4TH GEAR - WHEN TROUBLE CHASES YOU, YOU CRY

The bell rang from the campus tower, signaling the end of the classes.

It was already afternoon, and the golden setting sunlight flashes on the window. The warmth of the said light gave relief to my classmates, especially to the ever-energetic Fluonessia. She stretched out her arms like a cat who just woke up from a deep slumber.

“Haaaah… The first day is finally over.” Fluonessia sighed with relief.

I would say the same, but just inside my head. First days are always not special as most professors would just discuss the same house rules over and over again with some iterations.

Only that terror teacher in our first period made an impression on us. I’ll make sure to lay low from now on to avoid getting involved in trouble.

“Ah! What’s that!?”

Fluonessia shrieked when she looked at the windows and saw the academy grounds filled with colorful tents and lively booths. There are even small magical fireworks on display, some magical fire dancers, and even mages who showcase their tricks of elemental magic.

“Didn’t you hear from our professor earlier?” One of our girl classmates interjected.

“Ah, I was daydreaming and looking at the sky the whole time. Tahahahaha!” Fluonessia laughed like an idiot while scratching her head.

“Geez, you should pay attention more. The senior students of this academy are hosting lots of magical club activities, and freshmen like us are encouraged to join extracurricular activities!”

“Wooow! That sounds awesome!” Fluonessia excitedly pumped her fists. Then she turned to me with her sparkling eyes. “Hey hey, Jonathan! What club would you like to join?”

I was already packing my things when I got involved in their conversation. As I closed my bag, I gave a swift rejection.

“Pass.”

“W-Why? Don’t you want to have fun club activities?”

“I’m not the kind of person who finds extracurricular work fun. Besides, I’m not a mage, and I don’t know magic.” I said.

“O-Oh, right.” Fluonessia frowned and bit her lip. She bowed down apologetically. “I’m sorry for being too presumptuous.”

“You don’t need to apologize. Just don’t lump me with mages like you. I cannot do what you can.”

I immediately exited the classroom and went on my way.

<>

As I walk towards the corridors, the feeling of jealousy loomed in my heart. Everything I had in this school had something to do with magic, and here I am the only normal, weak, fragile human being. I won’t deny that I envy mages like every other people in this academy, but these lingering emotions I have makes me want to hate them more.

Heck, I’m even contemplating dropping out of this academy.

I gave a deep sigh, and then put my hand on my forehead. “What am I thinking?” I muttered.

It was a bad sign that I was already thinking of quitting on the very first day. I know it’s just a sudden burst of emotion, so I might need to calm down a bit. I decided to turn around and go downstairs to the cafeteria.

Everything in this world is controlled by magic. One of those examples is the magical vending machine right in front of me. It is powered by magical stones that are handcrafted by talented earth mages. With just a slot of a coin and a press of a button, the magical stones power up the machine and drop the desired drink of my choice, which is a canned iced tea.

It’s annoying that magic is part of our everyday lives. It makes the world more dependent on mages, and those people who have no ability to use magic are more regarded as worthless. We magicless humans are discriminated against in a silent cold way like our existence is insignificant in this oh-so-magical world.

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I took a huge gulp of my ice-cold tea, then I sighed using my nose. I think this is enough to make my blood pressure go back to normal. Then, the thought of that pink-haired fool crossed my mind. She genuinely looked like she was sympathizing with me for being unable to use magic.

“I don’t need her sympathy.” I angrily tossed the empty can toward the garbage bin. Then I put my hands in my pockets and got ready to leave.

But then…

Boom!

There was a loud crash! I looked around the cafeteria and saw all the other people confused as I am. That explosion sounded like it came from the outside, so most people immediately went out and checked the cause of the scene. Due to my curiosity, I followed them.

I find myself at the edge of the southern school grounds where there is a commotion. There was a club tent that was utterly destroyed, and there are candies and lollipops scattered on the ground. There was also this familiar pink-haired woman with her face still submerged in the soil.

“Is she dead?” Some of the students asked.

But before the other student can answer, the pink-haired woman withdrew her face from the ground and held her aching head.

“Uwuwuwu! I did it again! I’m such a failure! Boohoo to me!” The pink-haired idiot cried.

Yes, it is Fluonessia with her usual reckless antics. Just how much scene can she do in just her first day here?

