Aena was quite annoyed by the current situation. A bubbly girl had suddenly started talking to her like they were best friends. She babbled on and on about this and that, nudging her from time to time, trying to elicit a response.
'Is this what they call the getting adopted by an extrovert?' Aena thought; she never thought she would get to experience it for herself—on the first day nonetheless.
The girl was currently talking about all sorts of gossip in the other classes: all the latest shade being thrown around. She even mentioned a few theories about forbidden professor love. It was the first day for god's sake, how did that girl already have so much tea to spill?
"—Oh yeah, about Mr. Rutherfield. He's just like in the rumors right?"
"Rumors?" Aena questioned. Seeing Aena's sudden interest, the girl's eyes shone.
"Yeah! Didn't you hear? He always comes late to his classes. Some say it's because he murders a few people and eats them for breakfast before he goes to work. Others say he goes to the Shadow Forest every morning to collect ingredients for his illegal concatenations which he tests on his students to eat. Even more," the girl paused for dramatic effect.
"People have seen him hanging around the graveyard with a shovel. It's obviously for burying the students he doesn't like!" the girl shrieked and formed claws with her hands.
"..." This girl clearly had a few screws loose Aena thought.
"Ah!" the girl suddenly started.
"I haven't even introduced myself yet! How rude of me!" The girl exclaimed while bringing her hand to her chest.
"I'm Emmy! Emmy Chatterhaus!" Emmy said with a wide grin on her face. "I'm so glad to meet you Aena!" she beamed.
Aena wanted to wipe that stupid grin off the so-called Emmy's face.
"Wait… how do you know my name?" Aena questioned. The brown-haired girl looked taken aback.
"Wha do you mean? I know everyone!" she piped. Of course. That was how it was.
Aena sighed heavily, rubbing her forehead; she could feel a headache coming on. She appraised the other girl again. Her short, chestnut brown hair that stopped just above her shoulders framed her childlike face which was characterized by a pert nose and peridot irises. A smattering of freckles dotted her face.
All in all, it was a cute face. A very punchable face, Aena reaffirmed as she nodded.
Aena didn't really have anything to do for now, so she just mindlessly chatted with Emmy for a bit. While the girl did spout a bit of senseless stuff most of the time, sometimes Aena learned some relevant information. She couldn't help but wonder about the girl's intelligence network.
"Where do you hear all this gossip?" Aena asked curiously.
"Ehehehe~ Don't call it gossip! It's er… information! I'm just a very good informant with reputable sources," Emmy harumphed with her index finger outstretched as if chastising Aena.
Suddenly, they heard a voice shouting at the front of the class.
"Hey everyone! Why don't we introduce ourselves?" a boy with a moderate smile on his face asked.
"I'll go first; my name is Pete Ennis."
"I'm a sharpshooter. I like Cheetos! Pleased to meet you." Pete didn't even ask anyone for their opinion before announcing to the class his introduction. Aena stared at him.
"Ahem." Another boy coughed before stepping onto the platform.
It was the handsome boy Lance. He gave an amiable smile and placed a hand on Pete's shoulders.
"Spicy or plain?" Lance asked in a sultry voice… is what she expected, but no, reality was not to her delusions.
"While Pete may have been a bit… straightforward, I do believe that it would be a good idea to introduce ourselves," he said. Seeing that no one had any complaints, he continued.
"As you all probably know, my name is Lance Raventon. I'm a spearman."
One by one, her classmates began to introduce themselves. Aena listened closely for now, as it would be rude to not know if in the future one of them approached her, but she wasn't planning to of her own volition, so she didn't pay too much attention.
After some time had passed, there were only two people left who hadn't introduced themselves yet. One was Cassidy. The other was Aena. No one was eager to ask the cold Cassidy to say something, so the only plausible person left was Aena.
She really didn't want to introduce herself, but because of the annoying peer pressure, she had no choice but to relent. She put on an affable smile.
"Hi, I'm Aena, a mage." Immediately she could hear whispering around the classroom.
Mages weren't exactly rare, but they were less frequent in commoners due to one notable disparity: wealth. Magic wasn't considered a supernatural phenomenon in this world where science ruled supreme. Researchers considered magic as an empirical existence.
They weren't sure exactly how it came to, but it had something to do with the tampering of genes that released some latent power that preexisted in humans since the beginning of time. Just like how the cognitive revolution drastically metamorphosized an animal into a cognitive being, experimentation led to the unlocking of unexplainable powers.
It could be compared to ESP. However, rarely anyone was born with the ability to immediately wield this power, or mana. Wealthy households had various methods and procedures to forcefully awaken latent potential, but those of lower backgrounds like Aena could only rely on their luck and talent.
That was why everyone around her was surprised by her declaration as an mage. Along with that, her unique appearance made her stand out whether she liked it or not.
She had silver-white hair. It wasn't something to hide as it wasn't some bad omen or anything, but it was still strange. Especially in a time when abilities were related to genetics, features that stood out were pertinent.
After the introductions were finished, their free time was almost over, and the next class was slotted to start.
Physical Training Class.