บท 9: Another Transfer Student?!

It was a bright and sunny morning. The curtains in a certain room swayed side by side from the cool breezes. A figure could be seen lying in the medium-sized bed, covered completely by the blanket.

Ringgg!

And then, a harsh yet familiar noise awoke me from my sleep. I fumbled for the old alarm clock that I have been using for a year now, sitting on the desk next to my bed. I couldn't afford a phone, so this was the only thing I had to wake me up in the mornings for school.

"Ugh..." I grudgingly sat up and blinked any remaining sleepiness from my eyes.

Getting off my bed, the first thing I did was check the time, to make sure the clock didn't malfunction. Last time it did that, I was assigned to washroom cleaning duty for a week.

7:00. I still had an hour before school started. I decided to take a shower to clear my thoughts and refresh myself for the day. I took off my clothes and headed towards the bathroom.

While showering, I thought about the events that transpired last night.

Feng Mian, huh...? I told her to keep coming at me, but...how exactly will I deal with her? She won't fall for the same trap twice, no doubt...

After thinking about it for a while and arriving at no good answer, I merely sighed and went out of the shower.

But this wasn't even the most important part. What concerned me more was the identity of the mastermind who sent Feng Mian, and why he would want this stone pendant. I stepped out of the shower with these questions in my head, and concluded that I wouldn't get an answer to them just by sitting around here thinking. The black hoodie and ripped jeans I wore two days ago had already been washed and cleaned yesterday, so I slipped them on and proceeded to brush my teeth.

As I finished brushing my teeth, I decided to get some food. I opened the refrigerator and...

Not a single speck of food could be seen.

"Ah..." I sighed and closed the door again. Looks like I'm out of food. I didn't even notice yesterday since I immediately continued setting up traps after school ended, in preparation for the thief. I'll have to rely on the cafeteria and take the leftovers home again.

That has been how I got by for the past year. If there weren't any leftovers for me in the cafeteria, I would sometimes go for days without dinner or breakfast, supporting myself from lunch alone. I had no money whatsoever, after all. The one time I ate at a different place was when Qing Yue dragged me to that luxurious western restaurant named Grange Grill two days ago. She had offered to take me again yesterday, but after making such a ruckus there, I doubted they would want us back.

I grabbed my backpack and opened the door, careful not to set off the trap I had set. Just in case Feng Mian or another person attempts to steal the pendant again, I had reinstalled the device that let me know whether or not an intruder had came in while I was away. However, even if they did break in, they would find nothing. After all, I'm now keeping the stone pendant with me at all times. I wore it around my neck, hidden beneath the oversized hoodie, and headed off to school.

I saw Qing Yue outside the boys' dorms, holding a small bag. I doubt it was a coincidence, it seemed like she had been waiting at the front gates for a while now.

She spotted me immediately and waved happily. "Good morning, big brother Xuan Kai!"

"Good morning," I replied as I walked closer to her.

"Have you eaten breakfast yet?" she asked, blushing slightly.

"Yes," I lied. I didn't want her to worry about me. But, unfortunately...my stomach chose that exact moment to let out a growl.

"Ehehe~" Qing Yue let out a small laugh. My cheeks turned slightly red. "It's okay Big Brother Xuan Kai, I haven't eaten either."

"...I see."

Then, after a short silence, Qing Yue looked up at me. "Um...would you like to eat together with me?"

"...Huh?" I was caught off guard by this sudden proposal.

"It's fine if you don't want to..." she hurriedly added. "It's just...well, we both haven't eaten, so..."

She probably took that the wrong way. "It's alright, I'll gladly eat with you. It's just that the question was a bit sudden," I said, clearing up the misunderstanding.

"Really?!" she asked excitedly.

"Mhm. But...where are we going to go?"

Qing Yue didn't respond, and instead reached inside the bag she was holding. She then took out a neatly wrapped zongzi, which is a traditional Chinese food that usually involves meat being surrounded by glutinous rice, then packaged in bamboo leaves.

