37 More or less the same
"Alright everyone! It's time for your practical class for the day." Like the last time, our physical teacher, Kage, barged through the door.
Even though it was much more subdued, the customary murmurs about me continued to float through the classroom. There was not much attention because Lyra had not been suspended this time.
"Jeez, he has a lot of energy." To be honest, I could not blame Lyra for appearing a little uncomfortable around Kage. His excessive enthusiasm was a bit overwhelming at times, and his skin-tight clothes flaunted every muscle.
Fortunately, there was nothing to worry about because he was a true meathead who only wanted to gain gains.
"Haha, I kno- indeed, at least he looks like he does exercise for a living." Awkwardly coming up with a response, as I almost made it sound like I had met him before. I'm sure it wouldn't have mattered, as an idea like that shouldn't have been possible in the first place. I did not want to give the wrong impression, though.
"You can say that again. I hope this class won't be too difficult." Seemingly anxious, Lyra swallowed some saliva, but if it is anything like the last time, there should not be any issues.
*
*Huff* *Huff* 'Why is it harder than last time!!!' I dropped to my knees, realising how much more intense this session was. I knew that a few things had changed, but there was no way that the addition of a single student had caused a major change in the class.
'Hang on, was he informed that I was injured?' Remembering that I came straight from the infamy, the lesson might have been made easier to account for that.
"Urgh, I feel like I'm going to die." Lyra was sweating profusely as she lay on her back. She was suffering from the same conditions as I was, and to make matters worse, the no-mana rule prevented her from using her ice to cool herself.
"Come on, we are only just getting started!" Kage stomped the ground and yelled, revealing the last exercise. The infamous staircase climb everyone had to do. I was unsure of how this would be more difficult, but there had to be a trick of some sort.
"Oh, fuck off." As soon as Lyra saw the stairs, she rolled her eyes.
"Get climbing otherwise, I'll increase your weights for the next class." The threat was delivered with a hearty laugh from Kage, which heightened tensions even further. Every student started scrambling up the stairs just from the threat.
This also included me and Lyra making a mad dash up them to get ahead of everyone else. Lyra almost tripped as she got up from the ground, but by crawling onto the stairs, she was able to balance herself.
'Nothing seems to be different this time around.' The same kinds of obstacles continued as I ascended, including the occasional object thrown at us and abrupt, flat steps. This time, it was also easier, and I noticed that my endurance had improved.
It was subtle, but I lasted a little bit longer than I did last time.
'Does my physical abilities also carry over each reset?' I might be overthinking things, but it was something to consider in case I reset in the future.
*
Naturally, Lyra and I ascended the greatest number of stairs before giving up. Our legs could no longer take another step and so we were taken out by whatever obstacle was thrown at us.
As we fell to the ground, wind magic softened our fall and we were caught by the magic safety system.
"Great work chumps! That is only the beginning of your training so expect to be worked to the bone going forward!"
*Ding dong*
Kage exited the classroom with confidence, pleased with the outcome, as the bell reverberated throughout the arena. Since Lyra and I had fallen off much later than the others, some students had naturally accused Lyra and I of cheating.
"Thank God it is over." Me and Lyra laid next to each other, unable to move our bodies at all as every muscle in our bodies ached. I was not too concerned because I knew Helen, the nurse, would arrive. A few students attempted to depart on their own, but it turned out that they were unable to walk even a few feet without experiencing severe leg shaking.
*Sigh* "That meathead never knows how to hold back." Helen showed up surprisingly quickly, just as I had anticipated. I had never thought about it, but it appears that she planned for this to happen and deliberately waited for the lesson to end.
It was a minor detail, and since this has most likely happened before, she must be accustomed to seeing it. Still, she made her rounds, using her magic to cure everyone's exhaustion.
The healing process did not eliminate our tiredness, but it did make it possible for us to walk around without our legs feeling like jelly.
"Here you go you two. Don't go doing anything strenuous now otherwise, you will cause even more damage to yourself." Due to our positions at the very back, Lyra and I were the last to receive healing. Helen left us with her piece of advice, which I fully intended to listen to.
'I guess I haven't met Helen yet have I.' This was actually my first encounter with her because I was not hurt this time round.
'Better not act too familiar.' I decided to be a little more formal because it felt strange to just say her name out loud.
"Thank you, Miss Nurse." Giving my thanks, Helen smiled before walking towards the exit.
"Phew, now that this class is over, let's get something to eat." Rejuvenated, Lyra leapt from the ground, though I feared that her abrupt movements might have caused an injury or something.
"Careful, you don't want to pull a muscle." I felt a sudden wave of fear surge through me, making me panic a little. I reasoned that it was because my body naturally wanted to make sure Lyra was okay and I did not want to see her in pain, especially after what happened… before.
"I know, don't worry." Lyra reassured me and seeing how she is moving around without any issues, I guess it's fine for now.
"If you say so." Though there was not much I could do, I still pouted because I was worried about her health.
"Ahh, don't be like that, come on, let's go." Lyra put her arm around my shoulder and I blushed instantly.
"Y-yeah, let's go." I did my best to hide, but it was really difficult to remain composed. I had known Lyra for a very long time, so to have this kind of contact with her… excited me.
'Urghhh, fine I admit I have feelings.' I admitted to myself that these feelings were love, but it didn't make the situation any better.
'I thought admitting would help me accept this!!!' It only made the whole situation worse and more embarrassing than it needed to be.
"Saki?" Lyra looked at me confused, as during my internal strife, I shook my head trying to get rid of all these thoughts.
"Yep! Don't mind me, j-just stuck in my thoughts." I frantically looked around, trying to avoid eye contact. However, I noticed a smirk appear on Lyra's face and I assumed she was going to tease me. To my surprise, she did nothing and we continued to walk side by side.
'Wait, did she realise?' Lyra's grip around me got a little tighter and I suspected that she realised how I felt.
'Oh my god noooo, she is going to think I'm weird!'
*
*Nom Nom Nom*
Sitting at the same spot in the courtyard from our previous break, I devoured the lunch my mother had packed for me. Thinking back to what happened last time, I encountered Raja and was beaten up by him. This time, since I stuck with Lyra I completely avoided him.
'Hopefully, I'm not his target. At least for now, I'll be safe.' It was a relief, but I am treading on new territory and from today onward, it will be different.
"Say, did you want to hang out after school?" I jumped a little when Lyra spoke because I still had not fully recovered mentally.
"S-sure, what did you have in mind?" I sort of hoped that we would visit the arcade once more since It would take my mind off everything and hopefully provide some stress relief.
"Hehe~ how about we head to my favourite cafe?" Unexpectedly, Lyra offered to go to a different place. But from the enormous smile on her face, it looked like she had something else planned besides a trip to the cafe.
"I don't see why not." Of course, I couldn't say no, but I could not help but worry a little bit about my mental health.
"Good it's a date, but before then we still have magical theory class to go through. Speaking of, which class are you in?"
'Hang on, did she just say date?'
