First and foremost, I need to gather as much intel on Cassius as possible. Considering Ophelia told me to steer clear of him it must mean there's something unusual about him, besides being allegedly part demon that is.

As I wrote down all of the gossip, I had collected on Cassius so far, I was interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat. Looking up, I came face to face with a handsome blonde-haired boy.

"You're new, right? It seems like you're my lab partner for the semester." He remarked cheerily with a graceful smile.

Looking around the room, it seems that everyone else was already partnered up. Except for Cassius who was conducting his lab experiment all alone in the corner.

"Seems like it..." I mumbled. The boy quickly sat down next to me as he extended a friendly hand toward me.

"I'm Oliver by the way." I eyed his hand momentarily before reluctantly shaking it.

"Vana," I responded snappily, hoping that this with deter him from engaging with me further.

Since I wasn't interested in making small talk with the boy, I returned to writing in my notebook as Oliver got started on the lab experiment.

According to what Ophelia has told me, everyone avoids Cassius like the plague. They all fear him as a consequence of his heritage...

However, when I look at Cassius, I don't see someone I should feel threatened by. If anything, he seems just like your typical introvert.

As I continued to stare at Cassius intently, the sound of bubbling could be heard. Eventually, the pressure became too much as the glass flask Oliver was using had suddenly shattered into a million pieces.

I looked at him in alarm knowing full well that this was my doing. I really need to learn how to control my powers! "Oops." That was all I could manage to say. My mind had gone blank.

Oliver picked up a nearby towel and proceeded to clean up the workbench. "Don't worry about it, it's fine." He said reassuringly.

Oliver slowly stopped cleaning as he turned to face me with intrigue once more. "How about I stay after class and help you repeat the experiment?"

Repeating the experiment? That gives me an idea! "That's a good idea..." I mumbled to myself as I walked away from Oliver. "I'll be sure to do that!"

As I made my way towards Cassius' bench, he hesitantly looked up to face me. I cleared my throat before standing upright with a huge smile plastered across my face.

"Cassius, you seem to know what you're doing with this experiment. So, I'd really appreciate it if you helped run me through it after class!"

Everyone audibly gasped at my words. Even Oliver was left standing there completely flabbergasted as he didn't anticipate me turning him down for assistance.

Sensing that all eyes were on us, Cassius scanned the room before looking up at me with apprehension. "Are you sure you want my help?"

Just as I was about to nod along, I found myself being pulled to the side by Ophelia. "What are you doing??? Hanging around Cassius is practically social suicide!" She explained in a hushed voice.

"Relax. I know what I'm doing." I snuck a glance back at Cassius who had already returned to writing in his notebook. "Don't you feel kind of bad for him? He's all alone..."

Ophelia blinked in disbelief before shaking her head stubbornly. "No! Because he's an evil demon! Besides..." Ophelia turned to look at Oliver pitifully. "Are you really going to turn down Oliver Vanderwood's help?"

I looked at Ophelia blankly before awkwardly rubbing the back of my neck. Ophelia was quick to catch onto my ignorance of Oliver, so she sighed before deciding to enlighten me on the matter.

"Not only is Oliver a rare light magic user, but his family is so wealthy they could probably buy a whole country!"

Oh my, he's not just your average case of rich. But the silver spoon type of mega-rich! It must be nice to be so privileged... I swear if this were a light novel that would make him the OP hero who saves the day without fail!

"People would kill to be in your shoes right now. So, you can't pass up on hanging out with him!" Ophelia persisted as she shook my shoulders.

Meh, Oliver has nothing to do with my mission so there's no point in concerning myself with him. If anything, he's just a hindrance. The only person I need to get in the good books with is Cassius!

Once class was over, I kept true to my word and stayed behind with Cassius. I was given a few stares as my classmates left the classroom, one by one, but it didn't faze me in the slightest.

If anything, I just perceive them as background characters. The public opinion simply doesn't faze me in the slightest!

"You're quick to catch on," Cassius remarked as he watched me add the solution to the beaker.

Haha, it's good to know that I'm a natural learner! And here's me thinking science wasn't my strong suit!

"You think so?" I asked jollily. "I suppose it's easier when you're not overthinking things. But I really need to learn how to control my powers, don't you agree?"

Cassius nodded along stoically. "When one is overwhelmed with strong emotions, they tend to lose control of their powers." Cassius asserted.

He looked at me sadly before darting his eyes to his notebook. "Which is why it's probably for the best that I keep to myself. It would be bad if a demon like me went berserk with his powers..."

I felt my heart break listening to Cassius talk about himself. "So, the rumours are really true, huh..." I mumbled.

Cassius looked up at me shamefully. "I'm afraid so. The only reason they allow me to attend this school in the first place is out of fear."

Cassius started to dig his nails into his hands. "You see, my father's side of the family are all-powerful demons."

As Cassius hung his head down low, I went to gently touch his shoulder. As soon as I made physical contact with him, he looked at me with wide eyes before bursting into tears.

"I'M NOTHING BUT TROUBLE, RIGHT? SO THAT'S WHY NO ONE WILL EVER LOVE ME!" He wailed.

Oh boy. It looks like I just opened a whole can of worms...