How the hell did they know what size to send me?

At the moment I was standing in my room putting on my new uniform. It’d arrived before I’d even woken up and, to my surprise, was a perfect fit. I don’t believe in coincidences, so I suspect that scan in stage one had been the culprit.

Along with my uniform I received something special, a small card adorned with a green border and a few tidbits printed on its surface.

“Congratulations Ryu Hyuni! You have been placed into Green. On your first day make your way to any of the transport stations to get to Green Academy. There will be instructions as well as guides to show you how to use the transport network. Good luck!”

Below the words was a picture of what looked like the visible spectrum of light excluding violet and indigo, and below it was an arrow centered on yellow pointing in both directions. I could only assume that meant yellow is average, blue is shit and red is the shit.

I’m pretty sure they just ripped off ROYGBIV and cut off the IV.

I’d left Ruri’s uniform on the couch for her to grab, but I could remember seeing her cards border. It was yellow, so she was a rank above me. I did feel guilty knowing that all her hard work merely got her a single rank above me, though rationally “merely” could be inaccurate. I didn’t know exactly what the magnitude of the gap between ranks was, nor did I know how it scaled. Was it linear? Exponential? Some other growth pattern that would make me sound smart? Ruri could very well be in the top 1% for all I knew.

Oh well, guess I’ll be like a phoenix and rise from the ashes- wait, that’s kinda cliche. I’ll be like a… ah fuck it.

The uniform I was putting on was unisex like every other uniform nowadays, but that never stopped guys from wearing shorts or pants and girls from wearing skirts that perpetually fueled the argument of “is it too short?” The point being, I wasn’t surprised to find a pair of shorts packaged with my uniform and a skirt with Ruri’s. Along with the shorts my uniform included a white button up t-shirt, knee high socks and a pair of black leather shoes. There were a few more optional bits and bobs that could be bought, but only the essentials were free.

It didn’t take me long to get dressed and leave my room for breakfast. I’d been proactive yesterday in grabbing enough food so we could survive the next couple days, keyword being “survive’, my choice in food prioritised two factors: cost and number of servings. How many meals I got for my money was what mattered to me. I’d bought a tray of a dozen eggs and a package of ten two minute noodles, chicken for both obviously.

I grabbed a pan, poached a couple eggs and gobbled them down.

Hmm, needs some salt.

I’ll need to stick a list onto the fridge as a reminder, but I’ll do that later.

Ruri still hadn’t left her room, indicated by the fact her uniform was still on the couch. Normally she’d be out the door before I even woke up, so I’d have to wake her up if she was in fact still asleep. I didn’t want to face her so soon after yesterday, but the other option where I ditch her and head to school after she’d literally broken down telling me she was scared of losing me… yeah, not the best idea.

I cleaned up the kitchen before heading over to her room, knocking on the door lightly. No response.

“Excuse me?” I said.

I knocked again and got no response, so I opened her door and peeked inside.

Damn.

There was a bump in her blanket roughly the length of one Ruri with a head popping out at the end. I let out a sigh and approached her bed.

“Hey, wake up.”

No effect!

I shook her from the shoulder a little, but she immediately rolled over, holding onto her blanket firmly.

Is this the legendary Ruri deep sleep?

I’d witnessed it three times when we were still kids. The first time I’d managed to wake her up by jumping on top of her and flailing her around like a hotdog, but it learnt from this loss. Unlike other forms of slumber this one was sentient. Her body retained the ability to block any attempts at waking her, and her mind was blind to anything that happened during the time.

There was only one way out of this. I moved to the bottom of her bed and grasped the corners of her blanket like a torero baiting a bull. Awkward feelings from yesterday would have to wait. Right now, I was taking this bull for a ride.

Note to self: never let Ruri know you referred to her as a bull.

I filled my lungs with air, positioned my feet firmly on the ground, and whipped the blanket from her body. Ah, the classic “steal yo blanket” trick. I’d have to thank Ruri for showing it to me.

Ruri’s eyes gradually opened, blinked a few times to get the sleep out, and then focused on me. “Nii-chan?”

Completely oblivious.

“Good morning! Your uniform is on the couch and you gotta leave soon!”

I did a bow to my crowd and left the room.

***

It took me about ten minutes to get to the transport station and be on my way. It wasn’t difficult to find since it was visible from our apartment, plus I’d passed it when I’d taken a stroll yesterday. The place itself featured two high speed rails with trains going in opposite directions and an underpass and bridge for people to cross the tracks. All in all, it wasn’t anything worth gawking at.

I arrived at my stop after about three minutes and spotted a scruffy looking dude holding up a sign with a green border above his head.

Must be a guide.

I didn’t actually know the directions to the academy from here and it seemed like a better option than asking one of the random people dressed in the same uniform as me. I walked towards him.

“Yo?” I said.

The boy which was about the same height as me looked my way.

“Oh, hello! Are you looking for Green Academy?” said the boy positively with a smile on his face.

The boy seemed genuinely happy to be standing here holding up a sign on his own. He seemed like the teachers pet type of character to me, but I didn’t think much of it. I’d only just met the guy.

