Mary and Reiko both arrived late, bringing the last of the study group to the pool.
“Sorry, we were late. I didn’t realize you would be eating here. Mary was looking forward to… where did Mary go?” Reiko introduced herself.
“One of the girls has a bunny for a Familiar. She got sidetracked.” Ella laughed, pointing to where the two had retreated to a table to hold an intense discussion.
Kandi had finished her challenge, and the loser of the race was sent to get a refill on the drinks while the other two Witches openly flirted.
While they waited, the gathering naturally broke into smaller groups, with Kandi, Asia and Mary gathering their fluffy Familiars at one table and Wolfe, Ella, Reiko and Cassie at the one next to them, along with the small red-scaled lizard that was Reiko’s Familiar.
“Unfortunately, these study groups don’t usually last long.” Reiko sighed. She had said the same thing in different words yesterday, and Wolfe wondered if she was a bit lonely already and not looking forward to studying alone.
“Don’t worry. We won’t let you escape so easily. You already told us your deepest, darkest secret.” Ella told her, referring to the young Noble’s desire to leave the city.
Reiko’s face brightened up immediately at that comment while her little lizard, Flame, made a happy squeal and let off a wave of heat. “If you don’t mind, I’m in. My sisters taught me a lot of things about how to maximize your growth rate, and I’m sure Wolfe can handle hanging around the three of us and Flame. It’s only the weak Familiars who get exhausted from the bond’s draw in class.”
Wolfe hadn’t realized until now, but Flame was a magical creature and not just a regular lizard as most reptile Familiars were.
“Our practical training involves a lot of Spell Casting, and the Familiars increase our mana collection rate, so we need them there,” Ella explained to Wolfe.
“Oh, I don’t think we were properly introduced. Good to meet you. I’m Reiko Morgan, the youngest daughter of Coven Leader Morgan. Stick with me, and I will be able to teach you lots of random tips and tricks. Waiting on the scheduled classwork to catch up with your progress would just be a waste of our first year.”
Cassie perked up at the promise of Spell training. Most of their classmates really were too far behind her in power at this point since she tested between three and five times stronger in the aura exams than the rest of Class A, and many were almost as far behind in knowledge, so it would help ensure that she achieved her goal of crushing them all in the exams and making her Grandmother proud.
“I look forward to your assistance,” Cassie answered with a bow that made her brush against Wolfe.
The spark was there again, despite the fact that Wolfe had the protective skill active to hide himself and no mana in his system. He would have to be extra careful about touching random people until he knew what the limits of his ability were.
Or perhaps this time, it was from Cassie, who now had an active aura and might not be used to controlling her power yet. Either way, it was rather pleasant.
“We should do a movie night after this. Group bonding activity, and we can talk about the things that shouldn’t be said in public.” Reiko suggested, making Risa smirk at her.
“So you’re thinking of things that shouldn’t be spoken about in public already, are you? Watch out, Wolfe. You’re going to end up some Coven Council Witch’s pet, watching a house full of little witchlings as she attends council meetings.” The fourth-year Witch joked while Ella and Cassie gave her a dirty look for the joke about someone stealing their Familiar.
What Reiko actually meant was that she wanted to talk about her plans for this year and what she would do next year, assuming she passed her classes.
Graduation and Nobility weren’t guaranteed things, even for Class A in the second year, as the Nobility Standard changed constantly based on the relative power level of the existing Nobles. In a strong generation like the one Elder Maria was from, even decently powerful Witches could fail to make the cut or end up at the very bottom of the Noble’s power structure.
After seeing the way this generation of Witches was shaping up against the standards at the Academy, it might be much easier than expected to gain a title, Wolfe thought.
The loser of the swimming race came back empty-handed, but nobody cared. They were all busy with the new Familiars.
“How much stronger do I need to get to graduate the first year?” Cassie asked Reiko while the new pairs celebrated.
“A lot of it is about the potion and spell knowledge, but if you can pass the exams and get an Aura Strength of one hundred, you can qualify as a Commoner Witch at the final exam,” Reiko explained.
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Cassie’s revelation shocked Reiko, who had left the assembly early to answer a message from her mother. Anything over thirty when they entered the academy was usually enough for Class A, but having enough Aura to pass the exams during the first week was just cheating.
While everyone else in the first year struggled to slowly gather the mana to use the spells they were learning, she would be able to do them repeatedly until she had them right.
What none of them realized yet was that the same applied to Ella, whose aura strength was skyrocketing after bonding with Wolfe, as their relative power levels naturally wanted to equalize.
“That settles it, then. Movie night tonight and a refresher class tomorrow to get Cassie and Ella up to speed on the first few weeks’ materials.” Reiko decided.
Ella nodded her agreement and got to her feet. “Now, into the pool. We have wasted enough time on the deck.”
What started as a swim turned into a free for all as soon as a ball was introduced, and before they knew it, the announcement that Dinner was about to be served was playing throughout the school.
“Everyone, change quickly if you want good seats,” Risa announced, throwing a shirt over her head and sliding into shorts, still damp from the pool.
“A good seat? The cafeteria looked large enough for everyone.” Wolfe asked.
“It is, but the inner tables are closely spaced, we smell like sweat and pool, and half the school reeks of overdone perfume and body sprays. The walls are the good tables.” Risa explained before slipping her shoes on and running toward the cafeteria.
“Ladies, shall we?” Wolfe asked, picking one up in each arm.
“Oh, this is the way to travel. Mary, you should ask the pup if you can get a ride.” Ella laughed.
Mary gave her Familiar a pleading look as she threw a school uniform dress over her bikini. The so-called Pup was easily two hundred pounds of fluff and muscle, making it three times the tiny Witch’s size.
It reluctantly agreed and let her on, but once the ride turned into a mobile hug as the First Year’s resident fluff lover settled in, Pup seemed to lose his hesitancy and happily trotted off after the crowd.