Chapter 11 - Couples

Anala was nervously walking in a circle, in the middle of her modest room. Her hair was crimson red, showing her emotion and it sparked inflame, when she heard a knock. She effortlessly made a circle to extinguish the flame, as she was opening the door.

"Welcome!" she said with a nervous smile and let five girls in.

"What a lovely room!" Anna said as soon as she entered. Anala awkwardly laughed and thanked her. The room was nothing special. It had one bed and a small table with a chair. The only decoration was a small marble statue of a horse.

"We all have the same room..." Leona said annoyed and sat on the bed.

"Would it kill you to not bother us with your mood?" Anala lashed at her.

"Easy to say for somebody who is not failing because he saw your bra,"

"That had nothing to do with..."

"Stop arguing!" Anna slightly raised her voice. "We came here to talk about the exam, nothing else!"

"Yes! Who knows what he will make us do! So, Leona, please! Explain what he was talking about the last lesson!" the tallest dark skin girl who sat next to Leona asked.

"What, you weren't listening, Emelin?"

"I was...but it felt like he said nothing interesting," she answered.

"Yeah, he was talking about why we should learn it not how! Bloody useless!" Leona crossed her arms.

"But...you did ask him that..." another girl, who sat at the table pointed out. She had short black hair, while her skin was almost white.

"Eve? Aren't you pretty rude?" Leona said, but Eve only raised her hands like she didn't care.

"Why, didn't you let me invite the others who finish the exam?" Anna asked, trying to change the topic.

"Because we talked with them before and neither could help us," Leona explained.

"They have more experience now, and you don't count the adults and Engan!"

"Whatever! If you need them that much, ask them yourselves!" Leona stood up.

"Yeah, yeah, calm down!" Emelin put her hand on her shoulder.

"S-sorry...it is just frustrating..." Leona sat down, looked away, and blushed.

"Seriously, you are so moody!" Emelin laughed.

"Anyway, please tell me what you know about Azi. I have never talked to him," Anala sat on the carpet and looked at the others, but none of the girls was eager to speak up.

"Well, I talked to him a few times. He looks secretive but you can talk to him normally. Just...he apparently has the same condition as you," said Anna.

"The same...what? Which dimension?"

"Swamp dimension,"

"What? But...I never noticed,"

"He is not really hiding it, he is just good at controlling it,"

"No wonder, creating random Swamp circles, would scare anybody..." Emelin said.

"You also didn't notice?"

"No, you did?"

"Of course!" Leona said proudly.

"How can he control it so easily?!" Anala said surprised.

"Who knows, ask him,"

"B-But he has the Swamp curse!" Lajla for the first time said something. She was the only chubby girl here, with long brown hair. Her gaze was focused somewhere under the table and while she was sitting next to Emelin she was closer to the wall than her.

"That doesn't mean anything!" Anala said with a raised voice.

"Well, If he can control it then it is fine," Leona said after a while of thinking.

"I don't care, but maybe that is why Hito put you two together!"

"You think? Maybe I can learn something from him?"

"Good, now tell me about our representative! Quick! Something I don't know!"

"Hmm? Well, obviously he failed to get rid of our fail through appeal to other teachers. Other than that, there was nothing he did as a representative, was there?"

"What about him? I talk to him, but he seems like the only thing he thinks of is studying!" Anna thought.

"Sounds like somebody we know!" Eve laughed, but Leona gave her a look.

"He was just lucky being the nearest person to the pebble! There is nothing special about him! Why did he pair me with him?"

"Maybe the height? He is probably the shortest of the boys, while you are...tall," Eve suggested.

"Did you just pause with the tall part?"

"Girls, girls! It doesn't matter, tell me why I am with Anna?" Eve asked and Anna smiled.

"Probably so you teach me!"

"Is that a jab? You know I am failing Alchemy,"

"No, no, sorry! I was serious! I am bad at spell crafting, you are much better!" Anna said with an honest smile.

"T-Thanks..." Emelin said and the room sunk in silence.

"That leaves us with only you two," Anala said and looked at Lajla who met her eyes for a second.

"I am sorry,"

"It is not your fault, I am actually glad to be paired with you. You won't distract me,"

"Thank you,"

"But why are you together?"

"It is because I am a lost cause and Leona is the only one who can help me," said Emelin.

"That is not true! You are not the last cause! You have no other fail!"

"Hey!" both Anala and Emlin replied.

"That is not what I meant!" Anna laughed.

"So, let's talk about what dimensions you are good at!" The girls continued to discuss the class until late in the evening. In the end, Anala was glad to agree to invite everybody to her room and wondered why they didn't really hang out like this more often.