Chapter 8. Something new and something familiar.

Mia and I walk towards the direction which seems to be the area where the division houses are placed. I now understand why the building is so huge. This structure houses everything despite having only four-hundred-eighty students. The building has everything: division houses (by now, it seems like that these houses are small apartments), a library, all the section rooms and other halls such as the examination hall, as well as a bath for all students.

While looking at the vast hallways and halls of the school, I didn't notice that Mia was actually talking the whole time.

"Hey, Aura." She pokes me. "Aura, Aura" she pokes two more times. "I wonder where the other enchanter is?" She asks.

"Well, I don't know, probably doing something. We'll see him again in the division room later. No need to worry now." I answer. Mia nods her head in agreement.

After this brief exchange, a student from our back seems to run towards us. They seem to come from nowhere. The footsteps shock me as if a ghost comes running up to me. I look back. Mia seems to have the same reaction as me as she also looks to have done the same. My relief only mellows down when I realize that it is the male enchanter that introduced himself earlier.

His name is Jayde Oliani, the son of a wealthy restaurant owner. His passion for food is incomparable to anyone I have ever met in my life. His dark brown eyes and black hair seem to rise every time anyone mentions any type of food. Apparently, this is only natural for him as his family has been prestigious in cooking through the use of Yttrancia mana manipulation. His family are often serving the highest-ranking royalties in Vikaria. Despite this prideful background, the way he presented himself earlier, his tone seems like a nice person and humble. But it is a good reminder not to trigger his food fanaticism as he won't be able to stop talking about it.

"Speak of the devil," I murmur to Mia, who seems to be very pleased to see Jayde.

"Ah, guys!" He appears to be out of breath. "I'm sorry, I had to talk to maestro Haila about some books that might help me in my conquest." After finally regaining his breath, we start walking again.

"Conquest?" Mia asks, probably confused by the diction. uh oh, here we go again. She triggered it.

As if changing gears, Jayde's entire posture changes. He clears his throat and with great reverence, he said: "Well, of course, Mia, my dear. The conquest of broadening my knowledge! I will contribute, along with all of you, to Gaia, my knowledge about state-of-the-art gastronomy." He goes on further: "With the power of Yttrancia manipulation, I will make the best food in all of human history." There is no end to this madness.

As if with mutual understanding, Mia and Jayde seem to converse really well about Jayde's obsession with food. Most of the time, it is just Mia nodding with whatever Jayde is saying though. Nevertheless, they seem to be meshing really well right now. We walk a loud and passionate twenty ticks to our division house. From the outside of the division house, it doesn't look like much as it is just one of the rooms in the never ending hallway of other division houses.

As if waiting for me to take the initiative to open the door, Mia and Jayde look at me. I grab hold of the doorknob and slowly open the intricate white door with a beautifully carved framework. As we inspect what is inside, it surprises that it isn't as majestic as the hallway. The door opens up to a hallway with a normal height ceiling, different from the high ceilings of the section room and examination hall. The hallway has six doors on each side and at the end, a door that has a glass window, where one can peek in from the hallway. The room at the end seems to be the room where the kitchen and living room seems to be as I can see a stove through the window.

As if seeing the same thing as I did, Jayde suddenly dashes himself off to the room where the stove is. "I call dibs!" He roars while running. Mia looks at him and laughs at the sight. Mia and I are still in the hallway trying to comprehend everything.

To think that I will be living in this division house for a year, with these two people. It will indeed be a great year, I have good hopes. Mia and Jayde seem to be very good people and trustworthy. I hope to develop strong ties with them as well as other people from my section.

Jayde enters the living room through the door, embracing the stove and other things in the kitchen. Literally.

Mia and I also enter the division house and start to inspect each door, opening one after the other. Now knowing that the first set of doors is the bath and toilet, both in separate rooms, the rest of the doors must be our bedrooms.

"U-uh guys," stutters Jayde in the living room, embracing the stove while looking towards the left side of the room. His voice seems to be somewhat similar to someone who has seen a ghost of some sort. "I-I think I found the missing student from earlier," he ended finally in the same scared voice.

"Huuuuuuh?!?!" Mia says in her shocked voice.

Mia and I then soon pace ourselves with hurry over to the living room dropping our interests in the hallway. Jayde stands up from his passionate embrace. When I finally enter the room after Mia, we see a girl who seems to be reading a book sitting on the couch on the left side of the room. Her uniform, blue-white, same as ours. Her badge, purple, same as ours. Her hair, grey, seems to flow all the way from her head until it rests gently on the couch. Her face, grey eyes that compliment her hair, pink lips that seem to have been smacked by lipstick. I cannot help but be shocked that this is the very same person I bumped into earlier today, the one before the exam.

In a cool manner, she gently looks at us, releasing her focus from the book.

