"Raymond?"
"...yes?"
"What did we learn today?"
"That shadows shouldn’t attack their masters."
"Good. Now what did you do?"
"...I attacked my master."
She tapped her foot in a rhythmic pattern, leaning down slightly to look directly at Raymond.
"Exactly, now what do you think your punishnt should be?"
"..."
Raymond gritted his teeth, his own anger flaring up slightly. Tinged with regret at his own actions. It was fine if Ellen did it but not him? That was completely unfair!
Right now, he was kneeling on the ground in front of Ellen. His hands raised in the air, shaking slightly as he struggled to maintain said position. His muscles screaming at him.
"Not saying anything? That’s fine. I’ve got plenty of ideas."
’You evil witch!’
He didn’t dare say it out loud, but she seed to get an idea of what he was thinking based on his expression.
Smirking slightly, she put her finger under his chin. Tilting it upwards so that he was looking directly into her eyes.
"How about no ice cream for a week?"
"..."
"Wow. You didn’t even react at that?"
Ellen’s smirk grew wider, the entire day of classes still in store for them seemingly having slipped her mind as she pondered on how to best play with Raymond.
Seriously, she woke him up for class and now she decided not to go in order to do this?
Raymond wished upon every deity from every dinsion he knew to rescue him from the jaws of this devil right now, yet none so much as responded to his pleas. Leaving him to suffer all by himself, perhaps this was his retribution for writing that novel.
Caressing his chin slightly, he shivered at the touch of her fingers. Causing her to release another giggle again.
"...Ellen. We have class in a bit."
"No need to rush Raymond, besides. I don’t feel like going anymore."
She released her touch on him, sitting back down and gesturing for him to get up.
"Stand up."
He reluctantly stood up, his knees sore from all the kneeling he was doing. Making sure to keep his arms raised in the air.
"Now give a massage. "
"I don’t know how?"
"Are you talking back to ?"
...he gave her a massage.
***
"Raymond? What’s wrong?"
"Nothing. Just a bit tired."
Lily glanced at him for a bit longer, a brief hint of worry flashing in her eyes.
"Didn’t you say you slept the whole day and that’s why you didn’t co to class today?"
"..."
He didn’t reply, how was he supposed to explain that he was forcefully awakened by Ellen, and in his frustration decided to attack her and was then punished for it. Being forced to kneel on the ground, arms in the air like so prisoner. Tending to her every whim, massaging her shoulders and back, bringing her drinks and snacks...
His own face turned worse as he rembered each and every thing that he did. In the end, it was a ssage from Lily who had saved him from another several hours of said punishnt.
"Thank you."
"What did I even do?!"
Lily felt stupefied, Raymond was usually a pretty normal person. A few odd traits here and there sure, but everyone was odd in their own way. Except Raymond was acting weirder then usual today.
Lily sighed, continuing with what she was saying previously.
"Anyways, in short. Emily already found so good work for us. The pay is eight hundred dollars for the whole shoot which is really good for beginners like us."
He nodded, this was the first actual ti he was going to be doing modeling work. So he tried to be as prepared as he could.
Luckily, he didn’t need to do much. He just had to follow along to whatever they say to do and he would be fine.
He would finally be getting paid as well! The recent academy mission had awarded each of them a cool seven hundred points. But this work paid in dollars which Raymond wanted.
Now he could finally make good use of his permission to leave the academy grounds!
Being good looking really was great. Being paid just for so photos wearing so clothes or whatever, what could be easier then that?
Awakened appearances only ever improved. But if you were a three from the start, you would only ever be a five at best. So most high ranked awakened would always have a minimum appearance rating of above average.
In other words, good looking people like him and Ellen were just beautiful from the start!
’...why did I think of Ellen first for soone good looking?’
He shook his head, leading to another worried gaze from Lily.
Entering the photography studio, Raymond was greeted with a massive set of a city in winter.
A thin layer of snow on the ground and roofs. Looking up, he could see a machine producing more snowfall. The layers continuously adding up until it reached a height of a few inches.
"Hey Thomas."
"Good evening Raymond."
He and Thomas greeted each other. The three of them chatting for a bit while they waited for Emily.
Raymond turned his head occasionally, looking for others but found only a few mbers of the photography club and so stylists walking around.
