Back at Haku's temporary home, a whirlwind of activity was underway. Yue, clad in her simple day-to-day clothing, looking like a native, was pacing impatiently. "Boring, boring, boring!" she declared, her face contorted in a pout. "I want to do something fun, do you know how long it has been since I sparred or trained my fan arts?"
Haku, who had just stepped in, chuckled. "Patience. Remember, blending in means acting... well, we will find an outlet for you soon, and once we are done here, we will also find a place for you to go wild." He set down his notes and red teacher's coat, rubbing his temples. Today's lecture turned out to be a success, and he should be able to keep this going until they can leave. Now he had to prepare Alex for his enrollment, which was scheduled to happen in less than a week. Haku also kept a mental note on the students that stood out, but he had never heard of Sofia. Might she be a new student, or did he miss her name in the school registry?
Alex, meanwhile, was meticulously arranging a stack of brand-new textbooks on the small table that served as their dining area. He wore a crisp uniform, looking like a scholar. It was true that some people do look good in everything, Haku thought to himself.
"Everything has to be perfect," Alex mumbled, adjusting his collar by a degree. "First impressions are the most important."
Haku watched Alex with a fond smile. "Relax, Alex. You'll do great. Just be yourself."
"Easy for you to say," Alex retorted, his voice nervous. "You're a ...honestly, I don't know what you are, but I've never even been to a real school before. What if I don't understand anything? What if everyone laughs at me?"
Yue jumped to Alex in a flash, slapping him on the back. "Don't worry, Alex! If anyone gives you trouble, just tell me. I'll... make sure and convince them to be nice." Her bright smile didn't fool the boys, and both Haku and Alex knew exactly what 'convince' meant coming from her.
"Yue!" Haku scolded gently. "No breaking bones, remember?"
Yue shrugged. "Fine, fine. But if they ask for it..."
Haku sighed.
'This girl is a handful full, it's like a dog that you have to take on walks, otherwise it acts out.'
This was going to be a challenge. He needed to find a way to keep Yue entertained and out of trouble while also helping Alex with his imminent school debut. And all the while, he had to maintain his façade as a knowledgeable magic professor.
He clapped his hands together. "Alright, team. Let's focus. Alex, I will teach you what I taught the class, and also give you private lessons when school is done. Yue, perhaps you could help Alex study? Pretend you're a very slow student."
Yue grimaced. "That sounds... frustrating."
"Exactly," Haku said with a frown on his face. "Perfect practice for blending in."
As Alex launched into the basic spell books Haku had gotten him for reference and listened to Haku's lesson, Yue listened with feigned interest, occasionally interrupting with deliberately dumb questions. Haku watched them, a mixture of amusement and a feeling of belonging.
He knew he was playing a game, but these moments truly did make him happy.
He was an impostor relying on borrowed knowledge and sheer luck. But he also found something to teach the students and not waste their time, which he was grateful for.
Later that night, as the city outside fell silent, Alex drifted off to sleep, exhausted from his studies. Yue sat beside him, looking out at the night sky.
"Haku," Yue spoke softly.
"Yes?" Haku replied from his seat, where he was reviewing what he would be teaching tomorrow.
"Don't worry, I will always support you. I know you are doing your best." Yue declared.
Haku looked at Yue, and Yue could tell that he was lying to her.
"You are still as naive as ever." Haku laughed.
"I am saying the truth, you know," Yue said as she looked at Haku directly in the eyes.
Haku looked away. There was no use lying to her.
"I know," Haku replied. "Thank you, I owe you a lot, both of you."
"We help each other, there is no owing anything," Yue said before finding her way to bed.
Haku looked at the sky.
'If the day comes my secret gets out, I will make sure to protect them at all costs '
He thought as he finished his review and went back to his bed.
The next day was for Haku. He adjusted his professorial robes, the fabric suddenly feeling heavier than usual. Today was the second day of his classes.
He arrived at the Red Tower, the towering structure casting a long shadow over the courtyard. He spotted Sofia near the entrance, her eyes lighting up as she saw him. He forced a smile, hoping he could maintain the illusion just a little longer.
As he entered the classroom, he noticed Ricardo already seated in the front row, meticulously polishing his family crest ring.
'Look at him, I didn't expect him to be this eager, it shows that you can't judge a book by its cover'
Isabella was again at the back, her arms crossed, a skeptical stare showing. He took a deep breath and started the lecture.
"Today, we will delve deeper into the properties of manipulated 'ice'… I mean, solid H2O," Haku began, carefully avoiding the term "magic." He launched into a description of hydrogen bonds and the unusual crystalline structure of ice, attempting to translate the complexities of chemistry into a language that sounded vaguely magical.
Sofia, as always, was engaged, scribbling notes furiously and occasionally raising her hand with a question. "Professor Haku, how does the introduction of impurities affect the melting point of 'ice magic'?"
Haku's mind raced.
'Impurities? Melting point?'
He did his best to remember his high school science textbook. "Ah, yes, an excellent question, Sofia. The presence of impurities… alters the intermolecular forces, disrupting the crystal lattice structure. This, in turn, lowers the energy required for the phase transition, thus lowering the 'freezing point' of the manipulated substance." He winced inwardly, hoping he hadn't butchered the explanation too badly.
Lyra, who was observing from the side of the classroom, Haku was already getting used to her constant presence, but wondered when she would give lectures. Her eyes held a hint of curiosity, as if she suspected there was more to his explanation, remembering the book from the other day.
Meanwhile, Ricardo, seemingly unsatisfied with the theoretical discussion, interrupted. "Professor, I know you get to choose what you teach as a special instructor, but you did say this is a practical course, could you demonstrate this principle? Perhaps by creating a golem of purified ice and one of… impure ice, and then subjecting them to a controlled heat source?"
Haku swallowed hard. A demonstration? He couldn't conjure anything, let alone a 'golem of purified ice'. He was silent for a second or 4 before he answered. "An excellent idea, Ricardo. However, a demonstration of that scale requires careful preparation and… specialized equipment. We will explore this phenomenon in the laboratory next week."
Ricardo, though seemingly appeased, was ambitious, and he wouldn't let go of this so easily.
As the lecture drew to a close, Elena approached Haku, her face a mask of thinly veiled contempt. "Professor Haku," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "I couldn't help but notice your… unconventional methods. Perhaps you could enlighten me on the specific arcane texts you consulted when formulating your 'theory of impurity-induced freezing point depression'?"
Haku's heart pounded in his chest. He knew he couldn't bluff his way out of this one. "I… I rely on a variety of sources, Elena. A combination of historical research ."
Elena's eyes narrowed. "Historical research? What history are you talking about? I've never heard of any of this. Surely the Red Tower would know if these were proven methods and not just the rambling of a crazed individual?"
Haku simply acted as if he was talking to a child and looked at her, "and you know all the history of the world? There isn't a place you don't know of? Have you ever heard of the frog that was stuck in a well?"
Annoyed by the question, she simply lifted her shoulders slightly and replied with "No, I can't say that I have. Is it some bedtime story from your little unknown homeland, probably some run-down village tale?" she said mockingly.
"not exactly .. see there was this frog that lived in a well all his life the hole at the top was all heaven had to offer and in its thoughts that was all heaven could ever be the frog truly believed that the small pod of water he had was all the water in the world but unbeknown to it his world was a small piece so small in fact that the frogs outside the well could never comprihand that train of thought" as haku told the story Lyra once again thought of the book.
'Why can't I get that image out of my head?'
"What are you implying you... You.." Elena's face was turning bright crimson
some of the students couldnt hold theyre laughter but they did try theyre best since they all knew that pissing of this women could be the end of theyre school career.