When one is present to the mention of class, their minds naturally drift to the long cumbersome days of mathematics, science, or dreadful physical education full of people, boys and girls alike that had, through all their years of living, never encountered the concept of deodorant. And so, unless you're a nerd or a person of such luck that they got assigned teachers that acted with such attentiveness to their duty that it made class genuinely enjoyable, then chances are, to you, it sucked.

Schools however, are also defined by their culture, affordability and its history, so with variation being expected, it was only natural that a school, situated in the middle of nowhere and existing only to serve the purpose of training social outcasts to become better people, that also happened to be funded by a billionaire, was of some quality, and hence, amusement to the two, whom having both spent plenty of time being taught by a singular entity, was now taught by as many as five! Which as meagre as it was in comparison to other more conventional schools, still made for some variety.

Unlike any other school, classes were also by no means mandatory, meaning that subjects such as maths, the study of any language, or history could be tossed out the window with a simple check of a box! Lucius, being the bookish nerd that he was, had never considered such an option, but could the same have been said of his more wild companion?

Lucius supposed not, as he waited to see any sign of the simian in math, then waited for language studies, then waited in engineering, then finally, it was only in magecraft class, did he finally catch a glimpse of the boy, and what a shocker that was. Appearing in the only class that would have been of any combat utility, how typical of Harux…

Long white hair, blue eyes and a pair of sunglasses that seemed to be the only barrier between his eyes and complete loss of vision. Wearing a black suit and a white cravat adorned across his shapely neck, he was the pinnacle of elvish aesthetics, and was quite popular among the students for a variety of reasons.

Always serious and his complexion never faltering for even the briefest of moments, he was the type that although serious in his class, would also never resort to scrutinizing you for missing your homework, only deigning to offer you a single glance.

“Hm, how peculiar,” he mumbled as if he was unsure of what to say.

It seemed that in the day preceding this one, that something most queer had transpired, one that was of sufficient interest that it would have diverted the focus from the class to them. In actuality, the true reason why the teacher, or rather professor Brick Haus never bothered to admonish anyone for their lack of effort or work was simply because he had no idea why they had done so.

“What do kids like these days…”

Giving an analytical stare to each of the students in his room, it was only then did he take in the information.

Of course… Class was nearing its end and with only twenty minutes or so left to spare and with all the important subject matter having been covered, it was reasonable of their youthful minds to drift off elsewhere, logical even.

“Very well then, I shall now present something that you may perceive to be engaging.”

Realization pouring into the students’ faces, they lightened at what was to come.

“A quick show of hands so that I may verify this is the case?”

Everyone save for Harux and Lucius reacted as warranted, and as such, the duo having singled themselves out as being exclusive in that belief, were chosen for the upcoming experiment.

A coincidence as it was, it was albeit one that suited the needs of the students, and that was, the need for entertainment.

“The two of you, please, stand up, I promise that no harm will befall you lot.”

“Huh, me?” It was clear that a certain someone wasn’t paying attention, his long blond hair sprawled over the desk.

Looking him over, one of the students whispered in Lucius’s ear. “It’ll be fun, trust me.”

Exchanging looks with him, Lucius in a muted tone replied. “I sure hope so.”

Reassured that whatever awaited the two, that it would not be punishment, Lucius and Harux began to make their way to where their teacher now stood, that being behind a cloth covered contraption, that seemed no larger than a table.

Waiting a few seconds with his hands on the cloth for what the professor assumed would add to the dramatic effect (having noticed students reacted more amicably when exposed to as much), he pulled it off, revealing none other than a… Full size table football?

At the sight of such, Lucius raised an eyebrow while Harux observed the foreign object with gleaming eyes.

“Woah, what is this?”

“It is a magical apparatus built with the purpose of creating conflict in the form of a table football game.”

His hands now gripping the handles, he gave the miniature players a few whirls, and in a instant, the all the while Harux nodded enthusiastically.

“Now, as I believe that society has rapidly progressed towards a more visually nuanced learning mind, I shall demonstrate the power of this device.”

Dropping a proportionally sized football in it, he twirled a row of players remotely to launch the ball forward.

He let the uncertainty build for a moment before activating his spell.

“Terra.” A rock, manifesting in front of the goalpost shot out, deflecting the ball back.

“If you are still unable to deduce the intricacies of what this device entails, feel free to ask me, but other than that, I believe my job is finished.’ He concluded, leaving the two to their shenanigans.

