"... And there's one final thing you should all know!"
Neron's eyes were a little narrowed now and his expression didn't show any signs of pleasantry. Holding on to the lectern tightly, he pushed his body forward and addressed our class with earnestness.
"Your Familiar Selection Ceremony is in a month, and the Inter-Class Exchange is in three months. In that short span of time... you've all been properly oriented and you must have also read the brochure— so you realize what that means, don't you?"
An air of unease wafted across the classroom.
'It's sooner than I expected.' My mind rang.
We were told a lot of things during orientation, but those were only general knowledge. Our curriculum and schedule waited until we got to the actual class. From what our Lecturer was saying, we didn't have much time until the two most important events for new entrants would arrive.
Familiar Selection Ceremony and Inter-Class Exchange.
Still, I wasn't too bothered. It didn't change what I had to do on my end and no merit would come from letting the short time get into my head. I just had to work according to my own pace.
"With that in mind, I declare homeroom over! Get yourselves ready for the next Lecture." Neron muttered and left the class.
He took with him the forms of everyone who had registered for their electives and left us to ourselves.
My eyes gazed at the clock on the side of the wall and noticed that it was about ten minutes before our First Course would begin.
'Homeroom lasts for an hour, but it's usually not more than thirty minutes. The rest of the time is spent in preparation for the actual courses...'
Because Neron came late, he ate through more time than usual, giving us a less than desirable amount of time for ourselves. However, since he was the Lecturer who would be taking our main Courses, the burden still fell on him— after all, he would be the one going through the stress of speaking.
As I considered how to spend the little time I had left, a shadow descended upon me.
'Uh...?'
I had already noticed that several eyes were on me, and they were mostly hostile. However, it was outside my expectations that someone would challenge me this soon.
My eyes darted in the stranger's direction and I caught his appearance. That slightly bulging muscular body underneath the uniform— it was so obvious who it was!
Edward Karl Leon!
"Yes? Can I help you?" I took a calm, polite tone as he stopped a few meters short of my chair.
His eyes were burning with an emotion I couldn't quite decipher. It was most probably anger, though I could swear I did nothing to incur such a state.
"Jared Leonard Alphonse Sereth... you should apologize!"
His tone sounded serious and full of zeal, but the statement itself was too flat. Confused by what I had just heard, I cocked my head to the side and stared at him curiously.
"What?"
I didn't mean to say that, but it leaked out. I had been nothing short of polite since our brief meeting. In fact, he was the one being rude— so this brat was meant to be the one offering an apology.
However, as a mature individual, I allowed him to speak.
"I was watching you from my seat, noticing the way you looked down on everyone's hopes and dreams in this Academy. You even laughed at Anabelle's goals and sneered at mine. That's a rotten attitude!"
I sighed the moment he said this.
So this guy was still hung up on that? How bland. I had taken him for a more intelligent individual but it appeared he was only just a meathead.
"Y-you don't have to, Ed, I'm fine!" A voice suddenly spoke out.
It was soft and shrill, an epitome of childhood and a feminine disposition. Yep, the one who protested was Anabelle.
Edward sharply turned in her direction, so mechanical that I could mistake him for an automaton.
"But, Ana, he mocked your goals— no, our goals! Remember what the Lecturer said? No one should give in to the temptation of superiority, yet this guy has already started it!"
Edward's teeth were clenched. I could sense a deeply rooted frustration in him. This guy was not just pissed at me, but several others. Perhaps he was venting? No...
'Ah, I see now...'
A broad grin formed on my face as I figured out the cause for his explosive attitude. Everyone in the class, who had just been watching the incident, suddenly gasped— most likely surprised by my brazen attitude even when confronted by someone on that very matter.
Edward turned in my direction and saw my smile, once again mistaking it for an act of arrogance.
"You... who do you think you are? You're the same as all of us, aren't you? Even if you have no grand hopes or ideals, you shouldn't look down on the rest of us!"
I said nothing.
"I honestly thought you were a decent person when you stood up for all Lower Class Students and made that man call us to the stage... but, to think you were just an arrogant and rude guy instead!"
There were many things I could say or do to this person, but I doubted if any of them could completely change how he felt about me. What was currently affecting this boy's psyche was a syndrome known as 'self-righteousness.
In essence, Edward thought he was in the right and I was in the wrong. His ideals and perception of those two concepts automatically ensured he had every justification to get mad at me. Plus...
'The way both he and that Anabelle girl conversed... they must know each other from somewhere. Are they friends, or...?'
My grin grew broader and I still said nothing. That must have been enough to push Edward to the breaking point. He raised his hand high above his head as though trying to resort to violence.
'That's a bad move, kid... you'll be penalized.'
"Ed, no!" Anabelle, his friend, quickly shouted.
It was too late. The boy's hand descended rapidly— in a few seconds, a loud 'thud' would be heard.
