cyno.

Hmph. He was used to being treated this way by the rest of the Akademiya already... what did those insignificant comments matter to him?

Justice was always worth fighting for. It didn't matter what anyone else thought, Cyno would stand his ground.

...

There is corruption within the Akademiya... How could he have been so blind?

Cyno is wordlessly on his way to report this blasphemy to Lord Kusanali.

Dueling it out to your heart's content... it's a way of connecting with others. If you cheat, that's only sabotaging that connection. Who would be having fun at that point? Only the cheater."

"Not that deep...? Alhaitham, you..."

He wasn't even looking at him. Probably for the better, so that he may not see the heartbreak in Cyno's eyes.

"Tch." Cyno stepped away and swiftly turned around, unable to look at Alhaitham any longer. "The rules of Genius Invokation TCG are sacred.

+

lest you wish to weigh your heart on the scales."

Cyno had no qualms walking right up to Alhaitham and intensifying that glare directly into the other's eyes. Cheating? Not on his watch.

"I have my ways of catching evildoers. Or have you forgotten my role as the General Mahamatra? There will be no cheating under my watch,

+

"As if I'd let you." A very bad choice of words to speak around the General Mahamatra, Alhaitham... Cyno glared daggers into his skull.

over and over again would make anyone tired. What kind of cards have you played?"

Ah... the smell of a budding new player. The tension in Cyno's shoulders eased at this realization. Anyone curious about Genius Invokation TCG was a friend of his, and they had come to the right place.

"TCG means 'trading card game.' It's an acronym... since saying the words trading card game

+

// i missed writing cyno

Alhaitham was a good friend. He would never participate in No Noise November if doing so meant no longer spending time with them for the entire month.

It put a smile on Cyno's face, albeit a very small one.

Who cared where Alhaitham was? This guy was never around where Cyno expected him to be... surely, he would show up eventually.

Putting a smile on Kaveh's face was more important!

"I said I was going nuts... and I have Ajilenakh Nuts. It's funny, right? Because it's a play on the word 'nuts.' In this context, 'going nuts' could be taken as growing impatient while waiting, but it can also mean that I got hungry while waiting, and decided to eat some nuts."

+

This information was very useful and all, but Kaveh never laughed at his pun. Did he not catch it? Maybe he didn't understand it?

"... Kaveh. Did you get the joke?"

Cyno lifted the package of candied Ajilenakh Nuts so that it dangled in the air between them, clearly visible.

+

NNN... Cyno has never bothered participating in such a pointless gimmick. Candied Ajilenakh Nuts were one of his favorite snacks. Why should he give them up?

the General Mahamatra...

"Somehow, Canned Knowledge is being produced and smuggled even without access to the Akasha. It might be another case like Siraj, if you remember."

Canned Knowledge shouldn't produce an empty capsule.

And so, we launched an investigation... it only took a day for me to find one of the culprits."

Cyno crossed his arms over his chest, red eyes narrowing as they did when he became serious with his work. An intimidating look fit for

+

this matter urgent. Around two days ago, the Matra uncovered a stash of used Canned Knowledge Capsules. This was already an anomaly. In itself, it shouldn't be a problem... for example, the stash could be old. But there was evidence of recent tampering, and we realized that used

+

Cyno was perceived as rough around the edges to most people, and that was something he seemed to have in common with Alhaitham. Ironically, being in his presence put him at ease as a result.

The report was placed neatly on the table as requested.

"That's the problem, and why I considered

+

Cyno counted the cups... two? Not the best at reading social situations, he decided he wouldn't make any assumptions for who the second cup of coffee was for until explicitly revealed, and instead focused on the matter he'd come with.

He wouldn't mind staying though - if it was an offer to.

+

// the pun I could tell with this is not one that Cyno would tell. god

"Really? No, I mean..."

Lacking confidence wasn't the mark of a good teacher. Cyno's expression hardened.

"Alright. Where should I start... do you understand what the purpose for telling a joke is?"

Alhaitham would probably never realize how much this meant to him. Mostly because Cyno wasn't the best at putting these things into words, and often showed his appreciation through other means.

But for a brief moment, his eyes widened ever so slightly. Maybe Alhaitham did enjoy his puns...

+

// everyone thinks cyno is suspicious 😔 that's why he's so closed off 😔😔😔 but he's actually very cute 😔😔😔😔😔

Oh. The man was asking him a question.

...

Cyno reluctantly came to a stop. Then, he turned around. And finally, he met Rerir's eyes with a scowl (purely a result of his own embarrassment).

"It's a player tag. Have you heard of the card game Genius Invokation TCG?"

// hat guy can try to match cyno's cool

// I'MMMMM DYINGGGG