An Unexpected Event!

Halearth has a single towering spire that reaches into the sky, located in the very center of the school. Four buildings surround it on each side, connected at their tops. The lower parts of the connectors are supported by two pillars each, creating many spots to relax around the base of those pillars.

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"Why did you guys leave me behind?!" said William, looking sad as he walked up between Jovi and Dai.

Feeling a bit awkward about what just happened, I accidentally bumped into Vienna. She almost fell, but I managed to catch her just in time, though I almost lost my balance too.

"Eh… Sorry, Jovv, Vien..." said William, who had nearly made both me and Vienna fall.

"Are you okay, Vienna?" I asked after catching her.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," she replied softly, her face still blushing.

William apologized again to both me and Vienna, then invited us to go to the cafeteria.

On our way there, I finally realized how amazing this place was. So many fascinating things were happening here, and people from various races across the world were present.

As we walked under one of the pillars, I saw someone flying past us on a broomstick. Ahead of us, someone was gliding calmly on a flying carpet toward the upper walkway above us.

It wasn’t just flying people—there were also many adorable creatures playing or relaxing beside students.

“W-what are those cute creatures?” I asked, melting at the sight.

“Oh… those?” —pointing to one of the creatures— “That one that looks like a lion is a lion!” said Dai, holding back laughter.

I wasn’t too surprised, because the creature looked just like a grown lion, only in a chibi form.

“Yeah, literally it’s a lion. But here, lions can turn into their chibi versions. And you can tell them to transform back into their real form if you’ve bonded with them or become friends,” William explained confidently.

“He’s right! Those animals can become our companions. I can’t wait to bond with one after we graduate from high school!” added Vienna excitedly.

“Wait… Do we really have to graduate high school first to get one?” I asked, a bit impatient, because I really loved animals—and I’ve had a dog since middle school that I’ve cared for for five years.

“Technically, you can get one if they choose you, or if you become an official student at this magic school,” William replied, a bit disappointed.

“What? So you guys aren’t official students here?” I asked, confused by William’s words.

“Yeah… We’re not official students yet because we haven’t graduated from high school. But there are other reasons we can study here even though we’re not officially enrolled,” William replied, still sounding disappointed.

“Oh… So why exactly are we here?” I asked, still not grasping the situation.

I wonder... why are we—non-students—allowed into this strange yet incredible school? Are we chosen ones? Or do we possess some rare, powerful kind of magic?

“Well… we’re here to study,” —he walked up to me and patted my shoulder— “and don’t worry about what those other students say when we’re in the cafeteria,” said Dai humbly.

What would they even say? Are they jealous that we can study here without graduating yet? I didn’t respond to Dai, because honestly, I didn’t care much about being bullied. (#UsedToIt)

“Let’s just get to the cafeteria—I miss the food from the lunch lady,” William said, rubbing his stomach.

“Just admit you want to eat like crazy again,” Dai teased him.

“H-he… yes, again… because it’s free,” William replied, still rubbing his stomach, blushing.

“BTW, where’s Hector? I haven’t seen him,” I asked them.

“When I got here, he was already way ahead and didn’t wait for me. I even called out, but he didn’t look back. He probably just went straight to the cafeteria ‘cause he was hungry,” Dai replied, annoyed.

“O-oh, okay then, let’s head to the cafeteria,” said Vienna, her face no longer blushing.

But on our way there, we suddenly stopped when we heard someone screaming for help behind us—specifically from the direction where someone had been sitting with their lion companion.

“Ahhhgg… HELP!”

We all turned to look. The person who had been sitting with the chibi lion was now being attacked by a huge lion—at least four times the size of a normal one. The beast radiated a dark aura, with glowing red eyes and razor-sharp claws.

The lion struck the person in the back, throwing them a great distance. The person was still moving and shouted for help again.

“W-what is that?” Vienna said, her voice shaking, eyes wide and blank as she stared at the massive lion.

Seeing her like that, I grabbed Vienna’s hand. “L-let’s g-get out of here.” I tried to pull her away, but she seemed frozen in place, unable to move.

“Vienna… Vienna… Let’s go,” I said again. Still no response—so I picked her up to carry her away and called out for Dai and William, who also looked frozen. But after hearing my voice, Dai snapped out of it and quickly helped wake up William.

The lion, having lost its original target, turned its attention to us after hearing my shout, and let out a thunderous roar.

I was still carrying Vienna and trying to run, but I tripped and fell, causing both of us to hit the ground. I quickly told Dai to carry Vienna instead.

But when I looked again at the lion, it was sprinting straight toward us at terrifying speed.

I stood frozen, thinking we might not make it. I could see Dai rushing toward me, trying to help me up, with William now following behind.

“William… behind you!” I shouted, as the lion was almost on him.

I saw William smile at me—then, just like that, he stopped and turned to face the lion.