Private Academy of Morgana…
"Alright, we're here," Hara said, holding up his arms like he was saying, 'Ta da!'
Hiori smiled awkwardly as he looked at the unusually tall man doing an awkward stretch normally impossible for someone his height. After a moment of silence, Hiori finally opened his mouth, "Is this where I can learn magic?"
The school in front of him looked no different than any normal high school in a residential area, maybe it was slightly more spacious, but the difference was so small Hiori wouldn't even notice.
Hara nodded, before wrapping his arm around Hiori's shoulder and leaning in, "This is the Private Academy of Morgana, Tokyo… It's not the most appealing school at a glance, but you'll get used to it."
Hiori twitched from the contact and shifted away, his eyes trembling, fearing something would happen.
"She might kill you if you get that close to me," He muttered as he pulled his hair, the skin on his scalp ripping slightly as a small trail of blood leaked down to his ear, "She's everywhere, don't get close to me… Please don't…"
"Don't worry, to normies I'm invincible, there's only a certain few who could even injure me," Hara said confidently as he got close to Hiori again, who closed his eyes.
Suddenly, a menacing aura erupted from behind Hiori as the sounds of Tek… Tek… echoed louder than everything around, even when they were in open space.
"Please, Hina… He's friendly, you don't have to kill him." Hiori whispered as he heard the ominous sounds.
"Well, well… We certainly have a rather tricky situation on our hands, an alternate version of the curse Teke-Teke, huh?" Hara said as he let Hiori loose, his hands curling slightly like he was preparing for combat.
"It's alright, Hina…" He kept whispering as Hara took another step back, noticing that the curse wasn't anything to laugh at, although he knew that he could easily dispose of such a curse, it didn't mean something as fear upon as Teke-Teke wouldn't have the slim chance to kill him.
"Are you sure, Hiori-kun?" The curse spoke with a gaping mouth, its sharp teeth gritting as it opened its mouth.
Hiori nodded, then the curse slowly drew back, disappearing into the void in Hiori's shadow.
"Thats something new… Didn't know something that strong could have a connection with a human…" Hara said as he scratched his head, "Ahh— It wouldn't be nice for anyone if they had to feel the constant pressure of that curse next to them, especially students…"
"So would you kill me now?" Hiori said glumly, his eyebags dragging as he blinked, almost like he had already accepted his fate.
"That'll be the only place that could ever accept such a powerhouse like you…" Hara muttered as he slowly thought to himself.
"Then there you would go," Hara's voice rose as he took his phone from his pocket and typed something into a text.
"The advanced program, it is."
***
Hara slid the Japanese-style door apart, the sound of clashing wood sounded softly with a light clack.
"Hihi!" Hara said enthusiastically, clapping his hands as he entered the room, "Might we get a quick round of applause for your strong and handsome teacher?" He continued jokingly with a bright smile on his face.
Three pairs of eyes quickly turned to Hara.
"Tsk—" One clicked his tongue before turning away after a glance, clearly done with the sort of shows Hara does.
Nagi Fujimoto, semi-class 1 magician, 17 years-old, a descendant of the Fujiwara clan, and a wielder of the clan's inherited unique technique, 'Puppeteer'.
Another held her hand up high as a greeting, her mouth blowing a piece of bubble gum that popped as she said, "Yo." coolly.
Saki Ito, class 2 magician, 17 years-old, parents are non-magicians who had flux ingrained but weren't strong enough to truly use their hidden ability, her innate ability, 'Cursed Detonation'.
"As cheerful as ever, I see," The last one said, slapping the table as he chuckled.
Alexander Ikeda Brown, still unclassed magician, 16 years-old, a half-American, half-Japanese boy who developed an innate technique on his own, which manifested when he was 14, when he first moved back to Japan, he was faced with a class 3 fiend which he killed with quick succession gaining the notice of the magic society, his innate technique, 'Grandeur's Smithing'.
"Alright then, I guess we're all here," Hara said again, his tone continuing in the cheery musical tune.
"Well, I don't expect any of you guys to be late, after all, you all are in the advanced program…" Hara said under his breath.
"So!" He raised his voice again, like he was demanding attention.
All three students' gazes instantly turned to their teacher, who stood before the blackboard, his arm held out to the door as if he was presenting something.
"We welcome a new transfer student today! Round of applause… Dun— Dun— Dun— Come in now…"
The three pairs of eyes turned to the door as a crushing pressure entered the spacious classroom; even with almost 30 open spots, the room still felt more cramped than ever before.
All three students were instantly alert, their eyes widening, jumping back as they felt the intense amount of overflowing flux that leaked into the surroundings.
"Oi, oi," Brown said seriously, his voice deepening as he felt the growing intensity in the flux flowing in the air, flipping his dreads off his face, his muscles tensed up and were infused with his flux, "Are you testing us today or what? What's this monster, a curse? A fiend?"
Time seemed to slow as Hiori's foot first set into the classroom.
Every tick of the clock above the blackboard sounded louder than before, a dead silence.
The air was still.
A gust of wind blew by, the leaves of a tree rustled.
The students' breathing hitched.
Ito's tongue twisted in her mouth, wrapping around the piece of gum as she slowly rolled it into a bullet shape and infused it with her flux.
Fujimoto's eyes widened as he lowered his base, getting into a combat-ready position.
Clack— The sole of Hiori's shoe hit the wooden planks on the platform one last time. Standing next to Hara, Hiori dipped his head down and opened his mouth as a fearful, trembling voice came out, "Nice…