Chapter 9 – Know Your Place

It had been two days since my mini adventure in the Treyah Tower and it was already Monday morning. The time on the clock was 7:30am and my first class was at 8:00am and the course was ANHUMBO, which was going to last for an hour, then it will be followed by COMBASIC at 9:00am and it will last for an hour as well. I have a one hour break at 10:00 and my class resumes at 11:00 with HISTOWA as the class. I remembered that my final exam in HISTOWA will be held today so I crammed everything last night and stayed up until 3:00am. I only have a few hours of sleep present in my system as I took my sheathed katana, a thick envelope containing some papers and got out of my room. I was already dressed in my school uniform and I had already made my way towards the classroom in which my general education classes are being held.

I made it to the classroom and sat down on my usual seat which was at the back of the room. The students in my section were feeling really tense about the final exam that was going to take place in our History class hours from now.

"Hey did you study?" I had heard one student ask his friend in my class.

"Yeah, but I know I can't pass this exam because the professor really gives difficult tests. Last term only half of his class passed their HISTOWA course." The other student replied.

As far as I was concerned, I've always aced all my General Education tests. It may not look like it, but I once contended with Yue for class prefect, but due to my discipline record (getting into fights mostly) I was disqualified from the position, but I never really wanted to be a prefect. It involved too much drama.

Then suddenly I saw Yue actually going near me this morning. She walked towards my seat and she looked different. Her smug self was not to be seen when I had looked at her face and it was as if she was going to start a decent conversation with me.

"So Seiryu, did you study for the finals?" she had asked me and this drew the attention of the students present in the room.

"Why is she talking to him?" I heard one of the girls say.

"Has she gone insane?" another one said.

I did not reply to her question, but instead, I said:

"What do you want from me?"

Suddenly the look on her face changed. I can now see her typical smug face rise from her expression. I know that she was heating up with anger inside her and it gave me a satisfaction of a lifetime just to see her like that.

"I was just trying to start a normal conversation with you!" she had shouted at me. I gave her a look with a smirk on my face.

"Well you're looking at the wrong guy. I don't do normal conversations." I had said to her

She then attempted to slap me, but I stopped her hand by grabbing her wrist just at the right time and I stood up from seat without letting go of her wrist.

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Yue POV

He held on to my wrist and suddenly he was getting closer to me. Seiryu looked as if he was examining my face. His eyes focused on my own and I felt my cheeks burn again. Why does he have that effect on me? Why did he have to look so good and have a bad attitude at the same time? It was so irritating. I just stood in front of him and he suddenly let go of me.

"Are you blushing?" I had heard him ask with a smirk on his face. How could he tell? Damn he was just too good.

"I'm not! I-I-I was just- I have a cold that's all." I tried to lie to him. Crap this was not good, we were making a scene inside our classroom. Only a few people here know what I really feel about Seiryu and if the rest find out, especially if Seiryu finds out, I will not know what I would do.

"You lie." Seiryu said to me as my cheeks began to burn even more. This was not supposed to happen. Why did I have to approach and talk to him?

"Shut up!" I said as I turned my back on him and made my way to my seat. "Jerk!"

Then I had heard him say something that would really take my irritation of him to the next level.

"Stop thinking about me so much. It ruins your shallow persona." He said as I began to heat up in anger but, before I could say something in return, the Professor had already gone in the room.

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Seiryu POV

It was a fun morning really. I had messed with Yue's head and she didn't even have a chance to insult me back since Professor Garth had already entered the room. Fuck I remembered that I had detention for a week with this guy. It was already bad enough that I see him two times a week for ANHUMBO and now I have to see this guy for detention as well? What makes it worse is that Resshin will be there. That fucking teachers pet really did annoy the hell out of me and seriously, if that female professor did not interrupt our fight, I would've put him in his place. Discussion with Garth was the least fun time I have had in this academy. I mean sure he elaborates on the needed points to be taken in his discussions but the way he contextualizes his concepts was really unclear. He jumps from one point from another so quick that those taking notes in class cannot follow his train of thought. It seems that today he was intent at talking about the vital spots to be protected while in combat.