“What happened here!?” A shout of an angry woman echoed on the school grounds.

The crowd dispersed and then the woman revealed herself. She is a tall fellow with a dark complexion and a semi-bald haircut. She has silver irises filled with magical glitters which immediately gave out that she is a magus. There is also the yellow lace on her uniform which indicates that she is a sophomore.

“Captain Tezza!” One of the magus students approached the angry woman. He pointed at the poor pink-haired girl who was still recovering from whatever circus she just made. “That girl- that girl crashed unto our club tent! She was using some kind of speed spell!”

“What!?” The angry woman exclaimed. She put her hands on her hips and stood tall to glare at the pink-haired idiot. “Is this true?”

“Ah!” Fluonessia shrieked, then she looked at the angry woman with a disgusting fake laugh. “Tahahahaha! I-I’m sorry for the trouble I caused! Please forgive me!”

“So you’re just using speed spell whenever you please. Are you a Speedmage?” The woman named Captain Tezza asked.

“Speedmage?” Fluonessia tilted her head like a confused puppy.

“She’s a Speedmage, I’m sure of it!” One of the club members joined in the conversation to gang up on Fluonessia. “That speed spell she used makes her faster than the wind!”

“Oh?” Captain Tezza turned from being slightly pissed to slightly interested. She squinted her eyes towards the poor pink idiot.

“I-I’m just a newbie mage, so I don’t know what you’re talking about! I just wanted to experiment on this speed spell I learned from my village!” Fluonessia cried.

“You’re experimenting with a speed spell and crashed unto our club tent. That sounds quite fishy. Aren’t you one of the Speedmages from the opposing club?” Captain Tezza asked.

“I swear! I have no idea what you are talking about! I just wanted to go home as fast as possible!” Fluonessia pleaded. “Just please forgive me!”

“She’s lying! She’s lying! I saw how fast she is! She must be a Speedmage from the other club!” One of the members pressed on.

“We should file a complaint to the Students Affairs Office about this girl! She’s trying to sabotage our Speedmage Club!” The other members suggested.

“N-Noooo! I don’t want to be scolded by Miss Terror again!” Fluonessia wept. “Please forgive me already!”

“Hmmm…” Captain Tezza indulged herself in deep thought. She crossed her arms and murmured to herself. “It’s hard to believe that you’re not a Speedmage considering your speed. And you crashing into our club tent is too much of a coincidence. Sending a report to the Students Affairs Office might be the right process, but…”

Finally, Captain Tezza opened her silver eyes and smiled at the pink idiot.

“I guess I’ll just see for myself if you are a Speedmage or not!”

“E-Eh?” Fluonessia sounds clueless.

Captain Tezza stood tall and pointed toward the clueless pink-haired girl.

“I challenge you to a Speed Battle! If you win, I will forgive you and let you go. Otherwise, you will be delivered to the Students Affairs Office.”

“E-Eeeeeeh!?” Fluonessia cried.

“You can never refuse! Or else we will drag you to the Student Affairs Office!” One of the angry club members threatened.

“Good luck, girl! You will be crushed by the Cool Escape’s Captain, Tezza Flaschk!” The other club members roared.

“Eeeeeeeeeeh!?” Fluonessia finally wept.

Finally, the crowd cheered for a good fight. “Duel! Duel! Duel! Duel!”.

I have heard that duels between mages are often conducted in ancient times, but since the world made a decree to prohibit the use of magic for hurting people, most professional differences are settled in Speed Battles. It’s kind of like basketball where people with the homecourt advantage always challenge the newbies who visited their territory.

Poor Fluonessia. This is just her first day in this academy, and she’s now the magnet for all the troubles. I guess I should stay away from that girl from now on.

“Uwuuu!” Fluonessia cried adorably as she looked at the crowd. She looks like a cornered kitten looking for her mother before she gets eaten by a whole pack of wolves.

Finally, our eyes met after she scanned the crowd. Her blue irises enlarged and twinkled!

“J-Jonathan!”

I forced a smile. I took a step back and tried to escape, but the crowd behind me blocks my only way of exit! This is bad!

Fluonessia rushed to me like a hungry zombie and then held my hands. Her puppy eyes begged for mercy.

“Jonathan! Please help me!”