As soon as I left Ozul in the dormitory, I put my hand on my chest. My heart was racing. I had no idea I was so nervous until I was alone.

And all this was because of Erina, that crazy friend of mine! What a “wonderful” idea she had: she saw the first boy with glasses that she found handsome and tried to be my cupid! And with "being my cupid", I mean “using magic to throw his glasses into my hands so I had to talk to him, while she sneaked out”!

Haven’t she thought that it could go wrong? What if Ozul found out or someone rat on Erina? Her plan would instantly fail!

... And even so, she found me good match.

At first, I thought Ozul was the shy and reserved type, because after he had his glasses returned and apologized for the scene he caused, he felt hungry, but seemed hesitant to ask for help. It was as if he was afraid of looking like a nuisance.

At Balad, he even tried to have a small talk, but I had the impression he only did it because he found the silence uncomfortable. At that time, I felt that my presence was overwhelming him and I was in the wrong for continuing to be close to him.

However, all this changed when he finally took a sip of coffee. He seemed much more willing than before. I think the shyness of before was a mixture of anxiety, hunger and, possibly, caffeine deprivation.

Anyway, thanks to the coffee and the food, he seemed much more humorous than before. Not only was he talking more, but he was also interested in listening to me. He was so eager about me that I confess, this time, I was the shy one. And, as his meal was really big, our conversation yielded a lot. He talked more about his life and, of course, I talked about mine too - I almost revealed that John was my brother, but I managed to disguise it and I don't think Ozul even noticed.

In conclusion, I have no complaints about him. He was polite and was a good listener, he likes coffee and seems to have a good relationship with his family. Not to mention he was very handsome. And his voice is also wonderful! I don't regret inviting him to talk to me more at the Academy!

Erina chose this boy very well!... As if she chose! That was just pure luck! The Protective Goddess also blesses her in the search for men?!

Speaking of Erina, I wanted to find her. Where would she have gone after leaving me at the train station? I remembered that, before Erina carried out her scheme to join Ozul, she was eyeing a blonde with cold blue eyes. Maybe she went after him!

But I had no idea where this was blonde guy was.

Without having any clue, I decided to go straight to the campus. After all, with the entrance ceremony, I would eventually find Erina.

The feeling of crossing the gates of Avalon was as if I had entered a new world. The campus was grandiose: it had its main building, but there were many other buildings around, all connected by beige stone sidewalks. All buildings had light brown stone walls, with columns between the windows made with stones of a darker shade of brown. The roof seemed to be masonry and its tiles were blue. The use of these warm and cold colours, with their most earthy tones, gave the campus a cozy air but without being flashy.

In front of and next to the entrance of each building, there was a large rectangular stone stuck to the ground with a metal plate with the name of the place.

There were three possibilities of where Erina could be: In the gym, looking for boys exercising; in the main building, exploring the classrooms; or in the library, fascinated with the school's collection. I decided I would start with the main building. If I was lucky, maybe I would find her already on the ground floor.

I went inside the main building and started my search through the corridors on the ground floor. I looked inside the classrooms. There were many, so I didn't enter all of them, but the ones I saw followed a pattern: desks for two students organized in rows and columns, with the teacher's desk and a blackboard in front of the desks, windows parallel to the door and shelves with books at the back of the room.

I passed through doors that were marked as "Principal’s Office", "Meeting Room", "Teachers' Room" and “Laboratory". I didn't enter these rooms to avoid problems.

The last room I entered was the infirmary, because I deduced I wouldn't be in trouble for entering. It was a large room with two long parallel rows of beds with curtains between each bed. There were also cabinets with glass windows that allowed me to see the variety of potions and medicines stored and desks for nurses. I think nurses should also use healing magic. Maybe I should volunteer here in my spare time to improve my skills...

“Oh, there you are!”

I jumped in fright when I heard someone out of nowhere appear behind me. The person laughed at my reaction. I turned to face them, but when my eyes were fixed on them, I recognized her.

“Erina!,” I exclaimed. “Where have you been?”

