I followed the headmaster until we reached a red car that resembled...
'A Ferrari!?'
I stared at it for a moment. Although it wasn't the same as a real Ferrari, it was close enough for me.
The car was sleek with precise golden lining across the edges that shone beneath the moonlight. Its hood was sharp, clearly built for speed.
"Get in." The headmaster spoke.
"Oh... okay," I said, snapping out of my daze and entering the car.
The doors opened and revealed a dark red interior with black stripes that perfectly complemented the red.
I stepped in, taking a seat.
'Oh, my god.'
The seat seemed to suck me into its embrace; it felt like I was lying on a cloud. Not to mention the smell it had, that new car smell.
"You seem to like my motor vehicle." The headmaster spoke.
"I do," I answered without hesitation.
He let out a hearty laugh. "You're probably the only one besides me who likes it."
My brows furrowed. "How?"
"Everyone else said it was excessive when I made the custom order."
"Then they have no tastes."
He laughed again and started the car up.
The car vibrated as the engine roared to life with the sound of tearing metal.
I sensed mana moving below me.
The car sped up fast as it moved down the road at breakneck speed.
------
It wasn't long until we reached the stadium again, and I mean it didn't even take 5 minutes. Weirdly, the roads were empty, which allowed for our quick arrival.
Stepping out of the car, I realised why there wasn't any traffic.
The parking lot was full, and it wasn't just cars.
"That's a lot of people," I said.
The sounds of screams came from all directions, and the crowd was all scrambling into the stadium.
They didn't even notice us.
"What did you expect this exam was... quite entertaining." The headmaster's smile seemed to mask something I couldn't read.
Seeing his expression, I was reminded of something.
'I need to stay the fuck away from him.'
He was too suspicious; even in the novel, his character wasn't explained much since it was from Liam's perspective.
But he always had a hand in something and appeared out of nowhere at crucial moments almost intentionally.
"Follow me." He spoke, cutting into my thoughts.
"Hmm." I followed him as we walked past the crowd.
They didn't notice our presence as if we were invisible. I guessed they were too focused on getting into the stadium.
We moved into the stadium through a small, almost hidden door.
We reached an opening, and I found myself in what looked like a locker room with a few other applicants all seated on benches.
They all looked in our direction. I thought they were looking at the headmaster, but he moved away, and their gaze remained directed at...
'...me?'
"Okay, everyone, listen up." The headmaster's voice echoed through the room, and everyone looked at him. "Since the last applicant has arrived, I'll give a brief explanation of why you're all here."
"As you've probably guessed, everyone here is in the top 10 of the exam, and soon you'll all be given the choice of what academy you'll be entering."
He smiled. "And to spice things up this year, you will announce which academy you'll attend on the stage."
The room froze as everyone's eyes widened with surprise, except for me and a certain blue-haired figure.
Usually, only the top applicant gets a chance to give a speech on the stage, while the other 9 just stand and receive their praises.
So now everyone was sweating bricks because they'd have to go on stage in front of the whole world and completely wing it.
Okay, I admit it. I also didn't have a speech prepared, but I was way too preoccupied with everything else, and I basically forgot about it.
"You will all be called up to the stage from tenth place to first." The headmaster continued.
I felt his gaze in my direction as others mirrored him.
My lips twitched.
'Stay cool, Cassian, stay cool.' I tried my best to seem indifferent.
The headmaster clapped, grabbing everyone's attention. "I will leave now, good luck."
For some reason, it felt as though he was talking specifically to me.
He left through a door, and the room went silent.
'Haa...' I inwardly sighed and walked to a certain blue-haired figure sitting next to him.
"Yo." I greeted him.
"Sup." He returned the greeting.
"..."
"...pfft," Liam laughed.
I frowned, "...The fuck you laughing at?!"
"Y-you were naked, pfft!! Everyone saw."
"I was half naked, not fully!!"
"HAHAHA!!"
He was practically dying of laughter.
"You guys are embarrassing." A feminine voice came.
Turning, I saw Nira leaning against the wall with her arms crossed.
My mind blanked at the sight of her.
"..."
"Dude... you're staring too much," Liam spoke into my ear.
"Piss off." I shoved him away.
"He's not wrong," Nira spoke, walking in our direction and sitting down next to me.
Okay, I was staring at her, but this time in surprise. She was usually a lone wolf type and would never interact with others like this.
"What?" She spoke.
I smiled. "I'm just surprised you'd approach me so openly."
"Says the one who ran from me earlier."
I shrugged, "I had things to do."
"Sure you did."
My brow twiched.
I turned to Liam. "Anyway... where's Elise?"
"Huh..? Oh, uhh... how would I know?" He seemed to snap out of a daze as he answered me.
I gave him a blank look. "I thought her stalker would always know her location unless... don't tell me you've given up," I spoke dramatically. "This is good, it was never gonna work out anyway." I patted his back.
He grit his teeth and tried his best not to react.
"You-"
-Ryan Wermount, 10th Place, please come to the stage
A voice came through an intercom, grabbing everyone's attention.
"Haa... 10th huh?" A tired voice came from the corner of the room.
"Hey, that's still better than most." An energetic, feminine voice responded to him.
"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Ryan spoke.
"Yes, now you'll have to pay for dinner." She smiled.
Ryan smiled back. "Yeah, yeah, I'll be back soon."
He stood up from the bench, and I got a proper look at him.
He was handsome, comparable to Liam, but he had massive bags under his eyes, and his posture was slightly slouched. His long brown hair was clearly unkempt and covered most of his face.
He walked out of the room with his long brown hair swaying slightly and a smile plastered on his face.
The girl had blonde hair and a cute face; in a childish sense, she reminded me of Cinderella.
Noticing the stares from the rest, she smiled. "He is my fiancé." She proudly announced their relationship status, puffing her chest.
Nira clapped. "Wow, relationship goals for real."
The girl's smile widened. "Thanks, are you in a relationship too?"
My ears perked up.
"No, I'm not in a relationship right now."
I let out a sigh of relief... wait.
'I already knew she wasn't in a relationship.'
I guess hearing her say it helped?
I felt a burning stare coming from my side.
I didn't bother turning to look at him.
"Don't act like you're any better," I spoke.
"...Yeah, yeah, I won't," Liam agreed, and although I wasn't looking at him, I could tell... he was smiling with glee.
'This motherfu-'
-Emma Hale, 9th Place, please come to the stage
The voice came again, this time calling for...
"Oh, that's me!" The girl from before jumped up energetically.
"Damn, you go right after your fiancé, that's kinda cool," Nira spoke.
"I know, right?" Emma replied. "I'm Emma Hale, as you've heard. What's your name?" She put out her hand for a handshake.
Nira smiled and shook her hand. "It's Nira... Nira Caldress."
Some eyes widened at the mention of her name, or more specifically, her surname.
"Okay, Nira, let's talk after the ceremony, okay?" Emma spoke excitedly; she didn't seem to know what the Caldress name was, or just didn't care.
"Sure."
Emma left the room in a similar fashion to Ryan, her blonde hair swaying slightly as she exited with a large smile on her face.