The reason for the tremendous height of the towers despite it being just a twenty-floored structure was that each floor had a high ceiling. The ceiling was so high that even if I stood on a staircase, I wouldn't be able to touch it.
As an auror, I possessed soul energy, aura, and accumulated raw strength, making me much stronger than an average person. However, in my normal state, I was just like anyone else.
Although my floor was luxurious, I found it to be a waste of money. I preferred a dark-themed room with wooden furniture, sleek black walls, dark paintings, and musical instruments at the centre.
The floor had a personal training area, two bedrooms, a massive drawing room, and ostentatious decor.
Since my belongings were already placed in the wardrobe, I decided to go for a stroll. I exited my dorm and stepped into the elevator, keeping my ID in my pocket.
I pressed the button for the ground floor, and the elevator descended, stopping just one floor below mine.
As the doors of the lift opened, a girl around eighteen years old stepped in. She was probably six feet tall, with dark purple hair, a white shirt, and a black frock.
She looked at the buttons and saw that the ground floor was selected, so she stepped to the left side of the elevator.
She stared at me for a while, and when I met her gaze, she quickly turned away. She was Stella Gracia, the first female lead of the story.
After some thought, she turned again and extended her hand.
"Stella, Stella Gracia", she introduced herself.
"Kael Hashirae", I responded accepting her handshake.
"You're coming from the top floor?", she asked.
"…Correct", I replied.
"You're rank 1?", she asked.
"Precisely", I said.
"Oh, I'm ranked 2!", she said with excitement.
"Congratulations", I replied.
"Going for a stroll?", she asked.
"Correct…", I said.
"Want me to show you around? I've been here for the past week", she chimed.
"…I don't really require a guide", I said.
"Are you sure? It's always better to know the place well," she insisted.
"…If you insist", I finally gave in.
'It's not bad to make friends', I thought to myself.
Stella was enthusiastic as she guided me through every facility of the academy. She showed me the locations of the library, cafeteria, auditorium, training rooms, gymnasium, and even the swimming pool.
Along the way, she tried to insert small conversations about her experiences of the last seven days she's been here.
As we walked through the academy, I couldn't help but notice that the students around us were watching us. Some of them looked in awe and most boys were kind of jealous.
This was normal considering she is a female lead and of course is beautiful, but not enough for me to go to such lengths for her.
Despite everything, I continued to follow Stella as she showed me around. I had to admit that she knew the academy well, and her guidance was helpful in familiarizing me with the place.
As I was strolling back to my dorm, I stumbled upon a ruckus. A crowd of cadets was gathered around a poor, beaten-up red-haired guy.
As I meandered my way back to my dorm, a clamour caught my attention. A swarm of cadets was encircling a hapless, battered, red-haired bloke.
Allow me to introduce our ginger-haired, dashing protagonist. Sun-Jung was a typical cadet who hailed from a middle-class background, with a stroke of fortune that secured his admission into the academy, and by a stroke of sheer luck, he ended up in a class full of elites.
It appeared that Sun-Jung had the gall to engage in flirtatious banter with a lass who happened to be in a relationship with one of the elite students. This, of course, led to the group beatdown he was receiving.
Honestly, I had no urge to help the guy. He looked like a puffy tomato with a mop of hair. But then, Stella decides to step in, with her justice boner in full swing.
The moment she stepped up the guy who seemed like the leader of the group spoke,
"Woah, who's the hot chick ?", and he remarked.
"I'm Stella Gracia you horseshit, now would you mind stepping back", she said in an imperative tone.
Stella Gracia was a name that was more recognizable than her face. It wasn't due to her being elusive, but rather a limitation of the academy's technology in the 90s. The screens displaying student names didn't have the capability to show pictures of better quality.
"Uh-Oh, a big shot! then I apologize for the inconvenient behaviour, 'my lady'", he said in an amused tone emphasising the phrase 'My lady' clearly as to mock her.
He was about to stretch the matter but for some reason, he looked at me as I was standing right behind her and turned around.
"Let's go guys, we'll deal with the bugger another time." The group of goons finally decided to leave the scene, uttering threats as they walked away. Sun-Jung laid on the ground, gasping for breath. Stella rushed to his side and extended her hand to help him up.
"Are you okay?" she asked, concern etched on her face.
He slowly rose to a sitting position, nodding weakly.
"Thanks," he muttered, still catching his breath.
"Do you need any assistance?"
The guy hesitated for a moment before responding,
"No, I'm good." However, as he regained his composure, his gaze fixated on Stella's face, and he couldn't take his eyes off her.
Suddenly, an instructor appeared out of nowhere, with a hulking figure that seemed intimidating. He scrutinized Sun-Jung guy and remarked,
"Your session hasn't even started yet, and you're already in a brawl."
"Sir, it wasn't my fault-"
The instructor cut him off, saying, "It's not about whose fault it is. It's about how you handle the situation. If you're not physically strong, use your wits. Don't let yourself be mentally defenceless."