In truth, Midtown High's athletic field wasn't small, but New York's real estate was priced by the inch. Compared to Augusta High, which was sprawling and open, Midtown was bound to look a bit cramped.
Besides, at Midtown High, the lawn was a place where students sat to read; it wasn't really meant for running around. Unlike here, where a long line of girls was currently doing laps around the track.
"Huh?"
Gwen and Cindy watched as a bit of drama unfolded. A girl seemed to be getting into a heated argument with a teacher. "Did something happen?"
Cindy looked at the blinking Gwen and rubbed her forehead. "Gwen, this isn't Midtown. You aren't the student assistant here."
Locke moved his gaze away from the book in his hand. "It seems to be because of that video."
"The video?"
"The one from the supermarket yesterday."
"Oh."
"The teacher is making them run as punishment. A girl named Chris wasn't having it, so the teacher put her on probation. She's banned from the Prom now, so she's making a scene."
"Serves her right."
"Filming a video like that was way too much," Cindy said, before looking curiously at Locke. "How do you know the details?"
Locke closed his book. "I've always had pretty good hearing." He stood up and spoke to Gwen. "I'm going to the library to return this."
"Want me to come with?"
"No need."
Locke waved them off and left the stadium. After navigating the standard high school hallways and heading to the third floor, he arrived at Augusta High's library.
"Teacher."
Locke handed the book he had borrowed that morning to the librarian. Just as he was about to turn and leave, the endless sea of energy in his consciousness—which usually only reacted when he used the Golden Apple—suddenly rippled.
"Wait...?"
Locke raised an eyebrow, a flicker of surprise crossing his face as he looked deeper into the library. What was going on? He paused and walked into the stacks.
The library wasn't exactly silent—plenty of students were at the reading tables flipping through pages—but compared to the perpetually overcrowded library at Midtown, it felt empty.
Following the pull of that endless energy, Locke's gaze landed on one particular reading table.
There sat a girl who wasn't exactly a stranger. She was leaning forward, head down, buried in her books.
Carrie White.
The social pariah Locke had seen at the supermarket and in that video. He had heard other students talking in the hallway that morning; apparently, Carrie White was "weird," introverted, and frequently dressed like a seventy-eight-year-old grandmother.
But... this girl had supernatural energy? And she let people bully her like that?
Locke found it hard to believe. Before he had supernatural energy, people tried to bully him when he first started school. After he threw a few punches, no one dared try again, regardless of how "weird" or "eccentric" his personality was.
Locke's eyes drifted to the stack of books in front of the focused Carrie:
Exploring Magical Forces
Does Magic Really Exist?
Thirty-Six Studies on Mana
How to Develop Your Internal Magic
...
He realized what was happening.
*Thump.*
Carrie White, startled out of her deep focus, looked up like a frightened rabbit. Her eyes were full of panic as she stared at the handsome boy who had suddenly sat down across from her.
Locke closed his eyes slightly. For a split second, the endless energy within him surged, neutralizing an invisible, intangible, but very real psychic "spike" directed at him.
"Hello," Locke said with a soft smile. "I'm Locke Broughton. I'm here for the competition."
"Carrie," she whispered, her voice as thin as a quail's as she ducked her head again. "Carrie... White."
'He's so handsome,' she thought. 'But why is he sitting with me?'
Locke reached out his hand. "Nice to meet you, Carrie."
Carrie looked at the hand extended toward her. Her mother's voice echoed in her head—Men are bad, men are sin—but she couldn't help but reach out. He was so handsome; he looked like an angel, not a demon.
『Ding!』
『Supernatural Class (Incomplete) detected. Currently unable to change class. Please select another target.』
Locke's eyebrows twitched.
Incomplete?
Just as he suspected—a girl who had only just discovered her own powers.
Locke mentally tucked away the [Supernatural Class Change Voucher] he had bought during an 80% off sale a while back. He smiled. "It was great meeting you, Carrie."
Then, he stood up.
The fruit wasn't ripe yet; he couldn't pick it.
Being a "Player" had its pros and cons. He had recently realized why he couldn't tap into that infinite energy sea himself. Simply put, even though he had the energy, his "Class" was still that of an ordinary person—or a Peerless Assassin.
Have you ever seen a "Mortal" cast spells? No. Mages use magic, Wizards use spells, Vampires turn into bats, and Werewolves turn into wolves. Your identity dictates what you can do.
