"Who would dare bully you?" Maria said dotingly, gently patting Beatrice's little head.
"Ugh, I can't go on like this," Beatrice whimpered, her voice trembling as she buried herself deeper into her mentor's chest.
"Tell me what happened." Maria tried to pull Beatrice upright, but the girl clung tightly to her waist.
"Let me hug you! Comfort my wounded heart!" Beatrice greedily inhaled the familiar scent of her mentor, her earlier rage slowly fading. Just like before, whenever Beatrice lost her temper, the mere sight of Maria would calm her down.
"Excuse me… Is this the Lightning Magic class?" A familiar voice pierced Beatrice's ears—so grating it made her want to lash out.
Thunder, having just arrived at the academy after asking for directions, stepped inside. The first thing he saw was two women embracing, one of them nuzzling her face into the other's chest as if savoring something.
*What are they doing in broad daylight?* Thunder felt like he'd been struck by lightning.
Beatrice whipped her head around, and the moment she saw that swine standing there, her barely cooled temper flared again. Her eyes burned with fury.
"It's you?" Thunder and Beatrice exclaimed at the same time.
The difference was, Thunder felt a pang of guilt, while Beatrice's voice dripped with murderous rage.
Maria gently pried Beatrice away and smiled at the dumbfounded Thunder. "You must be the new magic apprentice. Do you two know each other?"
*The new apprentice?* Beatrice glared at Thunder, a cold smirk forming. "Oh, we've met. Just once."
Thunder's face burned with embarrassment. The memory of his earlier *accidents* made guilt twist in his gut.
"I'm sorry about before!" he blurted out sincerely.
"Oh, you did nothing wrong," Beatrice hissed through clenched teeth, barely suppressing a manic laugh. *The heavens have eyes! They delivered this beast right to me!*
Eric's eyes gleamed as he studied Thunder. *Could this guy really be the one who bullied my sister?* But something didn't add up—Thunder was just a lowly apprentice. How could he possibly overpower Beatrice, who was nearly an intermediate mage?
"Come in," Maria beckoned. Thunder had no choice but to step forward, his legs heavy.
The classroom was empty except for the two women at the podium and a young boy.
Eric waved at Thunder, a sly grin on his face.
*Why does his smile seem so sinister?* Thunder hesitated, but with no way to refuse, he reluctantly took a seat between Eric and Beatrice.
The girl he'd *accidentally* groped earlier sat beside him, her gaze sharp enough to flay skin. The siblings had him trapped.
"Alright," Maria began, looking at the small group. "Let's welcome the third member of our Lightning Magic class!"
"Welcome!" Eric clapped enthusiastically. To Thunder's surprise, the sullen beauty beside him also joined in, though her applause felt more like a threat.
"Professor, why are there so few of us?" Thunder couldn't help but ask.
"Yes," Maria nodded with a gentle smile. "Lightning mages are rare among all magic disciplines, so our numbers have always been small. Before you, I only had two students. Let's introduce ourselves—we'll be spending a lot of time together."
"Eric, novice lightning mage!" the boy beside Thunder announced proudly.
"Beatrice, novice lightning mage!"
"Thunder… uh, magic apprentice." Thunder felt a pang of inadequacy. Everyone else had a star on their chest—except him.
"I'm your mentor, Maria, advanced lightning mage." Maria's serene eyes met Thunder's. "You can call me Maria or Professor, whichever you prefer."
"Our class is small, unlike others, so I hope you'll all get along. If conflicts arise, I won't know who to side with—so don't put me in a tough spot, okay?" She stuck out her pink tongue playfully, leaving Thunder momentarily dazed.
"Pervert!" Beatrice muttered under her breath, catching his dumbstruck expression.
Thunder's face flushed, and he quickly nodded at Maria.
"Now, let's begin the lesson. Since Thunder missed previous classes, I'll recap the basics over the next few days. Beatrice, Eric, treat this as a review."
The siblings nodded, though Beatrice's smile was anything but friendly.
"Hey, man, didn't you bring anything?" Eric nudged Thunder.
"What should I bring?" Thunder was clueless.
"Notes!" Eric handed him a sheet of paper and a quill.
Thunder couldn't shake the feeling that Eric's enthusiasm was… excessive.
Mornings at the academy were for theory, afternoons for practical magic, with long breaks in between.
During the first break, Beatrice followed Maria out, leaving Thunder alone with Eric.
The younger boy immediately leaned in, grinning mischievously.
"What?" Thunder asked warily.
"Tell me—how did you bully my sister? I've never seen her so furious."
"She's your sister?" Thunder blinked.
"Older sister. By blood." Eric shuddered at the thought. "Come on, spill it! Maybe I can use it against her."
"Well…" Thunder had almost forgotten, but now the memory of soft curves and a certain *incident* rushed back.
"You didn't… *harass* her, did you?" Eric gasped.
"No! Of course not!" Thunder's ears turned red.
"Then give me some tips!" Eric pleaded. "Bro, we're desk mates now! You can't leave me defenseless against that tyrant!"
*Tyrant?* Thunder almost laughed. What kind of brother called his sister that?
After relentless pestering, Thunder finally caved and blurted out the first thing that came to mind. Eric's eyes lit up like fireworks.
"Wait, seriously? She's scared of *caterpillars*?"
"Yeah, totally!" Thunder nodded vigorously.
