The two of them walked through the academy's second-floor hallways.
It was a busy area, well-lit by tall windows and magical lanterns fixed between stone arches.
The sound of footsteps echoed softly across the polished floor, where the dark marble reflected the gentle light of floating crystals that lined the walls like stars.
"Do you always walk like that? All stiff, like you're heading to a funeral?"
Gael asked with a half-smile, walking with his hands in his pockets.
"Why? Do I not look normal?"
"Forget it..."
They reached a central rotunda on the second floor, where three stone columns stood adorned with magical inscriptions. Between them floated a crystal magic mural, spinning slowly like it was alive.
The object glowed in bluish tones, with golden letters appearing and fading in the air. Club names, scores, emblems, rankings. Everything was dynamic, almost hypnotizing.
"Is that... a scoreboard?"
"The Mirror of Merit. They say it updates on its own based on each club's overall performance. The more useful you are to the school, the brighter your name shines."
Rowan watched the floating projection. The emblems moved like little magical holograms. Some showed weapons, others ingredients, arcane symbols, even a cake with eyes.
"There's even a gastronomy club...?"
"There's a club for everything here. Even ones nobody takes seriously. And a few you should avoid even if they paid you."
Rowan frowned, trying to understand the real value behind it all.
Extra points...? Why does everyone care so much about that?
He remembered that Sera and Lyra had received points for helping him reach the academy.
"What are these points for?"
Gael paused for a moment, staring at Rowan like he'd just heard a joke but didn't know if he should laugh.
"You're joking, right?"
Rowan blinked.
"Uh... no?"
Gael let out a muffled laugh, half in disbelief.
"Man... you really got tossed into this place blind. Impressive."
He shook his head slowly, as if both impressed and frustrated.
"Those points can buy freedom. And around here, freedom is everything."
Gael didn't explain it directly, but the look in his eyes said enough. Rowan swallowed hard.
So that's how things work around here...
The academy offered all kinds of privileges to students who racked up performance points. Since everyone lived there and had no access to the outside world, those points were more than just merit—they let you request items from the human world, obtain rare magical tools, and in extreme cases, even get temporary authorization to leave the academy before vacation.
Rowan's eyes lit up at that. What he wanted most was to get out of there as soon as possible.
"So if the group stands out, it earns points... and those points go to the members?"
"Exactly, Rowan... I knew you were a smart guy."
"And you want me to join your club?"
"Well... if you already figured that part out, even better. But it's not like I want you to join our club the usual way."
Rowan paused for a second, confused.
Usual way...?
"Our club is called the Humanoid Interaction Observation Club. It's responsible for collecting and studying human behavior, legends, culture, and social structure. But the members... they've never really lived in the human world. And you're completely different from them. And from me."
Gael then pointed to a lower part of the mural.
There it was. The club name appeared in a smaller font, almost forgotten in the corner of the projection. Only three members were listed, and the score was nearly zero.
Rowan stood still for a few seconds.
A club near the bottom. Few members. But as he kept looking, he also saw clubs that were completely bizarre.
Ethereal Gastronomy Club, Illusory Shadows Club, Bone Crafting Club... compared to those, this one almost looked normal.
And besides... he was human. Maybe his knowledge and understanding of the outside world really could raise the club's influence.
Rowan crossed his arms, thinking.
Gael noticed and spoke in a calmer tone.
"You don't have to decide now. We're looking for a new member. But more than that... someone who can lead. And that's not the kind of decision you make in a day."
"So you guys want someone to be the—"
Before Rowan could continue, Gael suddenly turned around.
"By the way... I need to go."
"Now?"
Gael was already walking away, hurried and avoiding eye contact.
Rowan turned his head, trying to understand why the sudden rush.
That's when he saw the girl approaching.
Her steps were slow, almost lazy. Her platinum blonde hair swayed gently with each step, straight and loose, with bangs covering part of her face.
Rowan looked away immediately. He didn't know who she was, but the way she walked... it already felt like she was the kind of person who attracted trouble without even trying.
'No way... why do people like this always show up when I'm alone?'
He quickly turned to the bulletin board, pretending to be super interested in the clubs like it was the most important thing in his life.
She stopped right next to him.
Even without looking directly, Rowan felt her presence.
The kind of aura that made everything around seem a bit quieter. Only then did he dare glance sideways.
Three hoop earrings in one ear, another one clipped to the cartilage, and a ring piercing right below her nose. Small details, but they made her presence even more striking.
