The girl in the first desk in Shinazu’s row stood up elegantly, turned sideways smoothly as all the class was behind her.
“Myself, Minara Hinokami…”
Minara?
oh the princess is there?
Shinazu’s eyes darted forward at the familiar name.
“…You can all feel free to call me just Minara,” the princess said with a warm, radiant smile that instantly illuminated her features.
“I am seventeen years old, and I have successfully awakened Wind, Wood, and Light magic.
I am really looking forward to becoming great friends with all of you.”
She is very humble for a princess.
Shinazu wondered.
As she concluded her introduction, her blue eyes naturally drifted toward the back row, landing on Shinazu who immediately looked away, staring fixatedly at curtains in the side.
“Just as elegant and charming as the rumors say,” Kana-sensei noted with an approving nod.
“You are very beautiful, Minara-san.” The girl beside her said.
Minara just bowed gracefully in response and sat back down.
“Next, please.” At Kana’s call the girl beside Minara stood up immediately.
“Amane Mizuhara.
I am fifteen, and have frost magic.
Nice to meet you all.” She said and Kana nodded her with a smile to sit down.
The introductions began smoothly, moving desk by desk as each student stood up to speak.
“Kousuke Hinokami.
Sixteen, and I have awakened Water and Earth magic.”
“Miyuki Shijo.
Fifteen years old.
I have awakened Wind and Fire magic.” He adjusted his rimless specs with a pride grin.
“Saki Fujimoto.
I am sixteen years old, I hail from the Hokuto, and I possess Water and Earth magic.
It’s nice to meet you all.”
“Hayame Hinokami,” the charming prince stood up, offering a polite bow that caused Amane to stare at his striking looks.
“I am very glad to meet you all.
I am seventeen years old, but certainly not old.
With my Fire, Wind, and Lightning magic, I look forward to helping you all however I can.”
“Quite humble and kind, aren’t you, Hayame-kun?” Kana said with a faint smile.
“Not at all, sensei.” Hayame placed a hand over his chest and dipped his head respectfully.
“I am merely another student eager to learn from your guidance.”
Kana gave an approving nod and looked at the second desk in the second row.
“Tokito Shiranui.
I am sixteen, and I possess Frost magic.”
“Kaito Kurose.
I am sixteen years old, I have Metal magic, and I am as strong as steel.”
“I am Seina Seirin,” the girl beside him stood up, her posture regal.
“I am fifteen years old, and I possess Water and Poison magic.”
“Soshiro Seirin.
I am sixteen as well.
I have awakened Wind and Lightning magic, and I am strictly here to be the absolute best.” His announcement carried a stark undertone of pride.
He was the prince of the Seirin Kingdom.
“Next.”
“I am Haruka Hinokami, Prince of Hokuto,” the arrogant youth announced, puffing out his chest.
“I am sixteen years old, bright, dazzling, and thoroughly charming.
I possess Fire and Poison magic.”
Who praises themselves being dazzling?
he is not even a girl!
Shinazu thought.
“Haruka-kun,” Kana immediately intervened, her sharp voice cutting through his smug demeanor, “While I praise your cheerful nature, allow me to remind you that this is an educational academy, not Hokuto, nor is it your royal palace.
Within these walls, you are all simply children who are here to study magic.
Many others in this very room hail from prestigious royal families, yet they carry themselves with humility, So please refrain from using titles such as ‘prince’ during our sessions.”
Haruka’s face flushed with deep embarrassment under the public scolding.
He quickly sank back into his seat and looked away toward the wall, acutely aware that his classmates were staring at his egoistic display.
Few other royals giggled at his embarrassment.
“Please continue,” Kana instructed, waving her hand.
“Souma Takamine.
Sixteen, and I have Earth magic.” Souma wanted to say more about his noble status, but made it brief after witnessing the public humiliation of the prince beside him.
“Kojin Seika,” the prince of the Seika Kingdom sneered, a confident grin crossing his face.
“Sixteen years old.
With my Fire and Metal magic, I am here to trample over all of you.
Heh, heh, heh.”
Even Kana twitched an eye at his weird and boastful introduction, “Kojin-kun, It wasn’t your turn.”
“Huh?” Kojin looked confused and turned sideways, while Seina snickered at his dumb expression.
Kana let out a sigh, Troublesome Kids!
She simply waved her hand, “Anyways sit down and continue from there.”
The young girl beside Kojin stood nervously, “Ko…
Koyo Seika,” she stammered slightly, her voice low, figure small, slender and petite.
“I am fifteen, and I have Fire and Glass magic.” She sat down quickly and quietly.
“Next!”
“Tenzen Tenryu,” the tall prince stood up firmly, his voice sharp, loud and clear.
“from the Tenryu Kingdom, I am seventeen, and I possess Frost and Metal magic.
It is a pleasure to meet you.” His icy cold blue eyes and bold demeanor adorned his princely aura.
“Fubuki Tenryu.
Sixteen.
Water and Light magic.
Thanks for having me.” In comparison to her brother’s height, she was barely two thirds as tall, yet her words still held an authoritative royal tone.
“Yukina Yukishiro, sixteen, from Seirin,” a cheerful girl offered with a bright grin.
“I possess Water magic and my own sweet smile.”
Guess everyone here is older than me.
Shinazu thought
Kana gave her a smile back and looked at the next person.
“Ryuga Raizen, from the North-West Kingdom of Tenryu,” A muscular, broad shouldered boy stated.
“I am sixteen, possessing Lightning magic.” His smug face wanted an acknowledgement for awakening Lightning Magic.
But everybody just kept staring at him.
