Chương 24: F-rank

Ch 24 - F-rank Can't I have one peaceful day? Evan thought darkly. He had just been trying to find a place to eat his lunch, and instead he ended up watching this drama unfold and getting dragged into it. He observed the glaring girl in front of him. Her name tag read Konoe Reika, which meant she was likely Hiroto's sister. They certainly looked alike. Aside from their matching hair color, they shared the same rounded eye shape and nose.

However, with her glaring at him, she looked far more fierce than her brother, who was meekly staring at the ground.

"I was looking for a place to eat," Evan said. Reika narrowed her eyes at him, her gaze flicking down to his name tag before she scoffed.

"I know who you are."

"I didn't realize I was that popular," Evan replied with a smile.

"More than you think. It's nice to meet you, I suppose. Konoe Reika." She said it without even offering a handshake.

"Evan Whitfield."

"Evan, I suggest you watch what you do here," Reika said.

"Don't stick your nose into things you shouldn't. You wouldn't want to get into trouble." With that, she walked past him. Two other girls followed behind her, snickering to themselves. One of them bumped her shoulder into Evan, nearly making him drop his tray. Evan tightened his grip, partly to keep his food from falling, partly to stop himself from turning around and flipping them off. He took a deep breath, then exhaled.

He repeated the mantra in his head before turning his attention back to Hiroto, who was still standing there looking like a pathetic, sodden cat. Tilting his gaze upward, Evan wondered if he should just walk away. It wasn't as though he was unfamiliar with bullying. He had been bullied back in his old world too, and he'd simply endured it. It seemed that even in a fancy school like this, some things never changed. As Evan pondered this dilemma, a voice suddenly cut in.

"Sorry about that." Turning his head, he saw Hiroto still standing there, head lowered. But Evan was certain that low, raspy voice had come from him.

"Why are you apologizing? You're not the one being an ass," Evan said.

"She's my sister," Hiroto replied. That only made it more complicated. There was clearly something going on in the background, and as harsh as Reika's warning sounded, not sticking his nose where it didn't belong might actually be wise advice. Finished saying what he needed to say, Hiroto turned and walked away, head still lowered. Evan could almost hear a sad OST playing in the background as he watched his retreating back.

"Hey!" Evan called out. Hiroto stiffened and slowly turned back.

"…Yes?"

"Here." Evan tossed his pocket tissues at him. Hiroto barely caught them, his hands fumbling before he managed to grip them.

"You look wet. Dry yourself off with those." Hiroto stared at the pocket tissues in silence. Geez, it's just pocket tissues. Do you really have to look like that? Evan thought, noticing the wide-eyed, slightly touched expression on Hiroto's face.

"T-thank you," Hiroto said, clutching the pocket tissues close instead of opening them and using them. He then turned around again and walked away. Seeing him heading back toward the classroom building, Evan asked, "Hey, aren't you going to the cafeteria first? Or do you bring food from home?"

"Ah… no, I live in the Student Residence," Hiroto said.

"As for the cafeteria… I can't go there." Oh right. His sister had told him never to show his face around her. Evan and Hiroto stood there in awkward silence as Evan wondered what he was supposed to do. He couldn't exactly hear that and then just walk away, could he? Maybe it was because he'd grown used to Reid constantly making sure he ate, but seeing someone skip lunch simply because they were being bullied just felt... wrong. Letting out a loud sigh, Evan approached Hiroto, who took a step back.

Unbothered, Evan shoved his tray into Hiroto's hands and said, "Here, take mine. You can eat it. Hope you aren't allergic to anything in there." Then, not wanting the awkward conversation to go on any longer, Evan turned around and headed back to the cafeteria to get another serving for himself.

Aside from the incident outside the cafeteria, Evan's first day of school hadn't gone too badly. The morning had been spent in ordinary academic classes, while the afternoon was reserved for Awakener courses. Since he was still new to using mana, Evan had enrolled in Mana Control. Stepping into the training room, Evan paused for a moment. The students weren't all his age.

A boy who looked no older than fifteen chatted with an older girl who could have been nineteen, while several others appeared to be around his own age. Unlike the academy's academic classes, Awakener courses weren't tied to a single grade. As long as students met the prerequisites, they could enroll regardless of when they had awakened. As his gaze swept across the room, it landed on a familiar face. Hiroto. For a brief moment, Evan wondered if Hiroto had somehow followed him after their encounter earlier.

