"Haaah, damn, I'm late."
Grumbling under my breath, I made my way to the open stadium where all three first-year classes were gathered.
[You took more ti getting ready than a girl and still expect to arrive on ti?]
'Shut up, idiot.'
Sneaking my way through, I located my class and headed towards them, making sure to avoid Lauryn's gaze.
The stadium buzzed with excitent, filled with the sound of students gossiping.
As I approached my class, I felt soone watching .
Glancing back, I caught a pair of crimson eyes staring at while she conversed with the girls around her.
Shyamal...
What should I do about this girl...
[....Her hatred hasn't diminished one bit.]
Yeah, and it won't diminish until she kills .
And No matter what happens, I refuse to die at her hands.
I just hope she doesn't ambush anyti soon because right now I can't fight against her, and I don't have anyone to protect from dying either.
Shifting my focus away from her, I looked for my class.
It didn't take long to spot Ashlyn, standing with Miley, Oliver, and Ethan.
"Yo," I greeted them, but they all turned silent as they faced .
"What?" I asked as I stood beside Ashlyn.
"You're looking good," Ashlyn praised with a bright smile, and I could see Oliver nodding in agreent.
So, my charm 'is' increasing, huh?
That's good to hear.
"You don't look that good," Miley grimaced before I could reply. "Ethan looks better than you."
"....Who asked you that?" I tilted my head, raising an eyebrow.
"What? I'm just stating facts. You look alright, but Ethan's on another level." She replied, flipping her orchid hair back and folding her arms.
"....A-ah, I-I don't thin—." Ethan's face reddened slightly as he stamred out a response.
"....If you wanted to compare him with soone, you could have used ." Oliver chid in with a smile, looking at Miley.
But I could tell he was hurt by her praising soone else in front of him.
"....Azariah doesn't deserve to be compared to you." Realizing her mistake, Miley quickly corrected herself, looking at Oliver.
"...Right." Oliver smiled, shaking his head.
"Azariah." Ashlyn's voice pulled my attention as she pinched my shirt, tiptoeing to whisper in my ear, "Don't take her words seriously. You look great."
"Thank you," I whispered back, feeling my heart skip a beat.
[...Critical hit.]
'Shut up.'
"Ashlyn, co with ," Miley quickly grabbed her hand, pulling her away from .
"She's staying. You can go," I said firmly, holding onto Ashlyn's free hand and shooting Miley a glare.
"Let go... of her... hand..." Miley's glare matched mine as she spoke each word slowly, emphasizing her command.
I didn't respond, simply pulling Ashlyn gently towards , her expression a mix of surprise and embarrassnt.
"Uh... Azariah," Ashlyn embarrassingly called out to , but I didn't release my grip on her hand.
"Attention everyone!"
We shifted our attention towards Lauryn as her loud voice resonated throughout the stadium.
Sighing, I released Ashlyn's hand as she seed close to tears, caught between Miley and .
Miley seized the opportunity and whisked Ashlyn away from .
"Do you like her?" An irritating voice made glance back at the brown-haired boy.
"Who are you to ask that?" I snapped, not trying to contain my irritation.
If he tries to do anything funny with Ashlyn, I swear I will kill him.
[...Is that possessiveness?]
'No, idiot. My life depends on Ashlyn. I can't let him seduce my at shield.'
"Chill, bro, he's just asking," Oliver stepped forward to defend him, placing a hand on my shoulder.
"And who the fuck are you?" I grumbled, slapping his hand away.
"...How could you forget your best brother?" He feigned hurt, placing a hand over his chest.
"All of you, focus here!"
My attention shifted back to the teachers standing in front of the students from all three classes.
Daphne Sloan stood before her class [A].
Jullian Craver was positioned in front of his class [B].
And...
Lauryn Ewing stood at the helm of our class [C].
Daphne's voice resonated throughout the stadium, quieting down the students.
"I know you're all excited about the club activities and the possibilities they offer, but bear with for a mont because we need to discuss sothing important first."
As she spoke, a few staff mbers approached, carrying a tray filled with watch-like objects.
"But first, about the club activities," She continued as the staff passed the watches to all the students.
