THE SHADOWS OF AETHEL

 "That will be all for now, you go and have your lunch," Miss ordered the entire class as she swept out of the room, her gaze lingering on Kuroyami for a heartbeat longer than necessary.

 Kuroyami remained rooted to his seat, staring blankly at his desk while the classroom emptied around him. Whispers and snickers rippled through the air, punctuated by judgmental glares that bore into his back like daggers.

 Lost in the tempest of his thoughts, Kuroyami barely noticed the approach of a boy who seemed to command the very air around him.

 The boy stood imperiously before him – short blonde hair catching the light like spun gold, piercing blue eyes cold as winter, and a slim build draped in a flawlessly tailored uniform that screamed privilege. Even Kuroyami, with his striking features, felt a pang of inadequacy in the blonde's presence.

 For several excruciating seconds, the blonde boy simply loomed over Kuroyami, his face twisting with undisguised contempt.

 "You don't belong here," the boy finally hissed, his voice dripping with ice. "Not especially with your pathetic level stage and that disgusting excuse for magic control... Commoner trash."

 "Hey, it's lunch time, let's go," a cheerful voice cut through the tension as a hand clapped onto Kuroyami's shoulder. 

 He flinched violently, whipping around to find Yuusuke's familiar green-haired form standing beside him – the friend he'd made just days ago.

 "Oh, it's only you," Kuroyami exhaled, shoulders sagging with relief.

 "Hey, are you alright?" Yuusuke's brow furrowed with concern.

 "Yeah, I just got lost in thought for a moment. Let's go," Kuroyami replied, methodically arranging his books and sliding them beneath his desk.

 The two boys strode from the classroom, neither noticing the shadowy figure that remained behind, watching their departure with calculating eyes.

 "So you're not that good at controlling your magic?" Yuusuke asked brightly as they navigated the crowded hallway, seemingly oblivious to the weight of his question.

 'One feature I don't like about extroverts – some can be so dense and just ask sensitive questions without a care in the world,' Kuroyami lamented silently.

 "Yeah, it's something like that," he muttered, voice barely audible above the din of the corridor.

 "Well, don't let it drag you down! Cheer up!" Yuusuke exclaimed, delivering a hearty slap to Kuroyami's back that nearly sent him stumbling forward.

 "Yeah, I know," he replied with forced calmness, unwanted memories of the class's magic resonance test flooding back into his mind.

 Everyone had performed brilliantly, their displays both powerful and mesmerizing.

 But when Kuroyami's turn came, everything had unraveled spectacularly.

 It began with him and his partner Shin taking center stage. Shin confidently deployed his magical field – a shimmering dome of energy that pulsated with controlled power.

 Kuroyami's first attempt to deploy his own field ended in humiliating failure. After several agonizing tries, he finally managed to conjure a feeble field, but matching Shin's frequency proved impossible.

 Despite numerous desperate attempts, Kuroyami couldn't synchronize with Shin's power, each failure drawing more whispers and stares from his classmates.

 A magical field – the most fundamental practice in magic – allowed users to saturate their surroundings with magical power, enhancing both control and sensory perception. 

 The more innate power one possessed, the wider the range and stronger the effects.

 The resonance test aimed to teach students precise control, requiring one student to deploy a field while the other matched its frequency by equalizing their magical output to exactly fifty percent.

 'Sometimes I wonder if I could use any magic at all without this necklace,' Kuroyami thought darkly, fingers unconsciously brushing the pendant beneath his uniform. '

 And it's strange how Miss Sakkaku didn't say anything about my performance...'

 His brooding thoughts scattered as they pushed through the massive double doors into the academy's cafeteria. 

 The cavernous space teemed with students, the cacophony of voices bouncing off marble walls.

 "Woah! This is... different," Kuroyami thought, taken aback by the sheer number of people crammed into the space.

 "So do you know why there are so many people here today, Yuusuke?" he asked, eyeing the unusually packed tables.

 "Most of them are hoping to befriend nobles, especially Claudine," Yuusuke explained as they claimed an empty table in the corner.

