4 First friend

A girl went up next. She bowed to the homeroom teacher, then to the director, and finally picked up a compact pistol whose magazine capacity was greater than the recoil, perfect for a girl of a small stature. Still, she didn't underestimate the pistol. She steadied her form, aimed carefully at the target, and pulled the trigger. Her arms numbed from the recoil, her shoulders throbbed dully, her face scrunched showing her discomfort. She missed the centre but she hit the target, and that was a good enough result. After Vesper, it was an unimpressive performance. But she was pleased. She hopped over to Vesper's side, and introduced herself.

"I'm Mia."

"Wow," Vesper exclaimed appreciatively.

— Pretty.

Vesper nodded readily.

"Thanks."

Mia accepted the praise easily. She tried acting shy, but couldn't find it in her. She gave up and looked at him.

"Right, sorry. I'm Vesper."

They shook hands.

"You forget a lot."

"Do I?" Vesper looked truly confused. "I don't know."

Mia knew it wasn't an act. And that made him look cute.

"So, who're you looking at," she asked.

Vesper didn't shy away from answering.

"See that beautiful girl? Black hair falling to her waist. She's beautiful, isn't she?"

Mia found the girl easily.

"Yeah, she is beautiful," she admitted with little envy. "More than me?"

Vesper looked at Mia as if studying her closely.

"You're beautiful too. You're all so very beautiful. A treat to the eyes."

Mia giggled, and pointed at the field where the next boy was stepping up. The two turned audience to the program.

Vesper recognised the boy as one of the followers of Egon. He looked at his classmates and saw Egon glaring at him. He grew curious.

The boy wanted to prove that he was no lesser than Vesper. He held the same revolver Vesper first shot with, aimed at the targets carelessly, and pulled the trigger. The recoil was too great. The revolver burst out of his hands and fell far away. He flew off his feet and crashed to the ground three feet away. He hadn't gotten remotely close to the target.

Amidst silence, all eyes froze on the boy sprawled on the field. The first years felt a chill, only now beginning to realise how impressive Vesper truly was. Those on the stands felt sorrow for the first years, worried that the shock might be a little much.

Done with his display, the boy walked over to where Vesper and Mia were, but stood at a distance.

Egon went next. He was more responsible toward himself. He chose a popular pistol he was familiar with, made the proper preparations before shooting. He hit the target without embarrassing himself. He was the true start of the more regular annual program. The students that followed ignored Vesper, and compared themselves with the more normal of them.

It was past noon when the last cartridge was shot, into the very centre of the target. A perfect shot. Made for an auspicious end. The students could leave for lunch. The second half of the program, the teachers picking their students, didn't require a proper venue. The teachers would send word anywhere, at any time through the day.

Vesper and Mia stayed back, mostly because Mia wasn't particularly comfortable with crowds. They went up to the stands, sat watching the first years leave in a file. The remaining first years kept looking at the two, but none walked over and none knew why.

The teachers made their move, heading over toward everyone's primary target. Vesper. Some sent over their students, some came over personally. The beautiful girl Vesper was looking at came over too.

"She's here," Mia said, seeing the beautiful senior first.

Vesper nodded. But before he could speak, the beautiful senior was standing in front of them.

Dee was surprised. She knew she was pretty. She was accustomed to eyes rushing toward her. Rare were those who didn't flinch and turn away when she returned their stares. Everyone of them were rogues whom she detested. She was certain Vesper was a rogue too, when he continued staring shamelessly. And so, she was surprised when she spoke with him, at how respectful and honest he was.

"Hi, I'm Dee," she said introducing herself before anyone else. "You were staring at me all morning."

"Yes," Vesper admitted. "You're very beautiful. Of course, Mia is beautiful too. See, I didn't forget."

Mia giggled. Dee was confused. She felt like she was talking to a pure child.

"Yes, she is pretty," Dee said honestly, looking at Mia.

"I'm pretty too," Vesper complained.

The two girls laughed, nodding in agreement. Vesper was definitely handsome.

"Why do you think I rushed over?" Mia asked with a teasing expression.