Unable to hold back his curiosity, he asked. "Are we the only mbers of the modeling club in the first year?"
Lily answered him, explaining why. "There’s ten others, but they specifically wanted us for our white hair."
Raymond looked at the few strands of his own hair that he could see, then Thomas’s white hair, then Lily’s which ended in a light shade of pink.
His mouth felt dry, wasn’t this discrimination?
Although truth be told, if Raymond was in the sa position. He felt that he would have made the sa exact decision as well.
When advertising winter clothes, wasn’t such an appearance extrely suitable for it?
It was like how fit and muscular individuals were suitable for advertising fitness and sports products. It was just the obvious and natural choice.
Emily soon appeared, looking slightly disheveled compared to last ti. Seeing the three of them together. She smiled, handing them each a separate bag filled with several clothes.
"There’s a changing room over there. ", she pointed in a direction. "Change quick and get ready. The magic powering the snow costs quite a bit."
Raymond raised a hand slightly.
"Yes Raymond?"
"I know how to cast ice magic so it’s fine to just turn it off."
Her face brightened up, rembering that Raymond did indeed know ice magic. Luckily, producing snow was only a first circle spell so he could do it easily.
"Of course! Can you also cast a mini steam spell?"
"Sure."
With that, Emily rushed off. Saying how she was going to go find soone and inform them. Honestly, Raymond was pretty well known for his magic so how did Emily not even know this? The academy even gave out the profiles of their club mbers to the presidents and other club positions.
He and Thomas made their way to the changing rooms. Lily going off into a separate one for females, while he and Thomas entered the male one.
Entering the changing rooms, Raymond saw several smaller rooms with privacy screens th-
"Thomas why are you taking your clothes off here!!"
***
Raymond let out a deep breath, his mind flashing back to what just happened five minutes ago.
He felt sweat pour down his back, he felt that if any of Thomas’s female friends were there to witness it. They might have fainted on the spot from blood loss. Even worse was if they found out about said event, he worried for his own safety.
Raymond still rembered when he interrupted one of his friends while talking to Thomas. The mory still fresh in his mind.
"So I was thinking we should go out together this weekend! Just the two of u-
"Thomas, instructor Juliet is looking for you. She says that she wants this extra ti to help you work on your control over yo-
Raymond paused, feeling a tingle in his spine. Looking behind Thomas’s amicable smile that he nearly always had, he could see her glaring daggers at him. Her own smile seed to be anything but friendly.
Her eyes conveying the ssage clearly: Who do you think you are? You dare interrupt our mont together?!
"I see, I apologize but it seems I have to go now for my personal guidance. Also, I’m quite busy with club activities on the weekend unfortunately so I won’t be able to make it. I have a prior appointnt with Raymond here you see."
"Is that so?"
The tingle in his spine shot upwards, reaching his upper back. Like a warning signal from his own body. Her eyes seed to beco even more malicious hearing the last part.
"It’s just a small socializing thing for us in the special class, since Lucy and Cador just joined."
"How unfortunate. I shouldn’t keep you two waiting then. You should go now."
Raymond had no proof, but he could swear that she had been secretly watching him over the next few days. He could have used magic to confirm, but he still had to try and find out his mana attunent with instructor Sienna regularly, plus his own magic research so he hardly ever had mana to spare. Even on the few off days, such as going to club etings or just walking. Her presence was there.
He had no proof of this as well, but he could swear that he saw a shadow outside his window and on his balcony at one point as well. Just to recap, he lived on the twelfth floor.
But also, even if he did catch her. What difference would it have made? She would have just gotten so minor disciplinary punishnt at best, probably just a point deduction.
The fact that one person went this far was already bad enough, and that was just for interrupting a conversation! Maybe also for blocking their hangout but Thomas would have said no anyways!
He shuddered to think what multiple would do. There was even a fan group for Thomas, although it was more of a battle royale over who got to hang out with him.
Sighing, he checked his own appearance, A black parka lined with brown fur. Paired with a black pair of insulated trousers.
He honestly disliked the colour black, white was his favorite. It was clean, classy, hard to go wrong.
Well, he would look good in any outfit anyways. The saying was the clothes make the man, but have you ever seen a handso person get flad for their outfit?
If a ugly person wears sothing bad, then it’s bad. But when a handso person does it, it’s suddenly fashion.
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