Crestwood Mall was larger than I had anticipated. The sheer size of the building took me aback, its sprawling expanse stretching out with an endless maze of shops and corridors.

Despite the impressive array of stores and amenities, I couldn't shake the feeling of discomfort that settled in the pit of my stomach. The mall was packed with students, their animated chatter reverberating into my ears.

As I maneuvered my way through the crowd, a sense of regret began to creep over me. Perhaps accepting Violet's invitation hadn't been the wisest decision after all. I had never been one for noisy environments, and being thrust into the midst of it all left me feeling distinctly out of place.

This wasn't my element, and I knew it.

Just as I thought I'd voice my misgivings, Violet's arm shot up in a lively wave. Following her gaze, I noticed a group of students seated at a nearby cafe. Two girls and two boys sat at a long rectangular table, their faces alight with anticipation as they returned Violet's greeting.

"Are you guys coming or what?" Violet called out to Nicole and me as she rushed towards the cafe.

"Yeah, yeah..."

For some reason, Nicole didn't seem to share Violet's enthusiasm. If anything, she appeared exasperated. Perhaps even irritated. But why?

Noticing Nicole's head turning in my direction, I averted my gaze and pretended to fidget with my watch. Judging by our earlier conversation, it was glaringly obvious she didn't like me at all. If she caught me staring, I could only imagine how much worse her opinion of me would become. She'd probably think I was a weirdo.

Unless she already thinks that...

"Sorry, we're late, guys. How long have you been waiting?" Violet asked as she approached the table. She wore an apologetic expression on her face.

"Don't worry Vivi... We've only been here for about ten minutes."

The girl who spoke had short pink hair and big brown eyes. Her small frame perfectly complemented her gentle voice.

"Speak for yourself... I've been waiting for over half an hour," a boy with long red hair interjected. Though his tone sounded somewhat accusatory, I also detected a hint of sarcasm.

"Don't listen to him, Vivi... Alex is exaggerating," the second boy said.

Unlike the redhead, who appeared to have an athletic build, the second boy had a slender frame. He had short brown hair and wore round glasses, which seemed a little oversized for his face.

The red-haired boy, Alex, shot a steely scowl at the skinny boy who returned his glare.

"Alright, boys, that's enough!" Violet smiled as she sat between the two boys. It was clear she was trying to mediate the mood.

Nicole, who'd been watching quietly, nodded politely as she claimed the spot at the front of the table. Though she seemed to know who these people were, it looked like she wasn't as close to them as Violet.

As the two girls settled into their seats, I realized I was the last one left standing. To make matters worse, the only seat available was between the two girls I wasn't familiar with.

Crap... What should I do?

For a moment I contemplated whether I should introduce myself before sitting down. I didn't want to appear strange or rude. Besides, I was well aware of the importance of a first impression and I didn't want to screw mine up.

"Uhh, Violet... Who is he?"

The girl who'd been quiet up until now seemed to have noticed me. Her face bore a look of curiosity as she played with the white ribbon on her hair.

As if on cue, all eyes turned toward me.

Okay, this is it! You can do this... It's time to tell them your name!

I opened my mouth, ready to introduce myself, when suddenly, the words evaporated into thin air. With everyone's focus solely on me, a knot formed in my throat, making it impossible for me to articulate even the simplest of sentences.

Oh, no...

Just as I struggled to find my voice, Violet cleared her throat and came to my rescue.

"Hey guys, this is James! He's a first year just like us... Oh, and he's my neighbor."

"Hold on! Did you say, he's your neighbor?!" Alex exclaimed.

"Yeah... His room is right across from mine," Violet replied, seemingly oblivious to the tension she'd just caused.

The news that I was her neighbor didn't seem to sit well with Alex. He shot me a menacing glare, as if to say, who do you think you are?

"When did you guys meet?" the skinny boy inquired, jumping into the conversation. Like Alex, he seemed just as curious about my relationship with Violet.

If I didn't know any better, these two seemed overly protective of Violet. It wasn't difficult to piece together what was going on. To avoid trouble in the future, I figured it'd be best to put their doubts to rest.

"Violet and I only just met this morning," I explained. "She was kind enough to invite me to your meeting... However, I can leave if any of you feel uncomfortable."

