It was finally time to face the music.
Milles felt butterflies in his stomach as he walked through the corridors of the academy. Everything looks far too new, far too maintained for his taste.
Milles was used in school corridors filled with children blocking each other's way and being a general nuisance for each other. But it was different in the academy.
People seemed to already have social circles, formed far before they had even joined the academy and it made Milles feel lonely. 'He suddenly wished he had Maria with him to keep him company.
She had always been better at handling new surroundings and adapting quickly.
"You might want to hurry up. Professors don't take kindly to the students who arrive late to their class" Milles felt someone tap his shoulder and it caused him to freeze.
It was then he realized that the comment had been for him.
"Oh, thank you for the warning" Milles felt awkward to be the center of attention but the small confrontation had pulled everyone's eyes toward his figure. He could physically feel the weight of the stare being thrown his way.
This was a really bad start to his first day.
"Do take care. The academy is no place for a meek person like you" the senior sounded worried about him and Milles felt the alarm bells in his head ring up.
He was sure he had never seen this person before and the concern in the other's voice worried him a lot.
"Ah, I should go now. I won't want to be late" Milles ducked under the hand that was reaching for him and he quickly fled the scene.
The senior was left behind with nothing but a feeling of agitation building up inside him. The other students in the corridor fled the scene as well, their expressions neutral.
"I don't know why the principal asked me to look after that kid. He's too full of himself, just like his adopted brother. The president must have a kink" it senior muttered as he left the scene.
He would just report to the principal that the kid did not need his help and wash his hands off this case.
Since the kid made it clear that he did not want his help, the senior did not want to waste his time on it. He had other things to worry about and a deal to negotiate as well.
Meanwhile, Milles ran toward his class to avoid any other confrontation.
The classroom was semi-empty when Milles arrived and he chose an empty seat near the window. It was inconspicuous enough to not be paid attention to and provided a tactical view of the outside at the same time.
Milles looked around the classroom once he had settled down.
It was a relatively small class with a capacity of 30. Most of the classes followed a rotation system and students were expected to reach the teaching halls on time. Most of the courses had students ranging from 15 to 30, depending on the course.
Milles, being the magic-less student he was, had been enrolled in some of the least enrolled courses. It was bound to be interesting.
"Everyone, you can settle down now. Man, it feels weird to see this many students in this classroom at once" the teacher in front of the class was familiar to Milles.
Once again, he could not shake the feeling of conspiracy brewing inside his head.
"Now, since you all have settled down, it's time I welcome you all here. Congratulations on being accepted into the academy. Raise your hands if you have any questions for me" Yusui was the one in front of the teacher's desk, his eyes moving over the room.
Milles felt as if the teacher's eyes lingered over his form but that could have been a mistake on his end as well.
Several hands were raised in the class but Milles did not raise his own.
"So, when can we be expected to learn magic? I am excited to try the spells out" and apparently, raising one's hand and waiting for their turn was too long for some people.
Yusui's expression looked as if he was in pain and the sigh that escaped his lips was also heavy.
"There is one every year, the magic junkie" Milles barely heard those words but the girl who had asked that question flushed a bright red at that tone.
"Sorry" she muttered but Yusui no longer seemed as bothered by it.
"Listen well you all, magic is not a joke and it is not for everyone. You all were accepted here because you had the potential to serve this society, not because you are capable of magic. There is much more to this world than just being good at magic" Milles felt as if these words were meant for him.
He, more than anyone else, understood the hidden meaning beneath Yusui's words but it was likely difficult for these children to understand the meaning.
"But being good at magic means you are valued more in the society. Aren't all the top leaders today great magic users?" another child questioned and Milles felt himself sigh.
These poor children were so ignorant.
"That is a different case and there is much more to those leaders than their mere skill with magic. Now coming back to the main topic, you all might be children but this is the time to base your foundation. And I will be teaching you the basics of magic for now" the screen behind Yusui lit up.
This was the part that excited Milles. He knew how magic worked and how he had programmed it but he had never tried to look at it from an external point of view.
He was excited to see how the magic worked for a normal person.
"All magic in this world is based on neural system and its energy manipulation. There are energy waves that are used to transform energy and it uses our body as conduct. This much is clear enough to you all, right?" these were the basics of any formula - the conversation of energy.
Milles could not help but remember when he had figured out a way to make use of it all.
"To apply this energy, you need to process it through the neural system and transform it into a usable form. This is the most crucial part and this is where the clear distinction between magical and magic-less people comes in - the compatibility with energy transfer. All bodies are capable of this transfer but not to the same degree"
And this was how the Type Null came about.
Milles felt a few eyes turn his way as the topic was being discussed. It made him more than sure that these people knew about him.
Or rather, knew about Misha Raycraft, the Type Null magic-less adopted son of the current president.
"So Type Nulls can use the neural system like normal humans? I feel lied to" another student complained and Milles tried his best not to let it bother him.
"Of course, they can. Magic-less or not, we are all human, and deep down, we are all the same. In my opinion, those who can operate the neural system and keep it running are much more important than even those who can use magic proficiently" Yusui sounded confident.
Several children frowned at his words but they sounded logical to Milles.
After all, without the neural system, there would be no magic. Everything was based around this one system and favored only a certain few.
"Next thing he'll tell us is that the mutants are not dangerous" another child muttered to the one adjacent to it.
Milles knew that Yusui had heard that comment but the doctor chose to ignore it out of habit some too many people held a similar view and verbally correcting every one of them was not possible.
Unknown to himself, Milles felt his eyes move to the back of the class where the only mutant in their year tried to mold himself with the shadow. He looked uncomfortable to be here and Milles felt bad for him.
Anyone could see that the kid was not going to have a good time in the academy. The mutant was lucky that he had been placed with another mutant in his senior year. Ordinary people refused to room with such 'abominations' after all.
"I'm done with your questions for today. Read the material the academy has provided you with and ask me if you have questions related to it. Your real course will start in a week from now so make sure you cover the basics before then" a week was not enough time to catch up to the basics.
But most of these children already had an idea about how magic worked and those who did not have seen it in use all their lives. It was only the mutant that was going to have a hard time adjusting.
Well, he and Milles apparently since he was magic-less.
"Misha Raycraft, come with me. The rest of you are free to go for now. Make sure you are in your second-half class on time" and the problems just kept on coming.