Ep 31. You're A What? (1)
A student leisurely seated herself in css, listening to the ongoiure. Her bnk stare and powerless expressiorying to filter out all the quiet chatter going on in the background as she fortably rested her on one hand, but the kitten ears poking out of her long, grey hair would perk up every so often when she heard the name of her peer. She’d then unfortably shift her gaze to the seat on her left, where a strange white-haired individual was soundly sleeping in.
‘…My name is Light Torin. It’s a little embarrassing to say this myself, but I’m pretty talented. I have naturally high affinities in three whole elements to begin with, and because I learn things quickly, everyone said that I was a gifted child. A professor at the institute’s always lived door, so I learned a lot ever since I could, and enrolled at the Magistitute when I was only…how old was I supposed to be again back then? Thirteen? And now I’m already going through my third-year csses.’
Once again, her ears would pick up the familiar name being spoken behind her: Zion this, Zion that. And the occasional headmaster this, headmaster that.
‘But ever since yesterday, some crazy student has beealk of the school. Everyone’s been saying his name: ‘Zion.’ No st name, no well-known family, just…some weird person that apparently skipped their entire first and sed years. And Twelve bless my dear soul, because it turns out he’s the person sitting beside me right now.’
“Zzz…”
“…”
‘Seriously, all these seats and this is the one he picked?! And I thought the rumored student was supposed to be a boy, but this person hardly looks like one, he just looks like a chestless girl! And he’s sleeping in css. Aren’t smart kids supposed to be the ohat never sleep? What’s wrong with him? And the weirder thing is, the professor doesn’t eveo care that he’s asleep.’
Light slowly brought her fio her sleeping peer, poking at their pillowed arm.
“Hey…hey, you. Wake up.”
The dragonlord stirred awake, faster than she had before. Hardly anyone had dared to wake her up in her previous csses, and when they did, it was for one reason only.
“…Mnh?...Is it another exam?”
“Exam? No, I just wao ask you something…you are Ziht? That student who passed that weird adva exam?”
“…That would be me, yes.”
“Did you really beat the headmaster in a duel? That’s just a rumht?”
“If that oute was only a rumor, how would I be here, child? I’m here because it’s true.”
“…Eh?”
“Was that your only question?”
“Wait, you actually…won? What circle are you?”
Serenis scoffed at the follow-up question. She’d been asked this question by practically every student that had struck a versation with her sihe oute of her mock duel against the archmage; humans really did like putting a rank to everything.
“50.”
Light’s ears drooped down. She squinted her eyes in fusion, w where that response was even ing from.
‘How is he BS’ing with such a straight face?’
The cat half rolled her eyes. Clearly, her neighbor wasn’t too keen on telling her what circle they actually were.
“…Sure. I guess you did somehow win in the end.”
“I did not ‘somehow win in the end’, I simply won. It isn’t a difficult task.”
Light beamed back a bright smile at the dragonlord. She could feel her sanity letting go of something important, but it robably wiser not to dwell on it too much.
‘Mmk, so he’s a total dick. But that’s normal fenius, right?...’t hurt to be nice, sheesh.’
“Right, right…um, I’m Light! Light Torin. o meet you.”
“Zion. Now, good night.”
After her short, redundant introdu, the dragon simply folded her arms, buried her head, a back to sleep. Light was about to chat up her peer, but her pns were instantly foiled as the odd stude straight back to dreamnd, preventing her from versing or asking about their day or anything of that sort.
The half girl was still smiling, but she could almost hear something snapping inside her head. Then, Light raised her hand into the air, which the instructor would soon take notice of.
“Oh? Have a question there, Ms. Torin?”
“Professor, the person beside me is sleeping.”
“…”
The instructor unfortably shifted his gaze to the seat beside Light’s. True to her words, the student beside her was fast asleep – and truth be told, the instructor had noticed it a long, long time ago. He’d dohing about it until now, and he wasn’t about to do anything starting now, either.
‘What in hell’s name am I supposed to do against someone who bests Gio in a fight? I watched the ehing, that student shouldn’t even be in a school.’
“…Let’s just leave him be, shall we? We’ve lots of material to cover. Now, focus.”
“…”
As the instructor tinued his lecture, Light once again sed the straudent sitting beside her.
Then, she crossed her arms on the desk in a simir fashion and buried her head in her arms, mimig what he was doing.
Good night.
? ? ?
