"So in summary, starting today, this...familiar will join our class A-1 as a student. You may introduce yourself, cadet."

As instructed by the bald teacher, I step up in the front of the class for a small introduction.

"Good morning everyone. I am Akuma, and from today onwards, a classmate of yours, whether you like it or not. Please take good care of me for the following years. Thank you."

Not a very good way to introduce myself, if I must say, though it’s not like I’m an expert on self-presentation to begin with. It can't be helped.

Now, time to backtrack a bit to explain why I’m going to experience another school life in this new world…

The promised verdict did not arrive that night. Rather, I was invited to receive it myself at the Headmaster’s office. That being said, for now, I would prefer to leave the details of what happened there for another time. It would be too much information to handle with the limited time pool we have.

On the plus side, I got back my personal belongings, which is good, very, very good.

The “short” conclusion from my verdict was that I can stay at this academy and allowed to join classes, at least for the time being. The Headmaster was kind enough to pay my first-year tuition fee in order for me to stay. That being said, that women expected me to return the fund someday, which made her “kind gift” a blatant student loan without my consent. But that’s fair enough. I don't expect things would be all fun and rainbow for me from the start anyway.

The class I got appointed to is named A-1. There are about thirty students or so in this classroom. Some of them look human enough in my world's standard. The most human-like are the people who wear the same wizard hat as the Headmaster. Take off their weird cone hats and all of them can pass off as normal humans. After them are a bunch of humanoid people with a piece of crystal located in the middle of their forehead; the color isn’t always the same from one to another. The remaining others range from some brutish orc-like creatures and some elf-like people but with blue skin and eyes with black sclera. It seems their official uniform is the same type of black cloak I saw Deborah wore last night, and that’s just it. Under the cloak, the students wear whatever they see fit, and proper, of course. I, myself, is also wearing one of those black cloaks as of now, with the inside being the same white shirt and simple black trouser that were my old school uniform. I see that I have no problem with looks, as there are others with black hair and eyes like mine in this room, so I guess the racial thingy also isn't a problem. The glasses on my face, however, can be another story. Let just hope they'd ignore the strange cosmetic decoration on my face, I can’t help it when my eyes aren’t good as they used to be.

"Since when did we allow familiars to join our school, Mr.Lodbrok ?"

A random nondescript student with no future role asks.

"There are no rules that said familiars can’t join our school and study, provide they have the capabilities to learn and fight and pay the tuition fee! As long as they’re not wanted criminals or the Demon Realm’s enemy, we’ll accept everyone! Did you get that right, maggots?"

Most of the whole class answer with a big Yes.

The man who just spoke like a cliché drill sergeant is this class’s homeroom teacher, Bjarni Lodbrok. A brutish, muscular man with a voice as equally brutish as his looks. He’s wearing a medieval fantasy equivalent of a jumpsuit; I never know that is even possible. The guy has a bald head, but he has a mighty brown beard to compensate for the curse of old men in their fifties. In the middle of his forehead lies an embed brown crystal, making it pretty noticeable and can pass off as some kind of jewelry. If I have to sum the guy up into one sentence, I would say he’s like a bald Z*ngief acting as a teacher rather than wrestling bears.

"Even though I am indeed a familiar, please treat me like a normal person and as your classmate. I would appreciate that kindness, really."

Most of the class look at me in confusion. However, there are some exceptions with curiosity in their eyes instead, along with those who don’t care enough whether they have a new classmate or not. At least there is no one who look at me with malice in their eyes...yet, which is nice.

Wait, scrap that. The girl who is supposedly my Master has started to give me that look. Deborah Draconis, the girl, sitting at the farthest corner of the class with the big “Are you kidding me?” face.

"Okay, new meat, you may sit at the empty chair in the classroom's corner."

I give the brutish man a thank before proceeding to walk to my appointed seat, which is near a window. I have a clear view outside at this seat, though it's mostly the natural scenery that I can see. Most of the view is a gray valley among the mountains with no sign of life. Maybe it’ll become interesting eventually?

The moment I sit down, my eyes match Deborah’s sharp gaze. She gives up first before we can make it a staring contest, though. Seems like she isn’t very happy with my appearance in this class. What did I do to make her hate me so much? I don’t remember offending her or anything, aside from breathing the same air in her world.

Well, no matter.

The homeroom teacher begins his class after I finish making myself comfortable. This period is probably homeroom because none of the students here even bother to look at their textbooks. All Mr.Lodbrok does is ranting about preparation for the upcoming finals and some maggots this, maggots that. After his period comes the free study session, which should be aptly named “Do what you want to do” period. And after that is, finally, lunch break. Time flies fast, to the point I can’t barely remember anything I learned today.

