Preparations

"So we will start with taking your measurements, Sir."

In front of me was an older man, neatly suited up with a trimmed, elongated mustache. His demeanor exuded class and professionalism, and he carried himself proudly.

I had gotten taken to Mike's go-to store for suits, which specialized in custom-tailoring. Not a surprise really, as the gorilla had a physique that was quite extraordinary.

This was also the case for me. My physique was also quite abnormal, but on the other end of the spectrum from my teacher.

He started to measure my body, one limb at a time with significant efficiency,

"Hmm, 138 cm tall. That's quite something, isn't it? You must have a hard time buying clothes I assume?"

"I'm 139 cm... And I'm not sure, I haven't actually bought any clothes..."

Giving me an inquiring gaze, he raised his brow a little, "Hmm, is that so... Well, no matter. I'll have the suit ready for tomorrow then."

"Just like that? Shouldn't I be picking the color or model?"

With a bit of a chuckle, he put down my words, "Haha! Young man, if you haven't ever bought clothes, I think it would be wiser to leave it to my expertise. I'll make sure to get you into a suit that will make the young ladies' hearts race."

"Erm... sure."

I did not know why he had anything to do with my romantic life, but his words made sense. He would most likely have a much better understanding of what kind of suit would be suitable.

"Oh, and do be sure to get yourself a haircut as well. That long hair of yours is only giving you the appearance of being even younger."

It was the truth. Because of how I had led my academic life, my hair had just kept on growing, at this point reaching all the way to my shoulders.

"That's true! At this point, they will think you are a young girl more than an elite student little hare!"

Mike entered the fight, having spectated the entire conversation in silence.

'Thanks, man, that sure gives me confidence...'

"But I still don't have any money, you know? Maybe I can afford it after we get the returns from the materials from our dive."

My teacher put his hand on my shoulder, "It's fine. We are here anyway right? I think I know a barber that is still open. Let's go."

"Huh? Right now?"

"Yes!"

And so I got myself a haircut all of a sudden.

****

"You are being impatient."

Thursday afternoon, I was trying to control three electric daggers floating in front of me, but they were unstable and fragile.

"Yes, Master."

Tomorrow was the day of the rankings, and to say I wasn't nervous would be a lie. Oh, and about the master part, it was a request from the principal

Sitting down on his armchair, he put his cup of tea down.

"Is it because of tomorrow?"

'Sharp as usual...'

With there being no purpose in lying, I told him the truth.

"Yes. I have no idea how I will measure up to my classmates. I know I have gotten a lot stronger, but I still have some doubts."

Suddenly, my master stood up, "Little hare. You will be fine. Even if you are not allowed to use your Art, you have some incredibly potent tools. You even managed to awaken another skill during this brief time of training, without having any clear guidelines."

" I suppose so... But there is still the fact that my mana grade is the lowest by a fair margin. Can I even damage them at all?"

We weren't allowed to use our own weapons either, so I couldn't rely on the brothers.

Maybe if I had some good luck and went against Akane or Arthur I could have a chance, as they had the lowest defense, but against another melee combatant, it would be hard.

"Hmm, that might be so... But then let's try this."

With a small gesture of his hand, he summoned a pedestal with a mana orb.

"Let's see if your mana is still so far behind your peers."

'He really is a magician... I wonder what element he has...'

I rose to my feet and made my way to the orb, putting my hand on it.

'My M.G. should have strengthened a bit right?'

I knew for a fact that my mana pool had expanded, and was a lot more potent than before, but it was still uncertain if there had been a change in my grade.

A line of blue text appeared and floated on the orb.

===Status===

Name: Miren Porter

Rank: II

Strength: I

Speed: VII

Stamina: III

Intelligence: III

Mana grade: II [Middle]

Charm:?

--> Elemental affinities: [Lightning]

==========

'What... How...'

"Hohoho, see? Little hare, you are not who you used to be. With this, you should see that you do have a chance to perform."

'Middle rank? How did this happen? Is this because of the alignment with my element? Am I a cheat?'

It was monstrous progress, to climb two whole sub-ranks in a matter of weeks, inexplicable except for my odd relation to my mana.

My master sat back into his chair and signaled toward me,

"Now, let's continue training. Try conjuring something else this time, something more akin to your own identity."

'Isn't daggers quite fitting? What else could symbolize me?'

I sat down cross-legged, still pondering what kind of form would be suitable.

Releasing a raw orb of lightning, I closed my eyes and dove inside of myself. The raw energy inside of me seemed a bit calmer than usual, and it slowly started to change.

Small ears started to appear, and little feet were growing out.

'Really? Is that really it? For fucks sake! Thank god I am not a mage, or this little creature might actually be shown to the world...'

As I opened my eyes, I was met by a small, round hare hopping around in the air. Long ears, big feet, faceless and purple.

I turned my head towards the principal, hoping to find a look of sympathy. Unfortunately, I was met by him trying his best not to laugh out loud.

"Pffft! That's....That's great Miren! You... Pfft... Did it on your first try... Pfft!"

'I hate you, old man!'

At least I had done it, and it did feel a lot more natural to manipulate than the daggers. There was no resistance when making it move upwards, downwards, and to the sides.

I could even make it stomp his feet and wiggle its ears, almost as if it was a living creature.

The distance between us was also a lot farther than with the daggers. Without losing our connection, I could make the little creature skip almost two meters away from me. Though it did get exponentially harder to manipulate its movement the farther away it got.

Having calmed down a bit, my master took a sip of his tea and spoke, "This form seems a lot more suitable for your practice. It appears to resonate with... Pfft!"

*Pok*

The little electric hare crumbled into nothingness, and the connection got cut because my concentration was thrown off.

'I get it already! It's really ironic that I subconsciously resonated with that stupid nickname, isn't it!'

Ignoring the stupid old man in front of me, I earnestly continued my training session, having found a bit of confidence in my progress for tomorrow.

****

A big outdoor arena, almost empty except for the class of 1-A with their homeroom teacher. On the sides of the arena stood several different teachers, there to spectate their students which they had taught in class.

Class 1-B had already had their ranking matches the day before, as all combat instructors wanted to watch their students fight for their rankings.

There was barely anyone I knew the name of, except for one. Thomas Craig, the swordsmanship instructor. Standing tall but slender, he had a similar physique to that of James and Bayyan, clearly constructed for flexibility and power.

He wore a teacher uniform, quite similar to the students except for a bit more dressed up, and his golden hair reached all the way to his shoulders.

Having heard James talking about him a lot, I could recognize him immediately. But when I looked at him, something inside of me stirred, telling me to stay away from him.

'Why do I get a similar feeling as when I met the hero part?'

I kind of knew him, yet not at all. The difference from when I met with James, Sarah, Brad, and Lindsey was that I could not tell what his role in the game had been.

'No matter, I'll just try to keep it in mind in the future. There are more pressing issues...'

Mike's voice rang out, "The first match will be between Miren and Arthur! Get into positions!"

'It's finally time, let's do this!'