Being A Teenager

"Aw, hell nah, I ain't learning shit from you," his monotonous voice resounded in the hall.

"What the fuck is wrong with you? Didn't you come to the academy to learn from the us!?" 

"I did but I am not learning from someone who ain't strong"

"I am a fucking SS+ ranker!"

"That's what I am saying, you are only SS+ranker"

"This little shit. You wanna die or something."

"Bring it on, old man. Let's see if you have the guts to handle the news reporters"

"Fucking bastard..."

Once Laura Spencer, our new homeroom teacher finished telling us about our situation and rules, evaluation methods, and all the other stuff, our theoretical lectures began.

Our theory subjects are Constitutional Laws II, MagiPhysics, Esoteric Equations I, Magical Compounds II, Understanding of Mana/Aura/Demonic Energy, Moral and Ethichs II, Study of Species II, Ethnomagicology, Bio-Magi II, Anatomy of Beasts & Monsters, and Dungeon Structure. These subjects are spread over the entirety of weekdays.

Once today's lectures finished, it was time for our training session and so we found ourselves in the training hall where each of us would receive personalized one-on-one guidance from the instructors who has the same class as us. I said instructors, but most of them were on-duty heroes, and some retired, all of them well-known worldwide.

This academy isn't playing around, huh?

In the beginning, we were all tasked with the same training drill, we all had to run around for about an hour while maintaining a constant speed of 18 miles per hour, while Alyssa and I were asked to run with a speed of 22 miles per hour and Noah was asked to run as fast as he could, failing to do so would result in the termination of our free weekend.

And so we ran, all to protect our weekend.

"H-how the fuck are you okay!? Are you fucking human" Emma huffed trying to catch her breath sprawled on the ground, her body completely drenched in sweat, her clothes sticking to her.

I had noticed it but now it became clearer: the girls in our class are no doubt top-class beauties.

At times like these, I wish I had that stoic face of Noah.

"Noah isn't the only weirdo! You and Alyssa, both are weirdos too!" Aleister complained as he drank huge gulps of water down his throat.

I shook my head as I looked around to see all my classmates sprawled on the ground, my eyes met his blood-colored, he smiled at me and I smiled back as I couldn't help but notice how he didn't seem as tired as others.

I returned my gaze towards the professor. The only ones who weren't sprawled on the ground were me, Alyssa, and Noah.

Afterward, we were tasked with more physical activities that were nothing short of grueling.

Slowly the exhaustion was starting to catch up to me.

Once we were done with our physical activities, it was time for us to receive our one-on-one guidance.

And that's when it happened.

Noah picked a fight with his instructor and from god-knows-where, Elios pulled out his packet of popcorn and coke which he shared with others ...for a 100 AP.

"That guy sure has got balls of steel to be picking a fight with him of all people." 

I couldn't help but wonder why this guy who was supposed to be one of the instructors had joined in watching the scene like a kid.

Well, they do say that old men are no different than a kid.

"Shouldn't you be helping to mediate the situation?" I asked

"If I go there who would protect you? You might not feel it right now because I am protecting you but Koichiro has already released his mana pressure. We might all be SS+rankers but Koichiro is stronger than us, of course, I am only talking about one-on-one. If we gang up on that old man, he would be Swiss cheese. Anyway, the point is, I know what I am doing kid"

"Are you serious...?" Allen gasped and so did our other classmates as they looked at Noah with awe and fear.

Noah seemed okay for someone facing the mana pressure of an SS+ranker.

"Totally. Your friend is amazing to be not feeling even a little of fear despite facing an SS+ranker if anything he is treating Koichiro like shit. Damn, is it satisfying to watch." He munched on his popcorn enjoying himself.

"He isn't our friend" Allen replied looking away from him.

"Really?" He said nothing else, no questions about why or advice that we should try to become friends.

It wasn't soon after that Noah started walking away along with Koichiro, straight towards the office of Regis Randolph, the academy's headmaster.

The moment, they were both gone, Allen posed a question.

"Alright, which one of you fuckers snitched?" At first, I was confused but I soon realized what he was referring to.

"Like anyone's gonna come out and say it, dumbass." It was Lucy who said those words out loud while shaking her head as she started walking towards her instructor.

"What's her deal?" Allen asked, his face scrunched up.

"Leave it, man, let's just go along with this training and go back to the room. My body's all sore already." Aleister said as he tapped on Allen's shoulder.

"Today's the first class, most likely introductory, they would probably talk about how we use our skills, aptitude, and class. Let's finish it up fast" Lisa said walking towards her instructor and following her everyone started moving as well, and Allen seemed to grumble a little.

There were a total of 18 instructors left in the hall and a total of 20 students, I found myself a bit confused, after all, everyone had a different class in our class.

But that confusion was set off easily when one of the instructors came forward and told us that Alyssa and I would find our respective instructors in different training halls.

Emma and Aleister shot me a questioning look but I simply shrugged as I moved out of the hall.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Took you long enough"

When I heard that I would be training in a separate training hall I had expected her but even so, I couldn't help but be surprised.

"It really is you," Before I had left for the academy she had told me that I would be on my own for a long time since she had some business to take care of and they wouldn't contact me.

"Are you not happy to see me? Do you want to train with those old wrinkly folks that much?" 

"They are all SS+ rankers"

"And so am I, still young and a charming beauty," She said giving me a wink, to which I couldn't help but scrunch my face.

