"Alright, now that everything is situated, I wanna discuss some new elements; today's topic is about light and dark arcana," Mr. Suzuki said, standing at the teacher's podium. All of the students had their eyes glued to their instructor, except Adeodatus. He was sleeping at the desk next to Yukina. She nudged him with her elbow with the intention of waking him up but to no avail, as it turned out Adeo was a heavy sleeper. After witnessing Yukina's failed attempt at awakening the sleeping draconian, Akko decided to take matters into her own hands. She picked up one of the books from under the seat of her desk while raising her arm to Yukina to push her out 'the line of sight.' Yukina, confused by the gesture, began to question Akko's uncanny behavior.
"Akko, what are you-" "Shhh!!!" Akko shushed Yukina before tossing the book at Adeo; its velocity was too great for most of the other students to see; however, Adeo's hands arose from under his head and caught the book before finally coming to. "Heh, you think a sneak attack like that is enough to catch me off gua-"
"Adeodatus, I suggest you quiet down over there, or you'll be standing in the hallway for the next twenty minutes." Mr. Suzuki's voice boomed throughout the room; his stoic gaze seemed to have a sense of sternness to it as if he was finally showing a hint of emotion; alas, he went back to explaining his lesson.
"Anyways, dark and light arcana are scarce elements more commonly found in the draconians as certain clans have an affinity for them due to their dragon heritage. Outside of that, they are found in very few individuals, and even fewer are attuned to more than two elements." At this point in the lecture, Adeo fell back to sleep again. The classroom setting was obviously not his strong suit.
"Dark arcana is not only the manipulation of shadows but also emotions and the mind, while light arcana is the manipulation of the soul. They are incredibly potent elements as it is theorized that it could be possible to resurrect the dead with both elements combined. But we have no evidence of this ever happening as it is believed to be a sin against God." Yukina was vigorously writing her notes down as these topics intrigued her. Akko copied Yukina's notes to make herself seem busy and interested in the lecture.
An hour later, the class ended, and it was approaching the time for lunch. Yukina, Akko, and Adeo were walking in the hallway on their way to the dining hall. A man in a white lab coat walked parallel to the trio in the same hallway. In the pockets of his coat was an abundance of pens. The man held a clipboard, inspecting it thoroughly while walking before catching a glimpse of Yukina out the corner of his eye. He stopped once they passed by and turned around to face the trio before opening his mouth to utter some words to Yukina, "Aren't you the girl that Kojima was talking about, Yukina Sako, correct?" he questioned.
Yukina turned around to face the man; Adeo and Akko kept walking as they were too busy arguing about which of the two was more powerful. "Yeah, that's my name..." Yukina replied, her arms folded since this was a minor inconvenience.
"Snow-white hair, blue eyes...forgive me, but you-" the man's comment on Yukina's appearance was cut short.
"It's just coincidental; I get that all the time anyway. Isn't it rude to comment about my appearance without proper introductions?" Yukina interjected as she eyed the man; her suspicion towards him rose.
"Where are my manners...My name is Doctor Aldmin, the head of the scientific research division at this Academy; please excuse my earlier transgressions." the scientist said while repositioning his glasses.
"Nice to meet you. Did you have something you need to speak with me about?" Yukina went straight to the meat of this conversational soup.
Dr.Aldmin scratched his chin, struggling to recall what he intended to discuss with her before finally remembering, "Ah yes, I recall now; I wanted to check to see if you were okay; after all, you were in confrontation with an Inkindled after all." Yukina stood there; her mind was overwhelmed with anxiety. Something felt off about this, about him. Yukina realized that she had never seen anyone at this school with a labcoat nor heard mention of any research division within the school.
"Yeah, I'm fine..." Yukina's stoic demeanor broke; her eyes looked away from the man towering over her, and her heart pounded against her petite chest; Yukina was panicking without a doubt. Dr.Aldmin took a few steps closer before hearing Akko's voice.
"Yuki, come on, I ain't gonna save you a plate this time!" Akko exclaimed from down the hall.
"It seems that our time here has come to an end, don't keep your friends waiting, and be careful." The scientist turned back around and began walking in the opposite direction from the origin point of Akko's voice. Yukina thought it was best not to ask any questions about what just happened to avoid snooping around in places she shouldn't be. After all, she didn't want anyone to end up like Pamela. Once Yukina had caught up with Adeo and Akko, the trio headed toward the dining hall to continue with the rest of their day.