Luncn ended faster than Fifi expected as the bell rang loudly.
All the students quickly stood up and rushed toward the gymnasium.
Liora also stood up, stretching her arms over her head. "Time for the main character to show up."
"Okay, okay, just do as you like, Liora," Zara muttered as she fixed her uniform.
Fifi grabbed her bag and stood up. "Let's go before it gets crowded."
The three of them then rushed toward the gymnasium with the rest of the class.
When they arrived, Fifi's eyes widened a little. "Whoa..."
There were already so many students gathered there.
Some of them were pacing around, thinking about their own awakening, while some others were either praying or too panicky.
Fifi, on the other hand, was calm. Instead she was a bit curious, so she turned to Zara. "Zara... how do we awaken?"
Zara folded her arms calmly, thinning. "I am not sure, but the teacher will explain soon later."
Right on cue, the principal walked in, and the students instantly quieted down.
He walked onto the stage in the front before turning around and looking at the students.
"The awakening ceremony will now begin, and I'll tell you how you all will awaken."
He pointed toward a large machine standing near the center of the gym.
"That machine will soon release a special mana wave that will stimulate your body and force your talent to awaken."
All of the students began to whisper again to each other.
"Will it hurt?"
"What if nothing happens?"
Fifi, on the other hand, felt her heart beating even faster than before.
The principal looked at the students and tried to calm them down.
"Just stand still and wait. Do not panic, as this process won't hurt, and it is completely safe."
Liora heard what the principal said and whispered to Fifi. "Why do people always say those words before something scary happens?"
Fifi frowned upon hearing what she said. "Don't jinx it."
Before anyone could mentally prepare, the principal directly pressed the button.
The machine quickly hummed loudly, and a soft wave of glowing light spread out across the gymnasium.
Fifi's eyes widen in surprise. "Hey! We aren't even ready yet!"
But what could she do? It already happened, so she could only try to awaken.
A strange tingling sensation quickly spread around from her chest to her fingertips.
All students around her also felt the same thing and quickly gasped.
"I feel something!"
"It's working!"
One by one, students began to shout excitedly.
"I've awakened!"
"Me too!"
Liora also opened her eyes and shouted out loud. "The great Liora has awakened!"
Zara blinked a few times, moving her fingers before nodding slowly. "Me too."
They both turned to Fifi, was still closing her eyes, and after a moment, she opened her eyes.
She smiled as she looked at her own body. "I've awakened too, but why can't I feel what talent I awakened?"
Before she or anyone could celebrate or think about it more, the principal quickly said out loud.
"Congratulations. All of you had awakened, and let me tell you something."
He looked around at the students who had the same dumbfounded look.
"You all must feel that you don't know your talent, but don't worry. It will take, usually at the longest, twelve hours for it to appear clearly inside your mind."
All the students then realized it and understood what the principal was saying, so they stopped trying to sense their talents.
The principal nodded and then continued his speech.
"For now you may go home, but before you go home, I'll need to tell you something."
The students quieted down, wanting to hear what important thing the principal would say next.
"Tomorrow, the school will distribute a free beginner beast to each of you."
The entire gym became noisy again, as it was a free beast. Who wouldn't want a free beast to contract?
But before they could become excited, the principal raised his hand.
"Before you get too excited, I need to tell you that to get it, there is a condition."
The noise quickly died down as the principal continued.
"You must declare your awakened talent to the school so we can give you the most compatible beast."
Whispers quickly spread around the students, and one of them quickly raised his hand.
"Principal, you know how important it is to keep your own beast-taming talent a secret, so what if we don't want to reveal it?"
The principal only smiled faintly. "Then I'm afraid that you won't be able to receive the school-provided beast."
A few students frowned, but he continued.
"However, do not misunderstand. If you choose to declare your talent to us, the information will remain strictly confidential."
He clasped his hand behind his back, and his face turned serious.
"It will only be recorded within the school's private system, so it will not be disclosed to other students or even other teachers."
The tension eased slightly, and the students were now thinking should they do it or not.
"Should we tell them?"
"It's a free beast, though..."
Everyone was weighing the risk and reward, and on the other hand, Fiif lightly tapped Liora's arm.
"Let's go. We already awakened, right? We can think about the talent and stuff later."
Liora blinked. "Go where?"
"To the cafe, obviously," Fifi replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"We will do some girl talk after this, right? Of course, we need some good snacks and drinks to accompany us for a good girl talk."
Liopras immediately grinned. "Now that sounds like a good idea."
Zara shook her head, but there was a small smile on her face. "I know a new cafe nearby. It's cheap and delicious."
Fifi's eyes lit up. "Cheap and delicious? Perfect. Lead the way, Zara."
The three of them slipped out of the noisy gymnasium together while the students behind them were still arguing about what to do: tell or not.