Rowan swallowed hard.
'I shouldn't judge by appearance...'
She stood there like she was looking at the board, but something felt off.
"~Hmmm... all these clubs are so boring..."
Her voice was soft, dragging a bit, like she was talking to herself. Still, it was loud enough for him to hear.
'Please just go away...'
Rowan froze. Still pretending he was studying the rankings.
'I'll just get out of here.'
He took a step to the side and started walking really slowly, like he didn't want to make a sound. He had seen this kind of person before.
The lazy walk, the look that ignores the world, and now she was right next to him.
Everything about her screamed trouble.
But then, before he could sneak away...
"Are you planning to join the same group as that idiot?"
Her voice was firm, direct.
Rowan stopped instantly. He slowly turned toward her, starting to answer calmly.
"Uh... he told me about the club, but I still don't know which one I should pick—"
He turned fully.
And flinched.
She was right up against him.
Way closer than he expected.
Her face just inches from his. Her eyes locked on his, cold, analyzing every detail. One a deep red. The other an intense blue.
Rowan froze.
'Damn... heterochromia...'
To him, that was a warning sign.
In every novel or weird story, people with eyes like that always meant trouble.
She kept staring.
Then leaned in.
"Fuuuuh..."
The soft sound of her breath brushed against Rowan's neck.
She sniffed him.
Rowan took a step back, his face turning red instantly. Shock and embarrassment hit him at the same time, like someone poured a bucket of ice water down his back.
'She sniffed me?'
The thought blinked in his head like an alarm. He stared at her for a second, eyes wide, not sure if he should run, apologize, or just fake a fainting spell right there.
"Your scent... it's really different..."
She said it quietly, like she was just thinking out loud.
Rowan was still frozen, hands slightly raised, his expression stuck somewhere between panic and complete shutdown.
'No one's ever sniffed me like that... is this normal here?'
"What do I want from you?"
She brought a finger to her lips like she was really thinking about it, a faint smile forming at the corner of her mouth.
"Hmm... not really sure... I just wanted to check where that nice smell was coming from."
'Nice smell?? Is it because I'm human?'
She took a step forward.
Rowan felt his heart start racing again.
Her body heat seemed to radiate in the short distance between them. When her eyes dropped to his chest, he thought she was finally going to back off.
But she didn't.
She raised her hand to his chest, and instead of grabbing his shirt, her fingers slid gently along the collar, like she was brushing off some invisible dust.
Rowan froze, muscles tensed up.
'Is she messing with me? What kind of interaction is this?!'
She tilted her head closer. Her lips got dangerously close to his ear, like she was about to whisper something.
Rowan quickly stepped back, his whole spine tingling. He almost tripped over his own foot.
His face was on fire, thoughts completely scrambled.
'Is she trying to embarrass me?'
She didn't say a word. It looked like she was just enjoying the way he reacted.
Klaaang... Klong... Klong...
Then the school bell rang loudly through the halls.
She slowly looked up, letting out a lazy sigh.
"Tsk... right now?"
Rowan was still recovering when she casually turned around, adjusting her uniform like nothing had just happened.
"I'm at my limit for absences in this class. One more and they'll start giving me trouble."
She took two steps, then paused, glancing back over her shoulder with a soft smile that didn't match the tension she had caused seconds ago.
"We'll be seeing each other a lot."
And she disappeared down the hall with the same calmness she arrived with.
Rowan stayed right where he was, frozen.
'I need a calming potion...'
He just stood there, trying to process everything.
====
◆ Character Sheet – Azura ◆
➤ Age: 17
➤ Height: 1.69 m
➤ Race: ??? (possesses an unstable aura and heightened sensory perception)
➤ Class: Student from Class A
➤ Appearance: Straight, platinum hair with bangs that cover part of her face. One eye is red, the other blue — a rare and striking trait. Wears three hoop earrings in one ear, one extra on the cartilage, and a hoop piercing below her nose.
➤ Likes: New sensations, provoking unexpected reactions in others, challenging social boundaries
➤ Dislikes: Long silences, overly loud people, unnecessary explanations
➤ Personality: Intense, provocative, and mysterious. Azura speaks little, but everything she says feels calculated to leave an impression. She acts naturally in situations that would make most people uncomfortable. Her presence is magnetic and often confuses others about her true intentions
➤ Trivia: Has an extremely keen sense of smell. She can detect unique traits about someone just by their scent, and seems to rely on that more than logic