"Hello there, I assume that you, noisy bunch, are the rest of my division?" She looks at us slowly, first at Jayde who is near the stove. Next, Mia who seems to be in shock, seeing that her mouth is open and is speechless. Finally, when she gets a look at me the girl's mouth opens that appears to look like Mia's, but in a less cute manner. "Haaaah?! You?! You're that pervert from earlier!" She said, dumbfounded by the idea that we are under the same roof. Or probably even that we actually met again. Or that we have to work together. There are many things in my head as to why she would have said that. I don’t know which is correct.

"Pervert?" Mia asks, retaining her shocked face but now turned towards me.

The girl calms down, probably accepting the fate that just presented itself.

"Well, that pervert right there.” She points at me. "Was looking at me with lust as he bumped unto me this morning before the exams!" She said accusingly.

"Well, well. Let's not jump to conclusions. He probably was just hungry." Jayde tries to calm down the situation in his own way.

"Well, hungry in some other way, indeed!" Says the girl angrily towards me.

"No! It was just an accident, I swear." I try to clear myself out of the misunderstanding. " It's just it was my first time seeing the girls' uniform. So, I tried to check, that's all!" I explain myself

Not satisfied with my explanation, she pouted: "Hmph!"

"Alright, we can talk about this later with some food on the table. Alright, guys?" Jayde tries to calm her down again. "Well, why don't you introduce yourself to us? We don't know you, as of yet." Jayde asks.

"Well, I am Mimi Grania. I probably don't have to say much further. I am an enchanter just like you and just turned sixteen two days ago." She said, proudly putting emphasis on her last name.

Everyone seems to be dumbified by this information, Mia retaining her shock from before.

"Mimi, who?" I find myself thinking out loud accidentally.

Mia looks at me with her shocked face. "You don't know the Grania family?" I shake my head "You don't even know the very rulers of the kingdom you live in?" She is even more shocked. Her mouth is open as if her jaws are stuck in that position. How can she keep up that face for so long? Does her jaw have the muscles of a weightlifter?

Did I just offend a princess? As if shaken aback from this bit of information, I remain speechless. My reputation is as good as being dead.

"I see that you are a peasant. Well, of course, a peasant like you won't know. You spend your time learning all the wrong stuff in life." Mimi says offensively towards me.

After some time, Mia and Jayde introduce themselves. Mimi seems cooled down by now. Mia has taken a liking towards Mimi. Their vibe is definitely of polar opposites, but I think this is what they call: opposites attract each other.

"And how about you? who are you?" Mimi asks bitterly towards me, still sitting like an authoritative power on the couch.

"I am Aura of Orma, I just turned sixteen ju-," I am cut off again.

"Haaaah?! Sixteen? What kind of black magic did you use to get in the school despite being a peasant?" She asks.

I start to explain myself to which Mimi just eventually gives up on hearing my story. She is probably just tired of hearing my voice.

"Well, why don't we go eat some food, it's getting late. And we also have to check out our rooms." Jayde says. I like that Jayde is taking the initiative when it comes to food. His passion is always active.

"Oh no! I didn't bring any ingredients! Also," Mia starts. "I don't know how to cook," She said, while giggling towards Jayde who seems to have taken this as a mission

"Same, I didn't bring anything. I forgot to buy stuff from the market earlier," I say.

"Well, If you want I can order food from our palace to be brought here, for the three of us," she said, emphasizing that she won't bring any for me.

"I see. Well, that's no problem! Leave the cooking to me! I will give you all the best food you have had in your entire life!" His energy piqued.

While eating the delicious pasta that Jayde made for dinner, we talk about the curriculum as well as plans for the future. It seems that Mimi's hatred towards me has subsided for now. Not going to lie though, Jayde's cooking is indeed top-notch. I have never eaten pasta that good before. Despite the simplicity of the dish. The pesto, garlic, and other spices on top of the freshly made pasta, the taste was superb. I wonder what his parents' restaurant is like.

Apparently tomorrow we will go through the town as a team to buy some things we need for the house. We will then visit some stores that sell practice equipment for Yttrancia manipulators. These types of equipment include devices where one can manipulate the Yttrancian flow to do certain things. An example of this is a box with seemingly a lock. The goal of the manipulator is to unlock the box through incantations. This is a good practice as one will familiarize themselves with similar locks. Another is to create a barrier within the lock so that no other people can access the lock without the given permission of the owner.

After eating dinner and talking for a while, we disperse into our own rooms. My room is of almost the same size as my room back in Orma, big enough to house a bed as well as a chest. Although this one is bigger as it also has a desk and chair where I would do my studies.

It has been a long day and I need to rest. It is around sixty ticks before midnight, so it is quite late already. Our conversations over dinner have taken some time. We enjoyed and loved our company together, although there can be some improvements to my relationship with Mimi.

This day has indeed been long, and I hope that tomorrow brings luck and joy. I close my eyes on the bed that seems to be of the same size as the one in Orma. No sounds of nature here, though. Only of the ones I have to spend the rest of the year with. I try to relish the moment.

This is it, huh? something new and something familiar, indeed.