New Day

The alarm blared through my room exactly at 5:00 AM.

My eyes snapped open before I could even process the sound and sat up immediately. Standing up from the bed, I stretched my legs and arms. I was totally awake, no grogginess or lightheadedness.

Looking out the window, the sun was on the rise as I thought.

Looks like some of Aria’s habits which are deeply ingrained in the body are still with me as muscle memory.

I flexed my hand.

Waking up early, reflexes, poker face… all of that.

But what I am interested was in that do I still have Aria’s fighting capabilities?

I took a fighting stance, positioning my feet but then shifting awkwardly until I felt something click into place. Then I threw a punch. My torso twisted as I shifted my weight, then threw another punch, shifting again to the opposite side.

I stopped.

"Hmm, it does seem to work, but... I sometimes felt uncoordinated, as if my body and what I wanted to do didn't match."

Maybe that was for the best. As I trained, it would help me get Aria's fighting capabilities and make them truly mine, rather than just relying on muscle memory I didn't understand.

I continued practicing for a few more minutes, basic punches, footwork, weight distribution, until my phone buzzed loudly on the nightstand.

I paused mid-stance then walked over, picking it up.

The screen displayed a single name: Father.

My finger hovered over the answer button then pulled back.

No. I shouldn’t pick this up.

If someone like Luna could see through me, then Aria's father, who'd been with her since birth, would definitely notice something off.

And also because Aria's father is an absolute psycho. If there's a major antagonist in Aria's life, it would be him. Because of him, she became the Ice Princess, unable to share her emotions with other people.

It kept buzzing for a few minutes until it finally stopped.

I sighed in relief.

Then, a just a second later, it buzzed again.

"Will he keep calling me until I pick it up?"

That was a problem...

But as I looked at the screen, it wasn't Father's name displayed.

It was Luna's.

What is she calling me so early in the morning?

I answered immediately. "Luna?"

"Aria! Good morning! I'm at your door, open it."

Flustered, I asked, "Why are you at my door?"

"Didn't you say we would train daily? Running and all that?" Luna's voice came through slightly confused.

Oh.

Maybe the previous Aria had said something like that. Was there anything like that in the plot? I tried

to think but couldn't recall anything concrete. Maybe it was just a throwaway line having an effect

now.

Another plot hole filling itself in.

"Right," I said

I hung up and quickly changed into workout clothes. Looking in the mirror, I adjusted my hair and took a breath.

Training with Luna. Hopefully it's just that, nothing related to the plot. I could use that time to get a better feel for the limits of my physical capabilities.

I opened the door to find Luna already dressed in athletic gear, bouncing slightly on her heels.

"Ready?" she said.

"Mm."

"Let's go then!"

We made our way out of the dorms and onto the campus grounds. The early morning air was crisp. Luna led the way toward the training grounds we'd seen yesterday. "I thought we could do a lap around the perimeter track, then some stretches. Sound good?"

I nodded. There were lot more students here then the campus, mostly seniors.

As we started jogging, I focused on how my body moved. The rhythm came naturally, breathing steady, footwork even.

Jogging itself wouldn't help me regain the fighting capabilities, though. Luna was able to keep pace with me despite being support class, because stats don't really show their effect until you start using mana.

But still, it was a nice workout. Especially for me, someone who has no idea what to expect when I actually use mana.

"So," Luna said between breaths, "are you nervous? About classes starting today?"

I shook my head. "No."

She smiled. "That's typical of you."

What I wanted to add, though, was that while I wasn't nervous, I was terrified of taking a wrong step

and the world ending because of it.

But I kept that part to myself.

Just then, someone passed by me, someone I met yesterday. He was huffing and puffing, sweat raining down his whole body. Even the seniors were looking at him with concerned eyes, but maybe he was so into his own thing that he didn't notice me.

It was Near, the protagonist.

***

Half an hour later, we finished our laps and headed toward the exit.

That's when I spotted Near sprawled on the ground near the edge of the track, chest heaving.

Luna tracked my gaze and asked, "Do you know him?”

I shook my head. "No." She tilted her head, confused.

Just as we were about to go our separate ways from the training grounds, I called out. "Hey!"

She turned toward me. "What is it, Aria?"

Hmm. I'd been preparing myself for this since the start. If she hadn't called me for jogging, I would've called her myself. But now I suddenly felt embarrassed asking her to her face.

"If it wasn't too much…"

"Huh? I can't hear you, Aria. Your voice is too low."

"Can you come to my room…"

She shook her head. "I still can't hear you."

I took a deep breath. "Can you help me dress like yesterday?"

She blinked.

I added quickly, "Obviously, if you don't want to or don't have time, it's totally fine. I can handle it myself. Now that I think about it, it's stupid—"

Suddenly, Luna burst out laughing.

I was baffled. Was there something funny? Or Is she messing with me?

"What happened? Did I do something?"

She replied between giggles, "No, you should've seen your face, Aria. You were blushing so hard."

I touched my cheeks. Luna was still grinning.

Suddenly I felt angry. I don't know why.

I turned away from her and said, "Don't come to my room."

She grabbed me from behind immediately. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! Don't make that face!" She

squeezed tighter. "And as for your request, I would've come even if you didn't invite me."

"Then let go of me," I said flatly.

"Not until you forgive me!"

"Luna."