Joining a club!

Huh? What am I doing here? What happend to the auditorium? Wait!

Komoe looked down quickly to see if she was still bleeding.

I am in one piece? Was that an illusion? The Void Master... She did something to me, but I'm not sure what.

She was in an empty hallway facing towards a door that looked like it was a classroom at the other side.

A door? If I'm here, it must mean this is where all the students from my class are. Tomoe must be here!

— Here I come!

Confidently, Komoe opened the door quickly. The sunlight coming from the windows blinded her eyes for a second.

— Ara, are you a new student? Welcome to my class!

— A-Ah, yes, I'm new here. Nice to meet you.

 What the heck, she's too cute! Is she really my teacher? She looks like a child! Well, to be fair, everyone looks like a kid from my perspective...

The supposed teacher was a small woman with short brown hair and glasses. She smiled so innocently that Komoe couldn't resist her cuteness.

— Can you please introduce yours-

— Komoe-chan!

A voice boomed through the room and a girl came running to meet Komoe.

— T-Tomoe?

— Komoe-chan, are you okay? You were attacked at the auditorium and nearly died!

— R-Really? I don't remember anything...

— What was her name again? Void Master? She vanished with you after you fainted. I don't know what happened afterwards.

— Ah, right...

So that wasn't an illusion, it really happened. Did she teleport me here and heal me instantly after that? But Tomoe seems worried, so it must have been passed quite some time since then.You know what? I'm alive for now, that's what matters.

— Thanks for the worry, Tomoe. I'm feeling very good now, haha!

— That's good to hear...

The teacher, seeing that they knew each other, commented.

— So you're friends? That's great!

— Ah, right! I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Sakaki Komoe, a new student that doesn't know anything about magic yet.

— Nice to meet you, Sakaki-san. I'm Kanashi Yumeno. I'll be your only teacher for this semester!

Only one teacher for freshmen? Or she is that good, or the beginning is really easy.

— I look forward to being your student, teacher!

— Ara, you don't need to be so formal, you're making me blush! Ah, Kihara-san, since you know her, do you want to welcome her to your club?

— That's a great idea, teacher!

— Sakaki-san, since you arrived late, can you please join her new club?

— Club? In the first day?

— I'm sorry, that was not my decision. The Void Master said I had to make new clubs for the freshmen, and all of them must participate in the tournament tomorrow. That or she would demolish the whole building.

— I'm sorry, tournament?! And tomorrow?

— Yes, she wants to test your capabilities the soonest possible, so I only have today to teach you the basics of magic. I'm really sorry for pushing you all against the wall.

— A-Ah, don't worry, please. You were forced to do this, so it's not your fault. And what happens if someone doesn't show up tomorrow?

— Void Master is really strict with her rules, so she'll probably punish them personally. To avoid that, please come tomorrow. I know it's rough, but it's some kind of hazing she makes every year.

— Okay, teacher. Thanks for filling me in!

— Don't worry! You can always ask for my help!

Tomoe guided Komoe to the seats of her improvised club. There were two more people: one man and anoter woman. The first was a spiteful guy with brown messy hair.

— Hey, did you really accept that ogre into our club? 

— Who are you calling an ogre, asshole?!

— I mean, you have the perfect height to marry an ogre.

— Hey, stop saying that to Komoe-chan! She's a sweet girl and she's my friend! So she is part of our club now.

The other member was a blonde girl with blue eyes. The perfect stereotype of a spoiled princess. She got up to greet Komoe.

— My name is Stella Elizabeth. It's nice to meet you.

— Elizabeth?! Like, in Queen Elizabeth?

— No, no! People often think that, but I'm just from a normal family, haha...

— Your name isn't japanese. Are you from another country?

— My parents are english, but I lived my whole life in Japan.

— I see. It's nice to meet you, Stella, I'm Sakaki Komoe.

Stella smiled in response. Tomoe was looking angrily at the other guy.

— Hey, won't you introduce yourself?

— Of course not! Stella is the only one worthy of hearing of my name.

Tomoe was at the verge of cursing the guy, when Stella noticed something.

— Sakaki-san, didn't your parent get your uniform?

— Wait, was it my father who had to give me that?

— Yes, the contract said students couldn't resell the uniform to citizens, so only the person responsible for you could get it, with some exceptions.

— Ah, I see...

That shitass father did this on purpose, didn't he? He must be laughing at me now. When I come home, I will use my new magic on him.

— But don't worry, Sakaki-san! The locker room has a lot of uniforms.

— Oh, really? Where is it?

— Come with me, I'll get you there.

Stella got up and the guy was startled.

— S-Stella? Will you really leave now? Can't I go with you?

— You can't enter the female locker room, Tanaka-san. I'll return in a minute, don't worry.

Stella and Komoe started walking towards the door. Tomoe, not knowing what to do, followed them.

— Wait! Don't leave me with this asshole!

— Here, Sakaki-san. This academy doesn't have much uniforms that fit you, but you can ask the teacher to make a new one based on this.

— The teacher? Does she knit?

— No, but she can use magic to copy an object and change some of its aspects, including the size.

— Whoa, I didn't know that was possible.

— Her magic type is Creation, so she's like an artisan.

— Amazing. Thank you, Stella.

Komoe picked the uniform up. It was a purple robe and a purple wizard hat, with some extra details. She started undressing in front of the other girls to see if would, by chance, fit her size. Tomoe was staring blankly at that view.

— Komoe-chan...

— Hm, what?

— What did you eat when you were little?

— Hm, I don't really know. I don't have many memories from my childhood. Why?

— Ah, I see... I understand...

Tomoe looked down in defeat. Komoe didn't understand what she was trying to say. When she finally dressed the uniform, something unexpected happened.

— Wait, was the uniform always this big? It didn't look like it would fit me.

Stella, surprised, suggested.

— Is this possible? Did you change its size?

— No, I guess. I didn't realize it, at least.

— You may have Creation skills, Sakaki-san!

— Really?

In my awakening, I could create a ice spike and a mini black hole. Maybe that's part of that magic of Creation?

Stella looked down at her watch.

— Ah, let's go back to class! We don't have much time until the proficiency test begins!

Proficiency test? Is this my time to shine?

— Alright, class, is everyone here? Ah, welcome again, Sakaki-san, Stella and Kihara-san!

Why are we in a shooting range? This place should train an archer, not a mage.

— Ah, we're here, teacher. Sorry for coming late.

— Don't worry about that, we were just starting. Also, I'm glad you got your uniform!

— A-Ah, yes... Thanks, I guess.

— Okay, class, let's begin! The first task is about creating an apple! You'll need to converge your mana into your hands and materialize a simple apple. But you'll do it two times: one with magic residue and another without it. Don't worry if you don't succeed. This is just a warm-up.

Magic residue? If I remember correctly, Haji-chan said I would learn about it here. But why didn't the teacher say anything about it before?

— Sakaki-san, since you arrived late, you didn't hear me talking about mana and magic residue.

That's the answer...

— Mana is basically your vital energy. You can focus it in some parts of your body or even outside, if you're experienced enough. I'll measure everyone's mana after this test. Magic residue is a substance invisible to the naked eye that remains after the magic is used. It has two types: the one that stays on wherever you use it and the one that stacks inside you. You can hide it, of course, but some sorcerers can still sense it. So you'll learn to manage it efficiently with practice.

— Thank you, teacher. That helps a lot.

— You're welcome! Class! Please don't use spells and enchantments yet! Try to learn how to channel your mana first.

Alright, let's go!