Another day had passed, meaning that tomorrow would be the awaited practical evaluation exam. The class murmurs were even louder this time, probably as the others were tensing due to the nearing exam.
Velren leaned back slightly in his seat, watching his classmates with a troubled expression. Some were nervously flipping through notes, while others whispered in hushed tones about possible challenges they might face.
Was he feeling the same nervous anticipation as them?
No. Not in the slightest.
The reason for his troubled expression had absolutely nothing to do with the exam. It was something far more frustrating—something he hadn't anticipated struggling with at all.
It was already his third day in the academy, and yet, he still hadn't made a single damned friend!
How did one even become friends with someone?
Velren sighed deeply, resting his cheek against his hand as he stared blankly ahead. There was no one to blame but himself, really. He wasn't exactly the most approachable person, nor did he ever make an effort to initiate conversations. The only people he had spoken to at length so far were Kael, who mostly enjoyed teasing him.
His fingers tapped idly against the desk. Maybe he really was just bad at this whole 'socializing' thing.
"You shouldn't have done that, you know?"
Velren blinked and turned to the side. The voice was calm, almost indifferent, as if the speaker was merely commenting on the weather.
It was actually the lonesome silver-haired girl who sat beside him, still reading a book, who had spoken.
Velren glanced around. Was she… talking to him?
"Excuse me?" he asked, uncertain.
Still without looking up, she elaborated:
"You're lucky that 'Mikhail' guy was too dumb to notice."
Mikhail…?
'Oh. Was she talking about yesterday?'
Velren shifted slightly in his seat.
"I... don't know what you're talking about."
Silence.
She didn't respond, nor did she seem particularly interested in pressing the matter. The only sound between them was the faint rustling of pages as she continued reading, completely unbothered by his weak attempt at denial.
Velren exhaled sharply, rubbing his temple before muttering:
"Did… you see me?"
"Only an amateur wouldn't notice how clumsy you were when using your Ka."
Velren twitched after hearing her remark. Wait—
'Doesn't that make me an amateur too?!'
His lips parted slightly in disbelief. What was with this girl? Her blatant, no-nonsense way of speaking was a stark contrast to her composed and dignified appearance. If anything, he had expected someone like her to be soft-spoken and polite—not… this.
Just as he was about to respond, she suddenly said:
"Name?"
Velren blinked.
"What?"
Was she… asking for his name? Was that really how she was going to ask? No 'What's your name?' or 'May I know your name?' Just—Name?
Still, after a brief pause, he answered.
"Velren."
She gave no reaction, simply continuing to read as if the conversation had already ended.
Velren stared at her in disbelief. That's it? Wasn't the normal reaction when someone introduced themselves was to introduce yourself back?
Taking a deep breath, he finally asked back.
"What's yours?"
An awkward silence stretched between them. Velren waited, wondering if she had simply decided not to answer. Then, finally—
"Eterna Lys."
Velren resisted the urge to sigh.
'Couldn't she have answered faster?!'
Before he could say anything else, a loud voice boomed from the front of the classroom.
"Alright, listen up, everyone!"
The entire class turned their attention toward the speaker—Leopold. Velren recognized him instantly. The one that Velren named the so called 'class-spirit'. Always loud, always energetic, and always in the middle of everything.
Leopold grinned as he placed both his hands on his hip.
"I just heard some rumors about tomorrow's exam! Apparently, there's a chance it won't be an individual test—it might be something along the line of a team-based performance!"
A ripple of murmurs spread across the classroom.
"That's why I'm saying this now—whoever's got a plan, whoever's got strengths, we need everyone to contribute! No dead weight tomorrow, alright? Let's make sure we all pass tomorrow!"
Velren felt his stomach drop.
'Damn…'
That was the worst-case scenario.
A team-based exam? That means he couldn't just quietly go through it alone. That also means cooperation, socializing, and strategizing with others. In other words, all the things he wasn't particularly good at.
Beside him, Eterna sighed deeply.
Velren glanced at her.
"Something wrong?" he asked, forcing an awkward smile.
"It's nothing," she murmured, flipping a page of her book.
"Just that… that guy is pretty loud..."
Velren couldn't help but chuckle. Is she the type who can't handle people like Leopold? Well, would you look at that—he and she might actually have something in common after all.
It wasn't like Velren hated people like Leopold. No, not at all. If anything, he somewhat admired people who had that kind of bright, outgoing energy. It was just that… he wasn't sure if he had the energy to match them. Trying to keep up with someone like that? Sounds exhausting.
Still… if what Leopold said was true, then that would meant—
Velren hesitated before speaking again.
"Say… if it really is a team-based exam, would you… uh… like to team up?"
Silence.
The silver-haired girl didn't even look up. She just kept reading.
Velren began to wonder if she had heard him at all when, finally—
"I'll think about it."
He blinked.
'Answer faster, damn it!'