First day of school [3]

'Ah. I fucked up.'

The room had gotten completely silent, my earlier outburst seemed to have sucked the air out. As I was standing up behind the desk, fist still planted on the sturdy, wooden construction, my brain got to work.

My vision started collecting every single piece of information in the classroom. Looking around I could feel nine pairs of eyes staring at me. My fellow students were dumbstruck when they finally noticed the small boy in the back of the classroom, sitting beside the holy man, with almost everyone carrying the same inquiring expression. The only exceptions were the golden succubus and the knightess of ice.

Looking at Sarah, I couldn't quite figure out what she was thinking. With lips trying to figure out if she should smile or frown and eyebrows doing a small dance in an attempt to find a proper position.

'Oh right. She did say something about loving cute things when she presented herself didn't she.'

Thinking I had found the answer to her confusing behavior I felt a bit empty.

'I guess she doesn't know if she thinks I am cute because of my appearance or just a rude brat because of me screaming rude words.'

*Giggle*

Breaking the silence was the other student, whose expression also told a different story to the others. Although Lindsey had carried a completely straight face, with a serious look in her eyes, her lips seemed to have been twitching. In the end, it seems like she couldn't hold it anymore. She had let out a quiet laugh, missed by the other students who kept their focus on me. Although I don't know why she was laughing, it might have been the fact that someone looking like a little kid started to swear like a sailor.

Breaking the silence, Mike put his hand down on the podium with a giant grin.

*Smack*

"HAHAHAHA! Sorry little hare, I didn't see you there with only your head sticking up. Right, you were also part of my class."

...

'Little hare...? Did he get that from the principal? And what do you mean didn't see me, you were staring right at me just a couple of minutes ago! Wait... did he skip me on purpose just to gauge my reaction?'

While thinking about the possibility that the missing link had actually outsmarted me, another disturbing thought had started occupying my mind.

'Why did I even yell at him? Shouldn't I be happy that I might have had a chance to on unnoticed?'

Sorting out and structuring my mind, my brain started going through the motions. I couldn't recall my personality from my previous life, but I was fairly certain I hadn't been the aggressive type.

After getting accustomed to my new body and mind it felt like I had become a lot more impulsive, often unable to contain my inner frustrations. Although this could also be a side-effect of my limited social interactions, where I had pretty much only talked to two very annoying old men, it seemed like my new life, with a lot of unfamiliar feelings awakening, had made me become a fairly audacious young man.

"Now then, for the last student of our class! Little hare!"

'AT LEAST SAY MY REAL NAME WHEN MAKING THE ROLL CALL YOU BUFFON!'

Collecting myself and swallowing my internal rage, caused by the insensitive monkey of a man, I presented myself while being pierced by questioning eyes.

"Here! I am Miren Porter, 16 years old and a freshman at Kirkegaard academy. I will be joining the martial division as a dagger-wielding assassin-type with lightning affinity."

As I clearly stated important facts about me, like my age, to minimize the chances of any misunderstandings, the other students looked stupified. Not only was the little kid, with shoulders barely reaching the top of the table in front of him, the same age as them, he also had the dual element of lightning as his affinity.

With all of their internal conjectures being blown away, me not being a child prodigy from a renowned family, a heavy silence once again emerged.

*Cough*

With a small cough, Mike managed to get the students to start looking towards the front of the room once again, with their eyes landing on their homeroom teacher.

*Now, I see that you seem to be confused but he is just as old as the rest of you. As such you should not treat him like the little squirt he is, instead, you should expect just as much from him as anyone else."

As he started pacing towards me the room he continued to speak.

"Your academy life is not going to be all flowers and rainbows. Albeit rare, students have gotten hurt during their expeditions, with some of them losing their lives trying to subjugate monsters."

Ending his journey towards the back of the classroom, he stood in front of the, still, standing me, and with a straight face uttered:

"If you aren't strong enough to be useful to your parties, you aren't deserving of a spot in the academy."

'Can't you at least try to be a bit subtle as to whom you are talking to? Did you just go out of your way to paint a target on my back, by clearly stating that I am weak?'

Mike didn't hate me, if he did I would probably not even be here at this point, but he did seem to want to make a point for some reason. Maybe he had a hard time accepting that the weak little Miren was attending his precious Kirkegaard?

Turning around he spoke loudly while I sat down again.

"Now! As it is somehow already almost lunchtime I will just end this lesson by saying that we will be having a closer status inspection in the afternoon. By using a more intricate mana orb you will get to see if your mana grade is lower, intermediate, middle or high sub-rank.

