Push and Pull
"Now, clap!"
"……."
After the last student's self-introduction wrapped up.
The already quiet lecture hall sank into an even heavier silence.
I scanned the faces of the students who'd all finished their introductions and returned to their seats.
Rufus, Sylvia, Kassel.
Excluding Eugene, who was bedridden from intense training, everyone occupying the third floor of Solaris Dormitory was present.
"This... like this...?"
Rufus kept fiddling with the water droplet he'd conjured, muttering to himself.
"???"
Kassel just let out confused breaths, nothing more.
"Ahem."
I amplified my voice with mana and spoke again. The students all turned to look at me in unison.
They let out little "oh right" noises and started clapping.
Clap clap clap.
The applause echoed through the silent lecture hall.
I nodded in approval at the sight.
Everyone else had gotten applause on their way out—couldn't leave just one kid hanging.
Clap... clap...
Eventually, the clapping died down.
The students went back to groaning softly, each hovering their own magic in front of them.
"Hmm."
I turned my gaze from them to the wall clock at the back of the hall.
About 50 minutes since the lecture started.
Perfect. I'd killed time brilliantly.
The students in their seats felt dazed.
Their magic had changed. In an instant.
"How in the world..."
Rufus stared at the original spell in one hand and the improved version Ruen had tweaked in the other.
Rufus Fontaine. That family name carried weight.
Not just because he was from a duke's house.
The Fontaine bloodline ran especially thick in him. Every direct descendant was a mage.
And every head of the family shared the same affinity. The advantages were obvious.
From his ancestors to his father and now Rufus himself.
Unbound by any organization, the Fontaines had built their own tower of knowledge.
A house that had stood since the empire's founding. Every spell Rufus knew was a family secret honed over countless ages.
Naturally, Fontaine blood started from a higher baseline than other mages.
The academy was just for show...
"...My magic."
Rufus gazed at the water droplet, utterly still without a single ripple.
He'd thought it was perfected already.
Even if he fell short, the family legacy was unbeatable. He'd never doubted it.
Yet.
"...It evolved."
Mana consumption to maintain the droplet had plummeted. The rotation efficiency was incomparable to before.
At this rate, he could hold it all day.
A monumental leap, skipping centuries in a heartbeat.
But.
How?
He couldn't guess the method on his own.
Rufus recalled the moment.
The professor touched the droplet with a finger. Mana interfered. The flow shifted with her gesture. In the blink of an eye—long enough for one breath—the spell transformed.
He looked up. In his view, a small girl was gathering her podium props.
Rufus wasn't one to step forward.
That's why self-introductions in front of everyone had irked him.
First, his poor social skills. Second, pride as a high noble.
But even so. He couldn't let this revelation slip. His mage's instincts screamed it.
"P-Professor—!"
"Ah, ahem. Look at the time already."
Rufus's determined shout got buried under Ruen's words.
He felt his face heat up from the sidelong glances around him.
Still, he couldn't stop.
He wanted answers. To hold onto this afterglow just a bit longer.
With that thought, Rufus slammed his hands on the desk and shot to his feet.
"Um—"
"You all have one assignment due next class."
Was she ignoring him on purpose? She didn't spare him a glance, just traced a finger in the air.
Shuffle.
Smooth sheets of paper floated down from the podium.
They landed lightly in front of each student, bearing a single short phrase.
Write your life story.
"Study hard for next class, everyone. I'm off."
As Ruen bolted—tap tap—out of the hall.
Most students, Rufus included, opened their mouths with unasked questions.
But her footsteps were faster.
The polar opposite of her leisurely stride when she'd entered an hour ago.
"...Ah."
The students' lost gazes drifted to their desks.
They'd thought about chasing her, but no way they could catch that speed.
"Life story...?"
Rufus murmured blankly at the words.
Academy assignments were usually specific: "Efficient Fire Magic Constructs" or "Ancient Language Deciphering."
But Ruen's homework felt more like philosophy or autobiography than magic.
"...Not just 'what I did since birth,' right."
He eyed the serene water droplet hovering before him, ripple-free.
The professor had said it clearly in her opening lecture.
Magic is personal.
So this assignment meant analyzing the emotions, events, and evolving mana qualities of his life.
For Rufus, that was tantamount to exposing sacred family secrets.
"...Doesn't matter anyway."
This professor could insightfully dissect magic just by watching it.
A monster.
No word limit. A devilishly tricky task that pierced straight to one's magical path.
As Rufus sighed in dismay.
"Just write an autobiography or something?"
Sylvia, a bit away, muttered to herself. Rufus let out a hollow chuckle.
"Are you an idiot?"
"What'd you say?"
Ignoring Sylvia stomping over, Rufus grabbed his quill.
To etch the flow of the corrected droplet before he forgot.
To capture the serene vibrations it emitted, carefully in the paper's corner.
I raced down the hallway at near-alarm speed, letting out a sigh of relief.
"Phew..."
Almost got dragged into something annoying.
They should've just seen the tweaked spells and thought, Oh, neat trick.
Kian got it instantly.
"Why'd they have to ask questions."
I kept up the brisk pace, smacking my lips.
Soon, I exited the West Lecture Hall. An alley between isolated buildings.
I whipped my head around, scanning.
"No one's following...?"
Good. None of the class students in sight.
Just some other class kids in knight uniforms nearby.
I leaned the wooden block I'd been holding against the wall and stretched my arms high.
"Nngh—!"
One big stretch.
Holding a straight posture for an hour had left me stiff anyway.
I cracked my neck with a pop and reflected on the lecture—my second one.
"Not bad, if I say so myself."
It strayed from my original plan.
My submitted syllabus said "How to Use Magic."
I'd meant to just cover basic mana handling.
But the headmaster arbitrarily created "Magic Understanding," some mystery course even I didn't know.
"Egh..."
Long road ahead. But I couldn't teach nothing.
So I paired self-intros with quick magic tweaks.
I pictured the students diligently note-taking from simple feedback.
"Top students after all..."
Seeing that scene was satisfying, sure.
But it didn't mean they'd get more of my time post-class.
I peeked out from the wall corner for any tails, then headed to the dorm supervisor's office.
...Wait, students from my class might be there.
I halted mid-stride at the sudden thought.
"...Better go later."
My main goal at the academy was building favor with key characters early.
But tedious stuff? Hard pass.
"Gotta do some push-pull."
Hand 'em answers on a platter, and they might clam up later.
I nodded, rationalizing it, and spun on my heel.
Heading for the academy's main gate.
Got time—maybe check on Uriel after so long.
And while I'm at it...
"Gotta swing by the count's place too."
My hobby-cum-hero gig.
Whistling a tune, I floated my body into the air.