Storm Wolf: Tranquil waters - 40. Chapter 9 - Academy 9.3

Shards of the transparent cube scattered in every direction. Many shattered further upon hitting my passive defensive circle, while others were intercepted with a sharp sound, indicating they had been blocked by some sort of barrier.

Releasing my consciousness, along with the adamantine in my hand, I checked myself for injuries. Pressing my palm to ease the ache, I felt relieved that this reckless move hadn't caused any serious consequences.

A projection appeared before me, displaying what looked like a list. The list scrolled down quickly, stopping at the bottom, where my name appeared, followed by a number--zero.

Wait, what does that mean?

Scratching my ear, I tried not to let the curious stares around me overwhelm me with an embarrassing amount of awkwardness.

I noticed Master Sunflare getting up, looking quite pleased. As he left, everyone automatically made way for the towering dragon.

Among those avoiding him were other dragons as well, sparking my curiosity. But I decided to shelve that thought for later and refocused on the chaos before me.

The room was littered with transparent shards, some embedded into the walls. While surveying the damage I'd caused, I noticed a door that hadn't been there before. It was probably my way out.

I certainly had the urge to disappear from everyone's sight immediately, but there were still some things I needed to finish first.

Scanning the room once more, I extended my domain and took control of the shards of the transparent cube, suspending them in mid-air. With my mind, I gently touched and enveloped each one.

There was no way I could understand such intricate designs in such a short time, but if it was just a matter of putting the pieces back together, that was no problem. I inspected the edges of each shard, matching the ones that fit, and began reassembling the cube. Rotating the growing transparent structure in front of me, I wrote new commands to record the features of the shards, speeding up the process.

Before long, the transparent cube was fully reformed. I placed it back on the platform where it belonged. Then, I tapped its surface, feeling the junctions where the shards met and reconnecting the crystal lattice, repairing its internal circuits.

It wasn't particularly difficult--just following the original pattern--but when I finished, I felt a deep sense of satisfaction. As a final touch, I made a few gestures, dividing the adamantine back into twelve spherical segments and placing them on the central platform.

The commotion in the stands made me feel like bowing for a grand finale, but the sight of numerous massive antlers reminded me of Kotetsu senpai's advice, so I held back. Apparently, I had a bit of a showman in me.

Shaking my head to dismiss the stray thoughts, I prepared to head for the exit.

But at that moment, the same searing heat that nearly set me ablaze washed over me again. Instinctively, I turned to find Master Sunflare glaring at me with his fiery, golden-red eyes--he no longer smiling.

"Impressive." Kotetsu senpai stood with his arms crossed, leaning against the wall, looking over at me. "Who trained you?"

"Uh... Qana." I scratched my ear, quickly glancing around the small room he had just stepped into. "Qana Snow." There was no point in hiding it any longer, so I figured it was better to be upfront.

"Winter of Europa?" He whistled, raising an eyebrow. "That's quite the legend. Some of the records he set still haven't been broken."

"Oh," I nodded, thinking it made sense. A sword master like Qana would definitely be the kind of figure to make waves. "Qana doesn't really talk about that stuff much."

"There have been cases before where psychics received training before being recruited by the Academy," Senpai straightened up and gestured for me to follow. "But none of them were at your level."

"I had a good... teacher?" I tilted my head, wondering how accurate that statement was.

"No, it's more than just that." He made a vague motion in the air, seeming slightly excited. "Do you know how many people still alive have successfully broken a 'Touchstone'? Just nine. They're all Alpha-level psychics." He pointed at me. "You're the tenth."

"Qana more or less told me..." I muttered, not wanting to come off too... arrogant? "He was pretty sure I'm Alpha- level."

"I imagine everyone here today knows that now too. But they probably didn't notice the real highlight." Senpai's voice became distant, a little detached. "You repaired the Touchstone. Until now, everyone believed only Darkfang, its creator, had the ability to do that."

This was the second time I'd heard that name. I should probably look into this person at some point.

"How did you do it?" Senpai turned to look at me, his expression... complicated. "It almost looked like an entropy reversal..."

"Isn't that supposed to be impossible?" I raised an eyebrow at his comment. "I just mimicked the structure of the original crystal, reconnected the lattice." I hurriedly added an explanation, not wanting to cause any misunderstandings. "It was just copying an existing template--nothing too difficult."

"Nothing too difficult..." Senpai repeated quietly, and I could feel the tips of my ears growing hot. "As if you're saying reaching out and plucking a star is as simple as stretching your arm far enough."