“I've been looking for my blond-haired boy and, after I found him and talked to him, I went looking for you. I thought you would be in the library, but I didn't find you, so I came here.”

“Oh, I should have gone to the library first,” I sighed.

“Hey, since you didn't go to the library, do you want to go now?,” Erina suggested. “You’re gonna love t! It was gigantic and full of all kinds of books! It’s basically your dream come true! I think we still have time. Let's go!”

She took my hand and guided me out of the infirmary.

“By the way,” Erina started as we walked. “How were things with your suitor?,” she winked.

“My suitor?”

“The boy with glasses!”

“Oh, Ozul. Everything was fine. We had coffee together and talked for a while.”

“So? What did you think of my ‘selection?”

“He's fine.”

“That's it?,” Erina wasn’t satisfied. “I know there's more, so speak up!”

“Well,” I played with my braid while looking for words. “Ozul seemed to be someone anxious and nervous, but that's because it was his first day here. When he had the opportunity to relax, he proved to be polite and even a good listener, encouraging me to talk more. In addition, he likes coffee like me and has a little sister named Nina. Anyway, he left a good impression on me.”

“So does that mean you liked him?”

“You can say yes.”

“Hmmmm...,” She smiled full of pride, but soon her tone changed to a suggestive one. “I hope you made good use of the money I gave you.”

“Oh, I used it to buy a coffee and a cupcake,” I replied, returning the bag of money to Erina.

“‘A coffee and a cupcake’?,” She asked rhetorically, expressing frustration. “Geez, Amaris! I gave you the money so you could enjoy yourself with that boy!”

“‘Enjoy’ in what sense?”

“You know, going to a more private place for you two to be alone and have a pleasant and intimate time.”

I felt my face getting hotter. The words "alone", "pleasant" and "intimate" mixed with the image of Ozul in my mind, making me think of indecent things.

“Are you talking about a love hotel?”

“You’re right!,” She admitted without shame.

“And she doesn't even deny...,” I sighed. “What made you think that going to a love hotel with a guy I just met, but who you think suits me, would be a good idea?!”

While I was trying to remove the erotic scenarios involving Ozul that I ended up formulating in my head involuntarily, Erina attempted to justify her actions.

“You know, I still remember what you told me in the past, Amie. You said that John seemed to be a protagonist of an adult book and, since we are in the same city as him, encounters like this would not be unusual! It’s ‘intimate’ encounters like this one that triggers a series of events that will result in the creation of a new couple!”

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

“Please, tell me that you're just saying this to make fun of me.”

“Chill out, girl,” she stroked my back to reassure me. “It was a joke, really!...,” then she whispered in my ear. “…even because the love motel comes later...”

“Erina!,” I slapped her on the shoulder.

Erina laughed at the insinuations she made about me. Anyway, I wasn't mad at her. I wasn't a saint in the past life, let alone in this one! In addition, it is liberating to have someone with whom you can talk about more adult topics without being ashamed. I just wish she was more careful with the places where she said these things.

Of nowhere, Erina stopped laughing and widened her eyes, as if she had remembered something crucial.

“Hey, girl, I didn't even tell you how things went with the blond guy!”

“Tell me all about it, then!,” my curiosity was aroused.

“First, when I was looking for him, I came across a group of nobles talking about him and discovered two things about him!,” She gestured for me to come closer.

“What is it?,” I approached her.

“The first is that his name is Gregório Callister. The second is that he is the FIRST son of the Marquis and Marquise Callister!”

“An heir!”

I had no idea who the Callisters were or about their domain, but I was sure Erina was interested in bringing a first child to her harem.

“In this case,” I continued. “you got lucky.”

“I know! Hahahaha!”

“But did you manage to talk to him?”

“Oh, yes! And alone, even!”

“And how was it?”

“He act hard to get!”

“....huh?”

I looked confused at Erina's face. Although she announced that Gregório had been a hard type, there was no frustration on her face. She seemed to be very entertained instead.

“For someone who just had dealt with a difficult guy, you seem very happy,” I commented.

