POV: Rai Shinsei
My hectic first day had passed as I awoke in a daze, unable to discern my whereabouts until I realized that I was now living inside of a dormitory.
I don't think I'll ever get used to this.
With a deep breath, I yawned as I noticed Arthur, who was already dressed for class as he attached his swords onto his belt.
"You finally woke up. Are you planning on skipping class again?" Arthur asked as I wiped the crust from my eyes.
"Not as of now, but what time does class start again?" I answered as I stood from my bed and began stretching my body.
"In about ten minutes. I'll see you there." Arthur replied, grabbing his school bag on the way out as he waved me off with a gleeful chuckle.
Ah…
This is why I hate school.
Rushing my morning routine, I eventually woke myself up and soon headed to my class, ignoring the gazes of many passing students along the way as I strolled through the hallways.
I was wondering why everyone seemed to be wary of me, but I forgot that there were several students within the crowd that recorded me fighting Jordan and his friends.
There's no telling how many students watched the video among the academy, but it's good that I provoked Jacob into beating me because with an entire classroom as witnesses, many students should come to the conclusion that my fight against Jordan was just me being lucky.
Going forward, I need to be more careful about my decision making as in order to prioritize my goal, I can't afford to partake in another fight with that much attraction surrounding it, regardless if it's the right choice.
~
I eventually arrived outside of the chattering classroom as I stepped inside, I was welcomed by a woman who seemingly looked to be a young adult, but the most distinguishable characteristic about her was none other than her height as I towered nearly a foot over her.
She's short.
Despite her height, her looks were decent as she had a pale ivory complexion with straight black hair that consisted of pink highlights that ended just above her shoulders, but as for her facial features, she had lustrous pink eyes framed with black rimmed glasses as her attire was very similar to Jennifer's with the exception of her footwear, which was flat black heels paired with long, thin black socks that ended just below her black mini skirt.
I noticed her yesterday in the hallway when I was walking with Arthur.
I didn't expect her to be my teacher.
"Hey there! I'm assuming you're Rai, correct?" She asked in an energetic manner amidst approaching me.
"Yeah, that's my-"
"You poor thing!" The teacher exclaimed with remorse as she embraced me with a hug, nearly squeezing the life out of me as I struggled to breathe within her grasp.
Where is this strength coming from?!
"You're not hurt anywhere, right?! I can't have my pay lowered anymore than it already is!" She questioned, concerned with tears welling within her eyes as I struggled persistently to free myself.
This woman…
She only cares about her damn paycheck!
I eventually freed myself from her grasp as I took a step back, annoyed from her spontaneous actions.
"Ah, I'm sorry about that! My name is Rylie Fuchai. I'm glad to have you here with us, Rai." Rylie stated warmly as she extended her hand in the gesture of a handshake.
Fuchai?
Her nobility explains her absurd raw strength.
As I clasped her hand, I noticed her grasp was quite firm as she gazed into my eyes with a serious, yet skeptical expression as her sudden change of manner startled me for a moment until she reverted back into her previous mood with a smile, prompting me to release my grasp as I headed towards my desk, which seemed to be replaced with a new one along with the chair.
That woman…
As I sat into my seat, I placed my hands inside my pockets and leaned back into my chair, pondering on Rylie's mysterious expression.
Am I paranoid?
There's no way she should know anything about me unless Ryan informed her, but even then, that's not the kind of expression you show to a new student, regardless of your own curiosity.
"How are your injuries from yesterday?" The girl from the Akari family asked with a smile.
"They're fine. Jennifer healed me yesterday, although she wasn't too happy about it." I answered.
"That's good-" The girl said, but her friend stole her attention away from me as she was unable to finish her sentence.
As much as I want to believe that her intentions are pure, I doubt that she's continuously trying to spark a conversation with me out of interest.
There's something she wants from me, but as of now, I don't have any idea of what it could be.
"Alright class. As you all know, it's the seventh of the month once again, so I'm going to announce everyone's current rank." Rylie said as she pulled out a sheet of paper from a yellow envelope.
From what Ryan told me, this academy has a unique way of assessing ranks.
In most academies, the only way for you to climb the ranks are through challenging rankers for their rank and if the other person declines their challenge without any proper reason, then they must forfeit their rank to the challenger, but in this academy, there's many other ways you can climb the rankings such as an unofficial fight, training within the academy grounds and so forth.
An example would be my fight against Jordan.
In most academies, my ranking wouldn't be evaluated because the fight wasn't regulated by a staff member, resulting in it being unofficial, but in this academy, there's a pair of twins who constantly watch the cameras and evaluates the students based on their actions, therefore, my ranking would be evaluated and adjusted because I'm a low-ranker who was able to defeat a mid-ranker without even using my Aspect.
It's unfortunate.
I would have preferred if my rank stayed the same, but I'm sure it was inevitable to change since there were too many eyes watching.
"I'll be announcing the rankings from the highest to the lowest." Rylie stated before clearing her throat.
"Arthur Kojiro, Rank 3."
I wonder what monsters rank above him.
"Aria Akari, Rank 20."
"Emma Korisuki, Rank 24."
"Isen Saki, Rank 59."
"Sarah Iyasu, Rank 63."
"Jacqueline Ayi, Rank 91."
"Grey Yokusei, Rank 120."
"Levy Hysteria, Rank 142."
"Barry Ferrow, Rank 162."
"Owen Petrov, Rank 174."
"Celeste Dami, Rank 176."
"Orianna Bladeheart, Rank 182."
"Nathaniel Griffon, Rank 188."
"Jason Valdez, Rank 197."
I haven't heard her call my name yet.
