Project Mage

The teacher had an evil grin when handing out new test papers. Each page was filled with hard problems that demanded careful thought and problem-solving skills. The room fell into a tense silence.

Roselle tackled the first question on the real test. It felt as if she had transitioned from playing a video game on easy mode to suddenly finding herself in the most challenging level on Extreme difficulty mode. The questions were significantly more complex and required a deeper understanding of the subject matter.

However, Roselle couldn’t afford to dwell on the sudden shift in complexity. Fortunately, despite the increased difficulty, the test remained in multiple-choice format, offering some ease on Roselle’s shoulders.

With fire burning in her eyes, Roselle delved into the test, carefully considering each question and selecting what she believed to be the correct answers.

Around her, other students were equally focused. They were all trying to decipher the problems on the test as quickly as they could.

The bell rang only minutes after the distribution. A collective murmur of frustration rippled through the classroom. Roselle and her classmates exchanged anxious glances. They were nowhere near completing the challenging test the teacher had unexpectedly sprung on them.

Their teacher, wearing a smug grin, strolled to the front of the class. He leaned against his desk with his arms crossed, and his eyes filled with a mocking gleam.

“I hope you enjoyed the little surprise, class,” he taunted with a laugh. “It’s not every day that you get to fail a test so spectacularly, right?!”

Roselle growled in frustration. She was about to let the teacher have it, but one of the other students couldn’t contain his irritation any longer. He spoke with anger. “This isn’t fair! You tricked us with that practice test! We need more time!”

The teacher chuckled. “Life ain’t fair, man. And neither is this test. This is a lesson I’m teaching you, but I’m not entirely heartless. You will have a two-minute grace period. After that, I have to release you for lunch. Can’t have the principal complaining that I’m holding you back, can we?”

Two minutes might as well have been a mere blink of an eye in the face of the challenging questions that still loomed before them.Roselle clenched her pencil tightly. She had to make the most of those precious minutes, even if it meant leaving some questions unanswered. Failure was not an option here.

With gritted teeth, she turned her attention back to the test and tackled as many questions as possible in the dwindling seconds of the grace period.

With every second ticking away, Roselle frantically answered question after question. Breathing heavily, she leaned back in her chair. Unlike most of the other students who were struggling, she had managed to answer every question.

Roselle leaned back in her chair, drained and barely hanging on. Her soul seemed to be floating somewhere near the ceiling. She looked as if she had just survived a near-death experience in a video game’s hardest mode.

Suddenly, her classmates rushed to her side. They clung to her arms and shoulders, trying to pull her back to her normal state.

“Roselle, breathe! You’re going to give yourself a heart attack!” one girl exclaimed.

“Just try to relax!” another added, patting her back.

Each of the girl’s tried to Roselle to her usual self, but their combined enthusiasm only seemed to amplify her weariness.

The teacher, watching this scene unfold, furrowed his brow. “I didn’t say you could move yet,” he said, but then shrugged and smirked. “Oh, who cares? You all look like you’ve had enough.”

He then began collecting the test papers with a very slow pace. “Hand ’em over,” he instructed to all of them. The students passed the test to the teacher with groans coming from their mouths.

“Alright, all of you, get out of here, go to lunch already, scram.” The teacher yelled.

The students filed out of the classroom grumbling in frustration. Roselle, feeling physically and mentally drained from the intense test, slumped her shoulders. She nearly collapsed, but before Roselle could succumb to exhaustion, a strong hand gripped her shoulder. It was her friend Michigo from the Karate club, a fellow student with an athletic body with medium-trimmed black hair, and a red headband with her school uniform.

“That was some battle in there,” Michigo remarked with grin. “I managed to answer half of the questions myself. I’m hoping for at least a 50%. You okay, Rosey?”

“Yeah,” Roselle replied weakly.

Michigo looked at Roselle with a concerned face and then burst into a sympathetic chuckle. “You look like you were karate chopped in half! I don’t blame you, though. That teacher is like some kind of villain from a bad action movie.”

Roselle managed a tired smile. “I guess he does seem that way...”

Michigo continued chuckling. “Yeah, if he keeps this up, we might need a rescue team just to survive his tests. At least we survived today though. Let’s grab some lunch and recharge. I hear they’ve got a new batch of those chocolate chip cookies in the cafeteria.”

Roselle’s eyes lit up at the mention of cookies. “Cookies! That sounds like exactly what I need right now.”

Roselle and Michigo finally made it to the school cafeteria. They found an empty table and settled down. Roselle wasted no time in diving into her meal. It quickly became apparent just how ravenous she was.

She had managed to get two trays of food piled high with a variety of dishes—pasta, burgers, fries, and a generous stack of cookies. Roselle devoured her meal with impressive speed and enthusiasm. A few students at nearby tables glanced over in astonishment.

Michigo, sitting across from Roselle, propped her chin on one hand, observing her friend with amusement. Her red headband bobbed slightly with each shift of her gaze.

Finally, Roselle looked up and noticed Michigo’s unwavering stare. She asked around a mouthful of fries, “Hey, Michigo, why aren’t you eating? You brought your own lunch, right?”

Michigo shrugged casually,. “No reason. Just enjoying the show.”

Roselle blinked, slightly confused but too absorbed in her feast to dwell on it.