He quickly dismissed the absurd thought. Hiroto had almost certainly enrolled in this class long before Evan had ever set foot in the academy. Evan took one of the empty spots, pointedly ignoring the curious glances Hiroto kept sneaking in his direction. The teacher standing at the front was a woman with dark, wavy hair tied into a low ponytail that kept it neatly away from her face. Warm brown skin contrasted with her sharp, observant eyes.

She wore the academy instructor's uniform: a tailored charcoal coat trimmed with silver over a high-collared blouse and fitted trousers, the academy insignia pinned neatly to her chest.

"Alright, class. Welcome back. And welcome to our new student. Evan Whitfield, right?" the teacher said.

"My name is Ananya Mehra. You may address me as Instructor Mehra. Last class, I assigned you all homework, so let's see how you've been progressing." Evan watched as the other students pulled out slim matte-black wristbands no wider than two fingers. A narrow crystal strip ran along each band. After fastening them around their wrists, they began jogging laps around the room one by one. Seeing his confusion, Mehra beckoned him over.

"I'm testing them on maintaining a steady mana flow while moving," she explained.

"As for you, our transfer student, we'll have to start from the beginning. Hopefully you'll catch up quickly. We'll begin with sensing mana within your body and basic mana circulation." Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

"So I just... stand here and do it?" Evan asked, glancing at the students wearing the wristbands.

"I don't need one?" Mehra laughed.

"No need. The wristbands mainly let the students monitor their own performance. As for me..." she tapped the corner of her eye.

"I've got excellent eyesight." She suddenly raised her voice.

"Mr. Volkov! You're not even trying to maintain your mana flow. Don't think I can't see it just because I'm helping the new student!" The boy nearly tripped before quickly recovering.

"Sorry, ma'am!" Mehra turned back to Evan.

"So, no need to worry. Unless you'd like me to start even earlier and explain what mana is?" Evan shook his head. He already knew the basics. Mana theory had been covered years ago in school alongside the history of the Tower and Awakeners.

"Good. Then close your eyes and try to sense the mana within your body." Evan obeyed. Frankly, he didn't quite understand the point of the exercise. Ever since Awakening, he had always been aware of the mana within him. It rested inside his chest like a small sphere of light, pulsing gently with every heartbeat.

"Hm?" Mehra murmured.

"Looks like you've already found it. Now let's try basic mana circulation. Draw a small amount from your core. Let it flow into your shoulders, then divide it between both arms." Following her instructions, Evan drew a tiny thread of mana from his core. It traveled through his shoulders before branching into both arms and reaching his fingertips.

"Good. Now continue. Let it flow down through your torso, into your legs, then bring it back to your chest." Evan did as instructed.

"Complete one full circuit." He guided the mana through the rest of his body before returning it to the core in his chest. With each slow breath, the circuit became smoother. In... and out. In... and out.

"You can open your eyes now." Evan blinked them open to find Mehra staring at him.

"... Did I do something wrong?"

"Wrong? Absolutely not!" Mehra exclaimed.

"You did so well that I was honestly shocked." She gestured toward him.

"That was one of the cleanest mana circulation exercises I've ever seen. Your control was excellent, and there wasn't the slightest hint of mana leakage. How did you learn that? Did your brother teach you?" Evan shook his head.

"No? That was your first time?" He nodded.

"Is it supposed to be difficult?" Mehra pointed toward one of the students still running laps.

"Mr. Volkov over there took an entire week just to sense his mana core. By the end of the third week, he could barely complete a proper mana circuit. That's perfectly normal progress. Even after that, it usually takes Awakeners months, sometimes years, before they can complete a full circuit without leaking mana."

"Uh... maybe it's because I don't have much mana?" Evan scratched the back of his head. Mehra let out a long sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"It's not that simple. The amount of mana has nothing to do with it." She waved a dismissive hand.

"Some students have enough mana to flood a room, yet they waste half of it through sloppy control. Others have barely any mana and still toss it around as if it's free." She turned back to Evan, her eyes bright.

"You, however, have remarkable control. I've spent years teaching this subject, and I can tell when someone's gifted." She smiled.

"Whitfield, you're a little genius."