 'Nobles, I guess that's reasonable, but why is Claudine so special?' Kuroyami pondered, setting down his tray.

 "So what rank is Claudine in terms of nobility, and what's the big deal about being her friend?"

 Yuusuke's jaw dropped comically, eyes widening to saucers. "What?! You don't know that Claudine is the Duke's daughter?" he sputtered in disbelief.

 Kuroyami nodded sheepishly.

"Alright, let me explain," Yuusuke leaned forward conspiratorially. 

 "Claudine's father is the King's one and only brother, which makes him the Duke – the highest-ranking noble in the entire kingdom." He paused dramatically to catch his breath.

 "This makes Claudine royalty by extension. There are countless benefits to being in her circle, and she can bail you out of almost any trouble. You're in an enviable yet dangerous position, my friend."

 'I guess that explains all the toxic stares,' Kuroyami thought glumly. 'Honestly, I just want a peaceful life and to understand the secret behind my necklace.'

 Before he could complete his thought, the ambient chatter in the cafeteria abruptly dimmed.

 The hostile stares intensified tenfold, and when Kuroyami glanced to his left, his heart nearly stopped.

 Claudine was seated directly beside him, delicately eating from a tray laden with exotic delicacies. She'd materialized like a phantom, without a sound.

 Just as before, Kuroyami instinctively recoiled from her proximity.

 "Again with that reaction," she murmured, her tone soft yet tinged with something unidentifiable.

 Yuusuke sat frozen across from them, hand trembling so violently that his chopsticks clattered against his plate.

 "So what brings you here, Miss President?" Kuroyami managed to ask, struggling to maintain his composure.

 "Oh, I'm eating my lunch just like everyone else," she replied airily, savoring another bite of her clearly luxurious meal.

 Yuusuke's terrified stare met Claudine's piercing gaze, and he seemed to petrify on the spot. Then, as if remembering something.

 She clapped her hands once, her expression shifting back to its usual enigmatic mask.

 "Well, I almost forgot – the student council wants to meet us. I'll be waiting in the hallway after lunch," she announced before gracefully rising and gliding away, leaving a wake of whispers behind her.

 "Oh okay, I got it," Kuroyami replied with forced nonchalance.

 Yuusuke visibly shuddered, as if breaking free from an invisible spell. "Wow, man! She was utterly terrifying, but you were impressive! Her presence didn't affect you at all!"

 Kuroyami let out a bitter chuckle. "Is that what you thought? Well, I guess you were right."

 'While she didn't affect me directly, she certainly affected my reputation – not that their hostility isn't justified,' he thought grimly, noticing the venomous glares from nearby tables.

 "Hey Yuusuke, there's still a lot I don't know about the academy. Could you teach me a few things? In fact, just explain everything you know," Kuroyami asked, eager to change the subject.

 "Sure, that's easy! The Mana Academy is the largest educational institution in the kingdom, with almost as many sectors as there are professional disciplines," Yuusuke explained enthusiastically between bites.

 "As you heard at the entrance assembly, this academy's first year focuses entirely on magical fundamentals." At this, Kuroyami's eyes widened with sudden realization.

 'Oh crap! I was so late that I completely missed the assembly! No wonder I've been so clueless,' he thought, mentally kicking himself.

 "And once you complete the first year," Yuusuke continued, oblivious to Kuroyami's internal crisis, "you get to choose a sector that aligns with your career aspirations."

 By the time Yuusuke finished his impromptu lecture, they had emptied their trays and the cafeteria had largely cleared out. They returned their dishes to the counter and headed for the exit.

 As they walked down the corridor, Yuusuke's eyes sparked with curiosity. "By the way, which sector are you planning to join, Kuroyami?"

 Hesitation flashed across Kuroyami's face. "Well, I haven't really thought about it yet," he admitted, then abruptly stopped walking. "I almost forgot about the meeting with Claudine! I'll see you later, buddy." 

 With that, he darted away, leaving Yuusuke staring after him with a puzzled expression – and a thousand unasked questions hanging in the air between them.