The sun was high above the Academy and the crowd had long dispersed. It was the time of day when everyone sought shade, so the yard was usually empty.
But now, a youth no older than 16 was standing right in the middle. Not only did he not bother moving 20 feet towards a tree, but he was vigorously tapping the ground for so long that small holes had formed all around him.
Eventually, a bunch of students came out of a building including the person he was waiting for. When the crowd saw the crouching teen, they parted like the sea in front of Moses.
There was something eerie about the boy, like he had a screw loose or he sat in the sun for too long. In fact, the truth was somewhere in the middle.
“What the hell happened to you?” asked Ana upon seeing him. Every inch of his skin was red, and when he stood up, he winced from obvious pain.
“I thought I’d wait for you and get a tan at the same time.” Though he had been grumpy all morning, for whatever reason, his mood improved immediately upon seeing Ana. He tried to smile but even this was painful.
“Dear Gods, we need to get you some shade.”
Ana took his hand and gently guided him to a nearby restaurant. Though it was something only nobles could normally afford, ever since Ethan began hunting in the forest, the family’s money problems were a thing of the past. Not only that, but he had helped her become a mage, and with the money he earned, she bought medicine for her mom.
So, despite his mood swings and rude comments, Ana was beyond grateful and started seeing Ethan more like family than a friend. Only after he gulped down 2 cold drinks, ice and all, did she finally calm down.
“You do some stupid things sometimes, you know that?”
Ethan winced at the comment.
“You got picked by a teacher and now you think you’re hot s**t?”
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“I am not hot… Listen, just because I got some slightly better treatment, you don’t have to be jealous. I’ll speak to Teacher James. Maybe he’ll take you in.”
“That won’t be necessary.” Ethan responded with a suspicious smirk. ‘He won’t be teaching you either.’
Apparently, nothing much happened after she left with the other ‘chosen’ pupils. James took them into his office, gave a boringly long speech, some useless advice, and then sent them home (3 hours later). Ethan stopped listening halfway through the story.
“…And that’s why, after thinking about it, I’ve decided to join the fighter class.”
“Huh, why, what?” Ethan finally snapped out of his daze.
“I want to protect mother and this city, maybe even you.” Ana smiled warmly.
“But… But, I can teach you how to fight. I’m really good at it.”
She knew he was telling the truth even if she didn’t know how. Since they were friends, Ana would not pry into his past until he was ready to tell her himself.
But, she was also determined to give him some space. After much consideration, she cupped his palms into her own and looked him straight in the eyes.
“Ethan, you’ve done enough. Of course, I’ll come to you for pointers, and of course, I’ll rely on you from now on too. But, I don’t want you to spend all day basically chasing my ass.” Ethan winced at those last words which she said in a tone reminiscent of himself.
“You’ve gotten into the Academy too. What do you want to do?”
Strangely, this question hadn’t crossed Ethan’s mind until now. Though his goal after the reincarnation was to regain his power, he spent most of his time looking after Ana. Even weirder, he did not regret it at all. It was as if he got to be a kid again after eons of solitude.
But, since the question came up, it was indeed time to make a plan. Would he join Ana in the fighter class and watch over her ass… follow her around? There was nothing he would gain from that. On the other hand, the alchemist class was much more tempting.
He initially thought Ana would pick it, but perhaps, he should choose it instead. Ethan was a master of the combat arts, but he gave little thought to alchemy and craftsmanship in his past life. Learning how to make various pills could hasten his growth and his understanding of mana.
“Did you think of something or did you get brain freeze?” Ana watched him throughout his inner monologue with her face just inches away from his own.
“Yes!” He flinched and almost fell off his chair. He couldn’t help but notice how her speech and mannerisms started to resemble his own.
“You shouldn’t talk like that.” He chided.
“Huh?”
“It’s not ladylike.”
“The f….?” She put both palms across her lips as if to keep the word from leaking out. The trip back home was spent in silence with Ethan day-dreaming about alchemy while Ana was contemplating her vocabulary.