Chapter 0.102 The Mana Theory Incident

The classroom door swung open with surgical precision. Professor Eleanor's entrance was as crisp as the starched white collar of her fitted suit, her golden ponytail slicing through the air like a metronome. Every student stiffened—even the usual whisperers fell silent. The only sound was the tap of her heels against marble as she took her place before the blackboard, her emerald gaze sweeping across the room like a lighthouse beam. 

"Good morning," she said, her voice a glacier wrapped in velvet. "Today, we begin advanced mana flow theory. You will learn to shape it, wield it, and—if competent—make it an extension of your will." 

At the back of the room, Jin Rotschy lounged in his seat, one black boot propped on the desk in front of him. His crimson eyes glowed beneath the curtain of his raven hair, which had fallen artfully over his left eye. He wasn't listening. His attention was fixed on the fiery red ponytail two rows ahead—Rena Emberhart's signature flame. 

As Eleanor began her lecture on mana channeling, Jin's gloved fingers crept beneath Rena's seat. A single, deliberate pinch to her waist. 

"*Ah!*" Rena's gasp cracked through the room like a misfired spell. She whirled around, golden eyes blazing. "*What are you doing, you idiot?!*" 

Jin blinked, all mock innocence. " I mistook you for someone *imagining inappropriate scenarios* again." His voice dripped honeyed venom. "Clearly, you weren't paying attention to the lesson." 

Rena's cheeks burned crimson. She spun back around, but not before Jin caught the way her pulse fluttered at her throat. *Interesting.* 

Then Jin closed his eyes. 

Eleanor's voice cut through the tension. "*Mister Rotschy.*" 

The class held its breath as Jin's glowing red eyes met Eleanor's frosty green. 

"Since my lecture bores you to sleep," she said, "perhaps you'd favor us with your *vast* expertise?" 

Jin's smile was a scalpel. "Not sleeping. Merely... conserving energy." He stretched, the black fabric of his shirt pulling taut across his shoulders. "But if you insist—" 

He rose, his movements liquid grace. Eleanor stiffened as he approached the podium, close enough for her to smell the ozone-and-iron scent of his magic. 

"What are you—" 

"Demonstrating," Jin purred. He turned to the class, his voice dropping into a hypnotic cadence. "Mana isn't a tool. It's *alive*." A swirl of crimson energy erupted from his palm, forming a perfect sphere. "Most of you treat it like a stubborn dog—*yank its leash, scream commands*." The sphere morphed into a snarling wolf's head. 

Rena watched, transfixed. She'd seen his power before, but never like this—never *teaching*. 

"True control," Jin continued, "is letting it *want* to obey." The wolf dissolved into a shimmering shield that wrapped around him like a second skin. "It *loves* strength. *Adores* precision." With a flick of his wrist, the shield condensed into a dagger that hovered above his palm. "And it *hungers*..." 

The dagger shot toward Eleanor—only to disintegrate inches from her face into harmless sparks. 

Gasps filled the room. 

"*Show-off,*" Rena muttered, though her traitorous heart hammered against her ribs. 

From the sidelines, whispers erupted: 

"*Gods, did you see how the mana moved for him?*" 

"*Why does he have to be so... unfairly perfect?*" 

"*That suit fits him like it was painted on—*" 

Eleanor's lips thinned. "Adequate." Her tone suggested the word tasted foul. "Though theatrical." 

Jin the picture of false humility. "Merely proving your lesson, Professor. After all..." His gaze slid to Rena. "*Some* students learn best through... *hands-on* examples." 

A clear sign that Rena is thinking about kissing him again. 

Rena's pencil snapped in her grip. 

Leona, seated beside her, snorted. "Jealousy looks *delicious* on you," she whispered. 

"I am *not*—" 

But Jin was already sauntering back to his seat, pausing to trail a gloved finger along Rena's desk. "*Pay attention, darling,*" he murmured, just for her. "*You might learn something.*" 

The bell rang. As students erupted into chatter, Rena stared resolutely ahead—ignoring the heat creeping up her neck, the way her body remembered the weight of his arms around her that night in the rain. 

And Jin? He merely smiled, watching the pulse jump in her throat. 

*Round one to me.* 

......... 

 heat: I know the last chapters seem short, this is because the first volume is finished and tomorrow you will start the second volume. I am writing and editing it.