If one did not gain five pounds on the night of the cake-meeting, people questioned if they even showed up. That was the newfound norm that seen as nearly the entire Scylla class gained an extra bulge on their bellies. Shorter students, such as Mina and Lina, were especially affected by the added mass since they ate more than their size suggested. Some, male or female, were concerned about this, but considering how quickly any loose flab on their bodies before the time here disappeared, they quickly reasoned it was okay.

Even those that just did the bare minimum lost weight; rather, they shredded fat and gained muscle at an alarming pace. It could be said that any specific measurements they had during their medical check-up were only going to become more volatile as time progressed. Even so, it was a selling point to The Brotherhood's services so no one said anything about it. Dreams were best left untarnished.

Since it was only ten o'clock when they returned for a late supper, there were still a fair number of stragglers still in the room. As if the cooks learned their lesson - or were just lucky with their schedules - twenty-plus large orders were requested.

It was half the number as before and there were twice the staff. Even so, it still took a half-hour to make the fresh meals.

"Is it bad if I'm still hungry?" Mathias asked to no one in particular.

"Get more!"

"Yeah!"

"Just go already!" Shouted some of the guys upset at ruining their chance to bond with the girls.

Hunter, Eldrich, and others were too fired up about the pastries being monopolized by the girls earlier. Their chances were only further reduced by the girls' unanimous agreement to split the training programs. Of course, Eldrich missed the opportunity to talk with Wendi several times over, but he neither blamed Mathias or Ali for it or even just the situation as a whole; that being said, he was still bitter at his poor performance since he was a representative of the Brotherhood.

Mathias raised his hands in surrender and went to get another meal. Since they made extra - with no few stares at the teen's bellies when they should be working hard with a metabolism that was doing the same.

"..."

After he finished it quietly, he went to get another.

He realized he hardly ate anything today. Unfortunately for the chefs, he was not the only one. Erik and James were coming back to order again - for the fourth time.

Fara, Lisanna, and Synthy were on their second. Ayla stuffed herself with sweets so she was fine.

When Mathias turned to leave, he heard the cook ask a question. "Son, you're the one who fought twice in the Gauntlet right?"

"... Yeah? Only once in the battle after, though."

The chef gave him an appraising glance, noting the lack of a clear bulge on his stomach. "No wonder that man bet on you. What time are your contests?"

Erik was next-in-line. "We typically fight about three, three-thirty. Why do you ask, sir?"

"Curiosity," the chef said looking into the distance. "I used to be quite proficient back in my day too, but now I'm more interested in the aesthetics of it all. I'll stop over later. I want to see what the fuss is about with your class."

"Okay! We'll try to make it a good one!"

Another chef passed Erik and James their food.

Erik whispered, "what was that all about?"

"No idea." Mathias shrugged.

"Come on! He must have said something."

"Mentioned the Gaunlet...?"

"Probably something about the other instructors stepping their game up. If it has gone to them... we must be famous!" Erik grinned. "Now we'll have a lot of pressure to keep up their expectations - I'm counting on you!"

"I'm not doing that one again!"

"Yes, yes. We'll send Alfred since he can take a beating. Or one of the girls can deal with it, but - but! - more importantly! We have to plan things out now! We can't just stop here - it's only been a few days!"

"..."

"I feel like I've gotten so much stronger already! Now, let's brainstorm ways to make this more interesting before any of the other class catch up!"

Mathias had a bad feeling about this. His wounds had yet to heal and Erik was already talking about advancing it - and advancing it further on top of what was bound to come tomorrow.

"Everyone! I have an important announcement to make!"

.

..

...

About an hour past and despite Mathias' best attempts, he was roped into it as well.

James summarized the conversation thus far: "1) We can set up a knock-out tournament; 2) We can set up a skills competition; 3) we can try to push for a field trip to have an excursion with some of the second- and third-years; and... really?"

"Yes!"

"... and 4) we can set up a... are you serious?"

"Yes! Hurry up and spit it out already!"

"... and 4) we can set up a fashion show..."

"Yeah! Four!"

"Mhmm! Fashion show!"

"No! Tournament!"

"Yeah! A tournament!"

"What about the excursion?!"

"I don't want to be away from civilization!"

"Then a skill competition is the best compromise!"

