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If someone had told Ciara that Richard would become her closest confidant in the entire Institute, she would have called them comedians with no reasoning.

She found him to be a bit strange and uptight initially, but eventually, she realized he was actually a really kind man.

After her election, she was really confused about where to begin but he called her to his office and explained a lot to her. He also assured her that he was always available if she needed help.

"It\'s a really brave step you have taken, and I commend you for that. However, this position comes with a lot of complexities and responsibilities that can seem overwhelming. You have your assistant, but even with that you will need help. I see how the students view you due to your affiliations with Mia..." Richard Lawcroft had stated very bluntly.

"Sir... I..." Ciara tried defending herself.

"Yes, I quite understand your situation, the truth is that you didn\'t know any better. I apologize. To be honest, I take part of the blame for not properly explaining things to you since you were new." He answered.

"Sir, it\'s fine... You don\'t need to go that far."

She wasn\'t expecting a man of such standing to apologize to her. It made her quite nervous.

"Alright, Ciara... I just want you to know that I\'m here for you in case you need assistance or help in any way. So don\'t feel apprehensive and shy okay? I am not only your lecturer, from now onwards, but I\'m also your friend. Okay?" His smile was so warm, that it calmed her down almost instantly.

"S-Sir, if you don\'t mind me asking... Why go so far for me?"

"Who knows? Perhaps I see my younger sister in you. She... passed away a few years ago." He said with a soft and sad smile.

"Oh, I\'m sorry for asking sir. My condolences" Ciara responded awkwardly, she truly didn\'t mean to strike a nerve.

"Oh, It\'s fine. Besides, if we\'re going to be friends from now on, you can drop the \'Sir\' and the entire formal manner of speech."

"But, Mr. Lawcroft... I couldn\'t possibly..."

At this point, his friendliness seemed too absurd. She tried to protest, but—

"Please, call me Richard." He quickly replied, cutting her speech short.

The way he looked at her, the manner in which he spoke... He was so gentle and kind. Ciara then decided to take him up on it.

"Alright then Richard. But no takebacks, okay?" She replied after taking a deep breath.

They both laughed at her statement. Ciara felt it was unnatural, but the feeling she felt as she laughed with him, and as he laughed with her... It wasn\'t so bad.

"Alright, Ciara. No takebacks." He said.

After that, she frequently visited his office, even without any serious Class Rep business. She simply enjoyed his company, and he enjoyed hers.

He taught her lots of things, especially concerning Runes, which were his specialty. He also shared lots of books with her from his own private collection which helped her greatly, not only for his lectures on Rune Grafting, but generally her understanding of magic improved.

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"You\'ve been spending a lot of time in Mr. Lawcroft\'s office... Don\'t tell me..."Serah teased her on a particular day after noticing her continuous interaction with him.

"Shut up Serah, it\'s not like that. Richard and I are just good friends, for the umpteenth time." Ciara responded playfully.

"Fine Fine... Whatever you say" Serah said, while winking playfully at her.

Ciara shook her head while smiling. Serah just loved to mess around. But, after that conversation with Serah, she decided to really think about how she truly felt about Richard.

If she was being honest with herself, he was an attractive man, though he was very much

than she was, probably in his early thirties.

He was nice, friendly, understanding, and even knowledgeable in magic.

She didn\'t know much about his combat capabilities, but for him to be a lecturer, he had to have a combat ability of Galand\'s level, maybe more.

For a man his age, that was impressive.

But, Ciara couldn\'t deny that she still had feelings toward Noir.

Yes, Noir was cold most of the time, and was nowhere near as nice as Richard, she still couldn\'t shake off her feelings for him. She had not seen him in a month, and yet... her feelings and longing for him only grew stronger.

"Why...?" Ciara had asked herself continually, getting no answer.

She missed him, she wanted to see him, she wondered how he was faring. However—

\'Does he think about me...?\' Ciara asked herself.

She wanted so desperately to know if she was on his mind the way he was on hers.

As for Richard, she viewed him more as a mentor, and a really good friend and confidant. That was all there was to it, she was certain.

That night, as Ciara slept, she thought about her adventures for the past month, all she had been through, and all she had worked for. She felt happy and fulfilled.

She was finally living her life. She had friends, she had a life, she was learning more about magic and growing in every aspect.

She had taken a step closer to her goal... The next time she would see Noir, she would be able to fight by his side.

"Just you wait... Noir." She muttered to herself before sleeping off.

******************

As Ciara walked to school the next morning, she felt strange gazes on her.

She also heard mutterings and whispers. She found it weird. These mutterings seemed to be directed at her. Were they gossiping about her? She quickly brushed off the idea.

The people she encountered were not even from her stage, but from the other stages in the Foundation class.

She belonged to the Intermediate stage of the Foundations class. The gossipers were mostly from the Beginner stage, though she noticed a few from the Expert stages.

Why would they be talking about her?

However, since she felt uncomfortable, she quickened her pace and hurried to her lecture hall.