Shrinking spells? Does this mean that there is a way to enlarge them? The tactical possibilities are endless, Harux thought, looking at the device with even greater, albeit somewhat misplaced interest.

“Hey Lucius, you take that side. It’s time for a match,” he smiled daringly. For better or worse, it seemed that he could not contain his excitement.

“I would be a loser if I didn’t take you up on that wouldn’t I?” Lucius answered, seeing a rare opportunity to be exploited here.

The rest of the class, thrilled by this sudden development, enclosed the would-be adversaries, thoughts and theories about the potential victor at the forefront of their minds.

After all, when push came to shove, the two, although on the same side during their last battle, were not allies by any stretch of the measure and a clash like this would have been a fine opportunity to discern who was the better mage.

Spreading out his arms, Harux grabbed hold of both side panels on his side of the table, staring down at his pieces intently. In an instant, the true ‘intricacies’ as their quirky teacher had mentioned, manifested itself in his mind.

Rather than a device that depended solely on the magic of its user, the design of the product before them, enabled them the privilege of casting spells that otherwise would have been beyond their capabilities. Neutralizing the playing field, what seemed to be a mere set of table football, was rather

Six bars with four equally spaced out figurines that served as players. With three for him and three for Lucius, players would be able to channel spells through the figurines to move them, similarly to how one would do so with their familiars. Additionally, by channeling mana through three individual circuits lining both sides of the table adjacent to the players, players would be able to control the horizontal movement of their respective metal bars and spin them.

The two, now eased into their respective positions, awaited the light that would set their souls. Carefully placing a steel ball—as a plastic one would not withstand magic—on the very middle of the table highlighted by white paint, professor Haus signalled the start of the game with a single syllable.

“Go.”

Lucius’ eyes immediately flared in blue while Harux activated blade song, prompting several gasps and widening eyes.

From the position the ball was in, it remained right in front of the players on Lucius’s side. Not that he would have it any other way.

With a flick, the miniature soldier, now an instrument of war, kicked the ball.

Swoosh. It went flying with the speed of a bullet, straight into the opposing goal.

Harux then looked back up. “Huh, that was fast,” he muttered, reproach drenching his voice.

Can’t say I’m surprised. It would have been a miracle if such a game managed to exist in the harsh environment that was the jungle. His pride in his abilities disallowing the notion of defeat, Lucius was unable to envision a future where he would lose to an anthropoid who had only rocks and sticks to play with.

After all, this was far from Lucius’s first whirl at the game.

The second round now beginning, Lucius now saw that Harux was by no means permissive on the idea of failure either. Going as far as to use that weird technique of his…

Dilated pupils, and breathing that functioned at a rate far greater than usual, Lucius would have been lying if he said that he wasn’t somewhat stirred by it, anyone would have really, for in addition to the visual deformities it caused in his opponent, it was the association of the shift in mentality that affected him more.

Then, the ball, lifted atop the stadium, was dropped again.

“Heh.” In the second before the ball hit the ground, Harux’s eyes focused in. From what he saw, it had been angled ever so slightly that this time, it would be on his side.

Anticipating its path, Harux concentrated all his mana into spinning the first row of players, its RPM nearing that of a circular saw as it hummed menacingly.

Thud, it finally landed. And with a great whirling movement, the figure kicked with frightening velocity. Only to be stopped by one of Lucius’s figures, who then, in retaliation, passed it to none other than his own men.

Harux, perplexed at this development, let out a single hm.

Giving him a sideways look, Lucius remarked on his tactical incompetence.

“How crude.” Table football was far from a game dependent purely on physical strength.

Tension in his hands, Lucius executed his next move, one that began with a sequence. Left, right, left, right, being the one that it followed, Lucius had then began shuffling the ball in between two of the players on the same line, their silhouettes blurring in intensity with each subsequent motion, this technique was known by no other name but the ‘tic-tac shuffle’.

Employing the usage of deception and momentum alike, it was a technique that not only left the enemy guessing at what will happen next, but created a situation in which they are forced to decide, leaving the opponent with none other than two obvious options.

That being.

The left one will hit it The right one will hit it.

However, unlike any other decision where the choices would have been dependent on observable and measurable factors, the case here was that, well, that simply was not the case. Whoever the recipient of this tactic was were at the behest of their opponents will, every string of fate that they dangled on, a mere offset from the cross brace that held it.

And the puppeteer in this case was none other than Lucius.