“Yes please.”

As a child Mama had branded the importance of being polite onto my very soul. And what was her carrot on a stick? A metal ruler to my little behind.

“Take a left out of the station and keep going straight. You should be able to see other students going that way too. Good luck!”

Kill me.

“Thanks!” I said.

I held up my fist and the other boy hit me.

“Shot bro. I’m Caleb.”

I misjudged, this guy’s a real bro.

“Sick, I’m Ryu.”

I left with a smile and shortly after arrived outside my new school, Green Academy. There was a tacky looking sign saying “NEW STUDENTS” hanging over the door to a large building which everyone was surging into, so I went with it. When I stepped inside I saw several tables with people seated on both sides positioned throughout the large hall.

“Welcome new students to Green Academy! Please que up and make your way to one of the careers advisers seated at the tables.”

The prerecorded announcement kept looping after that, and coupled with the cheap looking plastic tables and chairs, not to mention the tacky sign from earlier on... yeah, not the best first impression. It gave me a hint at where the real funding was going.

Perhaps green does mean I’m a dropkick, but what would that make blue?

I took my place in the que which was moving at approximately one person every two minutes, so I estimated about a sixteen minute wait until it was my turn. My estimate was close with the actual time being twenty, which I watched off a digital clock on one of the walls.

When I took a seat and found myself before some young guy dressed in a dress shirt and suit pants, I sighed.

Really? Another student…. does this whole city run on free labour?

The advisor didn’t waste any time, probably on a tight schedule.

“So, what do you wanna specialize in my man?”

“I want to be a m-”

“How about spearman?”

“What? I’m here to learn magic-”

“Dude. Magical spearman.” The advisor held his palms up and looked at the sky like he was asking some sexy goddess why she’d brought such an idiot before him. “Jeez man, where the hell did you come from? Everything here is magical.”

“Really?” I said, faking enthusiasm.

“Yeah man! Magical women as well!”

I fakedly laughed, “Ah ha yeah!”

“Yeah!”

How the hell did HE get hired?!

“You never wondered why all those female mages wear such skimpy clothing? They’re pumped full of mana! Their sex drive is wayyy up there.” The boy started pumping the air above him with his hand so I could visualise his difficult to comprehend statement.

I looked at him, mouth hanging open. “You serious?”

“Nah! I’m just having a little fun. Be a great idea for a doujinshi though!”

My eye twitched as I looked at the baboon before me. The boy seemed authentic enough which was nice, like that boy from the-

“Wait…” Caleb stared at me, intrigued by how my eyes examined him like a predator on the prowl. “Caleb?”

His voice exploded, “Ayyy! You know my name! Have we met before?”

I shut my eyes and looked up at the roof, praying to the gods that I didn’t believe in to stop fucking with my life. When I looked back down Caleb’s smile had flipped upside down and his eyes looked like a dam about to burst open.

“Did I do something weird?”

No, you are weird.

I couldn’t tell him that though. I mean, I’m not some heartless monster that rips out the beating heart of its victims and forces them to watch in horror as it devours it in their final moments. I have feelings too.

“Nah, I was just thinking.” It wasn’t exactly a lie. “How old are you? You seem kinda young to be working here.”

“Oh, haha.” Caleb's mood instantly inverted. “Yeah, I’ve been asked that a few times now. I turned sixteen last month, so I’m actually starting with everyone else here. Anyway, I got here early, they needed someone to hold up a sign and point people here, so I put my hand up. Oh, and now I’m here.”

The story was questionable and lacked any actual evidence, but Caleb didn’t come off as the sort of guy who could tell a lie without turning into a sprinkler, so I believed him.

“That’s all by the way. You can go to your homeroom now.”

I waited a couple moments half expecting Caleb to actually tell me where my homeroom was, and, of course, he didn’t. “Which is?”

“Oh! I forgot to tell you. You got Miss Hopson in room 52.” Again, I waited a moment, but Caleb managed to catch on before I had to ask. “Wait, here’s a map.” The map was a flimsy and faded grayscale printout on A4. It wasn’t even printed from a digital file but a crappy scan of another map.

“Neat,” I got up and stretched. “Well, have a nice day.”

***

When I entered room 52 I came in with an open mind.

It can’t be that bad.

But of course, such a cliche statement was bound to attract trouble. I didn’t even make it past the doorway.

“You’re late!” Shouted an elderly lady in a croaky voice. I could only guess, but was this Miss Hopson?

I swept my eyes across the room. It looked very low-tech for a modern classroom, like it’d been ripped out of an old- ah, that makes sense. They probably snatched it from some old school to save money.

All but one desk in the room was populated, the teachers, so I raised one of my eyebrows.

“I’m the first one here,” I said, calmly. Lashing out at a teacher would only dig me a deeper grave.

“And the last,” said a woman's voice from behind me, making me jump.

I spun around, taking a step back when I saw the woman who’d sneaked up behind me. My mind instantly recorded the sight.

