Chapter 91: First Day of School

Chapter 91: First Day of School

September 1st, 2089

Terras POVFollow current novels at novelhall.com)

Today is the long awaited first day of school. Kira and Veronica were so excited that they didnt sleep at all last night. And since they didnt sleep, neither did I as we passed the time with our usual nighttime activities. Terra! Are you ready yet? We dont want to be late! Kira called out as I finished putting on my uniform. Rin, having refused to be left behind, had decided to merge with me as a tattoo so she could come along to school. Jeez, Kira. Relax, we still have an hour until school starts! I replied as I finished and stepped out into the hallway.

Kira was fidgeting in front of the door and it felt like she was a racer waiting for the start signal. Veronica stood beside her calmly, although her ears were flicking about, signaling her own excitement. Both had their schoolbags and supplies and they were looking exceptionally cute in their uniforms. Its a good thing that I updated their illusion magic artifacts to make their looks different from before.

Its best to start with a clean slate, especially since Kira now has contacts in the underworld who know what her previous illusory appearance looks like. I made sure to make them look ordinary, with no remarkable features to speak of. No one would call them ugly, but neither would they call them pretty. I have enough on my plate as it is, killing horny high school boys that hit on my girls would be a pain.

Alright, lets go. Yes! Hikari was outside, having patiently waited for us to emerge. We walked together to Reijis place to pick him up. Our talk yesterday seemed to have invigorated him enough to come to school today. The magic artifact I gave him helps soothe mental trauma. It cant heal the trauma, but the magic makes it easier to cope with. I also know that at least 65% of his desire to go to school is because he wants to see Kira. He truly is obsessed with cat-girls. But upon hearing the reality of the situation, he agreed to restrain himself. Nevertheless, I chose to demonstrate just how potent my fire magic is to reinforce the Yes Look, No Touch policy about Kiras cat appendages. And so, Reiji has been gifted an additional enchantment to his wristband that lets him see through the illusion artifacts.

Morning, everyone! Reiji skipped out his front door right when we arrived. Hey Reiji, allow me to reintroduce you to Kira and Veronica. Kira is the blond cat-kin, Veronica is the silver-haired dark elf. Ladies, this is Reiji from the anime expo. Kira gave a cheerful wave, while Veronica gave a small nod of acknowledgement. Reiji had a broad smile on his face as he politely responded Im Reiji Okamura! Please take care of me from now on!

With the introductions over, we proceeded to school. I had used my magic beforehand when enrolling Kira and Veronica to ensure that all of us were in the same class together, that way Hikari and I could keep an eye on Kira and Veronica to make sure nothing happens.

I know Im breaking my self-imposed rule to minimize magic usage here, but my stealth casting has improved to the point where a wizard could be in the next room and not notice. Besides, keeping a low-profile on magic has kind of become a lost cause with a band of demons now roaming around.

Kira and Veronica split off from the group to meet with the homeroom teacher before class, while the rest of us headed to homeroom 2-7C. I took my usual seat in the back corner of the room, Reiji took the seat directly in front of me, and Hikari took the seat to my right.

Elves in the other world were among the weaker species based on raw physical strength, but they compensated for it with excellent agility, dexterity, visual acuity, and hearing. These characteristics give elves a natural advantage in archery, fencing, and other such activities. These traits also happen to align extremely well with basketball. I saw her eye the basket with her extraordinary elven eyesight, while shifting her grip on the ball. She went into the shooting motion and smoothly launched the ball, resulting in a short, crisp swish as she made the shot at a half-court distance with ease.

Woah!!!! The spectating half of the class cheered as the opposing team just stared at Veronica. My attempt to contact her via telepathy to cut off what I knew was going to be a basketball clinic failed, as the other team turned the ball over almost instantly after inbounding. The ball bounced over to Veronica, who was again far beyond the 3-point line, and she picked it up and shot it without hesitation. It flew in a perfect parabolic arc and another crisp swish sounded out in the gym.

I was half-tempted to freeze everyone in the room and perform a memory wipe before the memories got too embedded to remove easily (Note to self: work on a better way to wipe memories). I instead chose to settle for telepathically warning Veronica as originally planned. But of course, it was at this time that my migraines chose to return. Splitting pain radiated in my head, I smelled blood and burning flesh mixed with floral undertones, tasted the acidic aftertaste from vomit, heard metal-on-metal clashing, and saw hazy black images in front of me.

My poker face held, but I was in no condition to intervene as Veronica proceeded to demonstrate why she was considered a sharpshooter even by eleven standards by not missing a single shot from anywhere on the court. 2-pointers, 3-pointers, free throws, and half-court heaves all ended with the same swish. The game ended on a mercy rule with Veronicas team winning by 35 points. The unknown girl on her team approached as they left the court.

Due to my ongoing migraine, I was unable to hear what they talked about. My migraines only ended as Veronica approached me with a large (for her) smile on her face. Haruko asked if I would like to join the girls basketball club. Apparently, its a gathering where they play this entertaining pastime all the time. I accepted. You were right, Terra. I think that I found my fit. Veronicas outpouring of words showed that she was really excited about finally making some connections at school.

I promptly forgot any irritation I had at failing to stop her as I returned her smile with one of my own. Good to hear. Just be sure to tone it down a bit. Aim between 40 and 50% accuracy from now on, okay? I got a nod from Veronica as she understood my point. It was now my turn to get out on the court with Kira, Reiji, and two other guys Ive seen before but whose names I never bothered remembering. The game was going on and I gave it the usual minimal effort. The worst of the migraines was over, but I still had a lingering headache. This distracted state of mind is what I blame for what happened next.

One of the unknown guys attempted a lob pass to me down in the post as I was fronted by a shorter player. He screwed it up, sending the ball flying higher than intended. It was going to overshoot me and go out of bounds. I was too distracted by my headache to notice and adjust, so Reiji decided to yell to get my attention Minato!! UP!! I looked up, saw the ball headed near the rim and thought what any American person who watched the NBA would think. Alley-oop. I released from my defender, took a few steps, and jumped. My two hands extended to grab the ball and I then proceeded to slam the ball through the hoop with authority as I descended.

There were various gasps of surprise and awe after I landed, and Reiji ran towards me. The fool was yelling That was so cool! and decided that the best way to celebrate was to do a chest bump with me. I declined by dodging said attempt, allowing him to fall onto the floor. Why was I concerned about this idiot being traumatized again?

One of my nameless male classmates tried to approach me, likely to recruit me for the basketball club, but I gave him a glare that promised death, despair and general unpleasantness should he dare try to disturb me. He scurried away, leaving me to deal with the rest of the class who started crowding me to ask about my athletic display. Apparently, the awe from the play was enough to overcome the general intimidating aura that I exude to keep people away. Help! I dont know what to do with this many people in my personal space that arent trying to kill me! I must have made an amusing face during my discomfort, because Hikari, Kira, and even Veronica were all giggling at my misfortune.

The bell finally rang, signaling the end of class and of school for that day. We hit the showers, got our things, and left. So how did you like school? Hikari asked Veronica and Kira on our walk home. I cant wait to go back! Kira exclaimed. Yes, it was very entertaining. Especially when poor Terra was mobbed at the end. Veronica deadpanned. All the girls and Reiji (who looks enough like a girl to count as one) laughed at that as we walked home. First day is done, only the rest of the year to go.