“Oh, you know,” Erina took her hands to her cheeks. “When I see a cold man, the kind who acts like a lone wolf, it makes me want to melt his heart and make him mine! Don't you feel the same?”

“I feel like giving him a slap on him to see if he learns some manners.”

“Oh, Amie, it's all about getting the on no one had gotten until now, you know?”

“I prefer those that I can understand what they feel,” I shrugged.

During this conversation, we had already left the main building. However, before we could reach the library, a upperclassman stopped us and told we should go to the auditorium immediately, because the entrance ceremony would soon begin. Our trip to the library would have to stay for another day.

With no more choices, Erina and I entered the auditorium. That place reminded me of a theatre stage, only on a smaller scale. I found two seats in a row further ahead and took my friend there.

After we sat down, I looked around to see the other students and ended up finding Ozul a few rows behind. To my surprise, Ozul noticed me and waved with a friendly smile on his face and I reciprocated. Erina realized that I waved to someone and turned to see who the person was. Upon seeing Ozul, Erina looked at me in a very suggestive way and in response I squeezed her arm to remind her that we were in public.

While the ceremony hadn’t started, I decided to take the school booklet that I kept in the inside pocket of my coat and leaf through it. It was basically a guide for new students to feel less lost when they got here. Going through the pages quickly, I reached the end, where there was a warning that informed that a teacher, after the ceremony, would call me for an "important procedure". Unfortunately, there was no detail about it, which was strange, because the rest of the booklet was very explanatory.

“Hey, Erina,” I poked her shoulder. “do you have any idea what this ‘important procedure’ is?”

“No idea. Is it some kind of health check or something like that?,” Erina pondered.

“I don't know. The lack of details scares me. Why would they want to take us by surprise?”

Unfortunately, my questions were interrupted when the lights in the auditorium were turned off, leaving those that illuminated the stage on. That was the sign that the ceremony would begin at that moment.

From behind the scenes, a woman came out wearing a navy blue tunic with green details and blue shoes. Her grey hair - which I couldn't tell if it was the natural colour of her hair or if it was signs of old age - was tied in a high bun. By her long and pointed ears, it was evident that she was an elf.

The woman walked with her eyes closed to the stage in the middle of the stage, showing that she had already made that walk for many years. When she reached the stage, she opened her eyes, showing her pumpkin-coloured iris. She adjusted the microphone to the height of her mouth and began her speech:

“Good afternoon! For those who don't know me, I'm the principal of this institution: Navidia Mountainglare,” then she cleared her throat. “Many centuries ago, magic was seen as something we lived with, but far from our reach. However, all this changed when the first sentient beings learned to manipulate mana! This was a breakthrough for many societies, but there were still challenges. Most mages were limited to the support and needs of their families and communities. Traveling in search of knowledge was the luxury of very few. In this scenario, the day when the magicians would stagnate was approaching at a frightening speed.”

When Navidia talked about the trips, I remembered Elbern. If he and I had been born a long time ago, he probably couldn't become a traveler and would never become my parents' apprentice. He would have stayed in his homeland and would learn only what would benefit his people, never going any further than that. In other words, we would never have met!

“However,” Navidia continued. “it was for this reason that magical education institutions were created, so that magicians had the chance to reach their potential! Avalon was one of those schools that emerged. At first, everything seemed to be working as it should, however, when these students graduated and left school, they didn’t know the world and became victims of attacks and scams. It was these misfortunes that made it clear that we should not only deliver knowledge to our students, but also prepare them for life outside this campus! Precisely for this reason, our curriculum includes combat training.”

Navidia took a deep breath to continue her speech, now with a stronger and prouder voice.

“For many years, Avalon was known for guiding its students to a good life, whether in a military career, in research, in the arts or whatever, which inspired us to adopt a symbol that was quickly associated with the academy: a compass. And for another year, the Avalon’s compass brought us new mages to educate! That's why, as your principal, I welcome the new faces who joined us and the old faces who returned for another year! Not even the densest fog will prevent you from following yours paths!

With the end of her speech, a round of applause emerged. The principal made a small curtsy and announced that she would give space for the teachers to introduce themselves.

