Reincarnated As The Villainess's Best Friend

I had barely stepped into the room when Professor Varyn's voice rang out from the class.

"As you all know, there'll be another student joining us today, a pretty remarkable student if I may add. You may have all heard of him, for he is quite... infamous. But I want you all to treat him like he's always been a part of this class."

1A – The superior class filled with C-Rank Spellcasters. I had yet to step into the class, but I could already detect the mana pressure coming from within.

I would have preferred to remain in 1C. But my furious display at the tribunal gave away my mana capacity to Varyn, though not to its full extent.

If anyone discovered I was now an A-Rank mage, I would be expelled on the spot. So, for the rest of my time in this school, I had to cast a concealment spell on myself to hide my true mana capacity from prying eyes.

I laughed at myself, surprised at how much had changed. Within five weeks, I had gone from hiding the fact that I had no magic, to hiding the true extent of my newly awakened affinity.

I stepped into the class, dressed in my full uniform, notebook in my right hand. I took in a deep breath, the air thick with the scent of clean clothes and different ointments.

In one swift glance, I analyzed the entire class to find an empty seat. There were four rows of chairs with five chairs in each row, and on the third row, an empty desk sat in the middle.

"Everyone," Professor Varyn said with a slightly crooked smile. "Say a proper welcome to your new classmate... Aldrin Stormborn."

As I made my way towards the empty seat, a low wave of whispers erupted around me, barely audible. It seemed to be the norm wherever I went.

"He's the one who ruined the tournament."

"The darkblood's friend."

"Should have been expelled."

"He doesn't belong here."

"He's a C-Rank now."

"I doubt it."

I ignored them, paying attention to the seat I was heading for. Eventually, I decided against it and headed instead to the back corner of the classroom.

Turning in that direction, I found Lucy, seated alone in the corner of the class, eyes staring down at a book lying in front of her.

The seats beside her and in front of her were equally abandoned. Without a second thought, I walked over to the one beside her and sat down carefully.

She glanced at me briefly, before turning back to her book. But right after, she reached for her quill and paper.

She scribbled a few letters in a small piece of paper and slipped it over to me.

"You're late," the note read.

I flipped the note to the other side and wrote a new message. Then, I slipped it back to her.

"Don't worry. I'm here now."

*****

The class schedule for 1A was quite different from my former class.

The lectures were shorter, and the tutors spoke to us like equals, rather than beginners.

Right after the first tutor left, Miss Fumiko stepped into the class. She was dressed in a sleek white robe, her long blonde hair falling on both shoulders.

Without a word, she picked up a piece of chalk and wrote on the board.

WANDS

"Last time, we talked about activation and uses of common spells," she told the class. "But before we ended, one of you asked me an interesting question."

Her gaze fell upon Lucy, who dropped hers to the floor.

"Today, I'm going to answer that question. But first, we're going to have a little demonstration."

She walked to the shelf in short deliberate strides and pulled out three books, placing them on the tutor's table in front of the class.

"Lucy, could you come forward?"

Lucy froze with a slight frown on her face. Then walked to the front of the class in slow, hesitant steps.

"Can you use wind spells?" Fumiko asked.

"No."

"Fire, right?"

"Yes."

"Good."

She guided Lucy to a place right in front of the books.

"I want you to set one of those books on fire. Just one. The top one."

I could already tell where Fumiko was heading with this. Using Lucy for this practical was a strategic choice. She wasn't just trying to educate the class, she was passing a message to me.

Lucy stared at Fumiko for a moment, then slowly raised her right hand towards the books.

"Flaming Arrow," she muttered.

It was an E-Rank elemental spell that sent a straight line of flame to the target.

Instead of a small flame, a blazing fire erupted from her hands, setting all three books on fire.

"Wind Vacuum," Miss Fumiko whispered, and a sharp wind rushed toward the fire, putting it out. Then, she pulled out a small black wand from within her sleeve and handed it to Lucy.

"Now... Try again."

Lucy took the wand and pointed it towards the topmost book.

"Flaming Arrow," she repeated, her hands shaky.

This time, the spell worked as intended, setting only one book on fire.

"Very good," Miss Fumiko said with a smile. Once again, she whispered her wind spell, and the flame promptly disappeared.

"So, based on this demonstration, what do you think wands are used for?"

"Direction," a brown haired boy said in the front.

"Good answer," Miss Fumiko replied, "but that's not it."

"Control?" Asked a green-haired elf girl

"Close, but not exactly."

"Precision."

All eyes darted to the back of the class.

"Precision," Miss Fumiko repeated. "Good answer, Rin."

Yes, I got your message.

"A wand is a tool... the tool of a Spellcaster. Just like the staff is the tool of a mage. Just like the sword is the tool of the knight.

"You do not need it to cast a spell, but to create precise spells that do not waste your mana, it is essential to have one..."

As Fumiko continued with her lecture, I heard a buzzing hum in the air. Soon afterward, my fingers began to tingle – a sign of mana being released nearby.

Someone else had activated a spell.

Someone in this class...