Classroom of the Elite and the Arcane Warfare

Ch. 1.2 - Morning Commotion

Today is Monday. More importantly, it's the first day of school.

Just until a week ago, I knew nothing about the intricacies of what it meant to be an Arcanist. Despite that, I'm now on my way to the country's most elite magic academy, the Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing Magic High School. It's a mouthful, I know. Needless to say, I'm a bit concerned about my future since I'll have to be around supposed elites as a total beginner. It's a miracle that I even passed the entrance exam.

Ah, that's right. It's important to stay positive in these kinds of situations. I'm wearing my uniform just like everyone else. I passed just like everyone else. That means I'm on the same level as everyone else. Equality is nice, isn't it?

That said, the entrance exam didn't prove to be any difficult. You'd assume that if you're not at least in the top 1% of the country's greatest Arcanists, your chances of being accepted into the most illustrious magic school would just go up in smoke. And yet, the written and practical exams only pretty much covered the basic fundamentals of magic.

I lay the back of my head against my seat and let out a sigh of relief. With nothing else to do but stay comfortable, I look around the bus. I try to keep my balance as I sway around left and right.

The bus starts to slow down a bit before eventually stopping.

I pop my head over the seat in front of me like a shop lady on a Sunday afternoon.

The bus door slides open, and two more male students hop on. The guard right next to the entrance takes out the same scanner he used on me and the other students for some security checks.

Beep!

"Name?" the guard asks again for the nth time.

"Hirata Yousuke," the guy with blonde-ish hair responds.

The guard nods again to confirm. He then looks at the next student.

"Name?"

The student randomly pauses a bit and scratches the back of his head, slightly messing up his dark brown hair. Still yet to say anything, he scans the bus for a few seconds before facing the guard again.

"Do you really need to take everyone's names? It's gonna be a pain in the ass to deal with later."

A wrinkle knots itself on his eyebrows, accompanied by a sharp glare.

Ah...

I definitely don't want to be around that guy. I'm surprised the guard could keep up a straight face when he's on the receiving end of a wannabe delinquent's tantrum.

"Yes, you are required to state your name. Do you have a problem with that?"

The troublesome student clicks his tongue and scratches his head again before trying to answer. At this point, a lot of attention is starting to gather at the commotion up front.

I could only sigh in disappointment. I'm not even inside the campus yet and there's already trouble brewing. Maybe I'm just unlucky.

"I just don't like giving out my name. Doesn't that thing you're holding already tell you who I am?"

"That's correct, but—"

"Ah, forget it!" he snaps. "It's Kawamura Daiki. That's my name, so make sure to remember it."

Oh, I'll remember it, all right.

It's surprising that he gave up so fast though. Considering the personality he's giving off, I thought he'd be more stubborn. On another note, I can't think of any reason for Kawamura to conceal his identity in the first place. If you're trying to avoid attracting attention, you're better off just telling your name to the guard like any normal person. However, instead of doing that, he acted weird and was blatantly suspicious.