The teachers went, one by one, to the stage and made their introduction. However, when it was John's turn to introduce himself, some students began to scream as if he were a famous idol! And some boys too! My brother must have been their upperclassman before graduating, that's why all the commotion. In order not to be left behind, Erina also screamed. She called him "gorgeous" and almost got to the point of calling him "sexy", but I covered her mouth before she could finish the word.

After the teachers' long presentation, Navidia returned to the stage and told us that there would be a welcome party at the gym and invited us to go. With that, we got up and, following the upperclassmen, went to the gym.

Inside the gym, there was, leaning against a wall, a long table full of food and drinks, circular tables and chairs organized in such a way as to leave in the centre a free space for students who wanted to dance. With the food and music, the students soon felt more at ease and excited, some went dancing and others went to eat and interact with the others.

Erina and I decided to go see the food. Some dishes reminded me of the snacks served at birthday parties in my past life and others I recognized from the fancy parties that Erina had took me before. As a matter of nostalgia, I took the ones that looked like the snacks and tried them. Holy Goddess, the taste was also similar!

While we enjoyed the snacks, Erina suggested we should look for Ozul so I could ask him to dance. Personally, I didn't think it was a bad idea. If it didn't work, I could still spend time with him and find out more about him.

I asked Erina if she would go after Gregório and she answered me "Preferably, yes". She also said that "Since Gregório is a difficult type, she would have to proceed little by little, persistently, until he lowered his defences and began to open up" so for now she would accompany me in the "conquest of my first boy" - I really need to think if I want a harem before she decides to go after a "second".

“Miss Banloros and Miss Welimir?”

However, we were stopped before even putting our plan into practice. Who had called us was John, acting as agreed and pretending he didn't know us.

“Could you two accompany me?,” He continued. “It's for an important procedure. I believe it was mentioned in the booklet you received.”

Behind him were six other people: A boy with mint green hair, a redhead with pale skin, a girl with blue hair and eyes, a girl with lynx ears and tail, Gregório and Ozul. So Erina and I weren’t the only ones who received the announcement.

I looked at Erina a little afraid. As much as it was my brother calling me, the nature and mysterious intentions of the statement still worried me. Erina nodded. At least she seemed to be confident and that made me a little calmer, because I know she's strong enough to protect both of us.

Both Erina and I chose to follow John, along with the other students, to wherever he would take us.

I didn't talk to any of the other students along the way. Even though Ozul was there, I remained silent. To be more exact, everyone was quiet too. There was a tension between us so strong to the point that no one had words to say. John guided us walking in front of us, with his back turned to us. At no time did he turn to look at us.

John had taken us to a construction that reminded me of a warehouse shed. Using a key he took out of his pocket, John opened the locks and opened the large door.

“Come in,” He ordered, with a distant voice.

Even with the shed door open, its interior was still as dark as pitch. We all looked at each other, wondering if we should obey him. John was already inside with his hand holding the edge of the door. The darkness of the place made him looked a bit scary. He stared at us motionless. It was clear that the only choice we were given was to enter the shed and so, contrary to our fears, we entered with short steps.

John closed the door behind us, leaving us in complete darkness. By instinct, we approached each other as far as it was physically possible. John cast a spell mentally, making a small ball of light appear in his hand, which he made float above us. Despite this kindness, he still seemed to be indifferent to the fear of his students.

“Thank you all for coming here,” He said as he walked in front of us. “I know you may be afraid. Don't worry, you're not at risk of death.”

I swallowed dry. There is no risk of death, but what about other risks?! Why is my brother acting like that? As much as he was now in his teacher persona, his behaviour is still strange!

For safety, I got closer to Erina and stood behind her, holding her hand. She looked very concerned. As much as she was confident before, John's behaviour was also scaring her.

“Now I shall start the procedure...”

John looked at his own hand and then looked at us with a threatening and cold look. Before we could have a proper reaction, John made a quick cutting movement with his arm and shouted:

“Black Out!”

And after that, I don't remember anything else.