Ravina followed Earl, hoping their destination would be Emily's cafe, where she could use some soul healing from her friend. Instead, they arrived at one of the upscale cafes on the main street—expensive, pretentious, and only mediocre in quality. At the very least, Earl could treat her to a dessert. With that thought, she joined him in a secluded corner booth.

“Starlight Drip and a Clear Water Cake, please,” Ravina ordered as soon as they sat down.

Earl raised an eyebrow but turned to the server and said, “Standard black, please.” As the hostess walked away, he turned to Ravina. “I have to admit, you seem well-versed in a place like this.” His words struck Ravina as odd, raising a question that could be answered if only one looked at the differences between a cafe and a teahouse.

Yet, Ravina preferred coffee over tea, and in a certain village hidden in the woods, she was accustomed to contemptuous stares, forced smiles, and disdainful glances. Still, cafes were open to the public, and no unspoken social rule could turn away a woman away as long as she had money and manners. Well, perhaps just money.

“What, caffeine runs the world,” Ravina brushed off his comment. Ignoring his raised eyebrow, she continued, “So what do you want?” She got straight to the point, not waiting for their order. However, they were interrupted by a knock on the window next to them. They both turned to find another classmate of theirs.

Franklin looked a little haggard but wore a smile as he waved to them. He glanced around before rushing to the entrance. “Well, it appears that will have to wait,” Earl said as the young man entered the store.

"Seems like it," Ravina agreed, watching him step over and take a seat beside her, forcing her to scoot in a little. She looked out the window to hide her annoyance. Today wasn't really her day.

"Hey guys, I was just thinking about talking to one of you," Franklin said with a professional smile as he sat down. "Lucky I've found you both together, lucky..." His eyes flickered between the two. "Though it's a bit odd." He narrowed his eyes.

"So, Franklin Guerrero, to what do we owe the pleasure of this interruption?" Earl smiled, but his words were sharp.

“Am I interrupting?” Franklin’s smile never faded. “Sorry about this, but it's kind of important.” He fell silent just as the server arrived with their drinks.

As she placed the order down, she asked about the third member. “So, what can I get you?”

“Oh, thank you no, but I'm not staying long, thank you.” Franklin’s response made Ravina frown.

“Nervous?” she asked cautiously.

Franklin let out a laugh that confirmed it. “It's just something… kind of important. For everyone in the guild.”

“The Guerrero Merchant Guild?” Earl asked, and Franklin nodded.

“Yes, but… it’s…” Franklin coughed as he straightened up. “So it falls in the same vein as our final exam. There are a few things going on back home that got me thinking. What do you think about using magic to identify family lineage?”

“Family lineage?” Earl repeated.

“Yeah, to make sure that… uh… dads are dads.” He giggled at his own awkward explanation.

“A paternity test?” Ravina asked, the only one familiar with the concept. Both men looked at her, prompting her to elaborate. “You want to verify a person’s genetic parentage.”

“Genetic parentage?”

Ravina nodded, “yes, a biological parent.”

“Such a thing already exists!?” Franklin nearly shouted, causing her to jump at his unusual, frantic demeanor.

“Uh, I doubt it.” Her reply left him confused, but Earl stepped in to explain.

“There was a test similar to what you’re talking about,”

“So it exists!?” Franklin shouted again, his voice filled with excitement this time.

“Yes, but the exam was unreliable and created many problems. By the time it was discovered that traits and characteristics could vary widely, even among close relatives, there were already many false positives and completely inaccurate results. Too often, children who bore little resemblance to their parents were wrongfully claimed, and the damage had been done. Alliances were destroyed and broken. Since then, any pursuit in verifying the identity of individuals has been all but illegal.” Even Ravina was surprised to hear about this.

“So… it’s not—” Franklin shook his head, “nah, it doesn't matter. I really only need it to prove—well, anyway, do you think it’s possible?”

“A paternity test through magic?” Ravina mulled it over. “To be honest, I don’t see how it would work.”

“It’s possible,” Earl disagreed. “Magic does have a more identifiable origin.”

“Oh, come on,” Ravina shook her head. “There’s too much similarity between mana. A physical resemblance test would be far more accurate.”

Earl waved aside her words. “There is a wider gap than you think. There are 72 records of blue magic already, and they think there could be many more.”

“Oh, for—do you think that would make any difference? It only proves that there’s too much drift.”

Their argument was interrupted by Franklin. “Uh, so… I still want to produce it, so I would like ideas on how. I was thinking about mana synchronization.”

Ravina tutted, picking up her coffee and taking the first sip. It was a marvel of flavor. The water it was brewed from was purified with magic to mimic the waters at Crystal Lake. Or so it was said. Crystal Lake was the only lake crafted by Proélefsi, the fabled god of origin—whose origins were unknown. It was the last thing he crafted in the heavens, with the still waters flowing down into the mortal realm. Or so the myth goes. In the end, these waters were really tasty, and a bottle cost 20 don.

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The first note that hit Ravina's palate was a smooth, almost creamy richness, reminiscent of finely aged chocolate, balancing sweetness with a subtle bitterness. As she let the liquid linger on her tongue, a vibrant acidity emerged, akin to ripe berries, adding a refreshing brightness that danced with the initial chocolate undertones.

She noted that the coffee Emily made was better, but this was a fine substitute. She lent half an ear to the boys' conversation and poked her cake with a fork, finding it rather worthless. The test was a different idea than the old method used in this world but on the same track. This world's magic had core values similar to Red, Green, and Blue. All others were separated out from these into infinity. Earl was right to a point: one’s mana color could be similar within the same family, but like eye color, it could change for some reason or another.

