The Depressed Extra of The Academy

We all went our separate directions after having breakfast in which all the kids got grouped together. 

"So whatcha guys wanna do?"

Mikhail asked innocently. 

Of course, there was still tension from what happened earlier.

"I want to shove a sock down your mouth."

"Oh, I didn't know you were into that."

"Shut up you hopeless romantic."

"Alright you player."

"I'm not a player I just like training."

"At least I admit I'm hopeless."

Both Clara and Cecilia just stood there looking at the two of us. 

"Sen you sure must love training. Why don't you test your skills against Mikhail?"

Cecilia suddenly interrupted our banter. 

"Hard work pays off you'll definitely stand a decent chance against him."

She reassured me innocently.

'This asshole just wants to see me get beaten up by Mikhail.'

Mikhail is a renowned prodigy known throughout the land while I am practically a footnote.

"That's a good idea, princess."

Mikhail replied with a devilish grin on his face. 

It matched perfectly with Cecilia's devilish smile.

***

'Help me anybody please.'

Me and Mikhail stood across from each other two swords in hand. Mikhail wielded two short swords while I held a katana. 

"I'll only use my first art and a skill; I'll also suppress my rank a bit."

'Yeah, how about you get rid of your years of combat experience too?'

Mikhail was only ranked at C-, which in the academy rivaled most seniors as only a junior. 

We both adopted fighting stances and readied for combat. 

Mikhail made the first move bolting at me immediately. 

'Damn he's fast!'

I barely blocked his attack with my katana.

"Are you sure you're holding back?"

"Yep."

[Sen Blossom Style: Petal Burst]

Petals erupted everywhere as Mikhail stepped back; I lunged forward.

My sword simply cut through the air with nobody in sight. 

"Cool trick, but so predictable."

Mikhail was already behind me, both his short swords aimed at my back.

I flipped around staring at the incoming blade and

I aimed my swords towards the floor...

[Sen Blossom Style: Petal Burst]

I turned around mid-air about to attempt something I never had.

[Sen Blossom Style: Fragrant Flower's First Dance]

'Try and predict this.'

I took the first step on practically nothing but the air and slashed at him with all my might. 

Petals rushed into him as my sword came down.

"Haha that's rad."

He deflected my attack with both swords purposely taking the bulk of it. 

The moment my sword left his, he thought he had decisive victory and prepared a counterattack, but that was just the first step of my dance. 

I poured as much mana as I could into the second step. 

A cage of petals suddenly bursted forth enveloping the both of us.

For just a moment he was caught off guard as petals poured into him on all sides. 

Though the third step would undeniably be weaker, I completed the dance and launched a stream of petals towards him. 

And at the end of it all...

Mikhail was standing there as if nothing happened, he tanked every last one of those petals. 

"If I were somebody else that attack might have finished me. You did do quite a bit of damage to me, so I'll count it as your win."

'He said that, but he obviously noticed I'm out of mana.'

And the entire time Cecilia just stood there watching beside Clara. 

'You know she kind of reminds me of my first love.'

***

I was 17 in my junior year of high school. I had relatively no friends I remember that I would sit alone outside every night hoping on a miracle. 

"Do you think a miracle would ever come for me?"

I asked the night sky as if it could talk back to me. 

"When will someone understand me? I give all these people guidance, try and fix their lives, but why can't I ever fix my own?"

Every day I came here, and the night sky never responded to me.

And eventually, I thought I had found that someone, but I was sorely mistaken.

A woman so beautiful, I thought I was just imagining her, and for the time we dated I could only see her in my eyes. 

She made me fall for her, made me vulnerable, and made me feel like I belonged. 

And then...

"We need to talk. I've been developing feelings for somebody else. I'm sorry, but we're over."

'Why?'

Not why she broke up with me.

'Why am I so unlovable?'

Every day I hoped it was just some fluke. I hoped and hoped and hoped and every day I was disappointed.

And just a couple days later I saw her side-by-side with somebody else and she walked past me as if I was just empty space. 

***

"Sorry, I'm not feeling too well. I'm gonna go train to clear my head."

Mikhail looked at Sen with complete confusion.

"To clear your head, you're going to go train?"

"Yes."

Sen said with absolutely no hesitation. 

'Strange, but predictable'

Sen walked off and headed to the training room.

'He was a bit stronger than he looked, but eh. At least the fight was decent.'

Sen had walked off suddenly to go train leaving me, Clara, and Mikhail. 

'Let's see, what to do next? I'll just test the waters for now.'

"Wow he really must love training."

I said while both Mikhail and Clara looked at Sen in the distance. 

"Yeah, he does he's been trying way too much recently."

Mikhail replied while turning around and soon Clara did as well.

"Maybe he's one of those battle maniacs?"

I asked feigning innocence and Mikhail paused for a moment before laughing.

"Hahah, he kinda is."

'That brief pause, that laughter, and that smile isn't all to see from this man. It makes me want to see more.'

"So Mikhail are you worried? You're becoming student council president next year."

"Nah I'll ace it 100%."

'Liar, I can tell you're at least a little worried.'

Clara just stood there looking at the both of us.

'Quiet, dignified, and yet so refined. Like an untouchable flower, it makes me want to bend her to my will.'

I looked at Clara hiding the greed in my eyes. 

"Hahah, Mikhail where do you get all this confidence?"

I let out a little chuckle and added a little soft smile on top. 

'That Sen guy is boring, only training. Of course you'd want to get stronger in a world like this. I've seen it hundreds of times before. Though these two I want to solve.'

***

It was getting late; the imperial family was just leaving.

It was just me and the way too big wall encircling our estate.

I climbed up it relatively easily with no issue. 

I had trained with aura all day; it was one of my lacking abilities.

I sat on the cold top of the wall looking off into the night sky. 

"It's just me and you again."

Yet there was no response to my voice. 

"I've come a long way, you know? Every night I used to come here until I ran out of the energy to even do that. Though I can feel myself going back into those old days whenever I'm all alone. When Clara and Mikhail have better things to do."

I paused for a moment gathering my thoughts.

'I wonder what type of moon that is? I know one of them has waxing in it, I think.'

"Well anyway my life is better much better. Even if this world is destined to perish, I'll perish with it happily. Family, that word feels like so much more now and I'm finally changing for the better. If only little me could see now."

The wind blew towards me, a cool breeze, it felt strangely nice after training.

'It's quite cold out.'

I just sat there with the moon's glow gently shining on me.

I took in the cold wind and simply just stared imagining my future here.

Fighting side by side with the characters I dreamed about. 

In the corner of my eye, I saw a speck of white dash far into the forest. 

I saw the birds along the treetops and the squirrels settling into their homes. 

'I wonder how animals live. Their stories, their lives, what they feel.'

"I have a strange feeling that the academy is gonna be fun."