"Teacher?" asked a woman named Azuna.

"Yes. Indeed, you will be appointed as the instructor for the students of St. Emillion Magic Academy," replied the school principal, Tristan.

"Who will be my students?" inquired Azuna.

"There are three groups from the Margery class. The first group is Alpha, the second group is Beta, and the third group is Gamma. You can choose among these groups. Alpha is the Nature group, mostly using magic derived from nature. The second group is focused on offensive magic. Their spells are geared towards attacking. The third group is a combination, skilled at combining their weapons with magic," explained Tristan.

"Now, which one will you choose?" he continued.

'Choosing one among them,' Azuna thought.

"I will choose Alpha group," Azuna replied firmly.

"Alpha group. It consists of Akiko, Sasuke, Igarashi, Sakuraba, Hanada, and Zakuro," Tristan stated while showing data about Alpha group.

"From the data, you can see they are a group with powers derived from nature. Akiko has Light powers. Sasuke has Thunder powers. Igarashi has Cold Air powers, meaning Ice and Snow abilities. Sakuraba has Fire powers. Hanada has Plant powers. Zakuro is a bit unique as his strength focuses on Fruits," explained Tristan.

"Is there any additional information about them?" Azuna asked, making sure no information was overlooked.

"That is the students' privacy," replied Tristan.

"Come to the Margery class tomorrow," Tristan continued.

****************

Meanwhile, at St. Emillion Magic Academy in the Women's Section, the students were checking the class assignment board.

"Where will we be placed?" asked one student.

"We're in the same class," replied another.

"Ah, we're not in the same class? How is this possible?" commented a student.

They continued searching for their names, including the girl with orange hair in a side ponytail.

"Akiko-chan, how about us?" asked a girl with straight shoulder-length red hair named Hanada.

"Seeing that we've been grouped together in the dorms from the start, you, me, and Zakuro are in the same class," Akiko replied, looking at the announcement board.

"What's our class name, Akiko-chii?" Zakuro asked.

"Margery class," Akiko answered shortly.

"Oh, we're in the same class, right?" someone behind Akiko commented.

"You..."

"You forgot about me; I'm Mimori from Aile class. You three are from Terra class, right?" said Mimori.

"I won't forget the girl I defeated during the inter-class competition in the fourth year," Akiko replied, mocking Mimori.

"This time, I'll repay everything you've done to me," Mimori said, leaving the three of them.

After Mimori walked away, Akiko, Hanada, and Zakuro looked back at the announcement board until a silver-haired girl with twin tails approached them.

"Akiko-san!" exclaimed the silver-haired girl named Hamura.

"Hamura?" Akiko said with a hint of surprise as Hamura ran towards her.

"What's up?" Akiko asked when Hamura reached her.

"I'm happy because we're all in the same class," Hamura said with a joyful face, making Hanada and Zakuro also happy to hear it.

However, Akiko was not pleased because she felt there was more that Hamura wanted to convey.

"Is that all?" Akiko asked Hamura.

"Not just that, Sakuraba-niisan, Igarashi-san, and Sasuke-san are also in the same class with us," Hamura replied, still with a happy face.

"WHAT??!!!" Akiko screamed. Then she looked towards the announcement board.

"They are too..." she said, still in disbelief.

****************

In another section, three boys stared in disbelief at what was written on the board. Not because of their names, but because they were in the same class as three girls they wanted to avoid.

"They're in the same class as us?" asked the blond-haired boy named Sasuke.

"As long as they're not in the same group as us, it's not a problem, right?" said the purple-haired boy named Igarashi, receiving an incredulous look from Sasuke.

"I still don't like it!!!" Sasuke replied, slightly shouting, making the ears of those around him hurt. And, of course, the guilty party received a hit from Igarashi.

"Fool. It's already a decision from the Headmistress. Don't complain," Igarashi retorted.

"You two calm down," intervened the pink-haired boy named Sakuraba.

