Britta was late for class.

She had overslept, since she wasn’t used to the kind of comfortable bed that the Academy provided for its students. At first, she wanted to just sleep on the ground, since she feared something like this would happen, but decided against it since she was now a prestigious student and wanted to act like one.

‘Look where that got me!’ She cried to herself as she raced to class—probably breaking an academic regulation or two on her way to the Martial Arts Ground.

She didn’t know the location, and she couldn’t read, so she was stuck checking around the Year 1 section of the Academy until she was left with the last—the one that stood at the edge.

‘This has to be the one!’ She had told herself upon spotting it and began running towards it at full speed.

There was no way she would be tardy on her first day!

By the time she neared the gate, she noticed a student standing in her way. She couldn’t see him well, since she was running at full speed, but he seemed like a twig that would break if they ended up colliding.

“Oi, out of my way!” She screamed at the top of her lungs, her tone panicky as her eyes widened in fear.

She now understood the reason why it was forbidden to run past a certain speed on academic grounds. If she ended up running into this boy and severely injuring him, what would become of her stay in the Academy?

Was she going to get expelled? Would she have to return to her hometown after they had contributed all they had to make sure she had an education and brought pride to the community? How was she going to face everyone?

In the brief moment that existed before impact, Britta thought about all of this.

She was scared—for the boy and herself.

‘Damnit! I couldn’t even last a week…!’ As her school life flashed before her eyes, she braced for impact.

~FSHUU~

She suddenly felt her body’s speed dissipate, and then she moved in a swirl, releasing the rest of her pent-up force. Suddenly, she felt dizzy and lost control—slipping as she felt an imbalance that disturbed her body’s sense of equilibrium.

However, before she could fall to the ground, two hands held her on her shoulders and pulled her back up.

‘H-huh…? What just happened?’ Britta wondered to herself, as confused as she was surprised. ‘D-did I… am I going to be—?’

“Are you okay…?” A soft and calm voice echoed in the air, forcing her to open her light brown eyes and see how much damage she must have caused.

She didn’t feel any impact, but what if the boy she collided with was just so fragile that her body didn’t register it as an object of resistance? What if he had been no different from air and she ended up turning him into splatters of blood and meat?

“I-I… what have I done… eh?” She looked around her and found none of the damage that she should have caused. “Where’s the meat and blood?”

“The what?” The boy before her asked, his brows raised as he looked at her like she was crazy.

“A-ah! Sorry… I… wait… were you the one I nearly—”

“Yes.” His tone seemed to carry a bit of annoyance at this point. “Yes, I am.”

“Sorry…”

“It’s fine.” He released her shoulders right as she got the full balance of her body back, dusting off his hands as if he had just touched dirt. “Just be careful next time. Running on Academy Grounds is against the rules, so you should—”

“Sorry! Gotta go! I’m late!” Before the boy was done, Britta darted off once again.

Despite how grateful she was that some miracle occurred and she didn’t end up causing any damage, she still couldn’t afford to express said gratitude. Lateness was not something condoned in the discipline of Martial Arts, and she knew that too well.

“H-hey!” She could hear the student behind her yell out in annoyance, but she swiftly waved apologetically, not having the time to even look back.

“Sorry… thanks! I’ll make it up to you later, I promise!”

And with that, she was long gone.

****************

“That girl… she’s still running so fast.” Dan muttered to himself, frowning slightly.

‘Even after I told her the rules…’

His inner Instructor manifested a little, and a desire to give her an earful came over him, but he quickly let those emotions die down. If he had the authority of a lecturer, then perhaps such a thing could be effective, but student dynamics were different.

If he came on too hard on her, it could feel like he was being incredibly rude or overbearing.

‘And that isn’t very good for socializing.’ He sighed to himself. ‘If I want to correct students my age, I have to be very diplomatic about it.’

If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

He resumed his walk, going over the strange encounter he just had with the very peculiar student.

‘A freckled face, hard skin, short and rough red hair, well-developed muscles, and a crass manner of speech… she must be a commoner.’ Dan instantly analyzed everything he knew about the girl he met.

Not just a commoner, but a rather impoverished one.

By touching her shoulders, he was also able to figure out just how well-built her muscles were, and he knew she was well-ahead of any student her age when it came to physical form.

‘Could she be a Martial Artist? Maybe she just has a strong physique and has an interest in it. In either case, it wouldn't hurt to befriend her.’ He smiled. ‘Since we got off on a rough start, and she is sort of indebted to me for not reporting her and preventing her from making a big accident, I should have an advantage here…’

The girl also said that she owed him one, which was a good sign.

‘If I get closer to Lyla from Runecrafting and this new one from Martial Arts, then I only need one more from Spellcasting to complete a basic circle of friends.’ By friendship, Dan didn’t mean anything superficial or deeply emotional.

He wasn’t sure he could think like people his age, so he couldn’t naturally form the bonds that others would inevitably have to. However, since he understood the importance of camaraderie, he still needed friends.