'Wait, what! There are different ranks in between the mana grade ranks?! Why did no one tell me about this?'

I guess it did make some sense, even if two different individuals had the same mana grade rank, the purity and size of their mana could be quite different depending on the amount of honing and how much they had practiced their control

"This will also let your classmates see your status, excluding your Inherent Dispositions, Battle Arts, spells, and martial techniques, and make for better teamwork in the future. Knowing your classmate's strengths and weaknesses will help when planning your dungeon dives and expeditions."

*Fuuuee*

'So in the end I will have to reveal my strength to everyone on the first day? Might as well, not like they wouldn't notice it after a week or two anyway I guess.'

As he returned to his appointed place in front of the podium, he ended homeroom with some concluding words.

"Now, go for lunch and we will meet at the lab shown on your DADs after half an hour. As this is your first day, this will also be the only undertaking you will have for the day. Do try to make sure to get along with each other as you will spend a lot of time together."

When he finished his talk, like a squirrel I quickly exited the room, leaving the other students behind before even standing up.

'No way I'm getting stuck with these elites after all that.'

As I was thinking about how annoying it would be to have to explain my personal circumstances I couldn't help but run away. This was, after all, one of my specialties.

***

Having finished my lunch, I sat at the familiar corner-side table of the cafeteria. Enjoying the afterglow of eating a high-quality lunch, I was trying to empty my mind with a nice cup of coffee. As I closed my eyes, about to reach nirvana, I felt a hand land on my shoulder.

"Yo Miren! Why would you just run away like that?"

Once again I had James sitting at my side, putting down his tray of food with a light thump. As he started eating he kept talking.

"The others are also on their way. After you left, most of us stayed for a bit to talk with each other. Most of them seem quite nice, although they all had some peculiarities."

'Why is he talking to me as if I was an old friend? Can't he see I'm trying to attain zen here?'

Closing my eyes once again, I tried to fully close off my surroundings and concentrate on my coffee. Once again on the brink to attain enlightenment, James once again opened the gates to his never-ending stream of words.

"Sarah, Brad! Over here!"

James had risen to his feet, shouting and waving his hand as a means to rein in the two aforementioned students.

"Oh James, you have already started eating? I know you said you were starving but at least wait for us!"

"Why would he have to wait for us? We don't even know each other..."

With an innocent and endearing smile Sarah had replied with some lighthearted lines while, in contrast, Brad had voiced some snappy mumbling. Looking up at the beauty and the beast I couldn't help but shiver. Even if I had already realized I wouldn't be able to keep a low profile, this was too much.

'It's all James's fault. It seems like the inherent charm of a hero is working wonders, isn't it? Even if it is good that he is getting along with his future party, why do I have to be a part of it?!'

As a wet sensation emerged from the corner of my eyes, the duo sat down in front of us and Sarah continued to talk to James.

"So we were thinking about taking a walk around the..."

Looking up from her food, in order to get a clear view of James, she suddenly stopped. Although Brad seemed to have noticed me from the beginning, Sarah hadn't seen me at all. Noticing Sarah flinching James asked.

"Hmm? What's wrong?"

*Hrmm!* *Fuuueee*

At James's question, she cleared her throat and let out a small sigh. Collecting herself, she continued to talk about something different than previously. Looking at me with intense emotion, her clear amber eyes made my body heat up.

'Ah, if only those eyes were intense because of my masculine charm I would be in heaven right now.'

Knowing the reason for her intense stare was most likely because she had settled for viewing me as a cute animal, her response confirmed my theory.

"No, I just didn't see the little hare sitting here. Do you guys know each other?"

'Yep, I'm just a cute animal in her eyes. And why did Mike have to call me a hare in front of everyone?!'

Clasping my hands under the table I prayed.

'Lord Almighty, I haven't asked for much in my two lives... just this one time...please don't let me be known as little hare...'

"Oh, no not really. I met Miren just yesterday. I accidentally knocked him down when I was walking through the cafeteria. It was completely my fault, I should have looked down but I just didn't expect someone to be that..."

As I stared with cold and savage eyes at James, he seemed to have realized what he was actually about to say. Him, not noticing the incredibly, stupidly short student who happened to sit right next to him.

*Gulp*

As he looked into my eyes, a familiar sight of a person getting caught in the endless black of my eyes appeared for the first time in a very long time. A second later he collected himself and continued talking with his trademark smile.

"Anyway, we just met yesterday."

Although Sarah and Brad looked at me with pitying eyes they at least had the tact to disregard the information they had just been given.

After making a bit of small talk, me being silent with tears in my eyes, we finished our lunch and started making our way to the location where we would get our status's measured.