Professor Havi impatiently shooed Aida into the instructors’ lounge before dragging Pritchard in with him. Shutting the door firmly behind them, he lead the two students into the center. It seemed all of the professors were already present, looking curiously at them.
The room, like the rest of the school’s architecture, had tall windows that reached up to the ceiling. Five individual cubicles were spaced along the walls of the room, and in the center was a large round table with six ornate chairs around it. Four of the chairs were currently occupied by the professors, stacks of papers in front of them.
“What’s going on?” Professor Lloyd asked quizzically. His clever dark eyes took in Pritchard’s sulk and pinched legs, and Aida’s neat and demure stance.
“I caught Miss Loreh assaulting Mister Spoak in the dining hall,” Professor Havi said aggressively. “It had escalated to such a point I thought it prudent to bring them both in here.”
“What caused this?” Professor Gemma asked in concern. Her deep brown eyes bounced between Aida and Pritchard. “Miss Loreh, what happened?”
Before Aida could speak, Professor Havi cut in. “It doesn’t matter what happened, what matters is that she committed such an act. You know our policy says students are not to fight each other or cause such harm outside of the approved combat matches.”
“Really?” Aida asked loudly. Professor Havi looked scandalized by her rebellious attitude. “Did Pritchard receive any punishment when he attacked me last star cycle in the cafeteria during breakfast?”
“Mister Spoak attacked you?” Professor Kozu asked curiously.
“Yes,” Aida said defensively. “Do you really think I’d be the one to initiate a fight?”
“Given what we’ve seen in the ring today, I believe it’s plausible,” Professor Havi said severely, despite the raised eyebrows on Professors Lloyd and Gemma’s faces as they conceded her point. “Anyway, we are not discussing what happened last star cycle. We are discussing what happened today. Just now.”
“Pritchard still started it,” Aida said.
“I did not!” Pritchard said shrilly. “She disrespected me first!”
“You approached me during lunch today, while I was minding my own business, to gloat about how I lost the match this morning. Did you not?” Aida’s voice had been growing louder and louder with every word to drown out Pritchard’s attempted interruptions.
“You’ve been disrespecting me since last sun cycle!” Pritchard accused, approaching Aida and thrusting a threatening finger at her.
“We’re discussing what happened today,” Aida shot back. “Just now.” She gestured at Pritchard’s finger still quivering in her face, in case the professors had missed it. “You see this? Is this not considered intimidation?”
“Quiet, please.” Professor Bruce finally spoke. Just like always, he was the most collected in the room. “If we are to discover the truth of the matter and pass the proper judgment, we must question them separately.” He steepled his fingertips together, looking faintly aggrieved. “Professor Gemma, can you please speak to Mister Spoak? As for Miss Loreh, I can—“
“Don’t overexert yourself, Bruce,” Professor Kozu interrupted. “I will speak to Miss Loreh.” Professor Kozu stood up, gesturing at Aida to follow him. Professor Bruce looked relieved.
Leading her to what she presumed was his cubicle right in a corner next to the windows, Professor Kozu casually pressed open a hidden door, inviting Aida into a tiny conference room with a single round table and two chairs. On one wall was a window, and on the opposite wall was a blackboard. Professor Kozu pulled out a chair and sat, indicating for Aida to do the same.
Aida sat, waiting for him to speak. Professor Kozu appeared in no rush to begin the conversation, instead considering her deeply. Finally, he leaned forward, elbows on his knees.
“It sounds like there is a complicated history between you and Mister Spoak. So, please allow me to first explain what Professor Havi’s motivation is in trying to draw a conclusion as quickly as possible, and then if you may, please provide as succinct of a summary of what happened between you two.”
Aida nodded cautiously. Professor Kozu continued. “Excellent. As I’m sure you’re aware, Maglica Academy has a Code of Conduct that we expect all pupils to adhere to. The most important of which is that we are not to attack each other outside of sanctioned matches, which are closely supervised in order to mitigate injuries as much as possible, such as during our placement matches for this star cycle and next.” Aida nodded in agreement. “The second most important Code is that we respect our peers equally. After all, one-fifth of the population is born with the ability to harness mana, and of that one-fifth, a further one-fifth have the aptitude to wield their mana at a young age. Among this fifth of a fifth of population, we only select thirty adolescents every year to bring into the fold to hone their abilities, with the goal of drawing out your full potentials. As such, it is imperative that we foster a culture of camaraderie, as you will find that when you graduate, the only other people who may be able to help you are other Maglica alumni.”
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Aida was frowning by now. She didn’t like the messaging that the school’s culture was steeped this deeply in exclusivity. But given that Maglica was essentially a high-end boarding school with a very generous scholarship program for their students, she supposed she couldn’t criticize the school too much. Maybe this was how they encouraged the student body to work hard and not take their place at the school for granted. Professor Kozu was still speaking.
