“I have a feeling today is going to be ann—”
Her door slammed open like it owed someone money. A blur of messy black hair and oversized pajamas dove onto the edge of her bed.
“HANA! Apparently some guy from your section and a Section VI guy are straight-up beefing? Like, actual Sunday fight beefing?”
Hana rubbed her forehead, already feeling the headache settle in. “I know.”
Her roommate — Liora — tilted her head like a confused cat. “Huh? Why didn’t you tell me? This is like… campus wide drama!”
Hana swung her legs off the bed and stood. “Because of exactly this.” She pointed at Liora’s bouncing form. “Now get out so I can freshen up.” Hana paused for a second, “Wait, how did you even hear about it this early?”
Liora shrugged, already bouncing off the bed. “Academy forums. Nothing happens in the first week, so everyone’s losing their minds. It’s everywhere.”
“Very informative of you,” Hana muttered, on her way to the bathroom, "And you go wash up too."
“‘Kay!” Liora sang, already halfway out the door with a yawn.
Hana stood in front of the mirror, mostly dressed, threading the last few silver piercings back into her ears. The routine was automatic by now, cool metal against skin, the tiny satisfying click of each one settling into place. She saved the helix for last.
The moment the final hoop slid through, a sharp little zap jumped across her earlobe. Not painful. Just… surprised. Like the piercing had woken up cranky.
“The heck?” she muttered, shaking her hand out. The metal rod leaning against the sink gave a single lazy spark in response, as if agreeing.
Like I thought. It’s gonna be like this all day, huh.
How bad could it be anyway, she told herself as she grabbed her bag. It can’t get worse than this.
It could. And it would.
Outside the dorm:
The questions started soft.
“Hey, did you hear—”
“Yeah, I heard,” Hana answered with a polite smile, walking faster.
“Wait, that’s your classmate, right?”
“Mhm.”
“Who do you think’s gonna win?”
“No idea, sorry!”
The sparks along the rod were faint at first. Just little blue pinpricks dancing along the metal.
On the way to class :
The questions got bolder.
“Hey Hana, right? You know what’s—”
“Gotta run, sorry!” She dashed away.
The rod was humming now. Tiny arcs of electricity flickered between her fingers when she wasn’t looking.
In the cafeteria :
The questions were coming in fragments because she was already cutting them off.
“Hey so—”
“Nope.”
“Thoughts on—”
“Never heard of it.”
By the time she reached the Section F table, the metal rod was practically glowing. Blue-white bolts danced along its length like a miniature Tesla coil having a very enthusiastic morning. Oh she sure did. She very much did.
The entire group was already staring at her with theatrical betrayal, amusement, or both.
“You betrayed us,” Corin said, deadpan. Taking his glasses off with dramatic strokes.
“Traitor,” Renard added solemnly.
Mitsuo just looked vaguely impressed. Silas, of course, was grinning like an idiot.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
“Who knew you were so popular,” Elia muttered, just apparent enough, dropping down into her seat.
“I’m not,” she hissed, slamming the bag down. “They’re either acquaintances or people I somehow greeted on accident. But since they don’t know any of you guys, I had to bear the weight of every possible question from them or their mutuals. The. Whole. Entire. Day."
Her gaze snapped to Silas with pure resentment seeping out like miasma.
“It’s all this idiot's fault.”
Silas turned, a bit offended. “What the hell? You can thank me for the clout but don’t be so ungra-”
The rod in her hand crackled menacingly, bolts now thick enough to look like they belonged on a mad scientist’s lab table.
She tapped his shoulder with it.
ZAP.
Silas jolted upright, hair standing on end, looking thoroughly toasted.
“Yeah so,” he wheezed, trying to sound dignified while smoke gently rose from his collar, “I meant I was gonna apologise for the inconveniences brought upon you for the majority of the day… and also maybe buy you that overpriced café thing you like later? As reparations. Full diplomatic apology package.”
The others exchanged glances, somewhere between pity and amusement.
Hana exhaled, the rod finally settling down to a low, satisfied hum.
