayame said. "I think we should go. This girl…"

  "Tara, my name is Tara," she interrupted.

  "…is right," Ayame continued. "We must secure the roof over our heads, the sooner the better."

  "It's not the easiest way to do it, is it?" Vincent asked.

  "No, I suppose not. We can start taking simple tasks, if you prefer. Later we could think about Dungeons."

  Vincent became thoughtful. It wasn't that he didn't understand the importance of securing their places in the academy; it wasn't that he was too afraid to try conquering the Dungeon. It was just that, well, if there were simpler options, was it really necessary to risk their lives like this? And just the three of them, on top of that.

  Tara, who apparently had a knack… practically jumped on him right away.

  "Come on, man!" she murmured. "You're a knight, aren't you? A big strong man. Don't you want to show your girl you're up to the task?"

  'My girl?' Vincent repeated. "No, hey, no, no, no. Ayame and I aren't like that."

  "Oh, I thought… well, never mind." Tara looked embarrassed, something Vincent would have thought impossible until then, though only for a tenth of a second.

  "We aren't like what?" Ayame asked.

  Vincent looked at Ayame. Ayame returned his gaze. He wasn't sure if she was joking or really hadn't gotten it, to be honest. Vincent shook his head.

  "Okay, let's try it. But if things get ugly, we get the hell out. None of this 'just a little more,' or 'maybe we can do it.' Agreed?" He looked at Tara as he said all this, of course. He assumed Ayame would be more prudent, although perhaps she wouldn't immediately understand what was too much for normal people. He instantly felt like shit for thinking that. He could have just said non-vampires. He was an idiot.

  "Of course," Tara replied. "Caution first, I understand. Ayame?"

  "If he agrees, so do I," Ayame replied, shrugging.

  "Okay, okay, great, wonderful!" Tara exclaimed. "And are you okay with it being just the three of us? More loot for each of us."

  "Yes," Vincent said. Ayame just shrugged, as if saying: I already told you I agree.

  ***

  Tara told them the details about where and when they should meet. The answer to 'when' was very simple: Tara was in a hurry, so tomorrow. Incidentally, her class was Archer. No one entered a labyrinth alone, but that especially explained why she had been so desperate to get an escort. Okay, Vincent wasn't an expert, but common sense told him it was much easier to fight monsters in a labyrinth with a bladed weapon than with a bow and arrows. For starters, the latter had to be reloaded manually.

  That day, as they walked through the academy grounds, striding across the grass, Vincent looked at Ayame as soon as he was sure the students were too far away to hear them (though even if they were closer, they probably wouldn't bother listening). A bit nervous, after all, Tara had stressed as much as possible that they should keep the information secret, so other groups couldn't take advantage yet, so they wouldn't gain an edge. Vincent turned to Ayame.

  "Do you trust her?" he asked.

  "No, of course not," Ayame replied flatly, not even thinking about it.

  "Huh?"

  "I just met her. How could I trust her?"

  It wasn't a joke. Ayame seemed genuinely confused by his question.

  "I meant enough to go into the Dungeon she found and trust her to watch our backs with her arrows."

  "Of course not, but we don't need to either. What matters to me is whether the Dungeon exists or not. What she does afterward is irrelevant."

  "So, do you think the two of us could do it alone? If, if it came to that."

  "Yes, why not?"

  "I've never heard of groups of two challenging Dungeons. Four or six, maybe three in the worst case, but not two." Acting like a know-it-all when he knew jack shit about Dungeons. He felt a bit embarrassed.

  "Vincent, it's a Dungeon on the academy grounds. If they didn't want students to find it, it wouldn't be possible to find it. That's how this system works. They're not going to hold our hands, but they don't want to throw us to the wolves either. And I didn't say the archer wouldn't be useful to us, just that I don't plan on trusting her. And you shouldn't either."

  "Okay, got it."

  "Any other questions? I want you to be at ease."

  Vincent glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

  "Was that sarcastic?"

  "No, why would it be?" Ayame replied.

  "Never mind, just me being silly. I hope this goes well."

  "It will. Don't worry."

  They found Tara at the designated meeting point, and she wasn't very subtle in greeting them and telling them to come with her.

  He couldn't help wondering if someone would end up following them. Very paranoid, aren't I? he told himself. The school year had just begun. People weren't desperate, looking for ways to afford their room and thus their place in the academy. Whatever the cost, he doubted there were many people like Tara, like them. Ready for action, already on the third day. Even if they wanted to get ahead for their own security, three days seemed too short a time to worry about being followed.

  He forced himself to relax, following Tara. However logical it was, the tension didn't completely leave him.

  Together, the three ventured into the forest. She led them around in circles and to the other side of a river. They had to jump from stone to stone. Well, Ayame could have transformed into mist or a flock of bats or whatever, but she chose to jump. Right behind him. He noticed she was staying by his side, yes, but always behind. Maybe because she didn't trust Tara ahead, maybe she intended to watch his back. Vincent smiled.

  Not long after….

  "It's here," Tara said, pushing aside leaves with her bare hands.

  "This hole?" Vincent asked.

  "Yes. Look, I went down there. Got the hell out immediately, but I went down there. It's a dungeon, no doubt about it. Okay?"

  "I'll go first," Ayame said, stepping forward. It wasn't a question.

  "As you wish," Vincent said, "but be very careful."

  Ayame nodded, then jumped into the hole without a second thought. It was a long fall, no doubt. You couldn't see the bottom, and he didn't even hear her land.

  "Come on, jump," Vincent told Tara.

  "Me second? Well, I guess I don't mind."

  "I'm not going second, so you can cover the hole when we're both inside," Vincent said. "Or something like that."

  "You don't have many reasons to trust me, perhaps. But wow. How paranoid."

  "Come on, move your ass."

  "Yes, boss."

  The archer jumped into the dungeon. Vincent took a deep breath, and when he felt truly ready, took the leap of faith.

  The first thing he saw upon landing was Tara held by the neck, her feet not touching the ground, by a grotesque creature that had more hands than tentacles. And it had many tentacles.

  "We're off to a great start," Vincent muttered, drawing his sword.