Dark enters the library, full of students. He walks quickly between several study tables until he reaches the one where Lavin is sitting, approaching him sweaty and breathless, as if he had just faced death.

  – Finally found you, I... I thought I was going to die...

  Lavin looks at Dark, not quite understanding what he means.

  – What happened?

  – I... I just met Ingrid, I bumped into her by accident and... she didn’t seem to like me very much.

  Dark sits down in the chair and rests his head on the table, trying to calm down and breathe better.

  – Seems like you had a pretty bad moment, huh? Or are you a masochist who likes that kind of girl?

  Lavin tries to tease Dark, who immediately turns to him:

  – First of all! I don’t like Ingrid!

  – Yeah, sure. I believe you.

  Lavin says ironically. Dark just ignores him and starts studying.

  After studying, Dark arrives at his dorm room, a dimly lit place illuminated only by the night light. He throws himself onto the couch, tired from all the studying, and starts fiddling with his phone.

  Dark hears knocks on the door. He gets up from the couch and walks to the door, finding the girl who saved him from Ingrid.

  – Hello! You’re the boy from earlier, right?

  Stolen story; please report.

  The girl leans slightly, and Dark doesn’t know where to look anymore – her pretty light-yellow eyes or her slender blonde hair.

  – No! I’m not!

  Dark says nervously, his mind in complete chaos.

  Damn it, how did she find my room? Well, it’s not that hard if you think about it... But why??? Does she want to snitch on me to Ingrid, or hit me? What should I do?

  While Dark is overthinking, the girl observes him closely, finding him strange.

  – Uh... well... I brought this cookie I made! It’s an apology for what my friend did!

  She hands over the cookie, and Dark accepts it hesitantly.

  – Thanks...?

  The girl waves and turns around to leave.

  – Hey!! What’s your name, girl?

  She turns back and introduces herself with a smile:

  – My name is Asami Shinkyou. And yours?

  Dark blushes a little as he looks at Asami, noticing how cute she is.

  – My... my name is Dark. Nice to meet you... oh, right, my last name is Fiore. Dark Fiore. Sorry, almost forgot.

  Asami laughs, finding him adorable, and waves goodbye.

  The next day, Dark and Lavin are in class, learning about mana and magic. Dark doesn’t really care, staring out the window obviously not paying attention.

  Someone taps a wand on Dark’s desk. He startles and turns to see Minori Tsukihana, his magic instructor.

  Dark looks at Lavin, who turns his head away, pretending he didn’t see the teacher approaching. Dark mentally kills him.

  – Mr. Fiore... are you paying attention to the class, Dark?

  She adjusts her glasses, visibly irritated that he can’t use magic.

  – Yes, Professor Minori, I... I’m paying attention...

  Minori walks back to the board while several male students watch her, admiring her figure.

  – If you’re really paying attention, could you tell me this: if I cast a spell right now, would I use mana from my core or from the environment around me?

  – ...Why... wouldn’t it be...? Well... from the core...?

  Ingrid raises her hand to answer.

  – Go ahead, Miss Yumi.

  – It depends a lot on the mage’s control. A beginner would probably use only mana from the core, which consumes a lot. An advanced mage would start from the core but soon draw mana from the environment to increase potency, which requires great control and is very tiring.

  Minori approaches the board and starts writing:

  – You’re right, Ingrid, but it seems you forgot the last part. Recent studies show that mages can draw mana from the environment...

  A boy with brown hair and black eyes, wearing the academy uniform, cuts the teacher’s speech:

  – Draw mana from the environment, right, professor? Can I explain?

  Before Minori can answer, he continues:

  – It’s possible to take mana from the environment and place it into your core, but that’s very difficult for humans. Some monsters can, but for humans it’s almost impossible. It’s also hard to release too much mana from the core. This practice would be perfect to increase a human’s total mana, but it requires immense control.

  Minori looks at the boy, angry, and replies:

  – Thank you very much for the explanation, Takumi, but next time don’t interrupt, otherwise you’ll be expelled. The same goes for you, Dark. Pay attention to class if you don’t want trouble.

  Minori resumes teaching. Dark looks at Lavin, who feels mortified.

  – You... could’ve warned me...

  Dark says seriously, while Lavin can’t look him in the eye.

  – I...

  tried...

  – No... you didn’t...

  – My bad, Dark...

  Dark sighs and finally tries to focus on the lesson.