"Fashion show!"

The class was hotly divided on the topic. The bulk of the class centred into two different camps: choice 1) the tournament and choice 4) the fashion show. Their demographics in each category were roughly equal. Those boys did not mind dressing up so long as it meant seeing the girls dress-up; conversely, there were girls that simply did not want to dress-up and preferred fighting. Synthy was of the latter group.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

Of course, there were those hotly divided on the topic on the concept of time orientation: immediate return versus long-term prestige that could help with bolstering their social status amongst all students. Others countered it would only be the top few that would receive the benefits, a true-enough statement, and those that did not concentrate on fighting would be disadvantaged. This conversation was done in hushed whispers.

Aside from some mandatory statutory holidays, there were no major breaks for the students of Majin Academy - or most other Academies for that matter. If they wanted extracurricular activities, they would have to organize it on their own accord. This varied a little bit for the second- and third-year students, but the first-years just had only a few events necessitated that their formal uniforms that were collecting dust.

"... Can't we just deal with this later?"

"NO!"

There was an omnidirectional denial to Mathias' innocent question. He pressed his forehead against the table as the discussions resumed.

"We agree that we have to keep ahead of the other classes! Since we're all here," Ayla said, "then we have to decide something! I'll stay here all night if I have too!"

"I'm leaving. I'm fine with whatever." Fara left with spear and notebook in tow.

"She stayed longer than I thought she would," Ayla murmured before shouting, "okay! We need to decide! There has got to some more ideas that we can all agree on!"

Wendi raised her hand.

"Yes, Wendi?"

Wendi spoke cheerfully as all the eyes were on her. Even Mathias looked up to see that the commotion dulled. "If the issue is to get ahead and do something people haven't done before... why don't we make something that'll last?"

"Go on, go on."

"Uhm, I think there are quite a few stasis stones on sale at the supply store I go to... I think we can properly make a few statues that should be able to last for a few months, even if it just magic itself."

"Oh!" Ayla exclaimed. "They have such things?! So you're saying I can make a statue in my likeness and it'd last - even with wind?!"

"Yes, but... you'd have to add something to it to give it depth... smoke is a typical addition for such things, but... I think everyone should be able to do it, right?"

"A-a p-person... th-that's-"

Jennifer got nervous, but Wendi hurriedly shook her head. "It can be anything! You just have to be creative! We'd need a place to show them off, but I don't think I saw anyone really uses the back-courtyard in the dorms. I think it should be okay if we ask someone?"

"Okay, okay," Erik said. "But how are we going to judge them? I don't know art at all, so who would be the best suited for it?"

"... If it's Mr. Shields... at least he'd know if it was made well or not, but as for style," Wendi thought for a long while. "I don't know! But we can always just recruit someone or a group of people and have them decide if you want to turn it into a competition!"

"How much do those stasis stones cost?"

"The ones I'm thinking of are pretty cheap considering what they're for: just one gold for ten! They do only last for a while so the effects would disappear after the time expires."

"... It would be cheaper than the other ideas we had... and since we just spent a fair bit maybe we should go with Wendi's idea, hey?"

Ayla nodded along with Erik's comment. "I agree. It'll be the easiest plan to implement too! Say, how do those stones work? I mean, does it require someone to hold the whole form before freezing it or what?"

Wendi shook her head and explained. While it typically depended on the type of stone used, because of their respective enchantments, it allowed a period of time to actually work on the piece; this meant one could will magic into the field of effect and it would stop unless forced inside in a particular shape. It was said to be very good training at control one's attributes; however, Wendi had just got interested in it recently.

She had no real experience with them either. They did allow for fine-tuned modifications, additions, and subtractions, keeping the mana contained (up to a certain limit), and maintaining the effects. Most spells were rendered inert after being exposed to it, limiting their functionality, but offering their role in aesthetics. They were quite convenient for certain types of people. And while their construction was easy, their use was rather inefficient so they were not very sought after.

"We can also splurge on some of the better stasis stones. They let you people recharge them and have an added enchantment so they can be shrunk down in scale. Since they can theoretically last indefinitely, we can auction them off to the highest bidder too so we can go back to little Ali!"

"That's true! If we make something really cool, we can just do a showing and sell them!"