The moment the school’s bell finishes tolling, Deborah suddenly comes to my desk, grabs me by my shirt's collar and drags me out of the classroom like a cheap ragdoll. It’s hard to keep up with this girl since she walks so damn fast, being grabbed by the collar probably helped. Deborah only stops when we arrive at an empty hallway with no passerby in sight. Only then does she release her hand off my collar.

"You could've asked me to walk."

I let out a voice. It goes over her head, though, because she doesn’t seem to care about what I have to say, only what she herself have to say. Typical women.

"She must have said something about that to you last night, right?"

"That?"

I nonchalantly replies.

"You know what I am talking about, familiar! About how I can send you back to your own world at a moment’s notice!"

"Oh, that. Right, that she did."

The Headmaster did say something about that, about how a Master can send their familiar back to their own dimension with a spell, provide the familiar gives the Master its consent.

"Did you get mad at me because she didn't call you to do the job?"

Deborah doesn't reply and avert her eyes in wait for a comeback. I must have hit the bullseye with that response.

"I stay here by my own choice. She didn’t force me or anything."

That’s what I tell her, and it is the truth. It’s not like everyday you get called to another world, right? Especially a fantasy world that exists in people's wildest dreams. The moment my safety is assured, I didn’t hesitate to accept becoming one of this academy’s student. If my return ticket is always available then why the hell not? Only a fool would let this chance pass by!

"Don’t you have a family back home waiting for you ?"

Asks Deborah. Her red eyes look sad, despite the fiery spirit earlier still remains within them.

"It’s not like they’ll die if I happen to be missing for a week or two. Though I would rather call that a house than a home."

"You..."

She seems to have an urge to get mad. Yes, I know that feelings too, people around me want to do that all the time. She's not the first and certainly won't be the last.

"Are you really, really sure about staying here? Like, really?"

"I don’t do things half-assed."

That is one of the few things I can pride myself with. A personal creed that I live by.

Deborah then gives out a long sigh. Looks like she gives up trying to make me leave her world...with my consent, of course. 

"The gods must hate me so much to give me such a good-for-nothing familiar."

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"Then you’ll accept me as your familiar?"

"Do you think I have a choice?"

Deborah snaps back. Heh, like I care. It’s not like I want to be her familiar, but if being her familiar is the only way to stay in this world then I’ll bear with it. If she wants me to be a good boy, maybe I'll play that role until I get tired from it.

"I have always wondered...Do you know how I can speak your language? And very fluent at that?"

That question's still wandering around my head the moment our little conversation yesterday ended. It’s not like they can speak Japanese, right? And I’m sure I have yet to take an out-of-world-language-for-dummies class.

"It’s part of the pact between a master and a familiar. The familiar receives a part of the master’s knowledge when summoned, including mastery of language for easier communication. The reverse is also true, the master can gain some info from their familiar, too."

"That explains it."

What a wonderful thing magic is, it can explain everything. Just tell it's the work of magic and the explanation is done.

"No, it’s not! It seems like you can talk our language, and maybe even be able to use magic. Yet why can’t I get anything out of you? Was the pact broken?"

Deborah begins to get lost in her thought, and so do I. The moment she said the word magic, it’s like a wake-up call for the child inside my mind. I have always wanted to be a wizard, of the “throw fireballs from your hand” variety and the magic keyword has awaken that hidden desire of mine.

"You just said something about magic, right? Do you think I can use magic?"

"Hmm. Say, do you have some knowledge of magic? Our magic, to be specific?"

I feel like I do know some, though I can’t put it into proper words. It’s like what she just said, I’ve inherited some knowledge from her, namely their language and maybe some tips of magic. But while the language part came to me pretty naturally, the magic part, however, didn't. Somehow, I know it was there, but I need some kind of trigger to wake it up. It’s like having a book in your possession, yet you don’t know about its content beside the obvious title on the front cover.

"Somewhat..."

"Your answer doesn’t sound very convincing, you know."

Deborah’s frowning face makes her words much more painful for me to hear.

"Anyway, just get to the point. Let’s leave the deeper stuff for later and focus on whether or not I can throw fireballs from my hand!"

I may get too excited back there as I enthusiastically reply Deborah.

"Easy now...you're so pushy."

Deborah then gives out another sigh. She seems to be fond of sighing. Must be a new hobby of hers caused by my recent existence in her live. I totally understand that, I would be like her if I summon myself as my familiar as well.

