Rise Of Royal Phantoms And Qixi Festival

Episode 5

The elation of our successful training session with Master Lu carries over into the next day. My steps feel lighter, my head held a little higher. But as I enter the classroom, a familiar knot of apprehension tightens in my stomach. There, in their usual corner, sit Wan, Ken, and Renji, their sneering faces a dark cloud on an otherwise bright day.

The morning lessons pass in a blur. I steal a glance at rimuru occasionally, hoping to catch her eye and share a secret smile, a silent reminder of our shared progress. But she seem focused on her studies, a furrow of concentration etched on your brow.

Just as the bell rings for lunch, dread settles in my gut. Wan approaches me, his hulking frame casting a long shadow.  "𝑾𝒆𝒍𝒍, 𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒍, 𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚'𝒓𝒆 𝒂 𝒉𝒐𝒕𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒕 𝒏𝒐𝒘," he sneers, his voice dripping with sarcasm.  Ken and Renji flank him, their faces twisted into malicious grins.
"𝑫𝒊𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒂 𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆 𝒆𝒙𝒕𝒓𝒂 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑴𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑳𝒖 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒂 𝒅𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆, 𝒔𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒂𝒓𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝒃𝒐𝒚?" Renji taunts, his voice laced with cruelty.

My throat tightens, the familiar sting of shame threatening to rise.  But then, I remember Master Lu's encouraging words, the newfound control over my aura, and the sense of accomplishment. I won't let them break me.

Taking a deep breath, I square my shoulders and meet Wan's gaze.  "𝑨𝒄𝒕𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚," I reply, my voice surprisingly steady, "𝒊𝒕 𝒅𝒊𝒅 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒂 𝒅𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆.  𝑴𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑳𝒖 𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒏 𝒆𝒙𝒄𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒓."
A surprised silence hangs in the air.  Wan scoffs, but the usual bluster seems a little off-kilter.  "𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓," he mutters, shoving past me with Ken and Renji trailing behind.
Relief washes over me, tinged with a newfound sense of pride.  I've faced them down, and they backed off.  A quick glance around the classroom reveals a few curious stares, but mostly faces buried in books.

Then, I see rimuru. She is watching me, a hint of admiration flickering in her eyes.  We lock gazes for a moment, a silent conversation passing between us.  A small smile tugs at the corner of her lips, a silent encouragement that warms me from the inside out.
Maybe, just maybe, things are starting to change at the academy. With Master Lu's guidance, my newfound confidence, and rimuru's friendship by my side, I'm ready to face whatever challenges come my way.

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