Vesper and Mia stared at Dee, waiting for her admission.

Dee sighed, realising her thoughts couldn't be wronger. Vesper and Mia were anything but distasteful.

"You're both very pretty," Dee admitted.

Vesper and Mia were truly pleased. They clapped joyously, making Dee grin.

They couldn't dawdle, because the three weren't by themselves. The rest couldn't wait anymore. Noticing that, Dee went first.

"So, Vesper, on behalf of my master, Mr Yagi, I'd like to extend you an invitation to join our school."

Before Vesper could answer, the other seniors spoke up.

"Vesper, I extend you an invitation to join our school, under Ms Sasui."

"Vesper, I'd love to welcome you to master Yodan's school."

There were too many voices to understand every one of. Mia felt overwhelmed, but Vesper remained unaffected. After all the seniors had extended the invitations on behalf of their teachers, the teachers who had come over introduced themselves, and the seniors turned silent. The teachers that rushed over felt even more excited seeing Vesper from close. And the teachers that hadn't rushed over felt cheated looking at the undisguised gleam on the faces of those who had. And all of a sudden, all the teachers were rushing over. The seniors were astounded by a scene they had never witnessed, or even imagined possible. The teachers were throwing themselves at a student for winning his favour.

Vesper was quiet until the last one finished, and then expressed his confusion in clear words.

"Sorry. I don't understand."

Mia didn't even try holding in the laugh. The teachers were embarrassed. The seniors were still drowning in disbelief. Mia took Vesper's hand, held his gaze, and explained slowly.

"Do you remember the orientation? Our physical abilities were measured and recorded. They didn't tell us our scores, of course. So unnecessarily secretive. Today, we just showed our talent for cultivation of inner energy. Your talent is so great, everyone wants you as their student. Isn't that amazing. The teachers are supposed to pick their students. But you get to pick the teacher you want. History will remember this."

Vesper nodded in understanding. But looking at the eager faces, he wasn't sure how to tell everyone that he needed no teacher.

— We don't want to do that. Telling them we've already cultivated inner energy raises too many questions. Better to pick one, and maybe fool everyone into believing you are naturally talented at cultivating.

Right. Too much attention would hamper the desired life of leisure. He couldn't allow that. He looked at the teachers and seniors around him, and immediately made his choice.

He had noticed the old man already. Sitting cross legged comfortably on the wide benches, without the smallest ripple in his expression after the initial shock. Vesper recognised the old man's cultivation school immediately. The method was rooted in the ancient techniques of meditation and individual contemplation over inner self and inner energy.

— Yeah. That's the easiest.

And the most relaxed, he added.

Vesper had made his choice. But he looked at Mia first.

"Should we be together?"

"Yes, we should," Mia agreed readily. "You seem to have decided. I'll just go wherever you go."

"Yay."

Vesper was delighted. Neither considered for a moment if the teacher would be willing to accept Mia.

Vesper looked at the old man who was among the few who hadn't rushed over. Vesper held Mia's hand and walked over. He bowed and addressed the old man respectfully.

"Old man, would you be our teacher?"

Everyone was stunned, especially Dee. She was certain Vesper would accept her invitation because he couldn't stop staring. The next moment, the same thought was in all heads. Should they have invited Mia instead? Clearly the two were inseparable.

The old man smiled.

"Are you certain?"

Vesper looked confused at the question. Why would he ask for something he wasn't certain of? What was wrong with the old man? Could he be a fool?

The old man coughed when he saw Vesper's expression.

"It's not what you're thinking," he said strongly.

Vesper didn't look convinced. Exasperated, the old man looked at Mia, saw her amused, and choked on his breath. For a moment, he wasn't sure about Vesper. Then, he sighed.

"Alright. You can both be my students. Tell me though, why did you pick me?"

"Oh, that," Vesper answered with a grin. "Aren't you all about sitting in one place and sleeping? I like that."

The old man's face contorted. Others struggled to hold back their laughs. Very few felt sorry for the old man. All of them stared at Vesper in disbelief.

"I like that too," Mia added softly, her voice breaking the silence like a glass shattering sharply in a silent room.