"Such acts sure don't suit you," I said but there was no denying it—Jane for all her haughtiness is dangerously charming, she was also most likely the reason why I hadn't been affected much by the girls in our class or when I first saw Laura Spencer.

She had long flowing slightly curly hair that resembled the blue night sky, complementing her cyan-colored eyes that exuded an air of arrogance.

For a human to become an SS+ranker, it takes them their entire lifetime to reach that stage and no one can escape their aging process. So, even though humans can achieve a high-ranked charm of around SS rank, it's still when they have mostly become old and reached the end of their lifespan and thus all they end up embodying is a demeanor of dignified elders.

In the end, people just don't become enchanted by that beauty, although they do end up feeling ultimate respect in their graceful presence where they seem to exude a refined and timeless elegance.

But then, there come exceptions—people who reach the realm of SS+rank while still young, Jane Delvecchio, the woman standing in front of me is one such exception.

I slightly shook my head before speaking up.

"Anyways, before we begin I want you to look into something"

"Hm? What?" She tilted her head in curiosity.

"Yesterday, during our duel I am sure something happened. I want you to look into it"

I noticed it after our talk with Vivian, Noah could have ended the duel whenever he wanted to but he didn't, he was prolonging our fight but for some reason, he immediately changed, he went for an instantaneous attack capable of incapacitating us all.

It could be that the creature that Marianna summoned was the reason Noah decided to change his mind because of the uncertainty of its power but...

He proceeded with an attack that broke the barrier, I am sure it wasn't the barrier itself but something past it that he was aiming for but I didn't know what since the fog surrounding me at that time dimmed my vision.

"Heh~ So you aren't a complete idiot then, that's nice to know" She scoffed.

"You know about it, don't you?" I couldn't help but raise my eyebrow.

"Someone was trying to temper with the artifact, if it succeeded then any deaths inside the barrier wouldn't be reversible. You would have died for sure. In that regard, Noah sure saved all your lousy asses" She shrugged.

...

It took a little while to register her words. I could feel my face turning into a sour expression at the fact that I could have had died.

I shook my head lightly as I looked at her, she twisted the cap off of the bottle, bringing it to her lips she took a long sip, swallowing it slowly. Once done, she pulled the bottle away, the remnants of the water lingering on her soft, smooth lips, brushing it aside with the back of her hand as her lips parted in a subtle sigh.

Noticing my gaze she looked at me, her eyebrows arching but then slowly her eyes gleamed as her lips turned into a mischievous grin.

I couldn't help but feel nervous seeing that expression of hers.

"Oi, you... you are sexually aroused, aren't you"

"I am not!" I denied the accusation just as fast as I was accused.

"Before coming here you were doing physical exercise with your class, weren't you? So, that's how it is. I have looked up your class and I gotta say, your class sure consists of beauties and handsomes, still nowhere near me but they are good. Which one's got your eye." She grinned 

"It's not like that! I just told you!" 

"Aw, don't be embarrassed it's okay. I get it, I get it. You haven't had any contact with the gender of the opposite sex except for me for these last 6 years and you weren't ever exposed to sexual stuff either, getting too much sexual exposure in the last class must have been crazy for you. It's great that you at least understand your emotions."

I couldn't help but keep looking at the ground as I felt my face burning with embarrassment.

"My, oh my, I never thought someone's face could turn completely red like a tomato but I guess it can! Do you want me to leave the room, to you know... rub one out." I could feel her voice dripping with amusement.

She is enjoying this.

Damn it.

I really wish I could have that stoic face of Noah.

"Can we just stop!? There are some serious matters we should be talking about, right? For instance, this matter of someone trying to temper with the artifact!? How did they even enter? What was the academy doing? And why was this someone trying to do whatever they did?" I asked trying to divert the topic. I felt like defending myself would result in nothing but me being more embarrassed.

And besides, I need to focus on the important stuff, I need to forget about the images of the other girls of our class that were replying in my head.

This is a serious, no time to be thinking about stupid stuff.

Splurt!

"Agh"

I let out a groan as I stabbed my thigh with the sword.

"Well, that's one way to deal with sexual arousal" She shrugged as she leaned back, her hands on the small circular pedestal table, her hips pressing against the edge of the table.

"Grr" I pressed the sword in my high a little more "You are doing it on purpose, aren't you?" I growled.

"I don't know what you are talking about" She crossed her arms against her chest, the clothes pressing against her breast, accentuating the curves.

Damn it! I never bothered with it before!

So why now!?

Tch, a normal stab wouldn't do? This type of injury was nothing to me.

I pulled out the sword from my thigh and turning my sword horizontally, I sliced my thigh halfway through.

"Agh..."

I bit my lip as the pain coursed through my body then without waiting for it, I pulled out an Elixir from my dimensional bracelet. I have a total of 10 Elixirs and I can't believe I am using one of them by doing something so stupid.

I used my teeth to pull open the cap of the vial and then threw the liquid on my injury, an intense burning pain seared through my thigh as the wound started to close itself up.

"Haa... haaa~"

I couldn't help but let out the breath of exhaustion as my body became drenched in sweat through the sheer pain that I felt.

"Let's talk now shall we" I said as I looked at her, brushing aside the mopped hair sticking to my forehead.

"Have I told you before? I like that guts of yours" She said with a wicked grin on her face.

This bitch...