"Mmm!" Strawberry scarfed down her second scoop of mint ice cream her ears twitching happily as she relished the delicious, cold treat. "It's like, so good. Like, really good."

I couldn't argue with that. My cookies and cream was rich and velvety, with a slight crunch to the rich, creamy flavor. It was a perfect fit for the hot, sunny day, and it made my chest feel lighter, more at ease.

Elysia's strawberry cone was artfully drizzled with white chocolate and a bit of fudge on top, but she took careful, delicate bites, savoring each lick. She wasn't exactly the talkative type, and she didn't seem comfortable to start a conversation.

But that was alright.

"So, you two free this afternoon?" Strawberry bounced up and down, licking her lips as she looked at us.

I shrugged, "I don't have anything planned. Why?"

Strawberry cracked her knuckles, narrowing her eyes with a gleam. "We're sparring, duh. You and me."

Wait, what?

"Sparring?"

She laughed, slugging my arm. "Yeah! We have open access to the training grounds now that commencement's over. C'mon, it'll be fun! You've got to see me in action."

I shifted uncomfortably. "Um..."

Strawberry huffed, crossing her arms. "Look. That Eris chick took me out in like less than a minute. I can't have you thinking I'm dead weight or whatever. Besides, I want to see how good you are for myself. You gotta pay me back for the ice cream somehow."

She stared at me intently, and I felt a flutter of unease in my chest.

How did I get myself into this mess?

Elysia giggled, glancing at me. "I think it would be fun. You can show us some of your tricks, Lux. I'd like to see how you fight."

Great.

Not even an hour into the semester and I'd been volunteered into a one-on-one match against a classmate I'd barely known for two days.

And Elysia wasn't going to be any help.

Was this some kind of hazing ritual?

She grinned, turning to Elysia. "Hey, don't get any ideas. You're joining in too."

Elysia stepped back, her face paling as she put her hands up. "Oh, no. No way."

Strawberry just laughed, sticking her tongue out as she shook her head. "Nuh-uh. You and me, girlie. We're going to tango, or whatever it is you fancy uptown magical girls do when you battle."

I sighed, shaking my head. "Elysia would probably wipe the floor with both of us at the same time. Her energy signature is pretty ludicrous for a first year."

Strawberry pouted, her tail twitching. "Seriously? She's that badass?"

I shrugged. "Yes. Seriously. I don't know by exactly how much, but I can tell she's stronger than us by a good margin. I don't know how much she would get out of it."

Elysia crossed her arms, looking away. "Err... I don't know about that. There's more to winning than raw power and aura density, you know?"

She was deflecting, but I didn't push.

She had a complicated pattern going on in aura and clearly didn't want to talk about it.

"Whatever." Claw Strawberry muttered as she finished her ice cream, crumpling the paper cup and throwing it in a nearby trash can.

She perked up, gesturing with her palms. "I still want to see what you can do Elysia, and you know it's just friendly sparring, right?"

Elysia sighed, nodding. "Yeah. I... I get it. It's just that I..."

"Look, my brother always told me that sparring against someone worse than you teaches what you can get away with, while sparring someone better tells you what you can't. Either way, just consider it some bonding time."

Then Elysia closed her eyes, shrugging. "Alright then, let's do it."

Strawberry was overjoyed. "Yesssssss. This is gonna be a blast!"

And just like that, all three of us were off, heading towards a remote corner of the campus restricted for the knights only.

The training grounds.

It was an area walled off by obfuscating magical barriers and hidden behind a grove of trees. There was a large, open field, complete with training dummies and an assortment of dangerous equipment. There was a track for jogging and training, as well as a separate room for wrestling and grappling.

The other students gawked at us as we strolled through the campus, and I couldn't help but feel a flutter of excitement in my chest. There were dozens of knights like us transformed around campus, walking amongst the other students and buildings.

As a magical girl, I felt like i could never get used to the attention. I was used to being invisible, to blending in and keeping to myself.

It was both freeing and terrifying to walk around as... Lux.

It was so absurd, but the sun was shining, and I had fresh, delicious ice cream in my belly. Maybe it would be good to get some exercise and train a bit.

But as we approached the gates to the training grounds, I suddenly felt a jolt of apprehension.

I briefly turned around to see Elysia slowing down as we walked, and her footsteps briefly came to a halt. She looked down as Strawberry walked ahead, and I could feel the hesitation and doubt emanating off her aura.

"Hey, what's up?" I asked softly.

She met my eyes, and for a second I thought I saw a flash of worry or guilt. But then it was gone, and she took a deep breath, waving her hand. "I'm sorry. It's nothing. Let's go."

Hmm.

I wrote it off as nerves, and Strawberry dragged us both the rest of the way.

A massive blue barrier surrounded the training grounds, and as we approached, a glowing row of unknown script popped up in the air in front of us.

It was a simple series of sigils, a glowing line of mana that twisted and undulated, lighting up the area.

"Hmm, this spell formula... As long as we have a basic incognito shift going, we can walk through," Elysia explained, as she pressed her hand to the barrier.

The rune flickered, and she walked in.

