I was woken up by my noisy clock the next morning. I sat up in my bed and looked out of my window. It was a hot and sunny day. I collected my thoughts and repeated what I learned the day before in rune class.

I was eager to try out rune magic. I focused my mana into my fingertip and started writing in the air. The next moment, puff and it was gone. I didn’t exactly know why I failed, so I tried again and again.

“I can’t focus enough. On the other hand who could ever focus on such a hot day?”(Me)

After 5 or 6 times, I gave up. Perhaps I searched for an excuse, or perhaps that was the real reason I failed. I stood up and left my room. If I couldn’t concentrate, I couldn’t practice magic, because of the heat I would just kill myself with physical training and because I had nothing to do I was bored.

I walked through the corridor and went to Takeshi’s room. I had high hopes that the blabbermouth could entertain me for some time. The answer was no. It wasn’t that he couldn’t, he was simply not in his room anymore. Or he was sleeping. But if he was sleeping, he definitely didn’t breathe, because I could hear nothing out of his room.

I walked downstairs and before I left the save shadows of the dormitory and went outside into the suns domain, I thought about where I should go or what I should do.

“Hmm. What should I do?”(Me)

My fetish of talking to myself when I was alone was showing again.

“Takeshi isn’t here, plus I have no idea where he could be. The other students are in class, probably. Going back to the black continent isn’t possible at the moment, also if I’d return before a months’ time, I would look like an idiot. And training in this heat will kill me for sure, so what should I do?”(Me)

I looked around, right, left, up and down to search for anything I could do.

“Guess that only leaves going to class as my last option.”(Me)

I headed to my classroom. On the way there, I would eventually stop in the shadows of some trees, in order to take shelter from that heat.

“Why does it have to be so hot?”(Me)

I asked myself, while I stuck out my tongue. Luckily I only had a few more meters to go until I reached the large school building. And when I reached it I was relieved to be temporarily released from the heat of that damn scorching sun. I reached my class and knocked on the door. I wanted to at least ask for permission to enter by knocking.

I heard some steps so I only waited in front of the door. The one who opened the door wasn’t Amelie, my homeroom teacher, but Sakura.

“Was it too hot for you to do nothing?”(Sakura)

She asked jokingly. We went inside. I saw that all my classmates were scattered around in the classroom. No one was sitting on his seat and there was no lesson.

“Sure it was. By the way where is Amelie?”(Me)

“She had to attend an important meeting and said that until she returns, we have to do self-studies.”(Sakura)

I was thinking for a moment. I had no plans in staying in class if there was no lesson. My goal was to kill time and my boredom.

“Hmm. Do you perhaps know where that meeting is?”(Me)

“It’s probably in the hall. That’s the place where all meetings, ceremonies and so on are held.”(Sakura)

The hall. The hall… Where was the hall again?

“Sigh. If you want I can guide you there. I have nothing to do anyways.”(Sakura)

Did she just read my thoughts? Or perhaps she just saw an expression which told her that I have no idea where the hall is. Whichever it is I have to be careful, her intuition is really good.

We left the classroom and went downstairs.

“By any chance, do we have to leave this building?”(Me)

“Yes, sure we have to. The hall is another building. But if you are worried about that, I have good news. It is right next to this building.”(Sakura)

I could just smile at that. I tried to talk to her again while we continued on our way to the hall.

“What do you think of Takeshi?”(Me)

“Huh? He is a good friend why do you ask?”(Sakura)

Immediate reply, dammit.

I tried to tease her a bit, but it didn’t work out at all.

“If he is such a good friend, do you by chance know of places he likes to go to? I looked for him in the morning but couldn’t find him.”(Me)

“The only other place beside his room would be the little pond near the central park of the academy. He really likes sleeping there. Sometimes though, he just disappears and we only see him after a few hours again. I have no idea where he went and he won’t tell anyone.”(Sakura)

That was something interesting. I told myself that if I was ever bored again in the future I would stalk Takeshi to find out where he was going to, while he “disappeared”.

We left the main building through the west exit and from there, I could see the hall. It wasn’t a building which would catch someone’s eyes. It was a plain looking house with a flat roof. The only things which would, were some small paintings on the facade of it.

“In general, it is forbidden to listen to meetings of teachers, so it isn’t a wise choice to stand in front of the front door. I would advise you to go to the back side of the building and try your luck there.”(Sakura)

“You talk like you would leave me now. Aren’t you interested in what those teachers are talking about?”(Me)

“I am, but if you get caught, you could even be expelled from school.”(Sakura)

I didn’t really have a problem with being suspended or even expelled because I already achieved my goal for coming here in finding and befriending Takeshi.

“Ok then. Thanks for guiding me here Sakura.”(Me)

“No problem.”(Sakura)

She turned around and went back to class. I followed her advice and went to the back side of the building and searched for a safe place to hide in should someone come.

When I arrived at the back, I saw a familiar face. He tried to hide in a tree in the last second. He probably forgot to check his surroundings and fled in the last second he could.

“Don’t worry Takeshi I am not a teacher.”(Me)

He came down from that tree.

“Sigh. Don’t scare me like that. I almost thought that I would be expelled from school now.”(Takeshi)

“Does it matter to you that much?”(Me)

“Yes it does.”(Takeshi)

“Hmm. So what are they talking about inside?”(Me)

He was looking at me in an anxious way.

“The dark continent is becoming active.”(Takeshi)