"Sorry... I didn't mean to sound like a jerk..." But no matter how I phrased it, I really did sound like one. "I just... wanted to explain." I noticed that deer ears droop down in situations like this, and it made me feel even guiltier.

"No, I'm not blaming you. Talent is just that way sometimes." Senpai offered a faint smile, his tone soothing. "It looks like we'll be seeing each other in class."

"Oh, well..." I scratched the back of my head, noticing the hair around there seemed to be thinning alarmingly fast during this whole conversation. "Please... I'm looking forward to it?"*

Senpai's response was a hearty laugh, followed by a sudden slap on my back. This time, I was prepared and didn't jump.

"I'm certain you're going to become the target of every faction's recruitment efforts--one way or another." Absentmindedly, he fingered a pendant around his neck through his clothes. "In that regard, I'm afraid I can't give you any advice. There are... conflicts of interest." He shot me a sidelong glance.

The dangers that come with power, huh... I thought, realizing that diving headfirst into the unknown often meant crashing into things you'd never dreamed of encountering. In this case, faction politics were about to hit me like a freight train. I might need some time to adjust from being unwanted to becoming a hot commodity.

"But if a Master takes the initiative to approach you before a mentor is chosen, I can at least share with you some... inside information that's already public knowledge." He gave me a sly smile, winking. "Including all the juicy, scandalous gossip."

"Uh..." I searched my mind for a polite way to make it clear I had no interest in gossip. "Sounds... interesting." Wait, that doesn't seem right.

"For instance, do you want to know why Master Minsan only mentors female cadets?" Senpai's excitement was clearly not going to be quelled. "At first, no one noticed. And even when they did, they didn’t believe it..."

For the rest of our conversation, I practiced my social skills, trying to master the art of polite but successfully declining offers without offending anyone.

Before the dormitory's sliding door opened, I already sensed something off. The air was buzzing, like it was scratching against my eardrums.

But I hadn't expected at all to see my roommate floating mid-air, his short hair standing on end, eyes and mouth wide open in terror, frozen like an insect trapped in amber, completely motionless.

The next thing I noticed was Gray Snow, hovering in front of him. His fingertips touched the sword's scabbard, both of them suspended in weightlessness, creating a... rather symbolic scene.

I shook my head hard, brushing off what I suspected were Gray's thoughts creeping in. I stepped forward, trying to figure out how to handle this.

Qana had said that adamantine absorbs the energy waves of psychics, which triggers all sorts of effects, so the solution should be simple: break their connection.

I expanded my consciousness, pulling Gray Snow into it, and summoned my hand-and-a-half sword into my grip.

The process encountered no obstacles; the two immediately separated, and the buzzing in the air vanished at the same time.

As I held the scabbard, I gently supported the terrified deer, carefully lowering him to the ground.

While hanging Gray Snow back on the hook that extended from the side of the bed, I silently thanked my luck that nothing catastrophic had happened. I should have noticed his overly curious behavior, but I never thought this deer would touch my things.

"You alright?" I crouched beside my roommate, who still looked like he was in shock.

"You told me that was a sword." His gaze was unfocused as he spoke slowly.

"Oh, right, yeah, it's a hand-and-a-half sword," I said, not trying to hide anything. "But Gray Snow's made of adamantine, so it's a bit different from an ordinary sword."

"Adamantine?" The deer turned his head, locking eyes with me. "Does it have anything to do with that sphere from the recruitment test? And why does it have such a fantastical name?"

"Yeah, it's the same material." From what I saw during the test and what the seniors told me, I could guess how the recruitment test was carried out. "I just know adamantine interacts with psychic abilities and creates all sorts of special effects. No idea why it's called that, though." I realized I'd never really questioned it. "Maybe because it's supposed to be like an indestructible, diamond-hard substance?" Honestly, what even is adamantine? It looks like metal, feels like metal, but it's a world apart from actual metal.

"I've been able to... see things, ever since I was a kid," the deer hesitated, perhaps wondering if I'd react with shock. He glanced at Gray Snow again and continued. "When I touch something, sometimes with effort, I can see its... memories. The same goes for people... occasionally."

"Oh, you can sense ripples in the time dimension!" I said in an enthusiastic tone, unable to hide my excitement as the tip of my tail swished against the floor. "Qana mentioned that herbivores attuned to mental waves are more sensitive to this kind of thing!"

"Uh... I suppose so." He seemed unsure how to respond to my excitement. "Anyway, I was still upset about not performing well in the graduation exams when, one night, out of nowhere, this group of people just showed up, along with Mr. Fujiki."

