Raro Side Chapter  

Six days before Chalu and Bale met, in the bustling hallways of Magux Academy, Raro, a nimble and cunning cat beastfolk, disguised himself as an Eldoan mage. Eager to make new friends, he was met with indifference.

"Hello, everyone! My name is Raro. Nice to meet you all," Raro announced with a big smile.

The students around him merely glanced his way, dismissing him as odd. Undeterred, Raro laughed to himself. "Well, I'm still new. I expected this," he murmured, trying to reassure himself.

Suddenly, he heard his name being called. "Raro, Raro!"

He turned to see Chalu and Gori, fellow beastfolk also disguised as Eldoans. Both were knight students.

"Chalu! Gori! You guys are here!" Raro exclaimed, rushing towards them.

Chalu smiled. "Of course, we came to visit our friend."

Gori, ever the tsundere, huffed. "Friend? You two are just partners. Hmph."

Their appearance stirred whispers among the mage students.

"What's a knight doing here?"

"They're talking to a mage?"

"A lowly knight talking with a mage?"

"That mage must be an idiot to talk to a knight."

Hearing this, Gori snapped. "Shut up, you mages!"

One of the mages, clearly offended, retorted, "What did you say?!"

Quickly, Raro interjected, "Sorry, guys! Hahaha,"

while Chalu added, "Our friend didn't mean it. Ehehehe." Laughing awkwardly

Sensing trouble, Raro grabbed both Gori and Chalu by the arms and hurried them away to a secluded area where they wouldn't be seen.

"That was close," Raro said, catching his breath.

Chalu sighed. "We need to be more careful. Our goal is to unite the beastfolk and Eldoans, not create more division."

Gori crossed his arms. "Fine. But those mages need to learn some respect."

Raro then said, "Guys, I think you shouldn't come here for now."

Chalu looked puzzled. "Why?"

Raro explained, "I can't make friends here if you two are around. Remember, you two are knights, and knights get bullied by mages here in this academy. If you want to unite our people, I need to make friends here first. After I make some friends, I'll introduce them to you. Then we can show them that knights aren't so different from mages. Once we build that trust, we can reveal our secret and perhaps unite our faction with theirs. How does that sound?"

Gori scoffed. "Sounds like a fairy tale from a book."

Chalu chuckled. "hahaha , Where did you learn these words, Raro? You're so smooth. Woah."

Raro blushed. "Is that so? Hehehe."

Chalu smiled warmly. "Yep. If you insist on this plan, what day should we visit you?"

Raro thought for a moment. "Give me a week, or at least six days. By then, I'll probably have made a lot of friends, and I can introduce you two to them."

Chalu nodded. "Okay, I got it."

Gori grumbled. "Whatever."

After spending some bonding time , Chalu and Gori said their goodbyes to Raro, leaving him behind.

Raro took a deep breath and muttered, "Let's do this one more time." Determined to forge connections, he squared his shoulders and walked back into the bustling hallways of Magux Academy, ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead.

.....

Three days before Chalu and Bale met, Raro sat alone in the classroom of Magux Academy, eating lunch by himself. He muttered to himself, "I don't have any friends," sighing deeply.

Suddenly, someone asked, "Why are you eating alone?"

Raro looked up to see a boy with messy yellow hair.

"Well, because I don't have—" Raro cleared his throat, feeling embarrassed. He quickly changed his words. "Because I want to."

The boy with the yellow hair grinned. "You don't want to?"

"Yep," Raro replied, trying to sound convincing.

The boy burst into laughter. "Ahahaha, you're so funny!"

Raro felt even more embarrassed. He thought to himself, "Raro, why did you say those words? It's so obvious you don't have friends here."

The boy with the yellow hair extended his hand. "I'm Lyro Spera!"

Raro's mind raced. "Spera? From that Spera family? They're known for being strong and adventurous. They're also responsible for killing many beastfolk. So, he's from that family? I've heard about the Spera family from the textbooks back home. They said the Spera are dangerous Eldoans. But when I see Lyro, he doesn't seem dangerous. He's just a cheerful guy. And from what I've heard, he's full of pranks. I guess we're similar. I used to prank my friends too, but only two—okay, okay, four times."

Trying to put his thoughts aside, Raro decided to engage with Lyro. "Nice to meet you, Lyro. I'm Raro." 

Lyro said, "You're funny, man. Ehehe. Oh, I know—let's be friends!"

Raro blinked in surprise. "Friends?"

"Yep, friends," Lyro confirmed with a big smile.

"Really?" Raro asked, still in disbelief.

"Yep! How about you follow me? I want to show you something," Lyro grinned mischievously.

Raro hesitated for a moment, then smiled back. "Sure, why not?"

As Raro followed Lyro through the bustling hallways of Magux Academy, he couldn't help but feel a mix of excitement and curiosity. Lyro's energetic stride was infectious, and Raro found himself eager to see what this new friend had in store.

"Um… where are we going?" Raro asked as they turned a corner.

"You'll see. Kekekeke," Lyro replied with a sly chuckle, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

Raro's confusion only deepened, but he trusted Lyro's friendly demeanor. Finally, they arrived at the mage training ground, an open area where students practiced their spells.

"Here we are," Lyro announced with a grin.

Raro looked around, puzzled. "We're just in the mage training ground?"

"Watch that guy right there," Lyro said, pointing to a man with red hair who was eating some food.

Raro stared at the man, confused. "Okay…"

Suddenly, the red-haired man jumped up, shouting, "Fuck, this is hot!!!"

Lyro chuckled and muttered, "That guy can't handle spices. That's why I put some extra spice in there."

Raro was shocked but also amused. He thought, "Now I can see why they call Spera a menace." Despite his surprise, he couldn't help but be impressed by the audacity of Lyro's prank. Clearing his throat, Raro said, "Dude, that was awesome!"