"Really?" Embarrassed by the praise, Evan glanced down at the floor.

"Chin up." Mehra patted him on the shoulder with a bright smile.

"The people at the top love judging everyone by rank, but the world isn't nearly that simple. You have a remarkable talent for mana control. Be proud of it." She clapped her hands together.

"Seeing how quickly you've grasped the fundamentals, I'd say we can skip ahead and see how you handle the current lesson." For the first time in his life, Evan somehow became a teacher's star pupil. The other Evan had always earned excellent grades, but that was simply something he was expected to maintain. He had never taken any real pride in it. This, however, was different. Mehra was praising him for something he genuinely excelled at.

He had little trouble maintaining a steady flow of mana while jogging around the room, easily keeping pace with the rest of the class. Though the constant praise from Mehra was a little embarrassing, the lesson finally made him understand how he had managed to cast so many spells while fighting Isaac. His mana pool might have been pathetically small, even by F-rank standards, but his efficiency in using it could almost be called S-rank. Well, at least he had one thing going for him.

A sense of accomplishment lingered in Evan's chest even after class ended, staying with him until he stepped out of the training room. That's when he heard footsteps echoing behind him. Glancing over his shoulder, he found three angry-looking teenagers following him: two boys, a girl, and at their head, Andrei Volkov. Oh wow, Evan thought dryly as they blocked his path in a secluded side corridor.

"Do you have something against me?" Evan asked.

"You F-rank. We know who you are," Andrei sneered.

"Seems like everyone does these days," Evan replied.

"A trash nobody who suddenly got transferred here after the semester had already started," the girl said. Her name tag read Emma.

"Don't think you're hot stuff just because you got accepted," the second boy, Yoon Ji-ho, added. Evan simply stared at them. Seriously, he had just been minding his own business. Why did people keep bothering him? Was it because he was a transmigrator, or was his curse somehow attracting trouble?

"I assure you, I'm not," Evan said.

"Now, if you'll excuse me." He tried to walk past them, but Andrei shoved him back.

"Listen here, F-rank. You should know your place," Andrei said, stepping until his face was only inches from Evan's.

"Nobody wanted you here. You only got into this place because of connections. But guess what? Plenty of people here have connections. What separates the wheat from the chaff is our ranks. Just because Mehra praised you doesn't make you better than us."

"I think you three are the ones who believe that," Evan replied.

"You bas...!" Poke! Before Andrei could react, Evan's two fingers shot straight into his nostrils.

"Uagh!" Andrei stumbled backward, clutching his bleeding nose. Evan flicked his fingers in disgust, trying to shake off the snot clinging to them.

"Please stop wasting my time with this useless posturing."

"Someone needs to teach you a lesson!" Emma shouted, raising her fist. Before she could swing, Evan calmly pulled out his phone and replayed the recording he had taken of their threats.

"I wonder what the teachers will think if I share this recording," Evan said. The three bullies' expressions twisted. Ji-ho instinctively took a step forward.

"Oh, and don't bother trying to break my phone," Evan continued.

"Everything's backed up to the cloud. You can beat me up if you want, but that'll only draw more attention to me. I'm sure you know my brother is an A-rank Healer." He gave them a small shrug.

"He'll have me patched up in no time, and he's pretty protective. Do you really want an angry A-rank Healer holding a grudge against you? Who knows? Maybe one day you'll need his help, and he'll remember today." A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

"Or maybe you'd like to test those 'connections' you were so quick to look down on?" The three glared at him with clenched fists, but none of them dared take another step. It seemed they weren't completely brainless after all.

"You'll pay for this!" the trio shouted before retreating. Evan scoffed and slipped his phone back into his pocket. Glancing toward a nearby corner, he said, "You can come out now." Silence lingered for a moment before someone slowly stepped into view. It was Hiroto.

"Did you enjoy the show?" Evan asked. Hiroto flinched as though he'd been struck.

"N-no... It's not like that..." Crossing his arms, Evan waited for Hiroto to continue.

"I... I was just worried..." Hiroto said, keeping his head lowered.

"We... people like us... we shouldn't stand out like that..."

"People like us?" Evan frowned.

"What are you talking about?" Hiroto slowly lifted his head, meeting Evan's gaze.

"We're the same... aren't we? We're both F-ranks."