"Always remember that the Head, Center Chest and the Abdomen, are the priority parts that must be protected when in combat. You cannot allow these main parts to be hit immediately while fighting or you will be rendered useless in that fight." Professor Garth said with conviction.

I was tempted to raise a point to him that vital parts actually vary per combatant. Sometimes the arms or limbs deem to be more important than the ones he mentioned because combatants actually use those parts to defend themselves. But, then again since this is his specialty, I'd rather shut up and just let time pass by.

No one in class even bothered to recite to his lecture and he just went on and on with his discussion. I have observed that some have actually fallen asleep, but it didn't even matter to Garth. What only matters to him is finishing his lectures and getting out of this classroom immediately from the looks of it. His course did not have a final exam on it instead he gave us a 5000 word essay (which I have submitted already since last week) on what help has this course been to us students.

Time flew by relatively fast and his class was already over because we had already heard the first bell rang.

"Okay class; just don't forget to pass your final essays to this class alright? Have a good day all of you." I heard Professor Garth say as he was piling up his lecture books and he walked out of the door afterwards, but before he got out he turned back to the class.

"Oh and Mr. Seiryu Noelle, don't forget that you have detention with me after class. See you in room T406 at 5:00pm this afternoon." He said as he got out of the classroom.

Well, he didn't need to remind me that I have detention with him and Resshin after class. My classmates were now like bees conversing with each other after they had heard Garth's announcement.

"I'm surprised that he didn't get expelled after what he had done." one of my female classmates had said.

"Seems like headmaster was lenient on him huh?" another had said to his friend.

Then suddenly a classmate of mine went near me. He brought along his posse to accompany him just to talk to me. They were the so called "Discipline Crew" of Block D 2nd year class. He sported black spiky hair that reached up to his shoulders and he had grey eyes to accompany it. He had a scar at his right cheek and he had a smug look on his face. His name was Hugo. One of his sidekicks who were with him sported a dirty colored blonde hair which was very straight. He wore glasses over those green eyes of his and he looked stuck up and predictable. This guy was named Fair The third one sported crew cut hair style with his maroon colored hair. His orange eyes looked smug and annoying which actually tempted me to get up and fight the three of them, but I kept my cool. His name was Udir.

"You think you're badass now huh Seiryu?" Udir had said to me he looked at me with those orange eyes of his.

"Udir calm down. We're not looking for a fight." Hugo had said as he went near me. "Look Seiryu, it's bad enough that you are not really liked in this class. Now you're actually ruining Block D's good name in our batch by getting into these scuffles. I think you should stop if you know what's good for you." He added.

"I don't have time for this.." I said as I gave out a huge sigh. I didn't even stand up and look at them while I talked. Udir grabbed my shirt by the collar and he forced me to face the three of them. Luckily I was holding my katana with my left hand (it was sheathed of course) and when the three of them saw that, Udir immediately let go of me and I sat back down to my seat.

"Yeah that's right. Know your place idiots." I said to them smugly.

"Look, I just about had enough of your-" Hugo attempted to say, but before he could finish, I drew my katana and put the sharp edge of the blade near his neck. The two sidekicks stepped back in order to avoid danger. The whole class was now looking at the four of us because we were causing quite a commotion in the room. Hugo looked as if he was going to pee his pants in fear.

"I said, know your place Hugo." I said to him coldly. "Because if you don't, I will kill you and I won't regret it." I added. Hugo stepped back now and I sheathed my katana. I sat back down and the whole class was silent. They were probably in shock and I liked that feeling. They now know that they can't mess with me because if they do, they'll die. I had this class at the palm of my hand.

Hugo, Udir and Fair had now run back to their seats in fear. I bet they now know that they can't mess with me. Minutes after that, the professor for COMBASIC class had entered the room. She was known as Professor Talia, a marksman shooter. Her class though dealt more with proximity targets and pragmatism in combat. What the human instinct can do when your primary weapon fails. Her class was relatively fun because it taught students on how not to rely on their weapons all the time and on what methods to apply if someone is stuck in a stalemate while in battle.

