"Oh." Lord Ladran mumbled. Lady Luna shot a quick glance towards Aether. "Sure, I don't see why not."
"Wait – stop. What?" Aether butted in. A horrible feeling of impending inconveniences loomed over him. "There so much wrong with what she said and your reactions. Explain." He demanded.
Lady Luna pointed at the world map hanging on the wall. "Do you know about the upcoming tournament?"
Aether hesitated. "Yes."
"Clara is a participant. She is Fawn Academy's second year representative." Clara smiled with pride and glee. Lady Luna continued after smiling at her daughter. "Usually, her skill alone would be enough to make sure she best the other local magic schools' representatives and win her spot in the tournament in Japan, Tokyo."
Aether furrowed his brows. "What do you mean it would be enough?"
"The rules changed last minute." Lord Ladran took over the explanation. "They now want to see how well a second year can guide a first year as well. And how well they can cooperate. Clara is skilled on her own – she would have no issues taking on any of the other contestants, but the new rules dictate she must have a partner." He nodded towards Aether.
"That's…" The young man hesitated. "What about Seth?" He suggested in hopes of somehow getting himself out of this mess.
"He is one of our first-year contestants. He can't act as her partner." Lady Luna's lips curled into a smile. "Aether, I know you're quite skilled. You've helped Master Soren clear out the danger in the heart of the forest, and I hear you helped fight against a creature spawned from wildmagic before. Clara tells me you somehow resisted her magic with a spell you'd just learned." Her tone of voice sent shivers down Aether's spine. "And not just that, but you are composed, collected, and even saved Mara's life and withstood against a bunch of thugs after her life." She smiled. "So, what makes you not want to aid Clara? Is it because you have something to hide, or do you perhaps dislike my daughter?" Her eyes let out a golden shine, almost as if she wanted to remind Aether of her power.
The young man gulped. "N-no." He shook his head. "No, it's neither!" He did not want to incur Lady Luna's wrath. "I simply don't believe I'm good enough. The last thing I want is to weigh her, or this academy down." He explained in a panic. Making up lies as he went was something he had gotten used to over the years, but for some reason, he couldn't help but worry this time.
"Being too humble is not a very good trait to have, young man." Lady Luna spoke. "You are the best choice, and that is the end of this discussion."
Aether's shoulders dropped. It took some effort not to show his frustration.
"You should consider this a good opportunity. Both for your future, and for what we spoke earlier about." Lord Ladran's words made his heart skip a beat as Aether's head snapped towards him. "A tournament could provide you with loads of opportunities you can otherwise not come across."
"So, do you accept?" Lady Luna asked.
Aether sighed. "I don't have much of a choice, do I?" He said with a forced smile. "Yes, I accept."
"I regret ever accepting." He said, out of breath and panting. He leaned his back on the wall and slid down until he was sitting on the ground.
"Come on, get up! We still have ten laps to run." Clara's words struck him like a death sentence.
"Nu-uh." He shook his head. "I can't take another ste-"Clara cut him off by grabbing his hand and pulling him up. Her body shimmered golden, infused with, and empowered by her holy magic. "Come on!" She started running again, dragging the exhausted young man behind her.
"Explain to me," Erika asked the next morning with a mischievous grin on her face. "How did you end up sleeping on the lap of the new transfer student who just happens to be stunningly beautiful?"
Aether almost spit his drink upon hearing Erika's words. He coughed and hit his chest a couple of times to dislodge the piece of breakfast stuck in his throat. "Excuse me? I did what now?"
"That's what all the girls are talking about." Erika shrugged with fake disinterest. "So? How did it happen? I thought you were the resident loner guy." She fiddled with her fair, and watched him, waiting for any reaction.
"…And who started this rumour?" He asked with a sigh. He could already imagine the commotion that was going to take place after his role in the tournament was announced.
"I don't know. One of the guys saw it I think." Erika shot him a surprised glance. "Wait, you really didn't do something like that?"
Aether shook his head. "No! Why would you even believe a rumour like that?" He exclaimed.
"What rumour?" Her voice startled Aether – he could already feel the suffering he was going to live through. "Don't tell me, is he being bullied?"
Erika's eyes widened. "Oh, Clara!" She chuckled, "No, he's not. I was just messing with him for a bit." She gestured towards the empty chair. "Why don't you join us?"
"I would love to!" Clara exclaimed. Her smile was as bright as the sun. And it was nothing but a painful reminder of the twenty laps Aether had to run around the building the previous day. "And what were you joking about?" She leaned forward, almost as if she were getting ready to hear a secret.
"Oh, it's just that there was a rumour." Erika hesitated. She clearly wasn't sure whether it was alright to talk to Clara about it. The other girl immediately jumped on the opportunity of some gossip. "Oh? Really? What is it?"
"Nothing." Aether said as he finished his breakfast. "We have a class starting in a bit." He reached for his bag sitting on the empty chair when Erika suddenly grabbed his arm. "We still have time." She said with a mischievous smile. "Anyways, the rumour says that he slept on your lap."
Clara giggled. "I wouldn't mind, but no such thing happened."
"By the spirits, please stop saying things that can be misunderstood. Both of you." Aether pulled his arm free and grabbed his bag and left.
"Did you see?" Clara asked Erika, who nodded with a huge grin on her face. "How could I miss it? He was blushing!"