"I know most of you will explore all the clubs, but let remind you once again: feel free to check out those clubs that are typically associated with the opposite gender.
Boys can join cooking clubs to enhance their skills and girls can join sports clubs as well."
With a cheerful smile, she addressed all the students,
"And boys, if you're looking to woo a girl, clap your hands!"
CLAP !!
CLAP!!
And as soon as the sound of the clap stopped, Daphne continued, "Okay, whoever clapped is forbidden to join the girls' clubs."
Beside , Ethan and Oliver both had their mouths wide open and their hands still in a clapping position.
"I'm sorry for your loss, brother," I muttered, patting Oliver's shoulder and shaking my head.
"Noooooo."
"That's cheating!!"
"I didn't clap, I swear."
"Sir."
Ignoring all the chaos around , I looked at the male staff mber as he handed the watch-like object.
It was a white watch with dark blue markings all around the strap.
[Spirit linker?]
'Yep.'
"I was just kidding, stop shouting!!" Grinning, Daphne said, making the students laugh.
"The fun's over; now listen here." As Daphne walked back, Lauryn took a step forward, arriving at the front of all three classes.
"Clubs are for fun, but your main goal should be to participate in the clubhouse competition. And before anyone asks, out of the 150 students, only sixteen will be selected for the competition."
Glancing around, she made sure every student had the watch in their hands before continuing.
"Now, the watch in your hand is called a spirit linker, a device used to detect if you've ford a contract with a spirit or not."
Her words sparked excitent and confusion among the students, causing a buzz of conversation to erupt.
"Ma'am," one student raised their hand, "you're saying it as if we've already ford a contract with a spirit."
"Yes, that's what I'm saying," Lauryn nodded. "From the day you're born until you turn five, you've already ford a contract with a spirit unconsciously."
"How?" Another one asked.
"Spirits only form contracts with children, not because they like innocence, but because it's easier for them to form a link with children than adults."
"But why are we checking them now?" another student asked.
"Because there's a club specifically made for spirits, and if you want to enter it, you need a contract with a spirit. Now, no more questions. Wear the watch," Lauryn finished, folding her hands and waiting for everyone to comply.
[...You seem to already know the result.]
'Yep, I do.'
In the ga, all the important characters had a spirit familiar with them.
Including ...
But unlike the main heroines and the protagonist, mine wasn't as strong as theirs, but still better than nothing.
[...How many familiars did you have in the ga?]
'One and why are you even asking this idiotic question?'
And it's a commonly known fact that in this world, having more than one spirit familiar is impossible.
But...
Glancing around, I quickly found Ashlyn as I walked towards her.
"Azariah?"
"Later, oily."
But she ford contracts with two of the strongest spirit when she was a child.
And both her familiars were a lot stronger than mine.
She defied common sense, making her the center of attention in the academy.
And she also beca the center of attention of... the organization that tortured .
"...What are you doing here?" Miley frowned at .
"....Shut up," I glared back, standing between them.
"Azariah?" Tilting her head, she called as she wore her spirit linker.
Without saying anything, I handed my watch to her and extended my hand.
Though still confused, she took the watch and helped in wearing it as she stepped closer, her head close to my chest.
"Azaria—."
"It's fine, Miley," Ashlyn interjected, shaking her head, making Miley pout.
"Heh." Looking at her, I smirked, aggravating her further.
"Now, if you have worn the watch, send mana into it," Lauryn instructed before Miley could reply.
I positioned myself between Miley and Ashlyn, ensuring Ashlyn's watch was hidden from Miley's view.
"Huuu."
Exhaling sharply, I closed my eyes as I willed my mana into the spirit linker.
My hand glowed softly in a silver hue as the mana started to be sucked into the linker.
I let it continue while I opened my eyes, glancing at Ashlyn.
Ashlyn Zyanya.
Soone with the potential to rival the 'Guardians.'
And...
One of the few individuals who could actually land a 'hit' on my mother.
It's hardest to convert her into a villainess because she is as 'pure' as humanly possible.
But still, she ha—.
Beep.
Beep.
I shifted my focus to the watch as both mine and Ashlyn's spirit linker started to beep.
"Ahh, fuck."
But it wasn't her linker that made curse...
But...
Mine.
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