Chapter 202: The Ghost Girl
One by one, the Class S students took turns entering the counseling room.
While waiting for their turns, quiet chatter filled the classroom. Some stuck to people they already knew —like Gara and his group— while others started conversations just to make new friends.
When Vania’s name was called and Miki lost his conversation partner, the rat boy wasted no time wandering over to Gara’s group, who were chatting with Andine.
"I was really surprised when my sister told me she met someone who actually knows the guy who ranked first on the entrance test!" Andine’s yellow eyes sparkled with excitement.
Though, every now and then, she sneaked a glance at Fian.
"I was more surprised to learn that Anel is a student here too, the top student at that. She joined us like a regular companion," Gara replied.
"Isn’t that destiny?" Andine said cheerfully, brimming with energy.
Gara gave a vague nod, unsure how to respond. It had been a while since he dealt with such an energetic, talkative girl.
"They say similar people attract each other like magnets," Miki chimed in suddenly, announcing his presence with impeccable timing.
Four pairs of eyes turned toward him in perfect unison.
With absolute confidence, the rat boy puffed out his chest. "Name’s Miki. People call me The All-Knowing. Facts, gossip, rumors— you name it, I know it."
"Uh... nice to meet you, Miki," Gara replied politely, though in his head he sighed. Great. From a chatty mermaid to a talkative rat.
"No need to introduce yourselves," Miki continued, waving a hand dramatically. "I already know all four of you. Your names, your backgrounds— everything. Actually, I know everyone in our class."
Without waiting for permission, Miki launched into a full rundown of every Class S student— their races, their families, and the reasons they were accepted into the academy’s top class.
At first, Gara wanted to stop him... but the information turned out to be surprisingly interesting.
Out of the ten Class S students, only three had passed through the entrance test— the top three, to be exact: Fian, Andine, and Lysa.
The other seven had all received special offerings.
Some, like Vania Shereen, Jett Forgearsly, and Gara himself, were chosen because their Talents showed extraordinary potential.
"The rest were admitted for awakening Bloodlines outside their native race," Miki continued with flair. "Like Madha, who awakened the Giant Bloodline, Revan, who awakened an Elemental Bloodline, and of course... me."
For a brief moment, Gara was honestly impressed. How in the world does this guy know Madha has a Giant Bloodline?
But then he realized something, Miki had only mentioned nine names.
That meant one person was still unaccounted for.
Before Gara could ask, Miki leaned forward dramatically, lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "But there’s one student whose information... well, no one knows for sure if it’s true."
Without moving his head, Miki flicked his eyes toward the far-left corner of the room.
Only then did Gara notice her, someone he hadn’t realized was even there before.
"That’s Mona Daevora," Miki whispered. "A devil... or more precisely, a ghost."
Gara stiffened. Ghosts. That was what he had been looking for.
"Does she have a Space Bloodline?" he asked immediately.
Seeing he had an intrigued audience, Miki grew even more animated. "Yep. She awakened the Space Bloodline, and rumor says her Talent is so powerful, she got an offering directly from the academy. But here’s the catch... there’s talk she’s never been able to activate her Talent. Not even once."
"If her Talent hasn’t been activated," Andine chimed in, frowning, "wouldn’t that make her unqualified to enter the academy?"
"That’s the rumor going around, but since she’s here now, her Talent should’ve awakened, right? Still, no one’s ever seen her use it."
Gara turned toward the girl sitting quietly in the corner, her head lowered so her hair covered her face.
From what he knew, ghosts had the ability to hide themselves. Maybe that’s what the girl named Mona was doing, making everyone unaware of her presence.
Curiosity itched at him. He wanted to ask more about the rumors Miki heard, but before he could, the classroom door opened.
Vania walked back in with Pere behind her.
"Madha," Pere called.
Madha stood from his seat just as Vania returned to hers, throwing a sharp glare toward the rat boy.
"Miki, what are you doing over there?" Pere asked.
"I was just chatting with Gara and the others," Miki replied with innocent gaze.
Vania scoffed. "Come here. Instead of wasting time with those low-class humans, I’ll tell you something important about my counseling session."
"Hey! Don’t be rude!" Andine shot up from her seat.
Vania frowned, her perfect brow creasing. "I’m not picking a fight with you, Karina girl. Stay out of it."
"You’re the one badmouthing everyone!" Andine’s voice rose in anger.
"What’s it to you? I wasn’t even talking about you!" Vania growled, her tigress nature showing.
"Enough, both of you." A calm, cool voice cut through the tension. Revan, sitting in the middle, looked between them.
"Vania, you shouldn’t insult your classmates," he said evenly. "And Andine, raising your voice will only make things worse."
Vania didn’t bother replying. She sat down gracefully, facing forward.
Andine, however, looked anything but calm. She clenched her fists, glaring at Revan. She wasn’t good with words when angry, but she refused to back down.
"Raising my voice? That’s normal when someone’s spewing nonsense!"
"Don’t start another argument," Revan replied, unruffled. "Your sister wouldn’t want you joining Class S just to fight with others."
Andine frowned deeply. Even Gara thought Revan’s reasoning was nonsense.
"Wait," Gara said, voice cold. "Andine only spoke up because she was defending me, the human that tigress girl insulted."
He pointed lazily toward Vania, barely sparing her a glance before turning back to Revan. "This is my problem, not hers. She won’t say another word. But you..." Gara’s eyes narrowed, "...you should shut your mouth too."
A flicker of red dark flashed in Revan’s eyes, his emotions shifting. No one had ever talked to him like that, especially not after knowing who he was.
He exhaled slowly, regaining control. "Fine. I won’t say anything. I just hope you don’t cause any trouble."
Gara chuckled under his breath. "Me? Causing trouble? You got eyes, don’t you? Try using them, look who’s been starting it."
...