"Like Igarashi said, it's already a decision from the Headmistress. Whether we're in the same group or not, we can only follow what has been decided," explained Sakuraba.

"Mou. Sakuraba, I still don't like it," Sasuke said, rubbing his head from the earlier hit by Igarashi.

"You're too spoiled," Igarashi said, tired of Sasuke's spoiled behavior.

Meanwhile, Sakuraba could only smile, watching the two of them. "How about we prepare some food right away? It's already lunchtime, isn't it?" Sakuraba suggested, lightening the mood.

"Alright. I'll go first!!!" Sasuke replied, leaving Igarashi and Sakuraba behind.

"You always spoil him," Igarashi commented to Sakuraba.

"Me? Or you?" Sakuraba said meaningfully.

"Don't even try to start," replied an annoyed Igarashi. Sakuraba now smiled genuinely.

Then he pulled Igarashi towards their shared dorm room.

****************

"I heard you'll be teaching a group in the Margery class?" a maroon-haired woman named Reva asked Azuna.

"That's correct," Azuna replied.

"There's no one from one group in the Margery class that can be easily handled," Reva stated.

"Members of the Beta group are known to be individualistic. They don't like others interfering in their affairs. Then the Gamma group is known as a group that's foolishly loyal only to each other. Now, the group you'll be teaching, the Alpha group, seems to have something going on among them. Although they were known as friends, now they look like strangers," Reva continued.

"Is there a problem among them?" Azuna asked, slightly curious.

"I don't know," Reva replied shortly.

For some reason, Azuna felt unsure if she could guide her students effectively.

'I think this will be really difficult,' Azuna thought, feeling a bit anxious.

****************

After Azuna returned to her apartment, she decided to take a shower and go to bed. However, it seemed she couldn't sleep because she was worried about not being able to handle her students.

"If they have many issues, it will be hard for them to grow," Azuna mumbled.

"ARGH. I'M REALLY CONFUSED!!!" Azuna screamed in frustration.

Azuna finally decided to close her eyes.

In her dream, Azuna saw herself being pulled by a little girl.

"Sister, let's play!" the girl invited Azuna.

"Maple, don't pull your sister's hand like that," Azuna politely requested.

"Come on, sister. Just once," said the girl named Maple? Is that really her name? Or just a fond nickname Azuna gave to her sister? Azuna wasn't sure anymore. The girl then let go of Azuna's hand.

"Sister never cares about me, right? If you cared, why was I left in the orphanage?" The girl's tone then turned cold, devoid of any happiness.

She had been looking at the grass beneath her all this time.

"Sister never did that." Azuna objected.

"Sister is a liar. I HATE YOU, SISTER," the girl said, then left Azuna alone.

"Maple." "Maple."

"MAPLE!!!" Azuna screamed, waking up from her sleep.

The time showed five in the morning. Azuna decided to get ready.

'Wait for me, sister, Maple!' Azuna thought.

****************

At seven in the morning, Azuna arrived at the teacher's room.

"Azuna-chan," Thalia called when she saw Azuna approaching her and Jake.

Azuna just smiled at them. Then Azuna decided to sit next to Thalia. Jake, seeing Azuna's gloomy expression, decided to ask.

"Why are you like that, Azuna?" Jake asked.

"I'm fine," Azuna replied, putting on a smile.

"By the way, which group will be your students?" Azuna said, changing the subject.

"I'll be guiding the Beta group," Thalia said.

"I'm dealing with the Gamma group," replied Jake.

"This might be the start of us being mentors. But I'm sure everything will go smoothly," Thalia confidently said.

"Expectations never match reality, Thalia," Jake reminded Thalia not to get too carried away.

"I don't care," Thalia replied with a annoyed tone.

The two of them continued arguing as they pleased.

Although it might not match reality, there's nothing wrong with hoping, right? That's what Azuna could think of right now. It seems she needs Thalia's positive energy.

To be continued....