The sun poured down like honey over the F-Rank Superhero Academy's campus, its rays warm and golden, caught in the dew still clinging to the trees and marble tiles. The next day arrived with a breeze gentle enough to lift the ends of Elius's perfectly unwrinkled collar. He strode toward his class with a calm gait, his hands in his pockets, and a subtle gleam in his golden eyes that made it difficult for anyone to look away once they'd met his gaze.
Behind him, as always, trailed a wave of energy—a small army of girls from the academy who had, in just a few days, become his self-declared entourage. They didn't walk with him as much as orbit him, like moons to a star. Chatter bloomed from their lips like wildflowers, lively and colorful, their voices laced with delight and barely-contained excitement.
"I made bento for him—do you think he'll accept it?"
"No way! I brought dessert!"
"He smiled at me yesterday, I swear! He did, I almost died."