Please tell me you’re Miss Hopson.

“I’m Livia Hopson. I will be in charge of your education for the time being.” Her voice was clear and authoritative. She gave the bitch behind me a short nod. “Follow me.”

I did as told and walked behind her, watching her beige coat flutter a little as she walked. Her light auburn hair was tied up into a ponytail and swung back and forth as well. After about a ten minute walk, she stopped and unlocked a door with “Miss L. Hopson” printed on it and walked in, standing by the door as I walked in and locking it after.

“I don’t like being disturbed. Now take a seat.” Miss Hopson pointed towards one of the couches.

This academy must’ve invested more money into furnishing this office than everything else so far, because it not only had a large glass desk but its own lounge with couches and a television not to forget the goddamn mini fridge, and many other pieces of modern furniture. I wouldn’t have been surprised to find a goddamn king sized bed hidden away just in case.

I took a seat while Miss Hopson went and grabbed something off her desk. It turned out to be one of those cubes from the exam which she placed on the glass coffee table before me. She then took a seat on the couch opposite me.

“I was told you turned a solid cube into a liquid, continuously shaped it into a sphere and made it levitate. Subconsciously. Is this correct?” said Miss Hopson, looking at me with her strong brown colored eyes.

“Yes. But I’m not sure how I did it Miss Hopson.”

“Do not call me Miss Hopson. Livia is fine. Now until you can attain a proper grasp of your magic I will be tutoring you. Subconsciously imposing your desires on the world is too dangerous for us to allow you to work with the other students.” Livia took a breath and looked me in the eye. “You should also know that if you are unable to gain conscious control over your magic you will be nullified and returned to your previous establishment.”

“What do you mean by nullified?” I said, cautiously.

“Your mana flow will be severed. You would not be without magic, but it would be like trying to drive a car with no gas tank.”

Oh that’s it? I thought they were gonna touch my willy. Well, she can touch my willy.

“I’m willing to work long and hard.”

There wasn’t really an option from what she’d told me. The only pathway that didn’t include me being magically neutered involved me bending over and taking whatever education Livia wanted to shove up my ass.

Livia smiled, pleased with my answer. Whether it was due to my double entendre I could only wonder. She adjusted her seating position, raising one of her legs and placing it over the other.

Ah, black lace. The sophisticated seductress.

“What were you thinking about when it happened?” said Livia.

“I don’t remember,” I blurted it out.

“I don’t need the details.”

The details aren’t much better.

“I was thinking about girls.”

“Mhm,’ Livia’s eyes lowered for a second before looking back at me. “And was it by any chance something sexual?”

I looked down. Nope, no boner here. Then again, for what other reason does a teenage boy think about girls?

“Yes.”

“I see… I suppose you would be uncomfortable talking to me about this.” Livia sat back and took a breath to think. “I suppose that’s enough for now. I was also alerted that you claimed to have never used magic before, is this true?”

I was getting bored of only using the word “yes”. Time for me to bring out the thesaurus.

“Yep.”

Livia pointed her fingers at the cube on the table.

“Try.”

“It’s pointless.”

“Your cooperation is required.”

In other words, “do what I say or I’ll chop your magical dick off.”

I sighed. “I’m being honest. I have no idea what happened or how to use magic.”

Livia crossed her arms, stood up and headed for the fridge behind me. “I can tell when people are lying, and right now you are not one of those people, but I still need you to cooperate.”

She was out of my vision, but I heard the seal of the fridge open and then close. She returned to her seat with a can of soda in her hand, which she promptly opened and took a drink from. My eyes tracked the movements of her throat as it swallowed.

Livia placed the can on the coffee table and looked at me. “Well? Are you going to work ‘long and hard’ or just sit there and stare at me?”

I took a breath and looked down at the cube.

Oi, cunt. Melt. No? Oh well. I wouldn’t listen to someone who speaks that way either.

I held my hands up in a mocking surrender. “Well I tried and it’s not working.”

Livia took another sip from her drink, and I watched. There’s something euphoric about watching a women swallow.

Livia put the can down and rubbed her forehead. “Magic is like mathematics in which you have your basic operations. Plus, minus, multiply and divide. These things are natural to any trained mage, you don’t need to put much thought into them. In magic there are many basic operations and you performed at least three in your exam. Do you know the casting sequence for any of those operations?”

I recalled that exam supervisor who I’d already forgotten the name of, she’d waved her hand.

“No, but that lady did wave her hand and-”

“What did it look like?”

I waved my right hand in the air like I was trying to swat a fly with the back of it.

“That has nothing to do with magic. It might play some part in helping the caster recall the sequence but that’s it.”

Livia’s eyes flicked to a clock in the corner of the room, and she quickly stood up rushing to the door. She unlocked it and stood in the doorway, looking to the side as she spoke to me.

“I have a meeting and a few errands to tend to. I’ve left the rest of your coursework for today on my desk in a file labelled with your name, do it while I’m away.”

“Wai-”

Click.

She locked the door on me.

What the fuck? Am I prisoner or something?