"Let me gauge your soul energy first. After that, we’ll see. "

"Soul energy? What is that?"

Some kind of Mana?

"If you don’t know what that is then please, give up your hope to become a Mage or anything else!"

If that’s another name for Mana Point, then spare me your lengthy lecture, and please, stop complicating simple terms any further!

Back to the situation at hand, in order to gauge my Soul-whatever, Deborah starts to put her hands on both of my temples. Then, she closes her eyes and chants some sort of spell with her pink lips.

Due to how our conversation ended that day, accompanied by the darkness of that night, combined with my own fatigue, I failed to notice that Deborah is rather tall for a girl if we’re using the girls back in my country as standard. That girl is even taller than me with a few centimeters difference. From my eyes, her approximated height would be about one meter and eighty-two centimeters (which makes her a full six-foot-tall girl, in imperial unit). Way taller than our girls' standard height. Maybe this is just normal height for girls in this world, or this girl is just that special?

Still, it’s always hurt to stand next to a girl who is taller than you.

The moment my random thought process ends is also the time Deborah opens her eyes and gets her hands off me, with a rather surprised look on her face.

"This can’t be..."

That could be a good sign. From the beginning of my journey, things have been laid out like how a fantasy book usually goes, though not in a good way. So if I want to be cliché, I think this is the part where I get to know the extent of my powerful power, then I’ll go adventuring all over the world, saving countries here and there, snatching a few cute girls on the way and have a happy ending. Yeah, let’s hope it would go like that.

"Is my Mana...err...I mean soul energy that incredible? It’s surprisingly high and strong?"

Please give me the right cue, please please.

"No...it’s the opposite, actually. It’s surprisingly low...and weak."

"Well, shit."

There goes my hope out the window...

I know a world full of fun and rainbow doesn’t exist. But I believe I deserve some merits or abilities for my trouble up until now, right? How else can I enjoy this wondrous adventure if I’m just your ordinary puny human?

"I was wrong about you. I think I owe you an apology. You’re not human, indeed, after all, a human being can’t be this weak. Does it take skills, harsh training or is it a natural born talent? My guess is you must have worked hard to be this magically inept."

I can see her smile beginning to look like that of an evil smirk. Now she’s just twisting the knife further.

"You really know how to motivate a guy’s feeling down..."

"Really? Maybe I should take a class to improve my motivating ability, then. "

Deborah smirks, contrasting her sad girl appearance from the start of our first meeting.

"Anyway, does that mean I can’t use magic after all?"

I don’t think that would be the case, though.

"No. You can, though your magic spells won’t be as strong as it should be. But…if you work hard enough, maybe you can become an average mage like a normal peasant could do in his sleep."

Please stop rubbing salt on my inner wound!

Fate is indeed a cruel concept. Rather than taking all of my magical ability and make me a complete Muggle, it just have to leave some behind then watch me anguish over my incompetence.

Gotta think positive, right right, Akuma, you got to think positive. Let’s just say I have a handicap. Haha, am I too awesome to the point they have to put me in chains to seal my power?

"..."

Now I’m just being pathetic.

I gives out a sigh while Deborah looks at me with pity in her eyes.

"Now now. Don’t feel down just yet. The farming fields are always in need of manpower. Rather than your brain, you could put your muscles to work! It's too soon to give up!"

"Now you're just being cruel."

"Necessary evil to wipe away your smug know-it-all smile off your face."

The girl suddenly becomes so happy, it’s like her brooding and awkward face back then doesn’t exist anymore. Why would she need to be so happy over this revelation? About how her familiar, something that could help her tasks, is powerless and magically inept? Isn't that strange? Normally, you would prefer your underling to be powerful, and yet...she takes this news in stride and is rather happy about it. This only makes this strange girl even stranger.

"Are you hungry yet? The lunch break doesn't last all day, you know? Come with me to the cafeteria, let’s have lunch there. Maybe filling your stomach would make you feel better."

Right, I forgot I haven’t eaten anything since yesterday. The excitement from traveling to another world keeps my hunger temporarily tamed, but when I hear the bad news from Deborah, it just has to rise once again to give more sufferings to my life.

"Don’t feel sad just yet. I know you're not completely hopeless. We’ll come up with a solution later. Now come, my friends are waiting for me."

Deborah walks in front of me before looking back and asks me to go with her. For some reason, I find her rather cute at that moment, and let’s leave it at that.

But she’s right, feeling down right now is not productive. Maybe I’ll think of something when I have a feast to fill my stomach.

As I look at Deborah who’s humming a strange song while walking happily, a thought suddenly crossed through my head.

"A strange girl indeed."