A pair of girls walked quickly towards the auditorium, gossiping as they went.
'I heard that 4 of the coloured kings died in deep ground.' One said.
'It's true. All of the stuff with the ebony strykers waging war is a result of that.' The other said, fixing her glasses.
'Really?' The other asked in surprise.
'Yes. And the school president apparently had someone die in her room that day.' The other replied.
'That's terrible!'

Engrossed in gossiping as they were, they didn't see the 3 black-suited people walking towards the Auditorium, 2 men in sunglasses and a black haired boy in between. To the casual observer, the two men were body guards and the boy in the middle was a guest of honour. However, the boy in the middle was a student there, albeit a student who had taken an extended leave over 'family matters' 2 months ago, one that had just made his return.

Unknowingly, one of the black suited men bumped past the girl with the glasses.
'Ah!' She said as she fell, her glasses sliding off her face.
Before they could hit the ground, the boy in the middle bowed and caught them smoothly. Kneeling towards the girl, he offered his hand for assistance.
'Are you alright?' He said, an expression of concern on his face.
'Ah, yes.' She said, taking his hand.
She stood and the boy offered her her glasses. The girl put her glasses on and gave a small gasp. The boy was handsome and his expensive looking suit suggested a background of excessive wealth. It seemed that she had kept an important person waiting and she was suddenly embarrassed.
'T-thanks.' She stammered.
'Please, do not thank me.' The boy said, smiling pleasantly, the smile accenting his looks. 'I apologise for the crass behaviour of my bodyguards.' He said, bowing gracefully.
'Um, no-no worries.' She said, flustered.
'Please hurry to the Auditorium, then.' He said, rising from his bow. 'The president's speech will begin shortly. Please be careful.'
He proceeded to continue with his bodyguards in the direction of the Auditorium.

The girl stood stunned for a few seconds, her friend the same.
'Who-who was that?' The glasses girl said, still flustered.
'I know who that is!' Her friend said with recognition. 'That's Albus Phantom, the only son of the English Company Phantom Corporation which help fund Deep Ground Online!'
'What?!' She said in disbelief. 'I didn't know he went to our school!'
'Me neither! I heard that he was a genius businessman and that he'll inherit his father's company when he's older.'
'But... Isn't phantom corporation under scrutiny for the 4 kings incident?'
'I don't know, but I heard he was really good at Deep ground as well. I hope we get to meet him again!'

The boy could hear their conversation as he stalked towards the auditorium and he was once again reminded of the dullness of reality. He'd pulled that trick off more than a few times and every time, he was met with the same response. Certainly, it was good to have that kind of first impression and acting like he cared about people had its advantages but, more than anything, it was annoying for him. The auditorium loomed ahead as he approached. The school was no different, unfeeling architecture unfazed by the recent events. The president's speech... It wasn't something he cared for. It was allegedly about the deaths of the 4 kings who were students of the school which didn't perturb the boy in the slightest. The only good thing he'd gotten out of going back to the school was that it got him out of the myriad business dealings and events he'd gotten tired of 3 years ago which his father forced upon him for his short return. Then the incident happened. The 'corpse collector' incident and the subsequent death of 4 out of the 7 coloured kings caused quite a stir and investors began leaving Phantom Corporation. And so, Albus Phantom was sent back to Purple Crown academy to 'investigate' the cause of those incidents. He cared about neither his father's company nor the deaths of his fellow students but it was a welcome respite from the business world he loathed.

He approached the door of the Auditorium and turned to his guards.
'You may go back now.' He told them.
They complied, leaving his side back towards the way they came. Honestly, Albus had no idea why his father gave him guards. He neither wanted them nor needed him and while the deaths of the 4 kings caused concerns for student safety, he himself wasn't affiliated with any guild and the over-caution irked Albus greatly. Glad to be rid of the brainless hunks of meat, he stepped into the Auditorium. Keeping his façade of a perfect student almost all day annoyed Albus to no end, but if there was one useful thing that his father taught him, it was that one has to keep up appearances. Albus looked for an isolated seat in an inconspicuous location and sat down. Keeping up appearances was the reason Albus was here today and nothing else.