Soren stifled a yawn and leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms over his head until his shoulders popped.
The classroom was still noisy.
Students chatted across rows, voices overlapping: people comparing timetables from memory, boasting about classes they had gotten into, complaining about the ones they had been forced into.
The summer break mood still lingered in pockets here and there, turning the usually quiet first-year classroom into something looser and more relaxed than normal.
Soren dropped his arms with a sigh and turned his gaze to the window.
Outside, the sky was a blanket of soft grey, the kind that promised either a light drizzle or a chilly breeze.
The trees around the academy grounds had begun to change colour, the deep greens of summer giving way to reds, oranges and golds.
There was no rain yet, but the air looked heavy.
'Autumn already, huh…'
He watched a few leaves get carried along the stone path below by the wind, then breathed out.
It didn't feel like very long ago that he had first stepped into the world of TKS.
So much had happened in a single semester that his sense of time felt stretched thin.
He had fought, bled, been almost broken, and somehow crawled back.
Now he was sitting in a classroom again, waiting for homeroom to start.
There was something strangely comforting about that.
The door at the front of the classroom opened with a soft click.
The noise in the room thickened for a moment as students noticed, then gradually died down.
Lilliana stepped inside, her pink bob tied back loosely, a stack of papers in her arms.
She was wearing her usual formal teaching uniform, but as always, it looked soft on her, like it didn't quite manage to hide the warmth underneath.
Her gaze swept across the classroom once, calm and focused, then she walked to the front desk.
Chatter continued in small clusters, but she didn't react to it beyond the slight tightening of her lips.
"Take your seats," she said lightly. "We'll begin homeroom now."
Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried.
Lilliana placed the stack of papers on the desk, then picked up the attendance sheet.
"Alright, I'll take attendance first," she said.
She began calling names.
One by one, students replied.
Soren rested his chin on his hand and watched her work.
Her expression was neutral as she read through the list, but he could see the faint familiarity in the way her eyes moved over certain names; she remembered them all, he could tell in the way she handled their class during the first semester.
"...Soren Arden."
"Here," Soren replied.
She glanced up briefly, their eyes meeting for a second before she moved on.
Once she finished, she set the attendance sheet down and picked up the stack of papers again.
"Next, I'll be handing out your confirmed timetables," Lilliana said.
The room instantly sharpened.
"This includes any auto-assigned classes," she continued. "If you missed the deadline for applications, then I suggest you pray. I can't fix it for you, so you'll have to visit the administrative building and make your case there."
A thin wave of nervous laughter moved through the seats.
Lilliana's lips curved faintly.
"Try not to blurt out anything unnecessary when you do," she added. "The administrative staff are far less patient than I am."
She moved down the rows, handing out sheets.
Soren took his when she reached his desk.
"Thank you," he said.
"You're welcome," she replied softly.
He looked down at the paper.
The timetable was neatly divided into days and periods, with each slot filled by a small printed box: [Basic Magic], [Demonology], [Law], [Defence Magic], [How to Strengthen Mental Fortitude]...
His eyes traced the layout.
Morning classes were spread out.
Theory-heavy classes were mostly balanced with practical ones.
The Divine Studies blocks matched the suggestions Olivia had given him.
The Martial Studies ones lined up mostly with Alex and Amelia's recommendations.
Everything he had applied for was there.
He checked the time slots and felt a small smile tug at his lips.
'Perfect.'
Not only had his classes been approved, but he had also gotten all the time slots he wanted.
No awkward gaps in the middle of the day, no strange overlaps that would force him to sprint across campus.
For a moment, he let himself be quietly pleased.
Then, as he scanned the Martial Studies section again, his smile froze.
"...Huh?"
There, on Friday afternoon, neatly printed and slotted in like it had always belonged there, was a class he distinctly remembered not applying for.
[Duelling].
Soren narrowed his eyes.
He was absolutely certain that he had left that box empty.
He remembered very clearly scoffing at the idea of signing up for a class full of battle lunatics who enjoyed getting beaten up in front of a crowd.
His gaze slid sideways, unbidden, to a memory of a certain wolf beastkin poking his side and telling him to add it.
'Amelia…'
He closed his eyes for a second and sighed.
'Of course.'
He resisted the urge to press his fingers to his forehead and instead read through the timetable again to make sure there weren't any other surprises.
Luckily, that was the only thing out of place.
Once everyone had received their sheets and spent some time reacting to them, be that groaning, cheering or swearing under their breath, Lilliana tapped the desk twice with her knuckles.
"Alright, now that you all have your schedules, I've got a few announcements."
The room quieted down again.
