As the boy nears, I can see that he’s dressed in what looks like metallic scales underneath his white cloak, a longsword attached to his hip. He skids to a stop once he reaches us, his blue eyes bursting with excitement. “Gin! Gin! Gin! You’re back! Gin! Gin! Gin! You’re back!”

“Andy!” Gin greets with a smile, drawing the boy in by the shoulders.

The boy lets out a giggle in response, then looks up as he says, “Gin, I’ve been practicing my new pose. D’you wanna see?”

“Sure, buddy, hit me with it.”

The blond takes a step back. Then with a finger to his forehead, he lowers his gaze to the ground, his expression solemn. “You,” he begins, trying to make his voice sound as deep as possible while his head shakes slowly back and forth, “were an unworthy opponent.” Then the boyish grin returns to his face, and he looks to Gin, asking, “How’s that?”

Gin gives a thumbs up in reply. “Ten out of ten!”

“Hahaha!” the boy lets out.

Now where have I heard that laugh before…

I note the boy suddenly shifting his gaze, now turning to Vivian, who had been watching the entire scene with impassive eyes.

“What?” the boy asks, his voice snarky, “You have something to say, Vivian?”

Vivian approaches the boy silently, stopping about a foot away before staring at him blankly. Then I see her raising her right hand to her forehead, and at first, I think she is offering a salute of some kind. But then she starts motioning it forwards and backwards, and that’s when I realize she’s gesturing out the height difference between the two, which is about three inches or so, if I had to guess, with Vivian at about five feet seven, while the boy is at five feet four. Having done her gesturing several times, all the while with a completely impassive expression, Vivian then turns slightly, and offers a small, sarcastic, “Pfft”, somewhere between a snicker and a simple exhalation of air.

The boy does not appear to take this well. I see his hand ball into a fist, an annoyed expression across his face, his eyebrows twitching. “You looking for a fight?!”

Vivian turns back to the boy, a slight tilt in her head. “Has anything changed since the last time I won?”

“You-!”

Before the boy can continue, Vivian brushes him off, turning away towards Gin instead. “Master, I have some business to attend to. I’ll meet up with you later. Bye, beansprout.”

And with that, she begins to leave. As she does so, the boy calls out after her. “Running away?! Chicken! Bwak bwak bwaaak!”

I’m certain the boy would have continued, had Gin not interrupted. Calling the blond over, he says, “Andy, come here a sec, and let me introduce you. Jaxon, this is Andrew Russell. Andy, this is Jaxon... um, what’s your last name again?”

“Lee.”

“Right. Jaxon Lee,” Gin says, placing a hand on my shoulder, “Andy, Jaxon will be joining the academy this coming semester, and since you’re a grade above him, I’d like you to show him the ropes.”

I extend a hand. “Nice to meet you.”

Andrew doesn’t take it, however, and I see his eyes narrowing instead. He folds his arms across his chest, turning up his nose at me. “Hmph, I see what you’re trying. You think you’re clever, don’t you, Jaxon?”

“Um, I’m sorry?” I say, hand still extended.

“Don’t play dumb! Look, I’ll show you around ‘cus Gin asked, but just know, I’m not in the habit of getting chummy with enemies, and you and me, from this moment on, we’re rivals now!”

“Uh, right, rivals,” I say slowly, not following in the slightest as I feel myself growing more and more confused, “Rivals in what exactly?”

Andrew doesn’t answer my question. Instead, he slaps my outstretched hand away with his own, pointing a free finger at my face. “I challenge you to a duel!!”

“Ehhh?! What is this?! Some children’s card game?! And isn’t this plot progressing a bit too fast?!” I turn to Gin. “Say something!”

“That’s a great idea!” Gin replies, giving a thumbs up.

“Say something else, dang it!”

“Hahaha!” Gin laughs. He’s clearly enjoying himself a bit too much at my expense, and I open my mouth, about to complain. Before I can get any words out, however, I suddenly feel a hand grabbing onto my wrist, pulling me away.

“W-wait, hold on-!” I protest. The boy doesn’t listen though, a pointlessly determined expression across his face, and just as I’m about to be dragged off to who knows where, someone with common sense thankfully intercedes on my behalf.

“Getting into trouble again, Andrew?” the person asks, and almost immediately, I feel my arm being released. When I turn in the direction of voice, I find a muscular man approaching us, dressed in partial plate armor, the metal clanking as he walks, underneath which ripples of bronzed muscle flexes. His brown hair is cropped short, and he’s sporting a chin-curtain type beard, which at the moment, frames the slight grin on his weathered face.

“S-Sir Sunmore! No, Sir!” Andrew quickly replies, looking embarrassed, “I was just showing a new student around, Sir!”

“Hm, I see,” the man says while offering me a passing glance. Then apparently losing interest, he turns to Gin instead. “Welcome back. How was your trip?”

Gin scoots over to the new arrival, placing an elbow casually on the man’s shoulder. “Fun! You should come along next time, Mikol,” he says with a grin, “I’ll introduce you to Alice. She works at this brothel, you see-”

“Ah, perhaps you can share your story another time, Gin,” Mikol interrupts unfazed, as only one who’s clearly dealt with Gin on too many occasions can, “I sought you out here on business actually. You’ve been summoned by Principal Ramwinkle. As well as your-” He pauses, giving me a glance before finishing, “- ward.”

It takes a second for the words to hit me, but then I feel an expression of surprise cross my face. After all, I’d just barely stepped foot into the academy, and already I’m being summoned to the principal’s office… This does not bode well for things to come.