Michigo eventually took out her light sandwich, a modest but tasty-looking creation with fresh veggies and a hint of mustard. She ate slowly, savoring each bite as she kept an eye on Roselle.

After a few minutes, Michigo put her sandwich down and leaned forward slightly. She cleared her throat before speaking. “Hey, Roselle, I wanted to ask you something...”

Roselle looked up from her second helping of cookies, a bit surprised by Michigo.“What’s up, Michigo?”

Michigo hesitated for a moment, then continued gently, “It’s about Sarah. She hasn’t shown up to school for the past two days. I know you two are really close. Do you know anything?”

Roselle She stopped eating and frowned. “Sarah... I’ve been trying to reach her, but she won’t answer my calls or reply to any of my texts. Aruka and Ella are acting strange too, and then there’s Tina… she’s gone completely missing. I don’t know what to make of all this…”

Michigo looked serious towards Roselle. “We need to find out what’s happening with our friends. Maybe they’re in some kind of trouble.”

Roselle nodded in agreement. “You’re right, Michigo. I’m worried about Sarah, Aruka, Ella, and especially Tina. Let’s start by trying to find out where Tina might be. Maybe someone knows something.”

Michigo’s face lit up. “I know someone who might have some information. I’ll call Tori. She’s a bit of a gossip girl, right? She always seems to know what’s happening with everyone.”

While Michigo reached for her phone, preparing to make the call, she suddenly felt a presence behind her. She turned her head and was surprised to find Tori standing right there. “Did someone mention my name?”

Michigo chuckled and said, “Tori, you have impeccable timing. We were just about to call you. We need your help with something.”

Tori’s eyes sparkled with curiosity. “I’m all ears, doll. What’s the juicy gossip today?”

Michigo leaned in closer. “It’s about Tina. She’s been missing, and nobody’s been able to reach her. You got any information for us?”

Tori’s playful demeanor shifted instantly, and her face grew dark. Her eyes narrowed in curiosity. “Tina? That’s... unusual. Who’s Tina, and why is this such a big deal?”

Michigo exchanged a glance with Roselle before they both glared at Tori. “Tori, this is serious. Stop playing around! You know who Tina is!”

Tori sighed deeply and then placed a smile on her face. “Okay, okay, I was just having a little fun, but you know, information about Tina doesn’t come cheap. What are you willing to trade for it?”

Roselle hesitated for a moment. She then nodded slowly. “Okay, Tori, we’ll owe you a big favor. Just please, tell us what you know about Tina.”

Tori leaned back in her chair. “You got it, Rosey. You’ll owe me one favor, anytime, anyplace, and it can be anything.”

“We accept the deal,” Michigo said firmly, locking eyes with Tori. “Tell us what you know.”

Tori grinned. “Good choice. Now, here’s what I’ve heard about Tina...”

Tori now spoke in hushed tones, “Last week, right before you got expelled Roselle, I overheard you talking to Tina in a way I’d never heard before. You were calling her all sorts of names and demanded that she do some perverted stuff. Oh, and you were with a boy.”

Tori whispered something in Michigo’s ear, and Michigo’s eyes widened with a blush coming to her face. She stammered, “That’s... that’s impossible. Roselle would never tell her to do something like that!”

Roselle’s brows furrowed in confusion. “What are you two talking about? Whatever it is, it couldn’t have been me, right?”

Tori nodded. “I’m not entirely sure it was you, Roselle. That’s one of the reasons why your friends may be avoiding you. Something strange is going on… ”

Roselle nodded. “If we can find the boy she spoke with, we might get some clues. Do you know anything about him, Tori?”

Tori’s eyes sparkled. “I’ve never seen him before, but from what I’ve heard, he’s a total hottie. Blonde hair, piercing blue eyes, and he’s got that bad-boy vibe. Probably stands out in a crowd.”

Michigo rolled her eyes at Tori’s description, but took it in with a neutral face. “Alright, we’ll look for this mysterious hottie and see if he knows anything about Tina. Thanks, Tori.”

Tori grinned mischievously, “Oh, I’m always here to help, especially when it involves hot guys. Just remember, I’ll be calling in that ‘favor’ someday.”

Michigo smirked. “So, he’s a bad boy, huh? Sounds like your type of guy, Tori. Yo don’t wanna come along?”

Tori shrugged, a mischievous grin on her face. “Sorry girls. I appreciate good looks when I see them, but I gots my own show to run. If this mystery guy is the key to finding Tina, then you should start asking around school. Maybe someone knows who he is.”

Roselle nodded.“Alright, we’ll start asking around at school. Tina’s been missing for too long, and we need to find her.”

Michigo chimed in, “We’ll track this guy down and see if he can provide any information about what happened to Tina that day.”

Tori leaned back.“Good, good. You’d better find this guy, cause I expect some juicy updates.”

Roselle and Michigo left the lunch café. Roselle’s gaze momentarily swept across the area. Amid the sea of students, her eyes locked onto a sight that sent a shock of surprise through her.

There, sitting at a table, was a girl in a school uniform that looked eerily like Risebelle. The resemblance was uncanny, from the blue hair to the uniform. Roselle’s heart skipped a beat, and her eyes widened with hope and confusion. Was it possible that her sister, Risebelle, was somehow here?

Before Roselle could react or approach the girl, she blinked, and in that split second, the girl and her friend had vanished.