Rowan and Gael were walking through the halls of Meridiana Academy. They had just left Professor Elthrea's class.
Gael was beside Rowan, talking nonstop, gesturing like he was about to show off the best place in the world.
"I'm telling you, man, you're gonna love it... The club's kind of a mess, but it's got potential. You'll see!"
Rowan followed in silence, hands in his pockets, keeping a neutral expression.
'Is he this happy just because he dumped the headache on me?'
Rowan still had no idea what kind of trouble he was getting into.
'Why do I have such a bad feeling about this?'
"..."
"...."
"Here it is... Welcome...!"
As soon as Gael opened the door and they stepped into the club room, an eraser flew toward them.
It all happened so fast.
Rowan reflexively closed his eyes.
....FWSSHH—CLACK!
Gael deflected the eraser with a quick swipe of his claws, slamming it against the wall where it hit and dropped with a dry thud.
'What the hell was that?!'
"You're late again, you idiot!"
The voice came before the figure appeared, but as soon as the red-haired girl showed up, a kick was already flying at Gael.
WHAM!
The impact was muffled by Gael's hand as he caught it like it was just part of the routine.
Rowan took a step back, startled by the welcome and still hearing the echo of the hit in the air.
"Relax, Emilie! I was bringing our new member!"
She spun out of his grip and landed softly on the floor, crossing her arms and giving Rowan a sharp look.
"This idiot?"
"Hey, Emilie, don't say that. He's gonna be our leader from now on."
She stared at Rowan with suspicion, arms crossed even tighter, clearly not a fan of the decision.
Gael sighed and rubbed his forehead.
"Rowan, this is Emilie. She's the one I told you about."
Emilie had a sharp bob cut, deep red hair that reached her neck.
There was something subtly animalistic about the way she moved.
The way she stepped lightly made it seem like she was always ready to attack or bolt at any moment.
'He told me to be careful with her, but I didn't expect her to be completely insane...'
"And that's Finn."
Gael pointed to the back of the room.
It was the same skinny guy Rowan had bumped into twice before. His glasses were slipping down his nose, and he stood with a shy, hunched posture.
"Ahh, so you're Finn... I didn't get a chance to apologize for the other times."
Finn raised a hand with a nervous smile.
"No need to apologize... I was the one being arrogant..."
"Wait, you're apologizing to this guy now?!"
"Why don't you shut up."
Finn shot back at Emilie with a scowl, which even surprised Rowan.
"What did you say, you little punk?!"
And just like that, the two started arguing like annoying siblings fighting over a seat.
'What kind of mess did I get myself into...?'
****
After the chaos settled and Rowan introduced himself, the group decided to put together a simple article about monster and human interactions.
It was Rowan's official first day in the club, and they were already behind on multiple submissions. They couldn't afford to go big.
Everyone gathered around the table, scribbling down ideas in a rush, throwing out random comments between half-formed sentences.
Emilie talked loudly, Finn mumbled nervously as he took notes, and Gael tried to keep things under control with a kind of desperate enthusiasm, like the club was some kind of revolution about to unfold.
Rowan just watched silently, trying to understand how he ended up there.
The worst part was the content of their ideas about humans...
'How did they end up in a club about humans and monsters if they don't know a single thing about humans?'
Rowan picked up the papers with article suggestions.
Each one was worse than the last.
"Why do humans sleep so much if they don't regenerate mana?"
"Study on why humans only have one heart."
'From what little I've studied, most of you have only one heart too, you idiots...'
"Can humans detect magical smells? They have noses, after all."
"Comparison between tails and hair: humans don't have either in a visibly useful way."
'...They really can't come up with anything interesting?'
"..."
===
4:30 in the afternoon.
Rowan was walking alone through the hallways, heading back to the dorm.
He was exhausted.
In the end, he had to come up with a decent article all by himself and write it too.
If he had internet, things would've been easy, but the academy felt stuck in time.
Since the day he arrived at Meridiana Academy, he hadn't had a single moment of peace.
'I'm really tired... I think I'll take a shower and rest before dinner.'
"That girl is seriously crazy..."
"Hmmm... what girl is crazy??"