Since they were still in their first year, it was unlikely that the school would be asking for a cut of the earnings of those still on scholarship. It was more pragmatic to let them increase their skills on their own accord - then invoke the clauses in their contracts. The students would have plenty of time before dealing with the machinations of the real world.

"Right, right! I want to invite Ali and her family! Since it'll take a while to get everything set up, we should aim to have them done over the weekend and show them on Monday!"

"B-but what... what if turns out bad...?" Jennifer tearfully whispered.

Wendi bit her lip. "Well... we can always just have people decide if they want to sell it...? I mean... there isn't any problem keeping it after..."

"Okay! Let's have it as optional!" Ayla declared and Jennifer visibly relaxed. The task required a fair grasp of control, after all. "But I'm interested! What else do we need to do for it?!"

Wendi looked up thoughtfully before slamming her fist into her upturned palm. "I got it! Let's talk to Natalie, double-check if we can use the courtyard, and then we can pick spots! If they're just placed randomly, it won't look good!"

Spoken like a true artist, admittedly one that worked with word for than swaths of colour and shape, Wendi determined the best course of action. Ayla sent Erik and James to grab the first-year coordinator, Natalie, so she could talk to the group.

The rest talked about their ideas for their creations. No one was really confident in their ability to make a work of art, but since it seemed fun - and there was little chance of added injury - they took to the idea well.

"Hey, what are you gonna make?"

"... A bed?"

"No!" Lisanna shouted. "Actually what are you going to make."

"... I don't know. A person? Or something. Does it really matter?"

"I see, I see..." Lisanna thought seriously about the task. "I think we should make ours together. I'll do a person, too."

She did not want to be the only one doing something strange so it seemed like a good idea to have a similar statue. It could cause misunderstandings, but she did not have any concrete ideas of her own. Not for something so frivolous and outside of her expertise.

"... Do what you want. Can I go now?"

Erik and James came with Natalie.

"No, wait a bit longer."

Mathias put his head down as the first-year coordinator spoke. "I've been told about the basics, but I'd like to hear more."

"Wendi?"

"Ah, uhm, right. We want to do a class-wide art gallery. We'll probably be using stasis stones so we'll need some room to show them off to whatever judges we find. It can also be done by popular vote, but we'll figure out the details later.

"Since most stasis stones cover a few meters of space, they'll be pretty big. Is it okay to use the courtyard to show them off?"

Natalie tilted her head to the side. "Just to double-check, you intend only to do have them there temporarily, correct?"

"Yeah, a day or so at most. Is that okay?"

"I can't permit it to be kept there any longer than that. If it is just for an afternoon or evening, that is fine. It is just that there are students who use the courtyard for their work-placements, training, or other commitments during the weekday. It will have to done over the weekend, it is that alright with you?"

"Ayla?"

Ayla scanned the group who was staring at her. "Is it okay with everyone to come on Sunday? If we pick up the stones tomorrow we'll have all of Friday night, Saturday, and Sunday morning to work on them."

"Isn't there a test on Monday...?" A concerned student said.

"It won't be too hard! He said it was just the fundamentals, right? We'll have a lot of time to study!"

"Guys?" Erik asked for their opinions.

"Yeah, that's fine."

"It's cool with me."

Tanner and Jack said their opinions first. Others added their comments, but it was ultimately agreed upon.

Natalie nodded. "Okay. I'll allow you to have full use of the courtyard on Sunday. You may also use it if you would like more space to work on your projects in the mean-time, but be mindful of the others that have need the space. Is there anything else?"

"Nope! We should be fine now! Thanks, Natalie!"

Wendi released a sigh of relief as Natalie left. "I'm so glad... I need to do so much research though...!"

She may have had her fill today, but Wendi would be going back to the cafe for inspiration.

"Okay, the meeting is adjourned!" Erik said. "Try to keep this a secret for a bit so we don't have any competition!"

The class accepted the proposal. It would get leaked out, but so long as they finished first, it did not really much. They even secured the venue and if another class wanted to do it on Saturday, they would likely not have enough time to prepare for a good showing anyways.

Mathias took this as an excuse to walk away. His target? Bed.

Seeing the boy shamble along, Lisanna chased after him. However, once she caught up to him at their doorway, she saw him fall face-first into his pillow.

"... At least he made it back safe."