A new year at Nine Petal Academy means a new crop of students, including a boy who can't control his magic, a thief, an angel, and even a suit of armor? Adela, Lei, and their friends are tasked with welcoming the new class of first years and helping...
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Lei opened the metal doors, revealing a long corridor with a blue-green carpeted floor. The walls were painted a light silver and glistened just like its namesake metal too.
"Looks nice," Carter said, looking around as he went ahead of us.
"For once, I agree with you," Huo said.
"Took some work, to get it to this level." He pointed at the line of windows to his right. "We even got the pool fixed up."
"A pool?" I asked, running over to the panels. Indeed, on the other side laid a hundred-yard pool. It looked more like something found in a gymnasium than a dorm.
"You swim?" Carter asked, putting a hand on his hip.
My cheeks reddened slightly. "A little. I'm not that good at it, though."
"You should ask Wanikiya to teach you," Lei said as he leaned against the wall.
"Is he a great swimmer?" Aurelius asked.
He chuckled. "Besides Sarah and Nyima, he's the best swimmer I know." He stepped forward. "He's actually the one we fixed the pool for."
"Y-you fi-fixed it for one person?" Jude spoke up.
Lei put a hand against his chin. "No. The rest of us use it too, but he and Iah are the main ones that use it." He frowned. "Well 'used' in the case of Iah."
"I should practice swimming," Carter said, crossing his arms.
Did he not know how to read the room?
"Why? Are you a bad swimmer?" Aurelius asked.
Cart smiled slightly. "I've only ever swum in rivers that weren't very deep. Was afraid to fall over while on the ship as I wasn't sure I would be able to swim in such a large body of water." He ran a hand through his blond hair. "I also heard it's great for building muscle."
"Y-yeah, it helps with some of the lesser used muscles," Jude said. "It's also great for burning excess body fat."
"Wonder if I should try it," Huo whispered as he stared at his thin arms.
Carter patted his stomach. "Not that I have any fat."
"Well, you do jog a lot," I said.
"Wonder if I should swim more," Hikaru said, glancing at the pool.
"Huh? But you have no fat, Hika. You're more boney," Lei said.
Hikaru grumbled. "I'm not that lanky. Look!" Hikaru said, raising his sleeve. They looked sturdy.
"Oh, your arms aren't bad," Carter said, glancing at them. "But you probably should eat more if you want a less lanky build."
Lei grinned at Hika. "See."
"O-one does need fat to produce muscle," Jude said.
"I see," Huo mumbled to himself. "Maybe Lidia was right..."