“…I ’t believe I got penalty points for sleeping in css.”
“…”
“…And I ’t believe YOU didn’t get penalty points for sleeping in css.”
“…”
“Oh e on, say something!”
“Would you like me to respond? I wasn’t certain.”
The cat half was angrily trailing after Serenis who was trying her hardest not to pay any attention to the stalking student.
After being advanced into senior csses, Karas had practically remade the dragonlord’s schedule; she was merely attending csses acc to what the professor had written out for her on paper. But Light steadily followed along, even when Serenis arrived at her css.
And the half girl seemed rather perplexed about it.
“Wait…you’re in this css too?”
“Apparently so. I’m only going to csses I was told to go to.”
“Eh? You didn’t pick your own csses?”
“No.”
“Who did then?”
“An instructor. I believe his name is Karas.”
As the dragonlord seated herself once again into ay er, Light followed after her, sitting right by the dragon’s side. The evident stress in her expression was mostly gone, now repced with curiosity and i.
“Really? You know Professor Karas too? Personally?”
“Somewhat.”
“Huh…if you’re his friend, then I guess you ’t be all that bad after all. He lives door to me! I knew him for a really long time.”
“…I see.”
“Did you know I actually thought he was a monster when I first saw him? Like, how someone look like that? I’m a half too, but I’ve never seen someoh an animal HEAD! And a long time ago, he actually used to…”
As the kitten began to chat on and on and on about her past troubles and memories with the crow professor, Serenis’ ears began to filter out a majority of what she was hearing. Most of it were idle chitchat, and while she would gdly listen to a hatg’s fervent chatter, she could hardly bring herself to do the same with nonkin. She was still nodding along as social s would dictate, but that was the dragonlord’s limit.
“…You seem to know a lot, clearly.”
“Of course I do! A bunch of people say I’m gifted, you know!”
“That isly what I meant to say…ah, then perhaps you know this story as well. Do you know anything about the deity of mana hiding amongst the students?”
“Huh? Ohh, so you’re into those types of stories! Sure I do! The seniors told me a while back, but they say that the deity only reveals their true self to the super-exceptional students to test their skills. I heard that the deity either blesses or curses you depending on how you do on that test.”
“Sounds like the deity is rather ill-tempered.”
“Haha, I knht? When this story used to go around, the top-ranking students were actually trying NOT to stand out. Speaking of, I guess you’re in a bit of a pinch if this is true. You stand out more than, like, anyht now.”
“…I do? Why?”
“Why? What do you mean ‘why’…? It hasn’t even been a month since you enrolled, and you’re in your third year already. Everyoalking about how you bested the headmaster in a duel. And you sleep in css…kinda look like a girl, to be ho…you talk funny…gee, I could go on forever.”
“So this wasn’t the norm?”
“…? Of course not.”
“…I see.”
As their versatioo a close, the lecture hall’s door opeo reveal a familiar professor walking in, his pitch-bck feathers lightly fluttering in his steps. Light immediately shifted her attentioo the professor and waved her arms, to which Karas returned a brief nod to.
“Now now, settle down. Time to begin css.”
And another day, at another css…
“Huh? You’re in this css too?”
“Apparently so.”
“Really? Huh, that’s three csses in a row.”
A another css…
“Hm.”
“Seriously? Again? You said Professor Karas made your schedule, right?”
“That’s correct.”
“That’s your schedule, right? Gimme that for a sec.”
Light snatched the piece of paper Serenis was holding, briefly skimming the csses marked on it. She didn’t o stare at it long; it was quite a familiar schedule, anyways.
“What the heck…four of your csses are same as mihe only ohat’s different is your elective. I took History of Magic already.”
“I apologize if you find it bothersome. I’ll stay away if I .”
“Huh? No no, it’s nothing like that! I just…find it a tad…weird…oh, professor’s here.”
Once again, the lecture hall’s door would open to as Karas walked in once more. He sed the room to find Light and Serenis sitting together still, which leasant surprise – it was o have his two closest students get along.
‘Hm, they seem to be getting along. I suppose that was to be expected, though it’s a pleasant finding heless. But…’
Karas’ eyes looked away as he felt two pairs of intangible sers shooting straight through his head. The two students were staring at him in unison; if eyes could talk, they would probably be saying ‘What’s wrong with you?’ to the professht about now.
‘…Surely I’m imagining things.’
Or maybe they’re just getting along that well.
Praybird