Just as the two boys started to nod, Violet let out a sigh. "Don't be silly, James! We're all friends here... Besides, we could use some new company, right guys?"

The two boys glanced at each other but said nothing. It was apparent from their expressions that they weren't too excited about my presence.

On the other hand, the two girls appeared far more receptive to the idea of having me around, particularly the girl with the white ribbon. Even though I'd pretended not to notice, she'd been casting curious glances my way for a while. I wondered, why?

"My name is Vanessa, and this is Chloe," the girl with the ribbon said.

At the mention of her name, the girl with pink hair, Chloe, smiled and waved at me.

"Nice to meet you both," I said, bowing my head slightly. Despite my attempt to sound enthusiastic, my voice came out disturbingly monotone.

"Feel free to take a seat," Vanessa said, nodding to the chair next to her. "No need to be shy..."

"Oh, ok... Thank you."

As I settled into the chair, I decided to loosen my tie a little. For some reason, my neck felt stiffer than usual. Maybe it had something to do with the weather.

"Why didn't you guys attend the entrance ceremony?" Violet asked as the waitress dropped off a set of menus.

"I didn't see the point in going... It's not like they talked about something we don't already know," answered Alex.

"Aren't you interested in getting to know the other first years?"

"Honestly... Not really."

"What about you, Simon?" Violet turned her attention to the boy with glasses.

"Huh!? What about me?"

"Why didn't you go to the entrance ceremony?"

"Oh... I was busy unpacking some stuff. Besides, as Alex said, we already know how the school operates."

"While that may be true, it's always smart to play it safe. I'm sure you all understand how quickly life in this school can turn upside down."

Sensing a small tension falling over the group, I decided it would be a good time to check out the menu. I was curious to see what kind of food this place had.

The menu had a much wider selection than I expected. For a place that called itself a café, the options ranged from simple pastries to full meals and decadent desserts. Honestly, it felt more like a restaurant than a café, especially considering the cost of the plates. It was by no means cheap. Or at least not to my standard.

Luckily, we didn't have to wait long after placing our orders. The food arrived quickly, almost too quickly for a place this fancy.

Glancing around the table, I noticed that most of the group had gone the healthy route. Salads, greens, and lighter meals filled the space around me. Nicole and I seemed to be the only ones who hadn't stuck to the health-conscious trend. While I had opted for a plate of waffles, Nicole had chosen something much sweeter—a thick slice of chocolate cake.

"Do you usually eat a lot of sweets?" Vanessa asked as I took a bite out of my waffle.

It took me a few seconds to process her question. I hadn't expected anyone, especially one of the girls, to start a conversation with me.

"Not really... I just felt like having waffles today."

I wasn't particularly a fan of waffles or sweets for that matter. The only reason I ended up ordering them was because I'd had them once, a long time ago. I couldn't help but wonder if these waffles would live up to the ones I remembered.

Vanessa rubbed her chin. "How peculiar... I didn't peg you as someone who liked eating sweets."

"Neither did I," Chloe agreed, joining the conversation.

"Why is that?" I asked.

Vanessa drank some of her coffee before answering. "I don't know... You just seem like someone who takes care of their body."

"I do?"

I found myself confused. Even though I was by no means overweight, it wasn't like my body was sculpted to perfection. If anything, I was average at best.

"Based on what I see, you definitely have an athletic body. There are numerous reasons I could dive into, however, I'll only state a couple."

Vanessa placed down her coffee and crossed her arms. "To start, let's talk about your shoulders. They have this... I don't know, athletic look to them. Like you've spent a lot of time playing sports or working out."

I furrowed my brow, intrigued by her observation. "Is that all?"

Vanessa shook her head, her expression growing thoughtful. "It's not just your shoulders, though. Your posture, for one, suggests you've done a lot of physical activity in your life..."

Realizing there was no point in pushing the matter, I lowered my head in defeat. "Well, I guess you caught me. The truth is, I used to be a competitive sprinter a long time ago... But I was forced to quit due to an injury."

"Though you might have stopped sprinting, all those years of hard work still show," Vanessa smiled.

