Professor Vellara clapped her hands once, sharp and precise, the sound echoing across the classroom like the start of a war.
"Well then, I must take my leave — Class 2-B awaits and I'm already late. You lot should take this time to get to know each other."
Her silver-blonde hair bounced with each step as she swept toward the door, heels clicking like the beat of a countdown.
"Oh! Before I forget." She turned at the door, her pointer stick raised like a magic wand. "In a week, we'll be holding elections for Class Representative. Try to get to know your classmates if you plan to run."
She gave a faint smile — probably the most warmth she'd shown all morning then vanished down the hall with a swish of robes and paperwork flapping behind her like confused birds.
『New Quest: Compete in the Class Rep Election! Optional. Reward: ???』
Mason squinted at the floating screen that only he could see.
Optional? That's suspicious. He tapped the screen away like a fly.
The room remained oddly quiet, as if everyone was waiting to see who would breathe first.
The tension broke when a single girl stood up.
Holy hell.
She had long, jet-black hair that shimmered like obsidian under the enchanted ceiling lights.
Her chest... Good Lord.
It looked like her shirt was doing its final boss fight trying to contain her.
And the hips? The gods clearly used cheat codes when they made her.
Her curves could've ended wars. Mason noticed Ren beside him blinking furiously like he was buffering.
"Hey everyone," she said, voice like sweet poison. "I'm Anastasia Crestfallen. But you can call me Ana~."
Mason could hear someone audibly gulp in the back row. Could've been Ren. Hell, could've been him.
"I'll be running for Class Representative," she continued, swaying ever-so-slightly as if she wasn't standing still but posing for a magazine shoot. "So~ please vote for me, okay? I promise to represent your desires — err, I mean interests."
She struck a pose. One leg forward, chest slightly out, her lips curled into a teasing smile. It looked straight out of a dating sim splash screen.
『WARNING: SEDUCTION LEVEL APPROACHING DANGEROUSLY HIGH THRESHOLD』
'System, shut up,' Mason muttered under his breath.
Just then, the door clicked open.
"Ah, wonderful. I see we've already got a performance going on."
A tall man with square glasses, salt-and-pepper hair, and the vibes of a man who had seen too much walked in.
His briefcase thunked onto the podium with a satisfying thud. The girl froze mid-pose like a deer in headlights.
"Miss Crestfallen," he said dryly, looking directly at her. "Are you advertising something? Or are you just confused about gravity?"
Anastasia went pale.
She squeaked — not even a proper word, just a squeak and immediately shuffled back to her seat like a cat caught on a countertop.
Mason stifled a laugh.
Ren failed completely and had to hide his face behind a textbook, shoulders shaking.
The teacher sighed, opened his case, and pulled out a tablet.
"Right. Welcome to Basic Elemental Theory. I'm Professor Keldor. I don't care if you think you're a protagonist, side character, or some weird reincarnated slime — my job is to make sure you don't accidentally explode during the first test."
A few students chuckled. Mason nodded in approval. He liked this guy already.
"We'll start simple. Raise your hand if you've already awakened your element."
Half the class raised their hands. Mason and Ren looked at each other and stayed perfectly still.
"Good. For the rest of you — don't worry. Awakening usually happens naturally. Sometimes during emotional duress. Sometimes through rituals. Sometimes because a squirrel bit you while you were holding a mana crystal. Magic is weird like that."
Professor Keldor tapped on the blackboard with his finger, and glowing runes appeared, forming the elemental symbols for Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Lightning, Ice, and Light.
"These are the standard affinities. Some of you might get lucky and awaken rare ones —Shadow, Poison, Metal, Gravity..."
『You currently have access to two unique elements: Lightning & ???』
Mason blinked. 'Wait, what's the second one?'
『Skill Locked. Requirement Not Met.』
'Goddammit.'
Keldor continued, "In your textbooks, you'll find basic mana channeling diagrams. We'll cover those next time, but for now, get acquainted with your neighbors. You'll be spending a lot of time together... or at each other's throats. Either way, good luck."
He closed his tablet and left the class with the same dramatic exit flair as Professor Vellara. Was that taught in teacher orientation? Wait… was this even a class?! It was over so quick.
The moment the door closed, the room erupted into chatter. Ren turned to Mason and leaned in.
"Bro. Bro. You saw her right?"
"I had eyes, didn't I?" Mason replied. "Anastasia Crest-whatever is a living thirst trap. I don't even know what she said. My brain was buffering."
Ren laughed. "Same. I think I almost voted for her with my soul."
Mason relaxed a bit, tapping the desk with his fingers.
So far, this school was basically what he expected from a game called Harem Academy — minus the fact that he had no idea how to play.
Suddenly, a hand reached over.
"Hey! You're Leonard Lumberfoot, right?"
Mason turned. A redhead girl with freckles smiled brightly at him, hand extended.
"Uh... yeah. That's me," he replied, shaking it awkwardly.
"I'm Ellie. Just wanted to say hi before the social sharks devour you."
She pointed with her thumb toward a group of overly pretty students who were already forming mini-factions like it was high school politics on steroids.
Ren whistled. "Yeah, we're gonna need battle plans."
"By the way," Ellie added, "You should consider running for Class Rep."
Mason blinked. "Me? Why?"
"You've got the 'I don't know what I'm doing' energy that screams main character."
"...That's fair."
The bell chimed softly, a soothing harp sound that somehow made everything feel more magical and more dangerous at the same time.
As they packed their things, Mason glanced toward Anastasia, who was already surrounded by admirers.
She caught his eye for a brief second, winked — and turned away like it was nothing.
Ren nudged him. "Bro. You're totally getting into a harem."
Mason groaned. "Don't jinx it."