“Ryuga-kun, Do have something else to say?” Kana asked.
“Nothing,” He immediately sat down, embarrassed and Seina snickered.
Finally, it was the turn of the girl sitting directly beside Shinazu.
She stood up gracefully, smoothing her uniform.
“Akira Hinokami.”
The confident, clear tone drew Shinazu’s attention instantly.
His head snapped up at the familiar voice, his eyes locking onto his desk partner.
It’s her…
He froze, his eye entirely fixated to her face.
“Akira Hinokami,” she continued smoothly, entirely unaware of his internal crisis.
“Sixteen years old, and I received Frost, Lightning, and Light magic from my Ascension ceremony.
Thank you.”
She has that rare triple affinity?
The whole class was awestruck including Kana.
She finished her statement, and as she began to lower herself back into her seat, her intense golden eyes shifted slightly to the side, catching him staring at her open-mouthed.
Their eyes locked for a fraction of a second, and Shinazu instantly whipped his head away, staring down at his empty desk space.
How the heavens did I end up getting a seat right next to her?!
Suddenly, the vivid memories of the previous day flooded his brain in a chaotic rush, the quiet garden, the soft, warm touch of her palm against his forehead, and the bouquet of flowers he had accidentally proposed with.
His ears turned a bright, radiating red.
His heart rate spiked dangerously, and he felt as though his soul was actively leaving his physical body.
She is literally a royal princess!
What am I even supposed to say if she asks me about the flowers?!
She’s a princess, she will surely eat me alive!
Every single cell in his body screamed at him to break into a light-speed sprint out of the room, but he forced himself to endure, keeping his eyes glued to his lap.
Akira Hinokami…
Princess Akira…
The name repeated in his head like a broken spell.
“Next.”
“Next.”
“NEXT!”
Kana’s firm voice sharply snapped him out of his spiraling thoughts, realizing the entire room was waiting for him.
“Yes, Sensei!” He bolted upright in his seat like a rigid soldier.
Several students chuckled softly at his overly stiff reaction while Akira looked at him with a quiet, discerning look at him from the corner of her eye, a cold gaze he could clearly feel pressing against his skin.
Right.
Just a standard introduction.
Shinazu cleared his throat.
“Aa…”
He stopped instantly, panic seizing his tongue.
In his distracted state, he was almost about to repeat Akira’s name.
“Aa…
what?” Kana questioned, raising an eyebrow.
“I…
I was just clearing my throat,” he said with an awkward smile.
The entire classroom burst into a laughter at his foolishness.
Seina held her stomach “This class is full of clowns.
Guess the next five years won’t be boring after all!”
Kana narrowed her brows slightly, waiting for the amusement to die down.
“Now, if you have successfully cleared your throat, would you mind introducing yourself to the class?”
Shinazu stood as straight as possible,
“Shinazu Tsukuyomi.”
“Fourteen.”
“Fire magic.”
He quickly sat back down, keeping his statement shortest as possible to minimize any further embarrassment.
But his words only piqued curiosity in everyone in the room, and a wave of whispers immediately rippled across the class.
“He’s only fourteen?
He’s so young.” Soshiro thought.
“Just fourteen…
and he only possesses basic Fire magic?
How did he manage to get placed into the first class with us?”
“Does he have some sort of rare, hidden ability?
He can’t have that much mana at just fourteen.”
Curious eyes focused on him and Shinazu only stared at his marble desk, strictly avoiding their gazes.
He already understood how the academy structured its placements.
This classroom was packed with royal heirs, high-ranking nobles, and only three commoners, including himself.
The class had been created to gather students with the highest mana capacities and rarest attributes.
Since Fire was widely considered the most common and basic element, his presence at only fourteen made him an immediate anomaly.
“That concludes our introductions,” Kana clapped her hands together to regain control of the room.
“I am very delighted to meet you all.”
“Same here, sensei,” Amane replied politely from the middle row.
“Thank you, Amane.
Now…” Kana-sensei’s eyes narrowed, her expression shifting into a sharp, calculated grin.
She took a long, dramatic pause, letting the silence stretch across the room.
“…let’s begin your very first test.”
“A test?!
On the very first day?!” An immediate chorus of complaints and groans erupted from everyone.
Kana didn’t flinch or waited for them.
Immediately she took out twenty identical stacks of question papers, feather quills, and glass inkwells from her storage ring, and with a swift wave of hand they gliding smoothly through the air, landing perfectly before each student through her wind magic.
Looking down at the sudden exam papers, the students were left entirely stunned.
“Sensei…” Yukina spoke up, raising her hand, but she was swiftly cut off.
“This is exactly how things are done within the walls of Himetsu Royal Academy,” Kana stated unyieldingly.
“You must always be prepared to face the completely unexpected.”
“Three hours.
100 questions.
Your time officially starts now.” She gestured to the mechanical clock ticking on the wall above the green board.
The entire classroom instantly fell into a dead silence.
Hayame raised his hand, “Sensei, what exactly is the purpose of this test?” His tone calm and composed.
“You will uncover that very soon,” Kana replied with an evil smile, “For now, focus entirely on doing your absolute best, as failure on this exam will have catastrophic results.”
catastrophic results?
Few visibly swallowed hard, Ryuga leaned forward, asking, “Sensei, what is the minimum score required to pass?”
“Fifty out of one hundred.”
The students exchanged tense, worried glances across the columns.
“Answers are not written on each other’s faces,” Kana reminded them coldly.
“The clock is running.”
The reality of the situation sank in and every single one of them lowered their head and began their tests.
Even the most confident and arrogant royal heirs were now deeply serious.