We stepped inside behind her, and I couldn't help but marvel at the sheer scale and abundance of it all. We entered straight into a gym packed with rows of equipment, a door that led to a large field outside, and a massive bulletin board on the wall with a list of what looked like teams booking fields and simulation rooms for the semester.

The equipment ranged from large, high-speed conveyer treadmills and excessively oversized barbell plates, to machines that looked like capacitors of some sort. There was a hall that led through a series of see-through glass corridors into a series of massive indoor courts, complete with a rock climbing wall, ropes and chains, and even an obstacle course set up for agility training. A map of the facility on the wall also indicated there were multiple indoor arenas and rooms with labels like the 'Hazard Room,' indoor arenas with labels like 'Urban Combat' - and obstacle courses that went up to Level 6.

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"Looks like the training fields are out back," Strawberry announced, huffing as she led the way. "I don't think they book up too often, so we shouldn't have to wait."

She was right. We took one look at the bulletin board as we passed, and noticed that the training fields were currently wide open.

The training field was bright and open, and had a gorgeous view of the sea beyond.

Kaleidoscope Academy was built on a small isthmus that jutted out of the city proper, giving it a bit of a private, secluded feel. But with the training field and the proximity to the city itself, it was like stepping into a mini-vacation spot.

A rocky cliff rose up on the far side of the field, surrounded by the transparent barrier dome and a small array of monolithic rocks. There were benches and tables scattered in the resting area before the final door out into the field, and the three of us took a moment to settle and get our things in order.

"This place is... huge," I muttered.

Elysia nodded, a brief look of wonder on her face. "It's beautiful. I definitely didn't expect all of this out of a training facility, of all places."

Strawberry cracked her neck, stretching her arms. "There's over a hundred of us here, before you count the faculty and pros. I think this isthmus also connects up to the University through an underground access point too on the other side. We all need a space to train and maybe organize in the event of a major supervillain attack."

I walked ahead, my curiosity getting the better of me. "So, do we just fight in this huge open space?"

Strawberry smirked. "Not quite. We have to walk out there and go into all of these marked mini arenas that will raise barriers so the high-level students don't accidentally blow up the school . They've got active summoning defenses and stuff, as well as field settlings like ice and 'urban ruins' among other things. Also, you know, there's a manual for how everything works. Come on, we'll pick a field, and Elysia can watch and tag in."

I was about to grab the doorknob when I froze, hearing footsteps approach.

"Oh? You guys first years too?" an unfamiliar voice suddenly called out.

We turned to see a group of three magical girls approaching us, one with a wicked spiky red ponytail with bangs, a white and red breast plate with a red skirt, gauntlets, and a huge spiked hammer strapped to her back. She was staring at us with a frown and piercing, violet eyes, and I could sense a certain... arrogance? Was that the right word? Something about her aura felt almost too strong, like it was larger than life.

"Uh... yeah." I shrugged, feeling a bit awkward.

Another girl stepped forward, grinning. "Welcome! You three here to use the training fields?"

She was dressed in a blue and white magician's uniform, with a blue domino mask and matching blue hair. She had an innocent, cheerful face, but there was something calculating about her eyes. She carried a flutter of cards in her hand, shuffling them as she grinned mischievously.

"Yeah. I'm Claw Strawberry. Member of the Claws of Saffron Grove incoming knight team. Met these two at orientation and we're here to mess around a bit."

They laughed. "You can call me Ace." The magician winked. "And this is Raging Sparrow," she motioned to the girl with the spiky, fiery hair. "We're here as a first-year team too."

Raging Sparrow nodded, not taking her eyes off us.

"You two have teams too, then?" she asked, eyeing me and Elysia.

Elysia hesitated, and I almost thought she might bail. But then she sighed, rubbing her temples. "Um, no. I'm still a solo applicant. I was on the move a lot before coming here."

I nodded. "And I'm Harmonia Lux. Also kinda new at this and alone."

Raging Sparrow smirked. "Oh? I don't suppose you're some of these emergency contractees we've been hearing about, huh?"

"I am at least. And what of it?" I said coldly. "What's wrong with that?"

She held her arms up, grinning condescendingly. "What, are you angry or something? Heh, chill out, princess. Just teasing ya."

I clamped down on my tongue, trying really hard not to bite back her.

"Don't get me wrong," Raging Sparrow shrugged. "Actually, it's kinda stupid and impressive you survived like that," she murmured, leaning in to inspect my face. "I heard there were quite a few casualties out there. Must have been hard."

The third girl rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. "Sheesh."

She was dressed in a yellow robe with metallic accents and a little witch's hat on top, and she wore an expression of bored annoyance. The magical girl was cute but something bothered me about her.

And then she flipped her blonde hair with a sigh, ruining any positive first impression I could have formed about her.

"They let anyone in these days, huh?"

...Wow.

Elysia narrowed her eyes, her shy and awkward demeanor suddenly shifting. "Watch it, Sunlit Majesty. We have every right to be here too."

"Sunlit Majesty?" I blurted out.

We?

The yellow magical girl smirked, and I could see a bit of a gleam in her eyes. "Oh, you know my name? And who are you? Another nobody soloist? Another emergency contract?"