"Um...I made this. Try it?" she said softly, holding it out to me.

"I see," I said as I took the zongzi from her hands and inspected it. After unwrapping the bamboo leaves, I took a bite.

"This is...delicious," I told her reluctantly.

"Do you really think so?" she asked in anticipation.

"...Yes," I replied.

Truth to be told, the taste was horrendous. The flavors...were just wrong. It was way too salty, and there was too much rice with barely any filling. But seeing her hopeful and anticipative expression, there was no way I was going to tell her that. If anything, the taste of the zongzi proves that she made it herself. No restaurant could live, selling something this bad, after all. Even though my taste buds were practically screaming in terror, I still forced myself to scarf it down, all to keep up the act in front of Qing Yue.

"Yay! I'll make a lot more for you in the future then, 'kay?" she declared, pumping her fists into the air in a victorious pose.

Oh. Oh no no no. Oh god, what have I done...I'm sorry, my poor taste buds...I'm sorry.

Ah...what a brother wouldn't do for his little sister.

After that, we continued our walk to school. She never did eat a single one of her own zongzis, claiming that if I liked it I should eat them all. I couldn't exactly reject her without going back on my statement from before. Thus, I emptied the bag of all 5 zongzis that she made. I was now left with a really full stomach, and probably high blood pressure.

Not long after that, we arrived at the main campus. Qing Yue and I headed towards our class together, and were met with a few unfriendly glares and stares on the way - mainly towards me. Just the usual, nothing I'm not used to. But Qing Yue also seemed to be coping with it surprisingly well. For better or worse, she was tougher than I had previously given her credit for.

We soon arrived at our classroom on the second floor - Class 2-D. There were 4 classes in each year at Shenzhen Magic High School, and a total of 6 years. The classes were ranked from D to A, with A being only for the elites of the elites. Class D was for people who barely passed the entrance exam...or for trash like me that only got in thanks to my parents' accomplishments.

But magical power was not the only thing the school accounted for. You may be a talent with two innate elements from birth, but you can still wind up in Class D if you're a huge jerk with a nasty personality - Li Yi Fei is a perfect example of this. Even with the power of his family, the school refused to change his class. His brother, Li Mu Shen, was a little better off than he was, so he got placed in a higher class.

The classes are in constant competition, and a score system was in place. It was possible for the original Class D to get promoted to Class A if their score exceeded that of Class A. Tournaments and events are frequent in this school, and are the main way to earn points for your class.

Being in Class A brings a few advantages - better instructors, higher level elixirs and training equipment, and a higher status in the school. Therefore, everyone wants to make their own class the new Class A. Born in 2008, I turned 14 three days ago, on November 7th. I was in my second year at this school, which was why my class was located on the second floor. Similarly, third-years have their classrooms on the third floor, and so on. The main campus had six floors in total - one for each year.

Most of the class was already there. Qing Yue and I then headed to our seats at the back of the room and patiently waited for class to begin.

Not long after, Mr. Wang walked in and cleared his throat. "Good morning, class."

Following tradition, all the students stood up in response. "Good morning, teacher."

"Alright, sit down," Mr. Wang said with a wave. "I have an announcement to make."

Another announcement? Someone's getting punished or rewarded? Or...perhaps a new transfer student? No, that wasn't likely. Qing Yue had only just arrived two days ago.

"Our class will be receiving a new transfer student," Mr. Wang announced. What a familiar phrase - the exact same one he had said two days ago.

Whispers immediately began erupting around the class.

"Another one?"

"Eh?? Didn't Qing Yue just transfer in two days ago?"

"I wonder, will it be a boy or a girl? I hope it's a cute girl."

"Quiet down, everyone." Mr. Wang interrupted the conversations regarding the mysterious new transfer student. "Alright, you can come in now," he beckoned towards the door.

Then, a person I never imagined would be there walked in.

My eyes widened as I saw who it was.

It can't be...Feng Mian?