That must be how the council operates. Acting like they own the entire universe, showing up wherever they want, whenever they want.

"My homeroom teacher," the deer clarified, as if that would help me understand who he was talking about. "They suddenly dumped all this stuff on me about the truth of the world and my potential or whatever. But I can barely remember what he said because, with him, there was also a... hyena, and that made it really hard to focus."

The deer's voice sounded uncomfortable, and I could only imagine how overwhelming it must have been for him at the time. To be honest, trying to imagine life in different factions was already tough enough, let alone across different planets and political systems. If Master Takahashi suddenly appeared in front of me, spouting surreal nonsense, how would I react? Actually, I might be able to empathize with this deer's experience after all.

"That's not important. What matters is that silver-white metal sphere they gave me," the deer shook his head vigorously, pulling himself back to the present. "They said it was adamantine and that it was my recruitment test. After I took the sphere, I saw all sorts of incomprehensible images--mostly of some creature with lots of bright red eyes... monsters." He glanced at Gray Snow again. "But nothing compared to what I just saw now."

The tremor in his voice made it hard to tell what emotion he was trying to convey. I followed his gaze, curious about what memories the hand-and-a-half sword might hold, considering it had just been forged. Would it reveal how Qana managed to create a complete adamantine weapon?

"What did you see?" I asked, my curiosity piqued at the possibility that he might have glimpsed the secret of crafting such a weapon.

"You'd think I'm crazy." His brown eyes focused on me, but quickly darted away.

"Try me." I smiled. "I've been able to control the water in my fur for as long as I can remember." The deer gave me a puzzled look. "It makes drying off really efficient!"

He stared at me for a while, probably trying to figure out if I was joking or not.

"A monster," he finally said, keeping it short. "An indescribable... monster."

From the way he avoided my gaze, I could tell he wasn't being entirely truthful. I'd seen that same expression too many times on wolves who recognized who I was--a clear desire to change the subject.

But I didn't press him. I trusted that he had a good reason for not wanting to share his real thoughts.

"Well... alright then." I stood up, extending my right hand to him. "Sorry for the trouble."

The deer gave me a somewhat confused look, staring at my hand without moving.

I had no idea what to do, so I just kept my hand out, waiting for a response.

Why wasn't he reacting?

Was it some sort of cultural thing with Federation members, where they care a lot about seniority? But according to Kotetsu senpai, we were equals, right? Or maybe it's because I'm younger, so I shouldn't be the one initiating, and it's a dignity** issue? But there's no way he could tell I'm only sixteen just by looking, right? I'm not particularly short, either--pretty average, I'd say. Could it be a political thing? Like, in a democracy like the Federation, they value personal freedom more, and me offering my hand was somehow invading his personal space? But all I wanted to do was offer a friendly handshake! Or maybe it's because I'm an imperial lackey and he doesn't even want to touch me? And the fact that I'm a gray wolf, part of the royal family... the root of all evil, unforgivable! But do others really understand what being a gray wolf even means? Or could it be because I'm a carnivore and didn't follow some strict protocol for interacting with herbivores? But Kotetsu senpai didn't seem to have any such issue. He interacted with the beagle without any awkwardness! Then again, Kotetsu senpai did mention time was limited, so maybe this just isn't important, or maybe he didn't expect me to have a deer as a roommate? Speaking of which, if herbivores and carnivores interacting is this awkward, why would they put us in the same dorm in the first place? Could this be some kind of administrative oversight, or maybe my name was added at the last minute? Or perhaps it's something much simpler--this deer just finds me weird and doesn't want anything to do with me.

I had no idea.

At least, thankfully, time didn't seem to be dragging on endlessly.

The deer finally reached out his right hand, grasping mine as I helped him up.

I silently breathed a huge sigh of relief, though I tried not to show any signs that might betray my thoughts. Except, perhaps, for my tail, which couldn't help but start wagging.

"Have you had lunch yet?" I asked, taking advantage of the moment as he adjusted his clothes. I was sure Kotetsu senpai wouldn't mind if I brought someone along. "Want to join me? My senior invited me to the lobby in the residential area. We have about ten minutes." I checked the time on my terminal.

I got another of those raised eyebrow looks, his large brown eyes scrutinizing me as if a thousand thoughts were flashing through his mind.

"Sure," he finally shrugged, making up his mind.

As we walked side by side toward the lobby, a strange feeling stirred in me, and my tail wagged even faster.