My footsteps echo with the authority of a soon-to-graduate noble checking his domain. I hadn't expected to find anyone here, least of all him.

Lio is tied spread-eagle to a heavy oak desk, ankles and wrists bound with coarse rope. His senior uniform skirt is hiked up, exposing lace-trimmed underwear. One shoe lies overturned beneath the chair. He flinches violently at my approach, then freezes completely when recognition dawns.

I am twenty years old and in my final semester at the Grand Academy. Every decision now carries the weight of my future House leadership. The common boy, Lio, represents an investment that must either pay dividends or be written off before graduation. His wild talent could be useful, but time is running out for both of us.

The abandoned classroom holds its breath in the dusk's fading light. Dust motes dance like forgotten promises in the amber shafts cutting through grime-coated windows. The air tastes of old paper and desperate hopes.

His lips tremble, but he quickly masks his vulnerability with a practiced, disdainful expression that doesn't quite reach his eyes.

"Y-You're... not supposed to be here," he whispers, shame and desperate hope warring in his voice. His legs twitch in a futile attempt to maintain dignity.

"I—I can explain— It's my final year, I... I was careful..."

He waits, suspended between hope and dread, for my judgment — knowing this year determines everything.