"Morning students, I trust that you had a fun weekend." She had said. Most students in class had groaned because they didn't have fun. As for my case, it was filled with studying and Behemoth slaying so all in all it was a fairly good weekend.

"Let's start this class on where we left last meeting which was avoiding unnecessary combat." She had said. "I know this course is called Combat Basics, but sometimes outsmarting the enemy is also part of combat and this involves being elusive. You get more done if you are focused on you're objectives and as future Tuteurs of this Academy, you will come to learn that the mission always comes first before your own bloodlust. Isn't that right Mr. Noelle?" she had said as she looked at me.

"But combat is a necessity when in a mission. It boosts your chances of completing the tasks if all the adversaries had been dispatched." I replied to her and the class was listening attentively to our discussion.

"Good point Mr. Noelle. But control is what distinguishes us from Rogue Militia, do not ever forget that." She had replied to me and I just chose to shut up now.

She was implying that I had no control over my bloodlust when in battle and I know that. I want to be the strongest in everything so I had to do whatever it takes to overpower my enemies. Even kill them if necessary.

"But before I move on with the discussion, will you please give me your research papers which are due today? This is your finals in my class." She had stated and we all got out our papers and passed it to her. Then after that, she had continued on with her discussion on control over bloodlust and basic objective measures.

"Parameters are the scope and limitations in the mission files. These are basically the outlines of the objectives you are to fulfill when in the field. Normally you will be supplied with a three man team to complete your missions. It's standard Treyah Tutuer protocol." She had said. "You will learn more of the three man concept in the Culminating Activity of this course which will be held at the last few months of this year. It will be a real field mission in where your batch will be divided into teams of three and fulfill a specific objective given by the headmaster himself. I wish you luck in the future students." She added.

"Yes ma'am and thank you ma'am" the class replied in unison.

Soon time flew by as well in her discussion. Unlike the previous professor, I learned a lot from her throughout the term. This was what I could say, one of my favorite General Education classes so far in the Academy. But more importantly, another favorite part of mine was the break that was about to happen since COMBASIC class was already over. Professor Talia had left the room and the students in Block D had stood up as well. I made my way out the door of the classroom while holding my sheathed katana on my left hand. Where do I go now? I'm not hungry so I wouldn't go to the cafeteria yet. I got it. I'll just go to the roof of the academy which was on the sixth floor of this academy, but I knew a short cut which was a faster way to get there.

I made my way towards the hallway of the first year students. Their sector housed the all access elevator and it was a fast one too unlike in our sector. These guys were pampered and taught well. Soon I had made it to the hall of the freshmen and immediately I saw the all access elevator. I went in, luckily it wasn't that crowded and I pressed the number six on the button and the elevator went up to the sixth floor as planned.

The elevator stopped in the floor that had housed the grand auditorium. There were two doors that were in front of me as soon as I got out of the elevator. One was a huge door with the words AUDITORIUM on it and the other door to the left had a sign on it that says off-limits. Naturally I went to the door to the left and immediately went in there. I saw a small flight of stairs and immediately climbed on it and saw a door. This led to the roof of the Academy that had the most relaxing view of all. I went through the door and saw the view.

It was very rejuvenating to the soul. So peaceful, so quiet and so serene to my heart's content. I further and sat down on the floor and to my surprise I felt that there was someone else here as well. No one knew this spot except for me and me alone. This was my spot for relaxation and I would do anything to keep it from others.

I stood up and looked around and saw a familiar girl with the platinum-blonde hair. She looked back at me with those blue eyes of hers and she was indeed pretty. She had her school uniform on and it suited her very well. A headband prevented her bangs from falling over her face. It was Elle, the girl I had met from the Aldwin City slums.

"Hey." She had said to me and for the first time in my life, I was speechless.