The sudden tornado was apparently caused by a newly appointed senior teacher.
Unaware of such a rumor spreading, I was pleased that my first day had gone surprisingly well.
"Aoi-san, you look happy."
"It's self-praise, but I think I did well on the first day." I smiled
Eliza laughed in response. "Yes, Strass-san also said you did well. After fire and wind, there’s water and earth. Perhaps you'll come to my class tomorrow."
I nodded at Eliza, who looked delighted, and ate the pasta with minced meat. Although it looked brown and heavy, it was surprisingly light and delicious. The salad and bread were also quite tasty.
I enjoyed the meal in the dormitory while chatting with Eliza.
The morning sunlight streamed through the window. I turned over in my soft bed and gradually became aware of my surroundings.
The room resembled a luxury hotel room. From the window, I could see a landscape dotted with Western-style castles and spires, reminiscent of a world heritage site.
While gazing at the somewhat surreal scenery, I sat up. Perhaps the tension from yesterday had worn me out, so I had slept remarkably well.
I drank a glass of water in my sleepwear, washed my face, and changed. The feel of the smooth underwear and the crisp uniform made me feel more relaxed.
When I arrived at the dining hall, Eliza was already there.
"Good morning!"
"Good morning."
We exchanged greetings and had breakfast together. Despite the unusual addition of a meat pie to our bread and vegetable soup, it was surprisingly easy to eat in the morning.
When we reached the academy, Famous was waiting at the entrance. "Good morning. I have a message from the principal. Konominato-shi, you will observe Ord-shi's intermediate water magic class this morning. In the afternoon, it will be Eliza-shi’s earth magic class. That's all."
With that, Famous left.
"… I don’t know where the classroom is." I wondered if that was harassment.
Eliza hurriedly pointed to the back. "Intermediate water magic is at the end of this floor! Go straight down the right corridor. Ah, let's have lunch in the school dining hall. I'll be waiting for you! See you later!"
After explaining, Eliza ran off.
In no time, I was alone. Without any means to check the time, I wondered if I might be late.
Looking around, I noticed that the floor was deserted.
"Right corridor, at the end," I repeated Eliza's directions and hurried to the destination.
However, the academy was too big. Just getting to the end of the corridor took a significant amount of time.
As the faint chime signaling the start of class echoed, I opened the classroom door. "Sorry, I'm late."
As I entered with an apology, all eyes, students and teacher alike, turned towards me.
The one standing at the podium was the beautiful, blue-haired young man I had met on my first day at the academy.
"... It's you. I am Speyside Ord, the teacher of this class."
After a brief pause, Speyside frowned. "The tornado that suddenly appeared behind the school building yesterday was likely the special-grade spell called [Hurricane Vortex, Aerial Gaze]. Was it your magic?"
Speyside's words caused a commotion among the students.
I shook my head to deny it. "That was a modified original spell based on an intermediate spell. It's not special-grade."
Speyside's eyes widened slightly, and the students exchanged glances.
A student said, "I am Cote Hedge Butler, a third-year senior student. Creating an original spell is already an impressive skill, but modifying an intermediate spell to the special-grade level is hard to believe. Could you please explain?"
The student spoke with a gentle tone, but strangely, his words made everyone fall silent.
The student had pinkish-vermillion hair, was around sixteen or seventeen years old, not very tall, and slender but not frail.
I nodded at Cote's words and held out my hand. "This is a water magic class, so let me demonstrate water magic…"
I showed them the original spell I had demonstrated to Glenn and Strass.
The classroom became noisy, and Speyside looked at me with a stern expression.
On the other hand, Cote nodded with interest. "… Excellent."
For some reason, Cote's words were clearly audible.
After that, Speyside resumed class.
The class was simple yet got the point across. While there were some roundabout explanations in some places, everyone could understand.
I observed quietly until the end, and Speyside concluded the class smoothly.
I see. This was how teachers conducted classes here.
As I was about to leave the classroom with that thought in mind, the student named Cote walked over to me. "Aoi-sensei, are you heading for lunch?"
"Yes, I plan to eat with Eliza-san in the dining hall," I answered.
Cote smiled kindly and nodded. "Would you mind if I joined you? I'd love to learn more about magic."
Since I couldn't refuse, I agreed.
"Huh?! Cote-kun?!"
Eliza's first words in the dining hall made Cote smile awkwardly.
"W-what's wrong? Did Aoi-san do something again…?"
"I did nothing," I replied, feeling offended by her words.
Cote smiled wryly. "A new teacher demonstrating an original spell equivalent to special-grade is not not nothing."
Eliza put her hand on her head and laughed dryly. "… Aoi-san, you’re already the talk of the academy. Creating an original spell takes years of research. It's a remarkable achievement."
"I didn't think I'd stand out."
"Of course, you will… Well, what's done is done, so let's try to keep a low profile from now on, okay?"
"Understood."
Eliza sighed with relief and nodded.
"Good. Now, let's eat." Eliza smiled brightly.
The meal began, and I enjoyed the dishes laid out in front of me. This time, it was cutlets, salad, onion soup, and bread.
The academy always served delicious meals, which made me very happy.
Eliza looked at me with a complicated expression. "… Aoi-san, isn't the attention bothering you? I feel like running away right now."
I looked away from Eliza, who was munching on bread despite her words, and glanced around.
The dining hall had a high ceiling and many skylights, giving it a spacious and open feeling. But at the moment, it felt oppressive.
This was because, since we sat down, we had been the focus of many stares, mostly from female students.
"I'm aware, but I'm not bothered." I looked at the likely cause.
Cote had a troubled smile.
"I'm sorry. I usually eat in a private room, so they're probably curious," Cote said jokingly.
Eliza’s face twitched.
"I think it's because Cote-kun is very popular with the female students…" Eliza murmured with dry laughter.
Later, I heard that Cote Hedge Butler was the heir of a great noble family in the Cote Highlands Federation, one of the Six Great Nations. He excelled in both academics and athletics and was known for his exceptional friendliness among the noble children.
Thus, in this academy full of noble offspring, he was regarded as a model student.
The sight of Cote eating with someone in the dining hall was extremely rare and became a big incident among female students.