Morten Plaza was bustling with students. The paved pathways were currently filled with numerous booths of various sizes, most of them fancily decorated, not wanting to lose the first-years' attentions to their competitors. Some even utilized the surrounding greenery to hang their decorations, albeit being careful not to damage them lest they get penalized by the supervising professors.
Outside the plaza entrance were the first-years who were waiting for the student expo to start. The expo was basically the recruitment of first-years into the various student activity groups. Participating in these groups were mandatory for the first-years, and they were free to choose one or more groups which garnered their interests.
For the activity groups, having more students joining was also beneficial, as the groups would be able to have more leeway with their budget proposals. Furthermore, more students joining meant a higher probability of recruiting excellent students who would either help them gain achievements or increase their groups' prestige.
Standing among the first-years were Drai and Auri. Along the way here, other than enjoying the novel scenery, they had also opened up more about themselves. Auri had heard how Ravi "ambushed" Drai's family and how during his prep years, Drai hadn't done much of anything else other than training his body. Auri had also told Drai that her family lived in the capital and she was accepted into the Faculty of Magic.
"Having an aunt as your dean would be really helpful, right? At least there won't be any weird people disturbing you," Drai said.
"Yeah, it has its benefits," Auri replied. "Although being the dean's niece might create some gossip, I won't deny that it makes me feel less anxious living in a new place. I wonder how stressful it would be if I had to move a great distance across the country with only myself to rely on like you, Drai."
"Well, I don't think I'm only relying on myself, Auri. Professor Ravi has been really helpful with my accommodation, since his butler, Uncle Jack, was the one who drove me here and probably took care of my admission forms too. And although it's only been less than two days since I've met them, my roommates are also reliable, especially Christo," Drai sincerely praised.
"Boys sure bond fast, huh?" Auri said. "I wish my roommates were like that too. But when they learned that I was the niece of a dean, they suddenly became overly cautious around me. It's like they're afraid that I'd report such trivial activities to my aunt. It's so annoying, you know? That's why I didn't bother looking for them after the entrance ceremony," Auri poutingly said.
Hearing this, Drai chuckled. "I think that's normal, Auri. If my roommate were a nephew of a dean, I'd probably be a bit careful too, since I wouldn't know what he would do. I think you should give your roommates a chance to know you better, since from what I've seen, you're not arrogant and don't seem to be the type to abuse power. When they learn that you're a kind girl, I'm sure they'll return to normal," Drai said as he tried to console Auri.
Being praised like that, Auri blushed.
'This guy really wears his heart on his sleeve. His mouth must be lethal to his friends and enemies alike,' Auri thought to herself.
Auri wasn't wrong, since Jian was on the verge of dying inside just yesterday.
"Okay. I'll try to be friends with them later," Auri said as she hid her embarrassment.
"That's good. If we meet Christo or Jian later, I'll introduce them to you. I hope they won't think of you negatively when they learn about your background," said Drai.
"I hope so. By the way, it looks like the event is starting," Auri mentioned as she noticed several upperclassmen wearing some kind of uniform walking toward the crowd.
Drai also turned to look at them. He noticed that they carried themselves differently compared to most of the first-years. Their bearings felt rather dignified and intense.
The person leading the upperclassmen was a tall man with stylish hair and glasses. He stopped before the crowd and said something to the woman beside him. The woman nodded then took something from her pocket and threw it on the ground in front of them.
Suddenly, the small object sprouted and grew into a short plant with a single disproportionately wide and thick leaf. The leading man hopped onto the leaf and nodded to the woman. With a swing of her hand, the small plant grew taller until it was above the average person's eyesight.
Standing on the now tall plant, the man smiled as he looked at the crowd who was currently watching him curiously. He put on a device on his cheek before greeting the crowd.
"Thank you for your patience, my first-year friends," the man said as his voice could be heard across the avenue. "My name is Rafa Eston, president of the academy's Student Association. I am here to welcome you to the student expo, as it is one of the annual programs managed by our Student Association.
"Before you enter, please make sure to choose at the minimum one suitable activity group before the end of the event. As per our traditions, all first-years must be involved in an activity group. It is mostly through these groups that the bond between batches is established and knowledge regarding the academy are shared."
Noticing quite a few reluctant faces, Rafa added, "Furthermore, it has been proven that being actively involved in a suitable group may lead to significant EXP and SP gain. Some students might even say that the yields are comparable to those gained from attending classes. For anyone doubting this, you just need to take a look at the group presidents and the core group members to see how they are mostly distinguished among their peers."
Hearing this, the first-years became excited. Many had thought that the groups were only formalities, and they would probably just be active for a year before resigning. Who would've thought that there were more to it?
Drai was also quite excited. He recalled how his level and SP hadn't changed when he checked them last night. It was obvious that one wouldn't be able to develop their class just by living leisurely, unless the class was specialized in doing that. Drai was thinking that perhaps even if he had no way to commit to a harsh outdoor training regime, he could still make significant progress if he joined a group with a suitable environment.
Looking at the brewing excitement, Rafa nodded in satisfaction.
"Lastly, please make sure to adhere to the academy's rules, especially regarding the prohibition of excessive use of powers inside the campus grounds. I hope that this year's expo will proceed smoothly without any major incident.
"And with that, let us proceed with the student expo!" Rafa concluded, accompanied by the cheers of the first-years. Following that, the towering plant lowered to the ground while a number of upperclassmen in uniforms led the first years toward the plaza entrance.
Drai and Auri were among the first ones to enter, since they had arrived earlier than most of their peers. Entering the wide plaza, both of them looked at the myriad of colorful booths in astonishment. There were booths on both sides of the pathway, and they lined up all the way into the inner part of the plaza.
Auri turned to Drai as she asked, "Have you decided which group you'll join?"