As a result, he had to approach everything logically.

‘You aren’t supposed to use logic to make friends, since it’s all about emotions and bonds, but… everything thus far for me has been logical.’

Approaching Lyla Raeven was the first, and he had calculated everything to suit his needs.

‘From the way I approached her, to everything I said, which led to the both of us addressing each other on a first name basis… I guided the conversation to reach the required outcome.’ Dan noted to himself. ‘It feels a bit underhanded, but after calculating the benefits that this will provide for the both of us… I find it necessary.’

If he didn’t rely on his experience and simply left everything to chance, then wouldn’t that be irresponsible of him? As someone who had lived a life of regret in the past, it was better to resort to methods that were within his power to achieve the best results.

‘Even in the case of this new girl…’ He thought to himself once again. ‘I could have stepped out of the way by enhancing my body with Magia, or perhaps even pushed her back with a Common Spell…’

Instead, he made sure to stop her in a way that ended up with her losing balance, and then he proceeded to help her and even asked how she was.

All of these were ways to get on the good graces of people and make them consider him more approachable.

‘Now the two girls feel like they owe me something…’ He nodded. ‘And by relying on that, doing them even more favors, they will become more interested in me and would also want to make themselves interesting to me.’

By doing this dance—whether repeatedly or once—it was possible to make someone a friend.

‘For Lyla, I will continue helping her out in the basics of Runecrafting, so it’s best not to correct the attitude of our Instructor until she and I have become friends due to her reliance on my help. She’ll most likely want to help me out after receiving assistance from me, and she will also want to keep me close in case of any future need of help. This will create a desire for friendship, and since I also have that desire… we will click.’

As for this girl, he didn’t know her enough, but he had a few ideas in mind.

‘I can connect with her on the level of a commoner. Commoners are rare in the Academy, so I should be able to form some kind of connection with her. Then, by relying on what she owes me and amplifying the matter, she’ll want to do something for me.’

By allowing her to help him in some way, she could feel good about herself and consider themselves even. He could also request even more of her help, and since she would instinctively desire to feel good again, she would most likely help him if it was a small favor.

By doing this repeatedly, they would naturally become close.

‘But, since I desire to make it an equal relationship—and not a one-sided kind—I have to think of something of equal value that I can offer her.’

Since she seemed like an impoverished commoner, there was very little doubt in Dan’s mind that she couldn’t read or write. Her words were unrefined, so it was clear that she only learned how to speak and nothing more.

‘Most commoners fall under this category, which is why they don’t attend Academies at all. She must have applied for some kind of waiver, which would have cost a lot of money for commoners…’

Waivers allowed students to have special privileges in being accepted into the Academy. Of course, the privilege had to be reasonable and justified, so it couldn’t be abused by anyone with enough money to afford it.

‘Her waiver must have allowed her to skip the written exams. That means she was only judged on Runecrafting and Spellcasting. I fairly remember her being ranked quite low in the class, which means she isn’t exceptional in those two either.’ Dan reasoned. ‘Though, I suppose for a commoner… she should be considered incredibly talented.’

Her small village probably saw her as a prodigy and spent all they had to make sure she could get the proper education and shine as a star in their community.

Dan had seen this before, so he wouldn’t be surprised if this was her situation.

‘Most of these commoners still end up dropping out of the Academy regardless. Even if you pass the Exams with a waiver, as long as you can’t read the many materials that surround the course you’re taking, you won’t be able to pass.’

Many commoners assumed they could excel if they paid attention in class and practiced what they were taught, but the reality was completely different.

‘Most of what you learn as a student is from independent research and assignments. The Academy’s focus was teaching the students how to think… not what to think. A lot of autonomy was given to Apprentices in a proper Magus Academy for this very reason.’

Without being able to digest the many books that existed in the Academy, how could the commoners advance as potential Mages?

It was impossible!

Still, it wasn’t like their case was hopeless.

‘As long as you find someone who can help you with studying, then it’s possible to pass…’ Dan smiled as his thoughts came full circle.

This was one of the reasons why friendship was so important.

‘I was a commoner in my past life, so I know… life as one in the Imperial Magus Academy of all places isn’t an easy one. You need friends who can read out the words in a book for you and explain the basic concepts that you wouldn’t have been exposed to since you didn’t receive the basic education that others received.’

However, even this—as difficult and unfair as it was—was easier said than done.

‘Where will you find such a friend?’ He nearly chuckled at this point. ‘Most students are too busy with their studies that they won’t waste valuable time on teaching others… at least without gaining something in exchange.’

Plus, the same way most commoners were envious of nobles, most nobles looked down on commoners.

Since most of the students came from some rich noble family or the other—even if they weren’t from the 6 Noble Households—it would be expected that a lot of classmates wouldn’t help a commoner in need.

‘That’s where I come in, red-haired girl.’ As he opened the door to enter the only building in the compound, his eyes shone with optimism.

He could clearly see the path already.

‘I’ll help you out as you help me out… and we’ll become friends as well!’