Hanna's Perspective

Wow. Was the only thought that came to mind as I witnessed Arata's duel with the professor. I've never seen the professor move like that against any other student. I've known for a long time that Arata is strong and due to this a small part of me thought that Arata would be a match for the professor but that was just a wondering thought that I quickly disregarded.

In the midst of their battle, the professor's movements became a blur, challenging my ability to follow. Numerous instances left me completely disoriented, losing sight of her amid the clash. Contrarily, Arata displayed an unnatural level of awareness, seemingly tracking her every move without having to see her with his eyes.

Professor Amber's attacks were quick and calculated, attacks that I wouldn't even be close to defending against, yet Arata was just as quick to dodge and evade them.

What's more, Arata revealed his ability to use lightning. He had mentioned to me before that he didn't want me to tell anyone that he was capable of casting such magic. After hearing him out and seeing how serious he was I complied and kept my lips sealed. I never thought that he would expose himself like this.

Finally, their fight came to an end, and Arata lost. Something was not quite right, I had noticed it before, but, around the second half of their fight, Professor Amber's attitude seemed to have turned around. They were too far away I couldn't hear what they were saying but from the looks of it, Professor Amber seemed to be somewhat angry.

"Hanna!" A sudden voice broke me out of my thoughts. Turning to my side, I took in the image of my two friends who were mesmerized by the fight that had just transpired. "I didn't know your brother was so... so... strong..." Lilia spoke, her eyes reflecting a glow of admiration as she watched Arata exiting the arena.

"Oh... I want to fight him..." said Sarah, her voice and expression mirroring Lilia's as she too looked on, leaning forward in her seat with interest.

"You never told us that he was special born either!" Lilia exclaimed, turning my way, her brows furrowing slightly. It made sense that she was a bit upset about that revelation. We've always been close and shared down to the tiniest detail of our lives.

I remained silent, unsure of what to say since Arata's performance left me as shocked as the both of them. Eventually, after a moment of hesitation, I just smiled tentatively and said, "Surprise."

Arata's Perspective

I didn't need to get healed up at the nurse but I did get my pants sewed up like Miss Amber suggested. I didn't really give the fight much thought after I left since my mind was in the gutter but, as I made my way back, then it hit me... I lost...

It makes sense that I did. For such a young teacher, Miss Amber has years of experience and is a professional in the art of swordplay. If not, she would've never been proficient enough to be teaching at this school.

Despite her expertise, some part of me thought that I could win. Perhaps, if I had taken the fight more seriously or pushed myself harder...

I've had this feeling for a long time now. I can train for as long as I want, duel, and train with anyone I want. Yet, it feels like I don't make any progress. Like I'm stuck, hitting a wall, lost without a clear path forward. It's as if I've lost something crucial in regard to battle, and without whatever it is that I'm missing, I won't be able to get stronger.

My mind returned to the present as I returned to class. When I arrived, I peeked around the corner and noticed all the students were down in the fighting area, training per Professor Amber's instructions. She was nearby overlooking each student, her expression solemn and indiscernible. I take it her mood hasn't gotten better I'll just remain below her radar.

Following my train of thought, I began making my way down to where everyone else was. A couple of students fell silent and turned my way, causing the rest to follow. In a matter of seconds, all eyes fell on me, everyone murmuring to themselves as they noticed me walk by. Even Professor Amber glanced my way, her eyes narrowed and brows furrowed, causing a shiver to run down my spine.

I turned away immediately and came face to face with a familiar figure, a classmate of mine I'd known for a long time. "Hey, Arata," said the girl, a wide smile on her face as her long brown hair flowed in the wind.

"Theresa!" I exclaimed, taken aback by her sudden appearance. Theresa Stanton, the granddaughter of the director of this school. We've been, for most years, together in Professor Amber's class.

"I watched your fight," she said, leaning slightly toward me, her eyes sparkling with a newfound sense of admiration. "I never knew you were capable of rivaling the professor."

"Rivaling, huh?" I questioned, slightly disheartened by the way the fight came to an end.

"Don't feel bad, you put up a great fight. I don't think even I could do what you did," she said, her smile lowering into one of encouragement as she placed a hand on my shoulder. I remained silent and gave her a nod. Sure her words were nice to hear but they did little to change the way I felt. After my prolonged moment of silence, she took a step back and spoke again, "Well, I'll leave you be then, if you ever want to talk, know that I'm here."

Taking one last glance her way, I nodded, and, with a smile on her face, she turned away. Perhaps one day I will need her counseling, who knows? Once she was gone, the gazes of other students lingered on me for a while, making me feel uncomfortable.

My head swiveled around until my gaze landed on four familiar figures. Seeing them, I felt myself lighten up a little and immediately made my way to them. The figures I spoke of were Ari, Asmodeus, Flare, and Nia who were already looking my way.