"First, club registration for the semester has begun. Joining one is mandatory. You'll need to fill out the appropriate forms and bring them to the administrative building by Friday evening."
A murmur ran through the class.
"If you don't, you will automatically be placed in the vice principal's study club," Lilliana said, smiling sweetly.
The temperature in the room seemed to drop.
Several students visibly flinched, and someone in the back let out a strangled noise.
Soren heard whispers.
– No way… that place is real?
– My cousin went there once. He said it was worse than a dungeon.
– Didn't someone cry in the hallway after their first session?
"I see some of you are already familiar. For those who aren't, I recommend avoiding the experience. The vice principal is very… passionate about academic excellence."
No one doubted that.
"Second," she added, "if you want me to be your club advisor, you'll need to convince me that it's not a complete waste of time. I'm busy. Don't bring me an application that says 'we want to drink tea and vibe' and expect me to sign it."
A few students laughed.
Soren smiled faintly, glad that Lilliana's demeanour had softened.
"That's all for now," Lilliana finished. "You're dismissed."
Soren folded his timetable neatly and slipped it into his bag.
Just as he stood up and made for the door with the crowd, Lilliana's voice reached him.
"Soren. Can you stay for a moment?"
He paused and turned back.
The other class F students glanced between the two of them curiously, but seeing nothing dramatic happening, slowly filtered out of the room.
Soon, the classroom was nearly empty.
Soren walked down the aisle to Lilliana's desk.
"Is something wrong?" he asked.
Lilliana waited until the last few students had left, then leaned against the desk, her expression softening.
"I wanted to ask if your timetable is alright," she said. "No mistakes? Nothing you regret already?"
Soren pulled the sheet out again and glanced over it.
"It's fine. It's exactly what I wanted. Well… mostly."
His eyes flicked once to the [Duelling] slot, but he let it pass.
Lilliana studied his face.
"If it's too much, you can come to me any time," she said quietly.
She reached out then, her hand moving behind the cover of the desk, hidden from the doorway.
Her fingers brushed his briefly, then gently curled around his hand, giving it a light squeeze.
"I'm here. No matter how busy I get. Don't keep everything to yourself this time."
The warmth of her hand seeped into his skin.
Soren blinked once, the simple contact sending a small, steady feeling through his chest.
He tightened his fingers around hers in return, returning the squeeze.
"I'll be fine," he said, voice softer. "But… thank you, Lilly."
His smile turned warmer.
"For everything."
Lilliana's eyes wavered for a moment, then she pulled her hand back quickly, as if remembering where they were; her cheeks were faintly pink, a colour that matched the strands of her hair.
"You're welcome. Don't overdo it, Ren," she said, looking away.
"I'll try," he replied lightly.
He gave her one more nod, then turned and left the classroom.
Behind him, Lilliana let out a very small breath and touched the hand he had squeezed, her ears burning.
••✦ ♡ ✦•••
Monday went by faster than Soren expected.
His first period [Basic Magic] was familiar ground.
The professor reviewed core casting theory, spell circles and basic elemental spells, but for Soren, it was little more than a gentle warm-up.
Half of the content was already engraved in his mind from last semester and his own study.
He answered one of the professor's questions without thinking too much.
A few students turned to look at him, whispering at the fact that a class F student could explain complex theory so casually.
Second period, [Demonology], was livelier.
He shared that class with Esper and Fleix.
The topic of the day was lesser demons: classifications, weaknesses, and strengths.
Esper looked mildly horrified at some of the descriptions, while Felix leaned back in his seat, hardly paying attention.
Occasionally, Esper poked Soren's arm and whispered commentary.
"Hubby, if something like that shows up, you're standing in front of me," she muttered.
"You're stronger than me, though?" he replied.
Third period, [Law], was drier than the others, but Soren found it strangely interesting.
Discussions about contracts, mana oaths, dungeon ownership rights and noble jurisdictions all sounded like background mechanics from a game, but now they mattered.
Esper sat beside him, tapping her pen on his notebook as she zoned out, and Soren had to poke her side to get her to refocus.
After lunch, he had [Defence Magic], which involved practical demonstrations of barriers and counterspells.
Soren's [Concentration] skill flourished here.
The professor raised an eyebrow when Soren managed to time his own [Shield] spell at the exact moment a spell was about to hit him.
By the time the day ended, Soren felt tired, but in a normal way.
He walked back to his dorm with his bag over his shoulder, the cool autumn wind brushing against his face.
'Not bad,' he thought. 'If every day is like this, I can easily handle it.'
Unfortunately, Tuesday existed.
————「❤︎」————