**Will Beatrice discover their scheme—or will Thunder regret ever opening his mouth?****Chapter 16: It's You?**
"Who would dare bully you?" Maria said dotingly, gently patting Beatrice's little head.
"Ugh, I can't go on like this," Beatrice whimpered, her voice trembling as she buried herself deeper into her mentor's chest.
"Tell me what happened." Maria tried to pull Beatrice upright, but the girl clung tightly to her waist.
"Let me hug you! Comfort my wounded heart!" Beatrice greedily inhaled the familiar scent of her mentor, her earlier rage slowly fading. Just like before, whenever Beatrice lost her temper, the mere sight of Maria would calm her down.
"Excuse me… Is this the Lightning Magic class?" A familiar voice pierced Beatrice's ears—so grating it made her want to lash out.
Thunder, having just arrived at the academy after asking for directions, stepped inside. The first thing he saw was two women embracing, one of them nuzzling her face into the other's chest as if savoring something.
*What are they doing in broad daylight?* Thunder felt like he'd been struck by lightning.
Beatrice whipped her head around, and the moment she saw that swine standing there, her barely cooled temper flared again. Her eyes burned with fury.
"It's you?" Thunder and Beatrice exclaimed at the same time.
The difference was, Thunder felt a pang of guilt, while Beatrice's voice dripped with murderous rage.
Maria gently pried Beatrice away and smiled at the dumbfounded Thunder. "You must be the new magic apprentice. Do you two know each other?"
*The new apprentice?* Beatrice glared at Thunder, a cold smirk forming. "Oh, we've met. Just once."
Thunder's face burned with embarrassment. The memory of his earlier *accidents* made guilt twist in his gut.
"I'm sorry about before!" he blurted out sincerely.
"Oh, you did nothing wrong," Beatrice hissed through clenched teeth, barely suppressing a manic laugh. *The heavens have eyes! They delivered this beast right to me!*
Eric's eyes gleamed as he studied Thunder. *Could this guy really be the one who bullied my sister?* But something didn't add up—Thunder was just a lowly apprentice. How could he possibly overpower Beatrice, who was nearly an intermediate mage?
"Come in," Maria beckoned. Thunder had no choice but to step forward, his legs heavy.
The classroom was empty except for the two women at the podium and a young boy.
Eric waved at Thunder, a sly grin on his face.
*Why does his smile seem so sinister?* Thunder hesitated, but with no way to refuse, he reluctantly took a seat between Eric and Beatrice.
The girl he'd *accidentally* groped earlier sat beside him, her gaze sharp enough to flay skin. The siblings had him trapped.
"Alright," Maria began, looking at the small group. "Let's welcome the third member of our Lightning Magic class!"
"Welcome!" Eric clapped enthusiastically. To Thunder's surprise, the sullen beauty beside him also joined in, though her applause felt more like a threat.
"Professor, why are there so few of us?" Thunder couldn't help but ask.
"Yes," Maria nodded with a gentle smile. "Lightning mages are rare among all magic disciplines, so our numbers have always been small. Before you, I only had two students. Let's introduce ourselves—we'll be spending a lot of time together."
"Eric, novice lightning mage!" the boy beside Thunder announced proudly.
"Beatrice, novice lightning mage!"
"Thunder… uh, magic apprentice." Thunder felt a pang of inadequacy. Everyone else had a star on their chest—except him.
"I'm your mentor, Maria, advanced lightning mage." Maria's serene eyes met Thunder's. "You can call me Maria or Professor, whichever you prefer."
"Our class is small, unlike others, so I hope you'll all get along. If conflicts arise, I won't know who to side with—so don't put me in a tough spot, okay?" She stuck out her pink tongue playfully, leaving Thunder momentarily dazed.
"Pervert!" Beatrice muttered under her breath, catching his dumbstruck expression.
Thunder's face flushed, and he quickly nodded at Maria.
"Now, let's begin the lesson. Since Thunder missed previous classes, I'll recap the basics over the next few days. Beatrice, Eric, treat this as a review."
The siblings nodded, though Beatrice's smile was anything but friendly.
"Hey, man, didn't you bring anything?" Eric nudged Thunder.
"What should I bring?" Thunder was clueless.
"Notes!" Eric handed him a sheet of paper and a quill.
Thunder couldn't shake the feeling that Eric's enthusiasm was… excessive.
Mornings at the academy were for theory, afternoons for practical magic, with long breaks in between.
During the first break, Beatrice followed Maria out, leaving Thunder alone with Eric.
The younger boy immediately leaned in, grinning mischievously.
"What?" Thunder asked warily.
"Tell me—how did you bully my sister? I've never seen her so furious."
"She's your sister?" Thunder blinked.
"Older sister. By blood." Eric shuddered at the thought. "Come on, spill it! Maybe I can use it against her."
"Well…" Thunder had almost forgotten, but now the memory of soft curves and a certain *incident* rushed back.
"You didn't… *harass* her, did you?" Eric gasped.
"No! Of course not!" Thunder's ears turned red.
"Then give me some tips!" Eric pleaded. "Bro, we're desk mates now! You can't leave me defenseless against that tyrant!"
*Tyrant?* Thunder almost laughed. What kind of brother called his sister that?
After relentless pestering, Thunder finally caved and blurted out the first thing that came to mind. Eric's eyes lit up like fireworks.
"Wait, seriously? She's scared of *caterpillars*?"
"Yeah, totally!" Thunder nodded vigorously.
**Will Beatrice discover their scheme—or will Thunder regret ever opening his mouth?**