On the ground, Flare ran my way, she seemed to have a troubled expression. As if sensing my discomfort, she picked up her upper body with her paws resting on my stomach as she leaned against me. Reaching down I slid my hand over her head, her soft fur gliding around my fingers.

"Hey, Arata," said Ari, greeting me with a smile. Past him were Asmodeus and Nia who welcomed me in a similar manner.

"So you went with it after all, huh?" said Asmodeus, lowering his head slightly. I had asked Asmodeus for his opinion on my predicament and he basically gave me the same answer as Theodore.

"Yeah, it was bound to happen someday. Better now than never," I answered, a small smile appearing on my face. If I had kept my lightning magic a secret for much longer others might not have bought the lie of me being special-born. For a brief moment, I hesitated, bringing my hand up to scratch the back of my head, before asking, "So, how'd I do."

"You did incredible." The first to answer was Nia. Turning her way, I noticed her taking a step my way with a smile on her way. "You should've seen everyone's faces."

"Yeah, no kidding. You didn't have to show off your skills like that," Ari spoke, adding to Nia's words. "But... there is something important I have to ask..." Ari's tone turned serious as he continued speaking, a heavy expression washed over his face in a matter of seconds. "All the others might've been caught up in watching the fight but don't think I didn't notice." He paused, his words weighing heavily on me as I wondered what he was going to say. "You saw it, didn't you... what color was it."

"Huh?" I let out, unsure of what he was getting at.

"Professor Amber's undergarment!" he exclaimed, basically yelling it out. Taking a step toward me, he grabbed ahold of my collar. "What color was it!"

My figure went stiff, my face turned a faint tinge of red, and a small yelp escaped my lips at his sudden straightforward question. Behind him, I saw Asmodeus, let out a sigh and bring his hand up to palm his face. As for Nia, she made a complicated expression, her eyes widened and lips pursed. It reminded me of the face a child would make when they caught ear of a no-no word.

"Well..." Ari continued, wanting to shake the answer out of me. "It's a serious question, answer me!" His relentless pursuit for a response left me stuttering.

"Hey!" An unfamiliar voice reached my ears, catching both my and Ari's attention. It seemed to be near us or at least reaching out to us. Turning around I saw the figures of three familiar girls. My eyes briefly landed on Hanna who was among the three. Then I turned to the other who had called out to us.

It was a girl, one of the girls Hanna always hung out with. She had dark hair tied in a short ponytail, with neatly cut bangs above her eyes. "Arata, correct?" she said while coming up to me and flashing a smile. "We've met before, you remember me, right?"

"Ah? Yes, you're Hanna's friend," I answered, taking a step away from her.

"That's not really how you remember me, right?" she questioned, a frown finding its way up to her face as she took a step closer to me.

Beside her, another girl, this one with red hair, came up to me and with a glare said, "Fight me."

"My name is Lilia, don't forget it," the black-haired girl said, making my attention settle on her once again.

Following her words, the red-haired girl stepped forward again and, with the same expression, said, "Fight me."

I turned to Hanna in hopes of help but her attention seemed to be elsewhere. Inwardly cursing, I turned to the two girls and spoke, unsure of what the red-haired girl's name was. "Lilia and... you. Do you guys need something?" My head tilted to the side as my tone came out as curious.

"My name is Sarah," the red-haired girl said, leaning an inch closer to me, her face, tone, and expression unchanging. "Fight me!"

Just then, Lilia grabbed Sarah by the face and pulled her away. Once it was just the two of us, her brown eyes locked onto me with a certain glint shining in them. "During your fight with the professor, I couldn't even sense a drop of your mana, nor can I now. You must have a fine control over it. How did you do it? You mind giving me a few pointers? It would help me a lot since I'm a mage." With each word she uttered, she seemed to become more alive with energy.

Oh, so that's what this is about. They're just here to ask me questions about my fight. "Sure," I answered without giving it much thought.

Beside me, Ari stepped forward with a determined gaze. "Hey, red hair!" he said, calling for the girl who introduced herself as Sarah. "I'll fight you."

Before I could focus on their interaction any more, Lilia lit up and pressed me for further details. "So, go on with it, what's your routine on mana control?"

"Alright," I began, again, taking a step away from her.

I then explained to her, how first of all, you needed to relax your body and mind by means of meditation. Then, for detailed analysis, get a partner and practice the ability to sense and distinguish different signatures, refining your awareness of the surrounding mana.

I told her the different methods I used like creating a mana shield around a specific area and gradually adjusting its size and thickness as well as using the mind to imagine threads of mana extending from your body and manipulating them with precision.

Practicing casting spells with minimal mana usage improves the ability to channel precise amounts. Then, for a more advanced practice, simultaneously casting two spells, each requiring different amounts of mana, can refine coordination and control. Each of these factors helps in the overall goal.

As I spoke, my mind wandered back to all those drills Flare and I practiced relentlessly. Actually, Flare didn't want to train with me but I didn't want to do it alone so I basically forced her... but never mind that, it all paid off in the end.