“As Amana inartfully pointed out, Eiji has got Nero.You have Ryder.And Amana has interviews with every Bloodline.But I’m…” Here Mairead stopped talking.“Anyways, we should do our best.Because, even in the interview, it’s not just what you say, but everything else too.So Amana and I have to do well!”
Amana had, at first, opened her mouth as if to object to her being included in that sentence, but her expression softened at Mairead’s half confession of her fear that all of her roommates were paired off but not her.
“This is just the beginning of the year, Mairead.You’ll be paired up with somebody in no time,” Amana said.
Mairead crossed her arms over her chest and, for a surprising moment, her lower lip trembled.She firmed it and said, “Of course!They just don’t know what they’re missing yet.”
Grayson put an arm around her shoulders.Her body was also trembling, which was not at all like he would have expected for Mairead.“We’re going to start showing them tonight what they’ve failed to see so far, Mairead.I promise.Okay, Eiji-sama, spell out the plan for us.”
They all went over to the peninsula to look at Eiji’s blueprints and other plans.Grayson let out a whistle as he saw that on the plans were marked secret entrances and back ways, not to mention timing of guard patrols.
“Okay, how did you get this?”Mairead asked.“Nero, did you help?Because that sounds a little like cheating.Not that I mind!But will they be okay with a Vampire helping us?”
But Nero was shaking his head and holding up his hands.“Not me!Eiji would be quite annoyed with me if I interfered with his fun.I had nothing to do with getting this.”
Eiji smiled.“Under other circumstances, I would be glad for the assistance, but that would go against thespiritof the game.”
“Indeed!”Nero nodded. “You’re all on your own.But you’ve got an excellent leader here so you should do well.”
Grayson knew that neither man was likely adverse to taking shortcuts or advantage of situations, but only if the stakes demanded it.Otherwise, Nero had always acted honorably.
“Sohowdid you get it?”Grayson asked, eyebrow lifting.
“I am a little old man,” Eiji made his voice sound more decrepit than it was.“Nobody pays attention to me.”
“Please!They fell for that?”Mairead laughed.
“Dear Mairead, you were raised by your grandparents and you have a very kind heart that causes you to see those who are mostly invisible to others.So your view on the elderly is quite a bit different than most people’s,” Eiji reminded her.
That she was raised by her grandparents was news to Grayson.He wondered why that was the case.Were Mairead’s parents deceased?Or had they been incapable of caring for her? And Eiji’s insistence on abrasive Mairead having a good heart was just as revealing too.Eiji was a good judge of character and he clearly saw that Mairead noticed people that others discounted.Maybe because she had been discounted all her life.That would explain her overt arrogance and her fragility at the same time.
“So you just waltzed into the Helm mansion and took these?”Grayson asked, putting the puzzle of Mairead to the side.
“Yes, I acted quite befuddled and confused when I was spotted just as I was leaving.They did not notice the documents I had secreted in my yakata,” Eiji answered and patted his chest.
“How fortunate indeed!Those Vampires should be ashamed.We know that with age comes strength.”Nero shook his head in disgust.
“I portrayed theoppositeof strength and, being human, they were content to let me wander in and out,” Eiji said.“Or perhaps they just admired my courage and pretended not to notice.”
“Your balls, you mean,” Mairead giggled.“So the others likely don’t have these blueprints?”
“Unlikely.There was only one copy that I found, but it could have been set out that way to mislead,” Eiji admitted.“So we must be quick to take advantage of our knowledge!Here is what each of you must do–”
Eiji laid out the entire plan for the evening.There was some fuzziness about who would do what when they got to the treasures as they didn’t yet have the blueprints for those places.
“I don’t suppose you can wander in again and just get them for us tonight like you did this one?”Mairead touched the blueprint.
“No, one must not go to the well too often,” Eiji stated.“I will be waiting at this bench here.Once you have the blueprints for the other locations come immediately back to me.I will quickly review them and further our plans.”
“We’re totally going to win!”Mairead did a happy dance.
There was a knock at the door, which had them all turning around.
“Who is it?”Amana asked, frowning.
Nero’s expression tightened.“It’s the reporter who is to accompany you.I had heard that they were assigning people, but figured they wouldn’t…” His eyes went to Grayson and flickered away, “that they wouldn’t have them with everyone.”
“Reporter?”Amana asked.“Why–ah, it’s to document the game and show how interesting and fun being at the academy is.That makes sense.”