“Apology tentatively accepted. Now can we please talk about, you know, literally anything else?”
After the final bell, Hana was halfway to the dorm when someone called her name again.
“Hey Han—”
“I DON’T KNOW!” she snapped, then blinked. “Oh. It’s you.”
Liora stood there, hands in her pockets, still cheerfully smug. “Rough day, I’d bet.”
“You don’t know the half of it…”
“Wanna grab some drinks outside the academy? New mall just opened in Luminara District. My treat.”
Hana stared for half a second, then let out a long, exhausted laugh and stretched her arms over her head.
“Yeah, I need one after today.”
Somewhere in the instructors’ wing, a single room glowed with the cold light of three monitors.
A low, ominous chuckle filled the dark space.
“Huhu.. huhuhu… HUHAHAHAHAHAH—”
The typing was loud, frantic, almost gleeful. One hand hammered the keyboard while the other shoved another handful of cheese-flavoured puffs into a mouth that was already half-covered in orange dust. The figure was hunched forward like a gremlin who had discovered fire.
The camera (if there had been one) slowly pushed in on the silhouette.
On the screen: The academy forums.
(click on the box and replies)
[Academy Forums] Section F vs Section VI — Bread Shuttle Bet (124 replies)
Thread by: ThunderK1ng · 6 hours ago
Anyone else seeing this? Some kid from Section F challenged Mace from Section VI to a mock battle this Sunday. Loser has to be the bread shuttle for a week. This is actually happening lmao
Top Reply (2.4k likes) - CrimsonBlade87
This is the funniest thing to happen all semester. Someone record it please.
Reply (1.1k likes) - GhostWire
Bread shuttle in full uniform while everyone watches? Brutal. I'm showing up Sunday.
Dozens of posts. All posted from different alt accounts since morning.
“Did you hear about the Section VI kid and the Failure kid having a battle on Sunday?”
“Section F vs Section VI this weekend — real or fake?”
“Anyone else seeing this? Bread shuttle bet is wild.”
[Academy Forums] Section F vs Section VI — Bread Shuttle Bet (Trending)
Posted 9 hours ago · 2.8k views
“Did you hear about the Section VI kid and the Failure kid having a battle on Sunday?”
Reply · 1.4k likes
“Section F vs Section VI this weekend — real or fake?”
Reply · 987 likes
“Anyone else seeing this? Bread shuttle bet is wild.”
The figure stood up. The printer in the corner whirred to life like it was possessed.
Stack after stack of bright, garish posters slid out.
FAILURE SECTION VS SECTION VI!!!
A BATTLE OF JUSTICE AND PEACE!
OF OPPRESSION AND REVOLUTION!
HOW LONG WILL THE FAILURES STAY OPPRESSED?!
WILL THEY RISE UP… OR BE CRUSHED?!
THIS SUNDAY ..TRAINING GROUNDS COLOSSEUM
OFFICIATED BY INSTRUCTOR LAYHEN !!!!,!
(complete with cartoon explosions, dramatic text bubbles, and way too many exclamation marks)
Layhen gathered the posters like a proud father collecting his children, arms already full.
Oh no. Oh no he wouldn’t.
Oh but yes he would.
Oh yes I would.
Suddenly,
The door burst open without a knock.
“Hey Instructor Layhen, we need to—”
Ms. Seraphine froze mid-sentence.
Layhen stood there like a deer caught in headlights, orange dust on his cheeks, arms overflowing with circus posters, printer still humming behind him like it was laughing at him.
The silence was deafening, and above all judgemental.
Seraphine’s eyes slowly moved from the mountain of posters to Layhen’s face.
“Layhen,” she said slowly, voice flat, “what the fuck are you doing?”
He tried for an innocent smile. It came out even guiltier than if he admitted to the crime.
“Aha—ha, kids these days, am I right?” He gave a sheepish little wave with the hand that wasn’t holding twenty posters. “School spirit and all that…”
Seraphine just stared.
The silence stretched another painful second.
Layhen cleared his throat. “So… Sera, how’s instructing going?”