These were Seth's friends from the other esper class. In fact, at Hyperion Academy, there were two esper classes and three non-esper classes per grade level. Of course, not every academy had the same organization. Crimson Academy, for instance, was the top-ranked academy in Sunrise City and the fifth-ranked in the world. They had just one esper class and one regular class per grade level. Their students were considered the elite among the elite in Sunrise City. Actually, from the 25th-ranked to the 6th-ranked academies in the world rankings, they were all considered elite, on par with each other. But the top 5 academies stood out even among the elite.

"Hey, guys," the tired-faced boy greeted as he plopped down in his seat.

"Whoa, what happened to you? You look like a zombie, dude," Jake remarked.

"This dumbass stayed up all night playing that new game everyone's talking about," the girl added as she sat down too.

"Hey, Ilya, don't call me a dumbass. I'm... *yawn* ...pretty smart."

Ilya rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"Viktor, maybe you should get some sleep or you won't be able to stay awake during class," Seth suggested.

"Can't do that. I have a math exam later, and I need to study," Viktor answered.

"You have an exam today?!" Seth asked in disbelief as he saw the half-asleep state Viktor was in.

"I'm not even surprised," Ilya commented, taking out a book.

"Well, not yet... I still have time. I'll just eat something sugary to wake me up. Besides, the exam isn't even that difficult," Viktor reassured himself.

"It's a differential equations and integrations exam," Ilya calmly stated, engrossed in her book.

"Eek," Jake shivered at the mention of the exam topic. "It’s at least calculus right?"

“Analysis,” Ilya said plainly.

“Eek,” now both Jake and Seth shivered at the same time. “Dude you’re screwed,” Jake commented.

"Come on, have a little faith in me," Viktor retorted.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

"You said that during our last exam, and you barely passed," Ilya pointed out.

"But I DID pass."

"Only because you got lucky."

"I think the word you're looking for is 'talented,'" Viktor replied with a smirk.

"Whatever," Ilya said, refocusing on her book.

"And what about you guys?" Viktor asked.

"I kicked Jake's butt in sparring," Seth boasted proudly.

"And then we were late for class because you were daydreaming about Stella Gunvald," Jake counter-attacked.

"What? No," Seth replied nervously, while Jake smirked.

"She's amazing. She's in my class and always gets the highest scores on exams. She's the reason why Ilya is always second in grades," Viktor said while placing his food order on the touchscreen.

"Tsk, I don't want to hear that from you," Ilya said, annoyed.

"As you can see, she doesn't really like her."

"She's just another arrogant, cocky, spoiled brat," Ilya stated.

"Huh? Have you talked to her?" Jake asked, curious.

"Well... no... but she must be," Ilya hesitated.

"Don't listen to her. She just doesn't like being second," Viktor defended. "I've actually talked to her a little once before, and she seemed kind. I have to admit, I expected her to be exactly as Ilya described, but she didn't come across that way."

"You hear that, Seth? Maybe you actually have a chance," Jake said, smirking.

"Oh, shut up. Don't make me beat you up again."

"Anytime. My ability will make you regret your words," Jake declared.

"Tsk," Seth couldn't come up with a comeback. Viktor chuckled, and a drone arrived with his food and a slice of chocolate cake.

"Yummy, bon appétit," Viktor exclaimed, digging in.

"Aren't you going to order something, Ilya?" Seth asked.

"I'm fine. I already ate the meal I brought," Ilya replied.

"By the way, Ilya is an amazing cook. She gave me a taste of her food, and it was delicious," Viktor added.

"Is that true?" Jake asked.

"I cook since I was little, so I'm pretty good at it. Plus, I prefer eating something I've made myself, though I don't always have the time," Ilya explained.

The four friends continued their conversation as they enjoyed their meal. Eventually, they went their separate ways to attend their respective classes.

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Ring! Ring! Ring!

The bell rang, marking the end of the last class.

"Wanna hang out for a while?" Jake asked Seth as they walked down the hallway.

"Sorry, I have to stay. I still have the awakening class, remember?"

"Oh yeah, well, don't worry. Good luck. I hope you'll show me your ability tomorrow, dude," Jake said, heading off.

The class Seth mentioned was mandatory from the first day of school for all esper children and for espers who still hadn't awakened their abilities after the normal time frame. The latter, though, could choose whether to continue in the esper class or be transferred to a non-esper class, in which case they wouldn’t take the awakening class anymore. For esper kids, the class aimed to help them awaken their abilities by themselves. As for non-awakened espers, it used more practical methods like pills and hypnosis to assist in awakening their abilities. The class also provided a better understanding of how to project their observer's reality into the world. However, the class yielded limited results, as the rate of late-awakening espers was really low. Nevertheless, the possibility of having a new and exceptionally powerful esper made all top academies maintain this awakening class until the final year of high school, in which non-awakened espers would transition to a non-esper class for reorientation.

As Seth entered the classroom, he saw a few more students. The numbers were relatively small because most students had either awakened their abilities during the normal time frame or given up on the process and transferred to a non-esper class. Currently, there were only six additional students in the class.