A Warm Welcome

Kain once again opened the door to Class 1-F. This time, the students were seated, and the room was devoid of any teacherly presence. With a nod from Kain, I stepped inside, following in his wake.

"Good morning, class," Kain began, his voice ringing through the room. "Today, we have a new student joining us. Some of you may be wondering why he is joining us now, but let me explain. He is a transfer student from the prestigious academy in Logika Kingdom, the 'Heimdal' Academy."

At the mention of the Heimdal Academy, the students couldn't help but look at each other in surprise. I couldn't help but think to myself, wondering what Kain had in store for me.

"I trust that you will all give him a warm welcome and show him the hospitality that is a hallmark of our school," Kain continued, turning to face me. "Now, let us hear from our new student. Introduce yourself."

"Ehm." I cleared my voice before speaking. "My name is Sei. I'm 16 years old. My hometown is in the west of this academy, where all the villages are, and I am not married. I sleep every day by 12 PM at the latest. I don't practice, but I occasionally exercise."

"I take care not to trouble myself with any enemies, like winning and losing, that would cause me to lose sleep at night. That is how I deal with society, and I know that is what brings me happiness. Although, if I were to fight I wouldn't lose to anyone." I continued.

"That's too in-depth. And I think I have heard this somewhere..." Kain commented. "Oh well, take your seat. Be seated wherever you wish."

I walked slowly through the sea of students, aiming for the seat I occupied before. To my disappointment, I found it already occupied.

I chose instead to sit beside it, whose piercing gaze I couldn't help but feel upon me as I settled into my new seat.

"...Isn't that's the guy who shit on his pants?"

"...yeah, he shat on it when we heard there's a terrorist."

".....pfft."

I overheard some of the hushed whispers. I pushed the thoughts aside and focus on the present, my reputation didn't matter as right now.

"As I'm here today, I'll be leading the lesson. And to kick things off, let us engage in some combat sparring," Kain announced.

This sudden invitation to engage in combat sparring so soon upon my arrival was certainly a warm welcome…

Kain then exited the classroom, leaving the students to stir in his wake. As I made to follow suit, I felt a small hand clamp onto my arm, halting my progress.

"Wait," came a high-pitched voice. I glanced down to see Eva, her grip firm on my limb.

"You didn't tell me you were a student from Heimdal Academy."

Annoyance flooded through me as I shook my arm free from her grasp. I had a distaste for the manipulative ways of some girls, and Eva was no exception. I turned my head towards the doorway, only to find that the students had all disappeared, leaving me in solitude with Eva.

I cautiously examined around once more, I saw that the girl who had been seated beside me had just already made her way out of the room. I walked and hastened my pace to follow her, leaving Eva behind in the empty classroom.

*

As we made our way down the winding halls, she periodically cast furtive glances downward before quickly redirecting her gaze ahead. This pattern repeated several times before she suddenly came to an abrupt halt.

With a stubborn turn of her head, she fixed her sharp gaze upon me. For what seemed like an eternity, we engaged in a silent, intense stare-down, before she spoke in a high-pitched voice that was paradoxically both charming and menacing.

"Stop following me."

"Why would you assume that?" I retorted with a raised voice. "I was simply on my way to the combat sparring arena. Aren't you a bit too self-conscious?"

She appeared taken aback by my response, her expression transitioning to one of annoyance as she narrowed her eyes.

"Oh, I see," she remarked, a hint of sarcasm in her tone. "Go on then."

"As a true gentleman," I stated with a nonchalant nod of my head, "I must let the lady go first."

"I appreciate the chivalry," she replied with a hint of amusement in her voice, "but I must attend to some personal matters. Please, go ahead without me."

"I'd be happy to assist with that personal matter."

"You mean me going to the bathroom?"

"Nonsense," I declared with a shake of my head. "A gentleman always waits for a lady."

"Then you're not a gentleman," she retorted with a scoff, "you're a potential sexual predator."

My temper flared, and I bellowed, "Just walk, won't you?"

She flinched, her composure shaken by my outburst, before slowly turning and continuing down the hallway with me following a few steps behind.