“This is why Professor Havi is so quick to dole out punishment, and close the matter. He believes in making strict examples of students who do not adhere to the Codes. However.” Professor Kozu paused here, picking his words carefully. “I do not believe it prudent to adhere so rigidly to the philosophy that students should be…so strictly corralled in their actions.” He looked at her gravely. “A healthy forest ecosystem requires that all plants in that environment coexist with each other, each plant understanding its place so it does not overtake its neighbor. That is Professor Havi’s guiding principle, that manual pruning is required to achieve optimal results.” Professor Kozu’s red eyes glowed, turning from its normal oxblood color to crimson. “I, however…believe that healthy competition is required to grow a stronger forest. Even if that means the forest has to be burned down to make way for new growth.”
Aida stared at him, intimidated. Professor Kozu’s eyes simmered back to a dark red. “All that to say, I’m curious: given that we already had a discussion about respecting our classmates this morning, why did you decide to provoke another student?”
“Because your rules are stupid.”
Professor Kozu raised his good eyebrow.
“If the Codes really were as important as Professor Havi believed it to be, then Pritchard should have been reprimanded or disciplined for his behavior already. Since nothing has been done after he Quaked me in the dining hall on the first day of school - ask anyone - the only conclusion I can draw is that I can’t depend on the school to protect me.” Aida felt tears start forming at the corner of her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she continued fiercely. “And I know and accept that I can’t live life expecting someone else to protect me - to prune back Pritchard - and that I need to learn to protect myself.”
Professor Kozu bowed his head. Aida finally noticed her hands were shaking. She tucked her hands under her armpits, only to discover that her entire body was shaking.
“I’m impressed,” he finally said, lifting his head. His eyes were compassionate. “Usually, Water types are placid. Much like how water conforms to the container it is poured in, Water practitioners don’t complain when they get pushed around. They bow their heads and continue on with their lives. But based on your explanations today, I don’t believe - contrary to Professor Havi’s opinion - that you were being rash and impulsive, in need of ‘clipping.’ I believe you made rational decisions in the heat of the moment; they may not have panned out exactly as you expected, but that is due to inexperience. What’s important is that you have the will to commit to those decisions.”
Aida was at a loss for words. She wasn’t expecting to find an ally in Professor Kozu, especially without Sue around to grease the wheels.
“Very good,” he said, standing up. “Let us return to the lounge. I’m sure you are hungry, and we teachers have much to discuss.”
“Professor, what…what would you have done?” Aida asked. He paused at the door. She elaborated, “I mean…if you were in my position, getting bullied, knowing you shouldn’t act out but there’s no other way to stop it…”
Professor Kozu returned to his chair. He lifted his hand to the burn scar on his eye. “Believe it or not, I was bullied when I was also a student at Maglica.”
Aida stared, surprised. He seemed so self-assured, and not at all like she would expect of a bully victim. Then again, she didn’t think she would get targeted as well.
“Oh, this wasn’t caused by my tormentor,” Kozu said lightly, mistaking her consternation for his injury. “I did this to myself - which I’m sure is surprising. How incompetent does a Fire practitioner have to be, in order to burn himself?” he chuckled ruefully.
“I never thought that,” Aida said quickly. He placed his hands together as if in prayer and dipped his head in a light bow, thanking her for her confidence.
“I did what you did. My tormenter was also an Earth boy, funnily enough. And as I’m sure you can imagine, his ability to absorb Fire was naturally high…so in order to warn him off, I had to sacrifice something in order to produce a fire hot enough to give him a lasting reminder I was not to be trifled with.” Kozu looked deep into Aida’s eyes, trying to make sure she understood the full import of his words. “My injury is not a source of shame, Miss Loreh. Rather, it is a reminder to myself of what I am capable of - and to bear in mind the potential consequences before I act.”
Kozu gripped Aida’s shoulder firmly. “Despite everything that has happened today, I encourage you to remember that you have achieved what few others have. You fought for yourself, even when the situation seemed hopeless. Especially when the situation seemed hopeless. Not many others can say they have the courage to fight in the face of extreme adversity.”
Aida felt a spark ignite in her heart. For her whole life, she’d been going with the flow, accepting that she would never have the chance to attempt something amazing without question. Her justification was always that she just didn’t have the resources - time, money, energy…freedom. But Professor Kozu verbalized an important concept for her, releasing the dam that she had built around her heart years ago. Sacrifice. She chose to sacrifice her dreams, her opportunities, in order to help her family make ends meet. It had been the right decision. She loved her parents, and she wouldn’t have chosen otherwise if she could go back in time. Her heart panged at the vision of their smiling faces, even as she felt herself relax for the first time ever since she could remember.
But as Aida Loreh, she had true freedom. The stakes were much lower. She was already in an exclusive system, ready to be pumped out of this world’s Ivy League with all its prestige. She could afford to experiment with her actions here. She had time to maximize her skills and ability; she didn’t have any debt to worry about. She didn’t have to focus on surviving - she could spend her time doing what she wanted, guilt-free.
Almost as if he was able to witness Aida’s evolution, Kozu clapped her on the shoulder. “Don’t tell anyone else this, but I am wholeheartedly impressed by your performance in the placement matches so far. If I didn’t know any better, I would think you were a Fire instead of a Water.”