Elysia shrugged, huffing before stepping forward to stand between us and gently pushing me back. "Not quite. But I guess you could call me a nobody. Not like it matters. Better a nobody than a stuck-up bitch."

Wow, where did that come from?

"Girls, girls," Strawberry sighed. "Relax. We're all here to have fun and mess around. Let's not get into it right away, alright? Whatever issues you all have, I'm sure we'll do plenty of dueling later. Contests, combat training classes. The works."

I wanted to snap back at the two girls giving me shit, but then I stopped myself.

Strawberry didn't want to escalate a confrontation, and I did my best to calm down and put on a forced smile. "Yeah... You're right. Now come on, let's save it for class, I guess."

Ace beamed, chuckling awkwardly. "Yes, yes. Let's do our best, everyone! Team up, train, and do our best to learn and improve. Just, you know, not right now, maybe? Hahaha. First day jitters and all that."

"Tch," Raging Sparrow said, looking at her nails. "Whatever. Not like it's a big deal."

"Sorry, Lux. Everyone's just a little bit tense," Ace mumbled, winking at me. "You know how it is."

I bit my lips, trying to relax.

They weren't exactly outright hostile, but they weren't being... super friendly either. Far from it.

"Anyway, we should probably skedaddle," Ace announced. "You guys have a nice day now, yeah? And good luck!"

Elysia nodded, her aura emanating sheer hostility and... concern as the three magical girls walked off.

She continued to stare after them with her eyes narrowed until they disappeared around the corner, and only then did I see a flicker of something in her eyes.

"Those girls..." Strawberry growled, turning to me. "That was kinda rough. You okay?"

"Uh, yeah." I frowned, shaking my head. "Just wondering what the hell their deal is. Any clue?"

Strawberry sighed, tapping her fingers together. "Unfortunately, I do have a teensy bit of an idea. Ugh. I hoped people wouldn't be like that toward you, but I overheard more than a couple of kids complaining that you guys got in through a 'back door' or something along those lines. Currant and I went through years of prepping for exams, networking with other cadets, and sticking to heavy strength and conditioning work every day after school. So I can understand how people are annoyed that everyone in our age group who successfully utilized their emergency contract to survive the Cataclysm basically got offered a chance to come here."

"I'm sorry, that's total bullshit," Elysia said, her eyes now blazing with fury as she put a had on my shoulder. "It's not like Lux had a choice. She'd have to had gone through hell to be here. I am quite capable myself, and I had to push myself to my limits just to survive. I can't even imagine fumbling my way through a disaster of that scale with nobody to teach me how to use my powers."

Strawberry frowned. "Yeah. I mean, I can imagine how bad it was out there at least. My brother and I volunteered to carry supplies around the ramparts and serve as backup when the security forces and upperclassmen were out there holding off all those zombies and monsters. We didn't have to get into battle ourselves, but at least we got a glimpse of how much of a shitshow it was out there. Most of the students here just stayed behind a literal army deep underground and are frankly totally clueless. There's something about seeing all the death and destruction on the news that... just doesn't quite as click as much as seeing a bunch of security guards take down a giant flying bat thing with a rocket launcher, you know?"

"Well, I'm just lucky I ran into a senior magical girl who walked me through the basics," I said, thinking about Twilight Aster's calm and guiding presence. "Otherwise, I probably wouldn't be here right now. I did get in the normal way though, technically. I was already enrolled in the logistics program before I was contracted."

Elysia blinked in surprise. "Really? That's pretty impressive."

"Yeah. I would've just been a plain old normal civilian student who got in studying night after night with my best friend. I mean, I did dream of being recruited when I was a little girl, but that wasn't in the cards for me. I never learned exactly why, but my conclusion from what I learned during the Cataclysm was that either my mother or both my parents made a deal with the Guardians to keep me out of the life. Of course, that deal probably went out the window when we were faced with what looked like the end of the world."

There was silence for a moment as the two of them looked at me, unsure of what to say.

Elysia eventually relaxed, grabbing my hands with a smile. "Well, in that case, I have to take a second to commend you. It is actually significantly more difficult to come here purely for the vocational programs. Us 'cadets' are given a lot more leeway on the academic side, and we're free to pick electives and leisure activities. However, the selectivity of the vocational tracks like the logistics program is notoriously intense, and the class sizes are small. If anything, you should be more respected for getting into that track."

Strawberry nodded enthusiastically in agreement. "That's right. You should be totally bragging about that. I'm not an airhead or anything but I don't think I'd be able to make it here if I weren't a magical girl. Not saying I'm not dedicated, but you know what I mean. So you should definitely own up to that and tell any bitchy knights you meet to suck it!"

I laughed, feeling a bit better. "Alright, alright. I guess I did make it here. So, we going to hit those fields?"

Elysia smirked, her body language turning almost playfully serious as we separated and walked into the fields. "You better believe we are."

I stared at her, wondering about her sudden change in demeanor.

I had a lot to unpack and plenty of questions for Elysia, but it was clear she didn't want to talk about it right now. At the very least, she seemed to have calmed down, and Strawberry and her cheery demeanor was infectious.

This was going to be fun.