"Uh, well... Thanks, I guess."

Vanessa's comments about my physique caught me off guard. There was no denying how impressive her observational skills were, but it also left me feeling slightly exposed. I couldn't wrap my head around how she'd managed to piece together so much about me with just a glance.

"Before I forget," Violet suddenly said. "Why don't we share what classes we've been assigned to?"

I felt grateful for the change of topics. I'd had enough of being the object of someone's scrutiny.

"Alex and I are in class 1-A," Simon replied.

"Oh, wow... I'm sure it'll be great to have a familiar face around," Vanessa said jokingly.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Simon sighed.

"If I recall correctly, I've been assigned to class 1-D," Chloe said as she checked her phone.

Vanessa let out a defeated sigh. "This sucks! It seems I'm all alone... I'm in class 1-F."

"What class are you in, Violet?" Simon asked.

Alex, who'd been playing a game on his phone, suddenly looked up, his curiosity piqued by Simon's inquiry. The air in the room seemed to change as the two boys waited for Violet's response.

"Oh, me... I've been assigned to class 1-C," Violet said, showing us her phone screen. Her RP profile was on full display.

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Violet Turner [Class 1-C]

School Ranking: 462

Grade Ranking: 12

Academic Score: A

Physical Ability: A-

Magical Ability: 2nd Circle Mage

School Contribution: TBD

Overall Ability: A-

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"Wow, you're amazing," Simon said as he looked at her profile. "You rank 12 in our entire grade!"

Chloe clapped her hands in admiration. "I had no idea you were so smart, Vivi..."

"I always knew she was a genius." Alex leaned back in his chair, seemingly unfazed by the revelation.

Whether she was a genius or not, to achieve such a high rank out of 150 students was nothing short of amazing. Her abilities were likely well above average.

"Oh, common guys... Stop exaggerating." Violet scratched the back of her head, clearly uncomfortable with all the praise going her way.

"Honestly, I wouldn't call it an exaggeration," Vanessa suddenly interjected. "Even though I'm also a 2nd Circle Mage, I still failed to break into the top twenty. That just shows how amazing you are."

"Who are you trying to fool?" Alex snorted.

"What did you just say?"

Alex rolled his eyes. "Stop comparing yourself to Violet, dude... We all know you're nowhere near her level..."

"I-I... never said I was..." Vanessa's face was turning red.

Before the situation could escalate, Violet cleared her throat. "Alright, alright... Let's dial it back, shall we? The only reason I did well on the entrance exam was because I studied a lot. Soon enough, you'll all see that I'm not as smart as you think I am... Besides, if anyone's a genius, it'd be Nicole. She's way better than me at everything."

As Violet's words hung in the air, a strange, eerie silence fell over the group. Her unexpected comment about Nicole had shifted the flow of the conversation entirely.

"Wait!" Alex exclaimed, breaking the silence. "You think Nicole's smarter than you?"

Violet nodded earnestly. "Nicole's way better than me. Just wait until you see her profile."

All eyes turned to Nicole, who'd been quiet up until now.

Nicole shifted uncomfortably under the sudden scrutiny, her prideful demeanor faltering slightly. "I, uh... I don't know about that. I wouldn't say I'm that smart."

"Can you show us your RP profile?" Simon asked, hopping back into the conversation.

"I'd like to see it too," said Vanessa.

Nicole hesitated, her jaw clenched in frustration.

"I'd rather you guys ignore my scores... Besides, they're just based on our entrance exams. They mean nothing."

I couldn't help but empathize with Nicole's discomfort. Much like her, I didn't enjoy standing out either.

"If you're not going to show us, then I'll just look it up myself," Vanessa said after a moment. It seemed her curiosity had gotten the better of her.

I watched silently as Vanessa scrolled through her phone until she found Nicole's name.

"What in the..." Vanessa's eyes widened as she opened Nicole's profile.

After a few seconds of looking shocked, Vanessa slowly raised her phone for the rest of us to see.

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Nicole Morgan [Class 1-C]

School Ranking: 453

Grade Ranking: 3

Academic Score: A+

Physical Score: A+

Magical Ability: 3rd Circle Mage

School Contribution: TBD

Overall Ability: A+

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