A kinda cliche reincarnation story

chapter 21

Ellios pov. 14 yrs.

The days passed peacefully and before I knew it, the time had come.

The first day of school.

We got our timetables the night before and it turns out I shared a lot of classes with him. Wilder, I mean.

The principal did his thing, talking about how wonderful the year would be and whatnot. That lasted way too long, but eventually we were allowed to go.

As we left the auditorium, Wilder scanned through the map for like, the tenth time.

"Wilder, we already know where our classroom is so let's go."

He looked up and sighed, "yeah, I know."

As it turns out, we did not know where our classroom was. honestly, why does any building have to be this big?

The class was almost halfway done when we finally found it.

"Hello, you must be Wilder and Ellio, correct?" I looked towards the voice to find a tall and proper looking lady staring at us.

We nodded and she gestured to some seats that were empty and we sat. The class was boring, though I'm not sure if that's because it's the first day, the subject, or just the teacher. Either way, Wilder was sleeping and I was close to doing the same.

The prim looking lady just droned on about mana. Stuff that was in my first lesson with my tutor. Turns out, the rest of the classes were similar. Some teachers were looser and a little less boring, but still boring all the same.

The most interesting thing happened in math.

We sat in the very back and did nothing while the teacher blabbed about whatever. Then.

"Would anyone like to answer this question on the board?" when no one raised their hand he hummed. "What about... you, the rat in the back, would you care to tell me the answer?"

Wilder didn't even glance at him, lost in a daydream. Knowing that he's the only one that the teacher could be talking about, I poked him and pointed to the front.

"What?" was his only response.

The teacher sighed and repeated himself.

Wilder squinted and after a minute said, "it's too far away, I can't read it."

The teacher chuckled, "well then, I suppose you should get some glasses, yes? Or are they too expensive?"

the class laughed and i heard mutters of, 'just can't answer the question' and 'rats can't do math'

I was about to say something when Wilder just patted me on the back and stood. The mutters stopped and everyone watched curiously.

He walked up to the board, analyzing it and humming.

After a moment, he was about to reach for the chalk when the teacher said, "it's alright if you can't, growing up in the slums must've left little time for math." Now, with a different tone, it might've been alright-ish. But the way he said it, you could hear that he was getting a kick out of it from humiliating him.

Wilder just stared at him for a moment, blank faced. Then he smiled and picked up the chalk, solving the question perfectly.

Everyone was in shock. A rat, solve that? How?

I smiled at him as he walked back and he grinned.

Suddenly, there was a sound I never thought I'd hear from who I heard it from.

A squeak. And it came from the teacher.

This caught the classes attention and they waited for him to speak. Instead, he just stood there.

When he finally spoke, he said,  "how . . . ? Y-you . . . you didn't . . . that's . . ." he took a deep breath, collecting himself before continuing, "you got the answer correct but you used a method . . . completely unheard of." the class gasped.

"Wilder, I believe you have created an entirely new theory in the mathematical world."

Then, I heard my roommate swear under his breath followed by a quiet, "Oops."

Oops?

Oops?

He made up some excuse about seeing it in a book in the library and not remembering which one, and class was dismissed early.

At lunch, I sat at an empty table across from the white eyed apparent math genius, my mind spinning.

I admit, I had doubts before. But now? Now I know something is up with him. He's got a secret.

Now, I think some might say 'I'm gonna weedle that secret out of him if it takes everything I have!' or something. But I'm not going to. Because it's his secret and if he wants to tell me, he will.

That doesn't mean I'm not curious. "So, what was up with that? The math thing?"

He shrugged, "like I said..." he hesitated then waved his fork at me saying, "I found it in some dusty book in the back of the library."

I waved my fork back at him, "kinda feels like that burning bridge quote, and last life thing, doesn't it?" He froze at my words, and I knew I hit something. "Look. If you don't want to tell me then dont, I won't take offence. Just curious."

He relaxed a tiny bit, but not by much. "I..." he sighed and picked at his food, not looking at me. His voice now a whisper, he said, "I... I might tell you... maybe." his eyes flickered up to me then baakc to his plate. I grinned.

"Thanks! If you do, I promise your secret will be safe with me." his mouth tilts up and he thanks me, and we eat the rest of lunch in silence.

The rest of the day is boring, too. Everyone just points at us and mocks us, or they just outright ignore us. Personally, I prefer the latter.