Lyro grinned, clearly pleased with Raro's reaction. "I know, right? And don't worry about that man. He's also my friend. His name is Bax Wood."

Raro nodded, a smile spreading across his face. "Okay. That makes sense."

The red-haired man, Bax, finally managed to cool his mouth and approached Lyro and Raro, still panting a little. "Lyro, you jerk! You know I can't handle spicy food!" Bax complained

Bax then looked at Raro and exclaimed, "You're the shrimp who said that alchemists were born to kill back then! When I heard that, I was amazed!" Bax was clearly a hot-headed boy.

Raro pouted and said, "I'm not a shrimp."

Bax said, "Oh, you're Ralo or something."

Raro corrected him, "No, it's Raro!"

Bax nodded. "Oh, anyway, nice to meet you, Raro."

"Nice to meet you too, Bax," Raro replied with a smile.

Lyro, watching this interaction, smiled even wider. "So, you've already become friends, huh?"

Bax glared at Lyro. "Shut up! I still can't forget what you did!"

Lyro raised his hands in mock surrender. "Sorry, sorry. Chill, man."

Just then, a boy with dark blue layered hair, wearing sunglasses, appeared in front of them. "You've been pranked again?" he asked, a grin on his face.

The trio turned to face the newcomer.

Bax scowled. "Shut up, Roki."

Roki grinned wider. "Well, you always fall for pranks because you're a slow thinker."

Bax clenched his fists and retorted, "Fuck you."

Roki laughed, clearly enjoying the banter. "Relax, Bax. It's all in good fun."

Lyro chuckled and said, "Raro, meet Roki. He's another friend of ours."

Raro extended his hand. "Nice to meet you, Roki."

Roki shook Raro's hand. "Nice to meet you too, Raro. Welcome to the group."

Bax, still fuming, muttered, "Just don't prank me again."

Lyro patted Bax on the back. "No promises, Bax. You make it too easy."

Raro laughed, feeling a sense of camaraderie growing among them. Despite the rough start and the teasing, he could see that this group of friends had a strong bond. It made him feel hopeful about his mission to unite the beastfolk and Eldoans.

As the conversation continued, Raro felt more and more at ease. These boys, despite their differences and playful jabs at each other, seemed genuinely close. It reminded him of his own friends Chalu and everyone.

Roki leaned against a nearby tree, observing Raro with a curious expression. "So, Raro," he began, "when I heard you in the alchemist class back then, talking about alchemists and their role in history, I was impressed. Since when did you know all those things?"

Raro, feeling a bit shy under Roki's intense gaze, replied, "Well, I learned them through books. One in particular called 'The History of Eldoans' was really insightful."

Roki's eyebrows shot up in genuine interest. "Interesting. I read books and study history too," he said, his eyes narrowing slightly as if assessing Raro's intellect. "You're pretty smart, huh."

Raro blushed slightly at the compliment. "Thank you, Roki. You seem pretty smart yourself."

Lyro, never one to miss an opportunity to lighten the mood, grinned and interjected, "Yeah, and maybe you can teach Bax here not to fall for every prank."

Bax, who had been trying to stay composed, rolled his eyes but couldn't suppress an irritation smile. "Yeah, yeah. Keep dreaming."

Just as the group was enjoying their conversation, Lory Lawen sauntered in, her long dark hair swaying behind her, and her ego apparent in every step. With a disdainful sneer, she remarked, "Hmph, what do we have here? A bunch of boys sitting around, babbling like fools."

As the tension escalated with Lory's arrival, Roki's frustration was palpable. "Why are you here, Lory?" he demanded, trying to maintain his composure despite his rising irritation.

Unfazed by Roki's response, Lory flashed a smug grin. "Do you honestly think I'm here to associate with you lot? Please, I have better things to do than waste my time with a bunch of losers.

Lyro, Bax, and Roki exchanged exasperated glances, their expressions a mix of irritation and disbelief at Lory's audacity.

But before the situation could escalate further, a calming voice intervened. "She doesn't really mean it, guys," came Bale's voice, as she approached the group, her demeanor serene despite the tension in the air.

Lyro's face brightened at the sight of Bale. "Ah, Bale, you're here," he said, relief evident in his voice.

Bale nodded, her exhaustion evident in her sigh. "Yeah, just finished the task the professor assigned me,"

she explained wearily, her shoulders sagging with fatigue.

Spotting Raro amidst the group, Bale's expression softened into a friendly smile. "You're that Raro guy who spoke about the alchemist's origin, right?" she asked, her tone genuinely curious.

Raro grinned in response, a hint of self-deprecation in his expression. "Yep, that's me," he admitted, feeling a sense of camaraderie in Bale's recognition.

Returning Raro's smile, Bale extended a hand in greeting. "Nice to meet you, Raro. I'm Bale," she introduced herself warmly, her fatigue momentarily forgotten in the excitement of meeting someone new.

"Nice to meet you too, Bale," Raro replied with a friendly smile.

However, their introduction was interrupted by Lory, who confidently inserted herself into the conversation. "You're Raro, right?" she asked, her tone a bit confrontational.

Raro nodded, he is still politely. "Yeah, that's me. Nice to meet you, Lory," he said, trying to keep things friendly to everyone.

"Nice to meet you too," Lory replied, her demeanor softening slightly.

Lyro, noticing everyone gathered, couldn't resist the opportunity for mischief. "Let's have some fun," he declared with a mischievous grin.

With Bale and her friends meeting Raro, it signals the potential for new connections and alliances forming within the academy. But what about Chalu? Will he encounter Bale and her friend as well? Find out in the next chapter. Until then, See yah Readers.