Circulation
I was discharged very early in the morning. According to the healer, my mana circuits had healed enough for me to move around, but I was still advised not to use mana.
With Luna’s help, I made it back to my room. I told her I was perfectly fine and could manage on my own.
But she pointed out that she had to help me change anyway.
I turned red just hearing that.
After changing and getting ready for class, Luna said she’d walk with me.
I obviously tried to dissuade her, but she didn’t relent.
Through all of this, the thing with my father was constantly in the back of my mind.
I half-expected a call at any moment saying he had arrived at the academy.
So much so that my appetite had shrunk.
“Do you think he would really come?” I asked Luna again.
She shook her head. “No.”
“Really?” I brightened immediately.
Luna sighed, visibly frustrated with her best friend being dumbed down by anxiety.
“Sometimes, Aria, you can be a handful. How would I know? He could, or he could not.”
I pouted. “I obviously know that. Why can’t you just lie to me and say no…?” I grumbled.
Just then, we reached my classroom.
And before I knew it, I was the main highlight of the show again. Everyone was staring and whispering.
“It’s the A-03 girl. I heard she got admitted because of yesterday’s fight.”
“The fight yesterday was crazy.”
“Who’s the girl beside her though?”
We made our way inside, and I tried to tune out the voices. I was already used to it. But today, it felt
worse than usual.
“What, you fallen in love or something?”
“What?” The boy beside us became flustered when Luna spoke to him out of nowhere.
“Then why are you staring at her?”
She said it loud enough for everyone in the corridor to hear.
Suddenly, everyone went back to their own business, as if they hadn’t been interested at all.
I quietly muttered a small thanks to Luna, and she gave me a slight nod.
With that, we entered the lecture hall.
“Are you leaving?” I asked after sitting down.
She scratched her cheek. “Hmm… I guess. There isn’t really anything left to do.”
“You could stay until the professor comes, if you want.”
She shook her head. “No. What if my professor comes early?”
…Yeah, that made sense.
“Bye then. See you after lectures.”
She made a small gesture. “If anything happens, call me immediately.”
Just as Luna was leaving, voices rose from the corridor.
And before my brain could process what was happening—
Belle and Luna were face to face.
Luna was glaring at Belle with hatred in her eyes, her fists tightly clenched. In contrast, Belle’s reaction
was completely lackluster.
She didn’t even look at Luna, keeping her head down as if staring at the floor. But something had changed. I could feel it, there was a serious atmosphere around her that hadn’t been there before.
When Luna didn't moved out of way from Belle she tried to side step but Luna immediately moved again to her side.
“Umm… Luna…” I tried to stop her.
But before I could, she grabbed Belle by the collar. Whispers rippled through the entire lecture hall.
“You—what’s your problem?” Luna snapped. “First you challenge Aria during orientation, then you try to force her into a duel by threatening me?”
Oh. She found out about that.
Just as Luna raised her hand, Felix placed his hand on her shoulder. He shook his head.
“Let go. This isn’t worth it.”
He gestured toward me with his chin.
I didn’t know what kind of face I was making, but it must have been enough. Luna seemed to understand that I didn’t want her to go any further.
She let go of Belle, who immediately sidestepped, walked to her seat, and sat down, while Luna stood there, processing who knows what emotions.
“Luna.” I put my hand on her shoulder, but just then Professor Kane arrived.
Luna left, and I had to sit down. There wasn’t time for us to talk.
Professor Kane stood behind the podium and spoke.
“It seems Miss Fenrir hadn’t gone to her house,” he remarked.
I flinched for a second, then shook my head. “That’s correct.”
“It’s your decision anyway, Miss Fenrir. But more than that, I would like to apologize for yesterday. Neither of us predicted you would get injured. We should have stopped before that.”
It was weird for him to apologize when it wasn’t his fault. He couldn’t have known I would pull something that drastic, and with the Mana Suppression Field in place, he probably believed everything would be fine. Still, I just nodded.
With that out of the way, class started where we’d left off yesterday, personalized feedback and exercises focused on how and where to improve mana control.
One of the things the professor told me was not to force mana, which sounded obvious at first, but then he went on to explain how to go about this.
"When you channel mana," Professor Kane said, walking between the rows of desks, "most students treat it like pushing water through a narrow pipe. They try to force it, compress it, trying to shove as much through as possible.”
He stopped beside my desk.
"That's exactly what causes burnout. Your mana circuits aren't pipes, they're living pathways. They need to expand naturally, not be torn open."
I listened carefully, acutely aware of the lingering ache in my arms and legs from yesterday.
"Think of it like breathing," he continued. "You don't force air into your lungs. You let it flow in, then out. Mana works the same way. Draw it in slowly. Let it circulate, guide it.”
He demonstrated by raising his hand. A faint blue glow surrounded it, steady and controlled, like a gentle flame. "This is the difference between control and power. Power without control destroys you from the inside. Control without power..." He let the glow fade. "...keeps you alive long enough to
grow stronger."
He looked directly at me when he said that last part.
I swallowed and nodded.
"For the next week," Professor Kane announced to the class, "you will all practice mana circulation against each other without going all out. If I catch anyone trying to show off, you'll be running laps until your legs give out.”
With that, we left for the combat facilities.
Just like the previous day, Class B also joined us. But this time, instead of going one by one, students paired up on their own and started sparring.
Meanwhile, the professors walked around the field, observing giving them practical tips, pointing out flaws, and offering advice on mana control.
I stood at the edge of the room because I wasn’t allowed to participate right now, it could be detrimental to my condition. But it was boring as hell.
Why not just let me go if I can’t participate.
Just then, I spotted a boy with messy black hair walking toward me
Near said as he came closer, scratching his neck. “Hello.”
I nodded. “What’s up?”
It was the first time I was actually talking to the protagonist, aside from that one time in the bathroom. Could you even call that talking? Yeah… “debate” was more accurate.
“Um… are you fine after yesterday’s injuries?”
“Yeah. I’m good, but what are you doing here? Didn’t you also have a spar?”
I wondered how yesterday went down after I was knocked out. Who did the protagonist face?
"About that…" He gave an awkward smile. "I fought A-17 and lost in one punch After that, my class found out I’m F-rank, and now…” He trailed off, scratching his neck again.
I followed his gaze. No one was even looking his way.
“…There isn’t anyone who wants to spar with me.”
I see. So this was the part of the story where the MC becomes the class outcast, brought forward because I didn’t fight him.
Because instead of losing to someone “strong” like me, he lost to someone lower-ranked, Class B must’ve been even more repulsed.
It seems he traded infamy for trauma.
“Well,” I said, “do you want to spar with me?”
“Huh? Aren’t you injured?”
“We should be fine as long as we don’t use mana. And don’t you also want to increase your stamina?”
“How did you know that?”
“You were running around like a madman that day, so it wasn’t hard to figure out.”
"And anyway, it's not like I'm doing you a favor. You don't have anyone to spar with, and I'm sitting out
anyway."
It was true. There were forty students total between the two classes, and since I wasn’t participating, he was also left alone. Though, honestly, it probably would’ve been worse if I had joined and someone had been forced to spar with him.
And I also had to get familiar with Aria’s body instincts. He would be a good test subject.
“…Wait. Let me ask the professor.”
That’s how, on the second day of the academy, an odd pair became sparring partners.
