*knock-knock
Place knocked firmly on the door and took a step back, waiting for a response beside Zandre, who was twitching with anxiety.
"Is it too late to just wait for the next class?" He asked in a low, almost whispering tone.
"Yes."
The door swung inwards, and the teacher stood there, with understanding dawning on his face.
"Ah," He started as he ran a hand through his beard. "You must be the remaining two students, yes?"
Place gave a simple nod.
The professor gestured them in.
"Come in, explain your reasons after the class ends."
"Thank you, sir."
Place tugged Zandre forward as the professor continued his lecture.
From Place's cursory glance as he made his way towards the first open space he could see, the hall contained somewhere between eighty to a hundred students.
A few glances of surprise were sent his way as he made his way to the closest open seat, and the reason was clear.
Sitting with empty seats all around her, was Emilia Emils.
Famous for breaking a few bones of some boys who were pestering her on her birthday, she had gained a reputation.
'And now they're avoiding her, how typical.'
She met his gaze as he approached and nodded in greeting.
"Do you mind?" Place asked, gesturing to the empty seat.
"Go ahead." She gave a shrug.
"Nice to see a friendly face." Place spoke as he sat down. "How have you been, Emils?"
The professor was just going over the basics, so Emilia decided to engage in conversation.
"The snobs are keeping their distance, so I feel quite well."
"I heard about that. How badly did you beat him?"
"It was just a few punches, and one throw, he overreacted."
Place smiled fondly.
"You know not everybody is as used to pain as us."
"That seems like a problem that they can solve, doesn't it?"
"You know as well as I do that that's not going to happen."
"Hmm..."
Emilia gained a thoughtful look on her face.
"Do you think ripping off their clothes in public would make them motivated enough to actually focus on improving themselves?"
Place sighed. This was not the first time he was having a conversation like this with Emilia.
"Wouldn't work, all that would do would call the wrath of their respective parents, and then your father would have to sacrifice a whole lot of valuables and probably some of your family business to calm them."
He calmly laid out the consequences if she acted on that thought.
"Would be funny." Emilia countered.
"That is true." Place admitted, thinking about a few particular people he would for that to happen to.
"So?"
"Still no, too much loss just for a bit of amusement."
"No fun."
Emilia pouted for a bit before furrowing her brows slightly as she stared at Place.
"What?" He asked.
"You've grown." She remarked as she leaned in to get a closer look. "A bit too much."
She leaned in even further, and Place slammed his palm on her face and pushed her back to her seat.
"Down, girl." Place wondered if he had actually changed that much from the outside, he didn't think so.
"Me still growing is natural, I still haven't hit full adulthood yet."
Emilia's eyes had widened.
'Oh right, that.' Place immediately recalled one of the Emils family bloodline traits.
Exceptional sensitivity to energies.
That moment of physical contact had revealed his mana to her.
"Since when did you have mana?"
True to his deductions, she asked an expected question.
"A few hours ago."
"How?"
"The acting headmistress referred to it as a Revelation."
Emilia narrowed her eyes.
"Was it?"
Place wondered how to answer that question for a moment.
"I suppose the acting headmistress would know better than I would."
They both knew exactly what that sentence meant.
"Hmm..." She considered his words for a moment, then shrugged. She wasn't one to dig into things too much.
She had another thing on her mind.
"You want to get some experience with it?"
She offered to help him get used to using his mana in combat.
"You just want to get one over me." Place saw right through her plan.
"That too." She admitted it readily.
"Alright, when?"
"I'm don't have any of the optional classes, you?"
"None."
"Then how about... after creatures? Or we could skip History and-"
"After creatures is fine, we will not be skipping classes on the first day."
She raised an eyebrow at him.
"It was not my intention to miss one."
"Sure, sure."