Silent Judgment

I chose to ignore the student behind me, as he was probably jealous of my display of magic. It felt good to have the upper hand, especially against someone as uptight as him.

For the other students that were going, it took them a bit longer to get the hang of it, but eventually everyone was able to shoot out some form of an element.

"Great work everyone! Now that we have finished recording your magic aptitude, we will be doing some physical tests. I know you all may be thinking, What's the point? but be weary that magic also has the power to take it away. So if the situation ever arises, you also need to be physically capable. You don't need to be the next athlete, but you must reach a standard."

"Now pick a partner, and I will go through a routine with you all." Hasumi moved on to the next part of the test, which was the part I was least looking forwards to.

Every student stayed clear of me in an instant, leaving only me and Lyra together. I didn't mind this, but I was beginning to feel extremely bad for her, as she would be associated with me.

*Sigh* Hasumi sighed, seeing how quickly everyone was to avoid me, but it was to be expected at this point.

"Now we will be doing simple fitness exercises that a counter above your heads will keep track of. First, we will do push-ups to get an idea of some of your strengths." Hasumi pointed downwards, indicating for everyone to get down on the floor, which had changed to wood planks.

"On go, you will begin."

"Hey Lyra, sorry for any trouble I will cause; you don't have to hang around me since I can imagine the other students will give you a lot of shit for just being my friend." While Hasumi was counting down, I took the chance to apologise to Lyra. I foresaw all the torment in the future, and I figured it was best to give her an out while I could.

I would like for us to stay friends, but I would rather take on the suffering and avoid dragging her down with me.

"Don't be stupid; I don't care what they think. I'd rather be friends with you than some of these snobs." Lyra shook her head and gave me a smile, which I would have been grateful for, but for some reason, I couldn't help but feel sad for Lyra. It sounds nice, but there is no telling what will happen, and I do not want to ruin her life just because she is involved in mine.

"..." I stayed silent, unsure of what to say, but somehow Lyra was able to read me like a book.

"I know you may be thinking about the future, but if it goes down a dark path, then we will do it together."

"Go!"

Before I could respond, Hasumi finally started the exercise, and we began the push-ups. It did give me time to think, but I didn't want to, so I just focused on getting a high number.

I expected to only get 10, but surprisingly, my new body had a little bit of strength, so I managed to get about 30 before my arms gave out.

Some other students were still going, so I decided to let Lyra's words process. It was beyond my expectations that Lyra would be so willing to bear all the horrible things that might happen.

"I-I... Thank you." The words I wanted to say were not there, as I didn't know how to express how grateful I was so only a simple thank you came out. I initially thought I would be the one to help Lyra, but right now it feels the other way around.

*Huff* "Don't mention it. Remember, I will be here for you always." Lyra was lying on the floor, catching her breath, as she just finished beating me by 5 push-ups.

"I-I know." Her words made me blush, as it was rare for me to ever hear something like that.

'Damn it, now I am the one falling for her. Despite having the edge in knowledge, she has the advantage of actually being able to talk.'

"Great work! Take a couple of minutes to rest, and we will move on to squats." Hasumi saw that everyone was finished, so she got us to move on.

*

The tests proceeded as normal with nothing really to note; I did about average in everything, which was honestly all I could hope for.

We were returning to the classroom and Hasumi allowed us to have a bathroom break, so I took this chance to go. I made sure in my head that I entered the female toilets, even though it felt extremely wrong to do so.

I swallowed my saliva and entered anyway since it wasn't like I had any ill intentions. Plus, I feel like going into the men's bathroom will cause more severe issues. My body shivered at the thought since there was no doubt the guys here would try something disgusting because I'm a commoner.

Besides the gruelling reality, the female toilets were quite nice; all of them were stalls, so I picked the closest one to the door.

'Am I going to become the stereotype where I get bullied and my only safe space is this stall?' My brain couldn't help but draw parallels to the usual stories I knew. I really didn't want that to be the case, but I can understand why it exists.

'I just have to stand up for myself, plus if I let myself get backed into a corner, then any bullying I receive will never end.' Having already lived through the hell that is high school, I was confident I could avoid it this time around.

'Now I just need to remember to go in here and not the men's bathroom when I'm in a rush.' I didn't like the thought, but habits die hard, and I saw myself running in and doing my business like I was a guy.

*

Finishing up, I headed straight back to class, thankfully with no interruptions, although there were more whispers from students around me, silently judging me.

I hated that I was already getting used to it, but at this point, it didn't matter what they said; as long as I have Lyra, my sanity will persist.

Entering the classroom, the room was full of chatter as the teacher waited for everyone to return. I quickly took my seat next to Lyra, but then the teacher exited the class, seemingly on the hunt for the other students who were taking longer than they should.

However, the guy who made a fool of himself earlier took the chance to confront me.

"I, Caspian, the son of the great family Chadwick, not so humbly request that you drop out." In the most pretentious tone I have ever heard, Caspian straight-up asks me to leave school.

"No." Giving him a blank look and a flat answer, it was evident by the popping veins on his face that he wasn't happy. Lyra, who was sitting next to me, had her fist clenched, ready to attack at a moment's notice.

"Tch, I'll make sure you regret it." By this point, the class had gone silent, chuckling to themselves either at me or at the possibility of him getting sent away. I wanted to believe it was the latter, but knowing how things have been going, they are more than likely laughing at me.

"Also, Lyra, your reputation gets dragged more and more through the dirt the more you hang around this trash." Caspian leant in close, making Lyra visibly uncomfortable.

"I'd rather hang around her than a piece of shit like you, especially if you are treating girls like this all the time." Lyra scoffed while turning her gaze cold, but Caspian ignored the warning and step even closer.

"Ju-" However, before he could finish speaking, the teacher returned and instantly locked eyes with him. It was clear he was trying to start trouble, and the stare alone made him quietly return to his seat.

*Sigh* "Alright, the next subject is going to be a magic theory, so get in your seats and listen up. There will be test material, so please take notes along the way, I don't want to hear anyone staying up all night doing the entire semester's notes in one sitting." Hasumi walked up to the front of the class and pulled out some sort of pen with a glowing gold tip. She then started to write on thin air which I could only guess was a magic pen.

'How much my old world would have killed to have this kind of innovation... It makes me wonder how deep of a connection does this world have my old one. So far, it's only Lyra, some aspects of my previous high school and my mother, but what about landmarks?

"To begin our lesson, we have to go through some history, which I know is not the most interesting topic but is key to having a better fundamental understanding of magic. So now let's talk about the first king." Hasumi finally started the lesson, and not wanting to fall behind, I got out a notebook and pen.