Does that mean…
"Rai… Shinsei? Rank 200." Rylie said with confusion laced in her tone as she glanced at me skeptically before clearing her throat.
My rank didn't change?
It seems Ryan can be useful sometimes.
"Daniel Locust, Rank 203."
"Felix Schneider, Rank 210."
"Julian Crestview, Rank 218."
"Ayla Lowa, Rank 226."
"And lastly, Everett Laventh, Rank 240." Rylie added as with one last skeptical glance, she seated herself as I managed to figure out my classmates names by judging their reactions amidst Rylie's announcement, but among their names, Aria's stood out the most as hearing her name nearly brought forth a very faint memory I once had, although the harder I tried to recall it, I faster I lost my train of thought as I soon gave up on even trying to remember it.
So her name is Aria, but why does that name sound familiar?
"That's weird. How come your ranking didn't change? You defeated Jordan and his friends yesterday, so why is your rank still the same as before?" Aria questioned as I noticed a few students eavesdropping out of curiosity, waiting for my answer as I sighed from their unnecessary nosiness.
"I was just lucky in that fight. If we were to fight again, I would lose without a doubt." I answered as Aria tried to say something else, but hesitated.
I was hoping that the class wouldn't suspect anything from me as I allowed Jacob to defeat me in order to prove that my win against Jordan was out of sheer luck, but it seems that it'll take more than that to confirm my standing.
"Alright class, settle down. As you all know, your first mission will be in two weeks as you have exams this week, but to be prepared, you all will form teams of five today as when the day of the mission arrives, an A-Class hero will be your supervisor, although, anyone in Arthur's team will not have a hero supervising them because of his rank, so keep that in mind when forming your team."
"You have an hour to talk among your peers in order to form your team. Those without a team after the hour mark will be assigned to a team by me personally, but take your time and try to form a well balanced team that is suited around your Aspects instead of forming a team based on your friends." Rylie announced as students dispersed from their seats and began talking among one another in pursuit of forming a team.
Well, I guess that makes sense that a hero isn't required to supervise Arthur since his power already rivals an A-Class hero.
Having him on your team alone is basically a ticket to passing the final exam for free, but if anything goes wrong, having a licensed hero with years of experience instead of a powerful student to save you will be much more comforting as despite this mission being a low ranking one, it's still very possible for someone to lose their life.
Regardless, I'm sure there will be some who aren't thinking of the consequences and will immediately ask to join his team, so within this hour…
I need to find a team who would want me.
Glancing over around the classroom, I noticed a few students standing around Emma as nearly half of the classroom surrounded Aria as if she was a celebrity.
Since I'm one of the weakest within the academy, I doubt anyone would want a deadweight like myself on their team, but I prefer if I'm not randomly assigned to a team-
"It seems like you're in need of a teammate." Arthur said with a grin as he approached my desk.
What a coincidence.
"Are you sure you want somebody as weak as myself on your team? Not only will you have to lead the team because there won't be a hero supervising you, but you'll also have deadweight such as myself holding everyone back." I questioned with concern as Arthur found my response quite amusing.
"If you're considered deadweight, then I suppose there's no one else in this class to choose from." Arthur replied with a laugh as I sighed with a smile.
I should have expected Arthur of all people to see through my act.
"I don't mind joining your team, but is there anyone else you have in mind? I'm a close combat fighter and I'm sure you're also a close combat fighter, so having a ranged fighter along with a healer should be good for our team composition." I asked as I scouted the room for any potential teammates.
"Nah, you were the only one that I had in mind, but I don't mind you recruiting the rest of our team and as for our team composition, it shouldn't matter as much as I can use ranged attacks to an extent." Arthur answered amidst a yawn, seating himself at the desk in front of me as he began playing a game on his phone.
If that's the case, then there's one person I have in mind.
Leaving my desk, I headed towards Everett, who was conversing with his friend.
"Everett, have you joined a team yet?" I asked, surprising him as he and his friend glanced anxiously at each other.
"Y-You're asking me?" Everett questioned, pointing at himself with his finger.
"That is correct. Arthur and I have formed a team and we need three more students, so I don't mind if you bring your friend along, but just so you know, there will not be a supervisor since Arthur will be on the team." I replied.
"I don't know if you heard me yesterday, but I am the weakest student within this entire academy-"
"I'm well aware of your rank, although I don't believe a numerical value has the right to judge one's worth." I stated as Everett remained silent, glancing at his friend nervously until he matched his eyes with my own.
"I see. Can you give us a moment to think about it?" Everett asked as his friend nodded in agreement.
"No worries. Just let me know whenever you come up with an answer." I answered before heading back towards my desk, where Arthur slouched in his chair with his legs kicked up onto my desk as he indulged in an apple while chuckling at a video on his phone until he noticed me approaching him.
Where did he get that apple from?
"Did you find anyone?" Arthur asked curiously as I eyed his apple in utter confusion until I sighed, accepting the fact that Arthur is truly an anomaly in this world.
"There's two students who I'm not sure about yet, but if they both choose to decline, do you have anyone else in mind?" I asked as Arthur scouted the classroom.
"Despite what I said earlier about our team composition, I suppose having a healer on our team would be a safe option." Arthur replied as the two of us looked towards each other for suggestions.
"Arthur, yesterday was my first day. You don't seriously expect me to know anyone, right?" I asked genuinely as Arthur laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head as I sighed deeply at his incompetence.
"You've been here for three months and yet-"
"You know what, nevermind that. Do you at least know anyone with an Aspect that has a healing factor?" I asked as Arthur scouted the classroom once more, however, I suddenly recalled Aria's offer to heal me.
That's right.
There is someone that I could ask.