Inverse System

As Yusuke gazed at the boy shaking in anger in front of him, he simply looked on with an expression of pity, not saying anything as he stared at him coldly. His eyes harbored a mix of inexplicable feelings, which when all put together, looked completely emotionless.

After a short while, Chuzea finally broke the silence, though she tried her hardest not to speak out of turn.

"Um…"

This snapped Rein out of his entranced state, making him take a deep breath, calming his nerves.

"Sorry," he apologized, which was a rare occurrence.

"Oh, please don't apologize!" She replied in guilt, putting her hands up frantically. "But it looks like this is where I'll split off from you guys. Thank you for bringing me here. When the guild returns, you can contact me through there!" Chuzea bowed down in gratitude to Rein and Yusuke, the latter of which finally cracked a smirk.

"Yeah, be safe out there. Rein, register her in your tablet, will ya?" Yusuke returned to his usual self, slapping Rein on the back as he pushed him forward.

After registering each other, and another round of farewells, Chuzea went off on her own into the city, once again leaving Rein and Yusuke alone.

"Well, kid? What's the plan?" Yusuke provoked a conversation, wanting to make a sketch of what they would do instead of charging in head-first.

"I don't know about you, but I can pass off as a refugee from the gulf, considering I'm a student there," Rein replied, beginning to walk towards the palace, followed by the red-haired man. "When in there, I'll find the ones I'm looking for, and we'll make a plan of escape from there," he continued.

"Good thinking. We'll go with that," Yusuke agreed, which perplexed Rein, turning his head back to him with a raised eyebrow.

"Who's 'we'? I'm the only one who's going to be let into the refugee facility. Even if you bribe the front guards, there's probably another set of soldiers guarding the chamber hall," Rein explained, though he know Yusuke likely understood that already.

"Don't worry about it, I'll get in just fine," he brushed it off, moving on to the next subject. "More importantly though, I'm assuming those artifacts are blocking most of your power, right?" He asked.

"Yes? Why?"

"Interesting… Those have only worked on a few people across all of history, and the reason for their existence is still unknown, along with the conditions for them to be used. You don't know the reason by any chance, do you?" He posed, to which Rein twitched slightly.

Of course, he knew the reason. These artifacts would only work on System wielders. They directly shackle the System itself, which is why Rein's been having a hard time reaching Versys. But of course, Rein couldn't tell him that.

"If I knew all that, I would know how to take them off too. And look at me," Rein answered with a rhetorical question, making Yusuke laugh out loud hardily.

"Yeah, you're right. You look pretty stupid lugging them around like that," he continued laughing which Rein ignored, focusing on making it to the mansion over getting irritated.

When they finally arrived, Yusuke was ecstatic to see that the same guards were still guarding the front. They informed them that they were there for the refugee shelter, and after a few minutes of Yusuke negotiating with them, they let him in for free, though they warned him the next set of guards wouldn't be lenient if he was in there for no reason.

Walking through the glamorous hall they were in previously, Rein felt as if it was strangely small, or at least, smaller than he remembered it. He concluded that it wasn't the room that shrunk, but it was him that grew, a phenomenon that many go through when revisiting childhood homes and such.

As they both reached the end of the hall, there was a set of large doors, which led to the chambers of the mansion. Rein and Yusuke went through and were met by two more guards on the other side.

"State your business!" One of them exclaimed, his voice ringing through the hall in which the students stayed, though all who heard it had grown used to hearing him exclaim the same thing every time someone walked in.

"I'm a student from the Hasbin gulf. Here is my ID," Rein flashed his tablet and turned it on, to which the guard nodded in satisfaction, then began writing something on a piece of paper.

"And your friend? He seems a bit old to be a student," the guard continued questioning.

"What friend?" Rein questioned, feigning ignorance, then turning around. "Oh, him? I don't know him, he's not with me," he told the guard, which made Yusuke laugh softly, scratching the back of his head.

"I see. Okay, you can go on ahead. Take one of the rooms at the end of the hall. Except for the large room at the end. It is already occupied," the guard instructed, to which Rein complied.

The guard turned his attention to Yusuke, who was waiting patiently for his turn. Rein walked slowly so that he could hear the conversation that Yusuke would have with the guard.

"Hey, you! This is specifically for those from Gulf academy or Ranger academy! No civilians allowed," the guard angrily yelled, readying his weapon as Yusuke raised his hands up innocently.

"Woah there! Chill out! I'm from the academy too!" Yusuke claimed, which made Rein turn around curiously, and the guard lower his weapon.

"You are? I need proof, sir," the guard rushed.

"Okay, okay, sheesh. Stop rushing me," Yusuke said while searching his pockets, finally pulling out an official-looking paper, Rein instantly recognizing that it was from the academy.

"O-oh, I see. I didn't realize it was you. My apologies, Mr. Principal," the guard walked out of Yusuke's way, allowing him to walk forward, catching up to the stunned white-haired boy standing in the middle of the hall.

"Hm? What's wrong?" Yusuke asked Rein, though he knew why Rein was dumbfounded.

"So… You're the one who Principal Julianne has been covering for?" Rein regained his composure instantly.

"Yeah… About that, I've been a bit busy with things these past few years…"