In this world, concepts like DNA, RNA, or genetics were largely unknown, though there was some understanding of hereditary traits. Disrespecting the dead was still taboo, even if necromancy was considered a viable position. The easiest method would be blood testing, but without knowledge of genetics, it was impractical. Despite her willingness to help, she lacked expertise in such matters from her past life. Even if she would do it all over again she doubted she would be a doctor… but… "What about blue blood?" she murmured to her cake.

“What’s that?” Franklin asked, while Earl eyed her with a slight frown, slightly annoyed at her interruption just when they were getting into the discussion.

“What? Oh…” Surprised she had spoken aloud, Ravina decided to share her thoughts. “I was just thinking that colors are such an arbitrary thing. I was thinking about blue blood cells. It doesn’t matter what color your magic is; the cells running through your body are all blue. And since they are mutated red blood cells, wouldn’t it make sense that they have a closer tie to the parent? I mean, blood is the tie that binds us,” she added, unsure if they would understand what she was talking about.

“It’s an interesting thesis,” Earl noted, nodding his head a few times. “And it does have some merit, but that’s if the mana cells are not completely corrupted by the ακαδη.”

“But wouldn’t that… no… everyone develops magic, it’s just a question of potency…” Franklin bit his lip, deep in thought. He stood up abruptly. “I need to look over something. I think… I think this might work.” With that, he left the cafe like a criminal escaping prison.

“Well… that was something,” Earl commented, taking his own cup in hand and taking a sip. He made a face as he looked down, then called the server with two raised fingers. “My dear, this cup has gotten rather cold,” he insisted with a smile.

“Shall I get you another?”

“Please.” With that, the hostess ran off to fetch him a refill.

“So,” Ravina started, not wanting to enjoy another cup in his company, “what was it you wanted to speak about?”

“Right, well…” he pawed at the cup, picking it up for another drink. “Well, I…” he hummed. “Let's just say I felt a little competitive.”

“Competitive?” Ravina repeated the word before drowning the last of her coffee. Yeah right. Competitive. That's one of the reasons she hated him so much, he wasn't competitive, just smart, and good at studying magic. All around, he was better than her.

A loud crack echoed into the air. “Oh my,” Ravina said with a smile. “It seems that the china here is quite cheap.” Holding the handle, she placed it beside the cup it used to be attached to, split in two by its fall on the table. “So, about this competitive nature of yours, what is it?”

“...yeah, so I was thinking that you and I could hold a competition of sorts. Using the finals would be a perfect opportunity to nurture a certain bet.”

The waitress came back and placed a hot cup of coffee by Earl’s old one, her eyes glancing at the broken cup and narrowing as she eyed Ravina. Her scorn remained silent as she slid up a notepad and wrote in it fervently.

“A bet then.” Ravina flicked at the broken china. “What do you need so desperately that you would risk unnecessary consequences?”

Earl’s smile fluttered like the wings of a butterfly.. “Well, parents are… great and my mother is… worried about me” He hummed as he picked up the cold cup of coffee and drowned it in one go, then put it down. “She was worried about me at least. I told her I was dating someone, and she has never been happier.”

“Well, congratulations, what does this have to do with a bet? Or me, for that matter?”

“Well, I told her I was dating you.” Earl looked down, scratching the back of his head quickly before folding his hands on the table and looking intently at them.

It took a few blinks for Ravina to understand what he said. “What? Who are you dating?”

“I’m not dating anyone. Mum’s a little worried that I haven’t… dated anyone, so a few days ago I told her I was dating. Eventually, I ended up in a massive web of lies, and so… I’ve been dating you for two months now, if you were to ask Mum,” he quickly added.

Silence took over their table. “You going to eat that?” Earl pointed to the broken cake, but Ravina was still processing. He slid it over to himself and started to eat it, dipping it in the coffee before taking a bite. He blinked at it, then looked over the cup and realized it was still warm. He looked between the empty cup and the full one, bits of cake floating inside.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Ravina asked.

“Look, it was me mum. She was a little—I mean, I love ‘er, but she’s a bit… and I don’t want to disappoint ‘er.” He suddenly coughed and straightened up. “What I mean to say is that I lied to my mom so she wouldn’t worry about me. So, I need a date, and it needs to be you because I already told her it was.”

“Okay…” Ravina picked up her fork only to realize her cake had fled the scene. With a tisk, she tossed the fork on the table. “Alright, so you want me to date you if you come out on top of the bet?”

“Oh no, I just need you to come to the advancement ball as my date.”

“The advancement ball!” Ravina repeated in shock.

“Hence the bet.” Earl shrugged. “It’s a consequence of my own action, so my reward is rather apparent. What would you wish should you win?” Earl smiled. “If that were possible.”

Ravina fell for his provocation easily, without further questions, moving the conversation along. “Very well then. What shall I have you do when I come out on top?” She leaned back and let the uncertainty sink in. What could she possibly ask of him?

“Well?” Yet the man wasn’t unnerved by the silence.

“Tsk, you’re no fun.” Ravina sighed. “Very well, if I win, you work for me.”

“Work for you?”

“Yes,” Ravina affirmed. “You are smart in terms of the ακαδη.” As much as she hated it, it was true. She had to accept that she wasn’t the best student of magical science. Despite her ability to wield magic in the dungeon, she was not the smartest when it came to putting spells on paper. In that field, he was the top student. Not that she would ever admit it—or give him first place easily. “Having you work under me would be beneficial in more ways than just one.”

“You… hire me? What are you, starting a guild? Oh no—let me guess, an adventuring party?”

Ravina only smiled at him. “Something like that.”

“So, if I win, you’ll be my date for the advancement ball, and if you win, I’ll work for you.” He held out a hand to her, and she took it, sealing the bet.

“I look forward to having you work for me.”

“And I appreciate you being my partner for the year one graduation.”