[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/pG8LVDV.png[/img]
[sub][@stone][/sub][/center]
Only after a full week had passed did Otis finally decide to lower his Shinzou-ambush-awareness metric to an amount that he recognized as somewhat unlikely, considering the professors that Silver Gate Academy employed and the general distance between Seidoujima and Kyoto. Instead, the Strigidae found himself busy with all the new tools he had in stock. While he still sat in class to fill out attendance and made sure he didn’t miss out on any important announcements, it was clear to both his classmates and his teachers that Otis was only really engaged during lessons on science and mathematics. Beyond that, his natural intelligence meant that he could breeze through most other courses, creating a fort of textbooks around himself while he continued to crack the latest mystery that grabbed his attention: the secret of divine power.

It was good that Seirin had officially transferred to the class.

It was bad that Fuuko had transferred with her.

But of course, he had expected that to be the case, even if the fledging ninja was unreliable in any real confrontation. It just told Otis that if push came to shove, Fuuko wouldn’t be able to stop his machinations in any way beyond ratting him out to the school’s staff. There was no need to act now though, and after staring at the three new transfer students like an owl would to a field mouse, he resumed his studies, only vaguely listening to whatever Utsumi had to say next.

After all, in matters of Arcture and Arcanis, Otis was already an expert. While this was a new move for students in Earth, anyone who attended Maxillius Arcture would have had plenty of opportunities to join the Adventurer’s Guild to get some experience on the field. He personally hadn’t, if only because his own focus was much more cerebral back in those days, but now that his stock of commonly available reagents was becoming less and less…interesting to experiment with, Otis decided that it was indeed time to start getting more hands on with his research. So, rather than go through the whole process of waiting for Utsumi to call out names, the Strigidae stood up, strode towards the man, and rifled through the bag in a way that somehow didn’t cause a mess, before pulling his own badge out.

Typical behavior, perhaps, for the results-orientated Otis.

And, on the way back to his seat, he stopped by the seat of another. The only person in the class smarter than himself. The person that was not his rival (Koyuki was that; how does she even find the time to study?), but rather, his current target, both in academics, as well as for his personal desires.

[color=f7941d][b]“Safia Reges,”[/b][/color] he spoke, voice as exacting and cold as always. [color=f7941d][b]“After school, library. Study room 2209e. Be there.”[/b][/color]

And without waiting for response (surely she understood his intentions; she was smarter than him, after all), Otis turned to walk back to his own seat.