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nThe girl—Anabelle—kept rambling for so long that I lost track of time.

nIt was frankly a waste of time since the conversation was terribly one-sided, but I endured it regardless. It wasn’t out of sentiment or consideration for the young girl’s emotions.

nNo.

nIt was out of satisfaction!

nWhile I was certainly not benefitting much from listening to her excited talks on Lewis Griffith, it was certainly a good sign that Anabelle had warmed up to me wholly. Perhaps it was due to the fact that she was lonely and bored.

nEdward, her only friend, was currently unavailable due to his Elective course. Was she just looking for another person to talk to and while away time with?

nNo, she could have easily spent her time reading a book and doing more research… which would pay off in the long run.

nAnabelle genuinely divulged her passion to me because she felt we were of like mind. She traced a lot of my actions to the same ones Lewis Griffith made back when he was a student, which was no wonder since I was the same person.

n‘Old habits die hard, uh?’

nI ignored the fact that she had been mildly stalking me and observing my movements ever since I gave her the book. I mean, I picked up constant observation on me, but I just thought it was Edward’s usual monitoring.

nWho would have thought Anabelle had joined the fray?

nThat must have been why she grew friendlier and more comfortable with me, seeing that I had a keen interest in research and not just strictly the use of mana and spells.

nAfter speaking and speaking, Anabelle finally showed signs of slowing down and caught her breath.

n“W-wow. Since we have so much in common, we should be friends. There’s so much we can learn from each other.” I managed to blurt out.

nThere was no resistance on her part and she wholeheartedly agreed… so easily!

nI didn’t even need to apologize for my actions on our first day of class. She must have realized that it was a misunderstanding all on her own. That was a relief!

n“The reason you coughed back then was probably because you were surprised, right?” As though she was reading my mind, Ana brought up the very same topic I was thinking about.

nShe wasn’t wrong, so I nodded.

n“Well, since we’re both rivals of Lewis Griffith, that makes us rivals too! I don’t plan on losing to you!”

nHer voice radiated childish innocence, but I could sense a tinge of strict competition from them. She really meant it.

n‘I don’t really wanna compete or anything, but okay. If that’s what will motivate you…’

nWith this, I had created a common interest that would serve to bind me with the girl.

n‘Since we’ve come this far, I might as well ask…’

n“Anabelle, if you don’t mind me asking, why did you join the Scholar Department?”

nIt seemed like a foolish question now that I blurted it out, but there was a reason behind it. I understood her obsession with Lewis Griffith, I understood her unrivaled intelligence, but…

n“Why? I thought you already knew. Lewis Griffith is my—”

n“I don’t mean that, Anabelle—”

n“Call me Ana!” She snapped.

n“Okay, Ana… what I mean to say is… you have Mana Core, don’t you? Enough to be a Magic-User. ”

nMy words dropped like a bomb, and Ana looked stunned, no, beyond stunned to hear me say what I said.

n“H-How did you find out?” She muttered, having a conflicted expression on her face.

nThe air became uneasy, and I could feel the tension rise between the two of us. No one else was in the classroom, except for one boy who carelessly slept.

nI swallowed a little while staring into Ana’s curious, suspicious eyes. Perhaps I shouldn’t have said anything?

nNo… this was certainly something I needed to know.

n“I’ve sort of always known. See, I can just tell of someone has a core… one of my family’s secret techniques.”

nThe first part was true. The second one? Not so much.

nHer eyes lit up the moment I said this, and for a moment, the cloud of unease cleared away.

n“Whoah! I’ve never heard of anything like that! What kind of technique is it?”

n“Um, it’s a ‘secret technique’ for a reason, you know?” I tried to laugh it off, but my message was sharply passed across to her.

n“O-oh, okay… sorry…”

nThe cloud returned.

nEverything seemed awkward, but I had to press on. It was clear that Anabelle was hiding something from me, and I wasn’t giving up until I knew what it was.

n“You’re right, Jared. I have a functional Magic Core… it’s more than enough to get me a shot at this institute, and I ‘Awakened’ ever since I was very young. But… I just… I…”

nIt looked like a lump was in her throat, or was she just embarrassed? I couldn’t tell the difference.

n“Maybe you can—”

n“I just felt it would be cheating, okay?!” Her loud voice cut off my small attempt at a suggestion as she blurted out her reason.

n‘… Eh?’

nIt didn’t make me understand any better, though.

n“Lewis Griffith was a Scholar who rose to the position of Great Sage. But, most importantly, he was inept! For such a great man to rise out of a people known to be worth nothing, it goes to show how great he was!” She began her speech.

n“If I am to surpass him and prove my superiority, I should be able to perform a bigger feat, while also restricting myself. If I can’t do that much and take only the easy route, how can I call myself his rival?”

n‘Are you stupid?’ I nearly blurted out, but restrained myself.

n“And your parents are okay with this?” I asked with concern.

n“Oh, I’m the last child of my family, and my eleven siblings are all Magic-Users. My father said I can choose whatever path I want.” Ana puffed her chest out proudly.

n‘What the heck?!’

nThis was just getting more bizarre.

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