Okay… that stare was starting to get on my nerves.
Even without looking directly at her, I could feel the intensity of Amanda's gaze from the back of the classroom. She wasn't even trying to hide it. Zero subtlety.
Maybe she was holding some kind of grudge because Ren and I had put her in the spotlight… but honestly, I didn't think that was something that bothered her. If it were, she would've shown it already.
It was probably just curiosity. Which, considering everything that had happened that night, was more than understandable.
Her eyes moved from me to Ren, then back again, over and over. Intense. Too fixed. She barely blinked.
I guess the best thing I can do is ignore it…
Beside me, Melissa noticed the situation out of the corner of her eye. She followed Amanda's line of sight until it landed on me, and then her lips slowly curved into a mischievous smile.
The kind that promised nothing good.
"Looks like I'm not the only one you managed to irritate."
She rested her head against the palm of her hand, partially covering her smile, as if savoring the scene.
"Your imagination…"
I replied, resting my head on the desk and keeping my expression deliberately indifferent.
"Oh? Is that so…?"
Her tone dripped with irony. Melissa leaned slightly forward, clearly unconvinced.
"In that case, you wouldn't mind being paired with her for the next group assignment, right?"
Her pencil tapped against the desk in a slow, irritating rhythm.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
She watched me like a predator studying its prey. An involuntary shiver ran up my spine.
"I don't know why… but I feel like you don't like me very much."
I added, slowly turning my head, a faint twitch in my eyebrow.
"Your imagination…"
Melissa threw my own words back at me, repeating them with blatant mockery, clearly enjoying herself.
It was also the first time she had addressed me inside the classroom since I'd sat down there on the first day. Even if it was to provoke and threaten me… I supposed that still counted as progress.
"Alright, class is starting. Please take your seats."
Donna's voice cut through the room.
She glanced at the clock, confirmed the time, and walked to the podium, dismissing the students still standing at the front of the classroom.
"Quiet, please."
Raising her palm slightly, Donna made a simple gesture. It was enough. The conversations died down almost instantly.
Watching that, I couldn't help but admire her once again. The level of control she exerted over the class was impressive. With just a few words and minimal gestures, she completely silenced a room full of problematic students.
Maybe it had something to do with the art she practiced… but her natural charisma definitely couldn't be ignored. Donna had the kind of presence that made anyone, man or woman — pay attention to what she said.
"Today, we'll be selecting the groups you'll be divided into during our trip to Hollberg."
…
You've got to be kidding me…
I let out a long sigh, already feeling the smile beside me grow more distorted.
I'd been so absorbed in alchemy that I had completely forgotten we had a class trip coming up in about a week.
Honestly… I didn't want to go.
"Please come to the front of the classroom one by one to receive your ticket."
Completely ignoring my internal despair, Donna placed a large box on the podium.
"I'll be calling your names in ascending order of ranking."
She checked the register and continued.
"Each of you will draw a ticket. That will be your group for the week in Hollberg. Let's begin… Rank 1, Kevin Voss."
At the sound of his name, Kevin stood up and walked to the front of the room.
"Here?" he asked.
"Yes. Take a ticket and return to your seat."
Kevin reached into the box and pulled out a slip of paper.
Instantly, the entire room's attention turned toward him.
It was inevitable. As the top-ranked student of the year, anyone who ended up in the same group as Kevin was practically guaranteed good results. That had already been made clear during virtual classes and every previous group activity, Kevin always finished first.
Looking at the number on his ticket, Kevin stayed silent for a second before calmly returning to his seat.
To everyone's frustration, he didn't show the group number.
If I remembered correctly, he'd ended up in Group 7. Or something like that.
"Next, Melissa Hall."
Standing up casually, Melissa walked to the podium and plunged her hand into the box.
For some reason, she kept her hand inside longer than usual, as if searching for something specific. Only then did she pull out a ticket.
After giving the paper a quick glance, she turned and returned to her seat. The stares directed at her were just as intense as the ones Kevin had received, but this time, it wasn't because of strength.
It was simply because Melissa was absurdly beautiful.
"Next, Jin Horton."
…
…
…
"Next, Ren Dover."
Finally.
After a wait that felt longer than it actually was, it was Ren's turn.
Since everyone had already drawn their tickets, most people simply ignored him. No one really cared about him, so there were almost no eyes on him.
…With three exceptions, of course.
Amanda still watched him with a clear mix of curiosity and caution.I looked at him indifferently.
Melissa, on the other hand, watched him with a malice that was hard to ignore, as if she were waiting for something specific to happen.
Trying his best to ignore those presences, Ren felt the muscles in his face tense slightly. His mouth and eyebrows twitched for a moment before he regained control.
Without even looking at him, Donna spoke in a cold tone:
"Take your ticket and leave."
Swallowing the bitterness caused by her excessively harsh tone, Ren reached into the box and drew a ticket.
The moment his hand went inside, he secretly channeled a small amount of his own mana. No matter how well Melissa tried to hide it, the subtle spell she had cast inside the box didn't escape his notice.
Pulling out the ticket, Ren returned to his seat.
As he stepped away from the podium, I noticed Melissa's face crumble for a fraction of a second.
It got even worse when I noticed a vein pulsing at her temple at the exact moment Ren looked at her with a slight smirk.
It seemed her plan had failed.
Ah… right.
That's when I finally remembered the trick Melissa used in the original work to place him in the same group as Amanda. She believed Amanda held a grudge against him, so she had cast a spell on the box to manipulate the tickets.
"Next, Kazehara Yuto."
I sighed in relief.
Thankfully, Ren had broken the spell before it could reach me. I was almost certain I had been one of Melissa's targets as well.
I calmly walked down the steps until I stopped in front of Donna.
She looked down at me with her usual authoritative presence before speaking.
"Regarding you, Yuto… the student count ended up uneven, and all groups are already full."
Checking a holographic screen projected from her watch, she confirmed that each group had five students.
"In that case, you'll be added as an extra member to one of the existing groups."
She then pointed to the box, where only a few tickets remained, exactly one for each group.
"Draw one."
I slipped my small hand into the box without much thought and pulled out a ticket at random. As soon as I took it out, I quickly checked what was written on it.
==========================
[Group 9]
Group Room: A(b) 15
Tasks:
• Detailed report on how monster parts are processed in a factory. The report must explain how monsters are skinned, processed, and transformed into raw materials for artifact creation.
• In-depth report on the different properties of monster parts, including density, breaking point, elasticity, and more.
• Interview the factory's vice-director and report on their economic strategy, highlighting what differentiates this processing plant from others.
==========================
And that was exactly one of the reasons I hadn't wanted to go…
The absurd number of tedious tasks already had me exhausted before I even started. The laziness was almost tangible.
Clap!
Clapping her hands once to get everyone's attention, Donna spoke.
"Very well. Now that everyone has found a group, you may leave the classroom."
Just as everyone was about to stand up, Donna struck her fist against her palm.
"…Ah! One more thing."
She pulled a ticket from the box, flipped it over, and continued.
"On the back of your ticket, you'll find your room number and a list of what you'll need to bring and do during the trip. Please go to your designated rooms and discuss with your groups who will be responsible for each task."
"Class dismissed."
With that, Donna gathered her things and left the room.
I sighed, stood up, and headed toward the designated room to meet my group.
Those tasks… and that group number… felt familiar.
But before jumping to any conclusions, I needed to confirm it with my own eyes.