"No. I don't even know a single group. I only realized that there were these kinds of groups when I looked at the schedule this morning, so I haven't looked into any of them," Drai replied in the usual carefree manner.
"I've actually looked into them, but there's just so many interesting ones to choose from. So, I also haven't decided yet," Auri told Drai. "How about we take a quick look along the way and later we can return to the ones that seem interesting," Auri suggested.
"I'm fine with that," Drai nodded as he agreed.
Following this, the two of them walked unhurriedly without stopping at any booths. Some of the other students also seemed to approach the expo in a similar manner whereas the rest didn't hesitate to enter any booth they found interesting.
Morten Plaza was quite large, as it took Drai and Auri a while to pass by all the available routes. Several booth assistants had tried inviting them in, which was politely rejected by them.
What they found particularly interesting was that there were several groups that seemed to not care whether they could find new members or not based on the plainness of their booths. One booth in particular didn't even bother to have anyone standing by the pathway, with their group name plate, which was hung above the booth entrance, being the only sign that the booth wasn't vacant.
After some time, the duo finally finished their reconnaissance. Standing under a tree shade, Auri asked Drai, "So, which groups are you interested in?"
After contemplating briefly, Drai replied, "I don't think any of them were interesting enough for me to want to join."
"Really? Not even a single one of them?"
"Ah, wait… There's that booth which had many big dudes gathering inside. I was a bit curious about that."
Recalling such scene, Auri realized which booth Drai was referring to.
"Are you sure you want to join that group, Drai?" she asked in doubt.
"I don't know. I was just interested in the big dudes. Why?"
"I don't think that group suits you, Drai. I bet you don't even know what group they belong to," said Auri sighingly.
Drai shook his head, admitting his ignorance.
"The group is called the Masculine Body Research Group," Auri said.
"Oh, it does fit the brawny members I saw," Drai nodded. Although Drai felt that he wasn't good at thinking and would probably not contribute much to the research, he thought that he could learn how to train more effectively from other members of the group.
"Those aren't the members, Drai. Those dudes you saw were likely the 'research objects'," Auri said, shaking her head helplessly.
Auri's words surprised Drai. "Huh? Then who are the members?"
"They're women. They were probably behind the burly men, hidden from our view. The group name is misleading. It's just a gathering of muscle-loving women whose group activities center around well-built men. Trust me, that group is quite infamous. Their activities range from model painting to massage sessions, all under the disguise of 'research'," Auri revealed.
Drai's mouth was agape in shock. He didn't think such a group existed. No wonder Auri said that it wouldn't suit him. Although Drai liked to look at his musclehead poster guys, it was purely due to admiration and passion. Even he would definitely refuse if someone offered him to massage one of his idols.
"I guess I'll pass," Drai said, smiling wryly.
"Oh? I thought you would be interested, since the members would definitely love to have you join them," Auri smilingly teased as she inspected Drai's toned muscles.
"Ah! I just remembered! There's another booth that seemed interesting," Drai hurriedly steered the conversation away. "It's the booth that didn't have anyone manning it."
Not expecting this diversion, Auri was momentarily stunned. However, she immediately recalled the peculiar booth before giving Drai a weird look.
"If I didn't know you better, I would've thought that you were a pervert. First, you were interested in the group of those perverted women. Now, you're interested in a group of perverted men."
"Perverted men?!?" Drai blurted in shock.
"That booth belongs to an infamous group called the Blooming Orchid Society. I'm not really sure about the details, but based on my research prior to the expo, it's basically a fan club of the academy's beauties. I bet the members are too ashamed to show themselves in public. They probably recruit people outside of the expo. I bet the booth's only a formality.
"Now, how could our innocent Drai be interested in such a group? Are you not secretly a pervert?" Auri questioned with glimmering eyes, feigning curiosity.
"I swear it's just a coincidence! I don't like beauties!" Drai hurriedly replied.
Drai's answer stunned Auri. Not expecting such a possibility, she stared at Drai and asked, "You don't like girls?"
"Ah, that's not what I meant. Of course, I prefer girls, but the so-called beauties don't attract me. Even my father doubted my preference," Drai explained.
Feeling intrigued, Auri questioned further, "And what's your preference if not beauty?"
"Strength."
"Strength? Can't such beauties be strong? My aunt is pretty powerful and she's a beauty too," Auri remarked.
"Uhm… How do I explain it? My image of 'strength' probably isn't the same as others. Your aunt may be strong, but somehow she looks like a frail lady to me."
Hearing this, Auri didn't know whether to laugh or cry. If her aunt were to hear this, she would probably beat up Drai so hard until his parents couldn't recognize him anymore.
"So, what's a strong girl like to you?" Auri continued questioning.
"Someone who can lift a mountain would be perfect," Drai confidently answered.
"…"
"If not, maybe someone who can split the earth with a stomp?" Drai added after pondering a bit.
"…"
Seeing that Auri wasn't responding, Drai became concerned.
"Auri, are you okay? Did the heat get to you?" asked Drai as he put the back of his hand on her forehead while looking upwards before realizing that they were in the shade.
"Sorry, I'm fine," Auri said as she finally woke up from her brief stupor. Looking at her new friend who was looking confused, she couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
"Drai, I hope you can find such a girl in the future," Auri said unconvincingly.
"Ah, thanks! You're such a good friend, Auri. Even my father said that I'll be bringing home some hot mage lady from the academy. Can you imagine that? Hahaha!" Drai gleefully remarked as he recalled the ridiculous notion Daro had mentioned at dinner. Drai was feeling happy that he had finally found a friend who supported him.
Seeing the cheerful Drai, Auri helplessly smiled and shook her head.
Suddenly, a familiar voice called out.
"Drai!"