So, once Locke reached 60,000 Achievement Points, he had bought that discounted Class Change card. And now? He realized his hope for a class change was sitting right here.
'I can finally become a Mage.'
Locke was excited. He had a dream: become a Wizard, learn Fireball, level it up to the max, and then throw "little" fireballs the size of stars at his enemies.
Just thinking about it was thrilling.
But as he turned to leave, planning to "harvest" the class when it matured, he saw three figures standing by the library entrance.
Cindy had her arms crossed.
Kahn had a teasing smirk.
Gwen's expression was... neutral.
Locke walked over, ignoring Cindy's look. "What are you guys doing here?"
Cindy nudged him. "I was wondering why you didn't want us to follow you. Turns out... Gwen, you better watch out."
Gwen looked at Locke tenderly. "We were coming to get you for the BBQ. We need to go into town to get some drinks."
Locke realized they had seen the encounter. He chuckled and walked toward the exit. "I was just doing a bit of polite outreach with the local students on behalf of Midtown."
Cindy rolled her eyes. "Why didn't you pick a local male student then?"
Locke turned to her, his face dead serious. "Believe me, if I started looking for local male students, that is when you should really start worrying for Gwen."
Cindy blinked. "What does that me—" She paused. Then it hit her. "Gwen!"
"Alright, that's enough." Gwen smiled, smoothing things over. "I haven't said anything, so let's just get going. Do we want BBQ or not?"
She trusted Locke completely. As Locke had said, they both had a clear plan for the future. Besides, Gwen didn't see Carrie White as a threat. In terms of common interests, intelligence, and—frankly—looks, Gwen didn't feel even a spark of insecurity.
She and Locke were academic equals; they spoke the same language. If you put a "scholar-failure" with a "study-god," what would they talk about? To the god, the failure's words are childish; to the failure, the god's words are a foreign language.
...
Back at the rental house, Locke and Kahn pulled out the grill and gave it a quick scrub before pouring in the charcoal they'd bought.
*Ignition.*
Gwen and Cindy brought the trays of meat out from the kitchen.
"By the way," Gwen said to Cindy. "Where are Sue and Tommy?"
Cindy checked her watch. "They should be here soon. I asked them this morning, and they said they knew the place."
Sue and Tommy were locals they'd met that morning. They were the ones representing Augusta High in the competition. Like Cindy and Kahn, they were top-tier scholars, but unlike the two "Study-Gods" representing Augusta (who had declined the invitation with expressions that suggested they wouldn't accept "enemy bribes"), Sue and Tommy were friendly.
Basically: high IQ, healthy EQ.
Soon, Sue, a girl with long blonde hair, arrived with her boyfriend Tommy, who was both a scholar and a star on the school's basketball team.
Sue caught sight of Carrie carefully getting out of a car across the street. Her eyes flickered; she said something to Tommy and ran over.
In the backyard, Cindy whispered to Gwen, "I know that move. She bullied her, realized she messed up, and now she's trying to make amends."
Gwen looked at Cindy, remembering something. "Is that why you kept dragging 'L' around last month? Because your prank made her cry and you wanted to make up for it?"
Cindy was blunt. "I like pranks, I don't like bullying."
Across the street, Sue apparently failed to convince Carrie and returned alone. Tommy patted her shoulder.
Cindy blinked. "Are Tommy and Sue a couple?"
"It's normal," Gwen said. Academic equals tend to find common ground and end up together. That's the "Scholar's View" of romance, anyway.
"Sue!"
"Gwen, Cindy."
"Tommy."
"Kahn, Locke."
Tommy walked over to the guys, setting down a bag of steaks. He looked at Locke and said, "You haven't been at school for a full day, and your name is already everywhere."
Locke grinned. "Really?"
Tommy nodded. "Yeah. Word is the New York heartthrob has his eye on our school's ugly duckling."
Locke raised an eyebrow.
Sue was telling Gwen and Cindy the same thing. "By the time we left school, the whole place was buzzing about Locke and Carrie having a date in the library."
"A date?" Cindy's mouth fell open. She looked at Gwen. "Are you still not worried?"
Gwen: "..."
***
(Bonus as promised)
I'll post bonus per 100 stones
Thanks for reading
***
Read 30 Chapters early on P-atreon.com/Redestro666