Rowan flinched a little when he heard the soft voice behind him.
The girl had appeared without him noticing. She had a charming smile and a playful look in her eyes.
It was the same girl with the earrings and piercing Rowan had seen in front of the mural a few days ago.
'Her again? Where did she come from?'
"Come on, tell me... who's the crazy girl that messed with you?"
"What do you want from me?"
"Wow, so cold..."
'I'm not falling for your little games again... I still have my pride as a man.'
"You got close to me and act like we're best friends, but I don't even know your name."
"Hmmm~"
She let out a soft, cute sigh.
"You're so mean, Rowan... I'm sad you don't remember."
'What's her deal...? Did she even tell me her name last time?'
Without hesitation, she grabbed his arm and started walking next to him like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Rowan blushed slightly, a chill running down his spine.
"Where are we going?"
"We?"
"Yeah..."
"I'm just heading to my room to take a shower before dinner..."
He tried to pull away gently, but she squeezed his arm tighter.
"Alright, then we'll go together."
'Together?!'
At that moment, Rowan remembered what his friend Ethan would say in a situation like this:
This is fine...
'That's exactly what will go through my head if I let her walk into my room...'
"Sorry, but I don't think that's—"
Before he could finish, a cold voice cut through the air.
"...Rowan"
"Sera??"
She was standing right in front of them.
"Didn't we have something planned?"
Planned? When? He wondered.
'Don't tell me she's talking about Professor Myrren's assignment?'
She hadn't scheduled anything. She just said they'd do it together and walked off like it was obvious.
Sera was staring at them...
Azura watched the scene with a little smirk and, not missing a beat, pulled Rowan even closer, pressing against his shoulder.
"Sorry, but he's a little busy right now... with me."
"Hey... it's not really like that..."
Sera said nothing. But her eyes locked straight onto Rowan.
That steady, piercing gaze... it felt like she was seeing right through him.
'Shit... now it's my fault??'
Then her eyes shifted to Azura.
"Azura, do you seriously have nothing better to do right now?"
"What do you mean? I'm already doing something. Can't you see?"
"All I see is a nuisance."
Azura let go of Rowan's arm with an exaggerated sigh.
"You're so cold, Sera... I thought I could enjoy the moment, but you showed up."
She began to walk away.
"Alright... alright... not like I won't get another chance..."
But before leaving, she stopped beside Sera.
"You felt it too, didn't you?"
Then she whispered something into Sera's ear.
Rowan couldn't hear it.
Azura smiled and walked off like she had just won some little battle.
Sera stayed still for a moment. She looked visibly bothered, her gaze a bit lost.
'I don't know what that was, but it clearly got to her.'
Rowan wasn't dumb enough to ask what Azura had said, but he was curious. What could possibly shake Sera like that?
"What are you doing? Didn't we have Professor Myrren's report to finish?"
Her voice brought him back.
"Oh, yeah... but I was thinking of stopping by my room to take a quick shower first."
'Goodbye, little break...'
Rowan sighed internally.
"Ugh... fine. You have one hour."
'Huh??'
That was the moment Rowan realized two things:
First: Sera was really bossy.
Second: she had no idea how male showers worked.
===
◆ Character Sheet – Emilie ◆
➤ Age: 17
➤ Height: 1.63 m
➤ Race: ??? (has wild features and enhanced reflexes)
➤ Class: Class B-07 Student
➤ Club: Humanoid Interaction Observation Club
➤ Appearance: Red bob-cut hair, intense eyes, and an agile build. Her stance resembles a feline about to pounce — light, precise, and always ready.
➤ Likes: Arguments, fast-paced fights, provoking reactions, staying in control
➤ Hates: Delays, direct orders, people who pretend to be something they're not
➤ Personality: Explosive, intense, and impulsive. Emilie speaks her mind and acts before thinking, but shows a sense of loyalty to those she sees as part of the group. Despite her aggressive attitude, she's attentive and committed to the club.
➤ Trivia: Emilie's disciplinary record already fills two pages. One for aggression. The other for "intimidating facial expressions in neutral environments." She considers it an achievement.
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Thanks for reading — see you in the next chapter!