“Oh! I almost forgot but I also got you this.” I pulled out a small baggie from my shoulder bag and handed it to Emily. It was a small sealed pstic cup of star mango. I would’ve gotten her a whole fruit but apparently it’s a popur diet fruit. So it was practically gone when I finally got to the cafeteria, I was only able to get this by accidentally scaring away people with my mana.

  The moment it hit her hands, she stared at it with sparkling eyes. She slowly turned to look up at me, her mouth agape. Steph quickly had to close it before she started to drool on her tail. “You…. you really got me one?” She asked, sounding as if I helped her prove Santa was real. Even Steph looked on with a giddy almost fangirlish smile.

  “Yeah?” I rubbed my neck. “I sorta realized some things and well… I think you’ve been a good friend. And I haven’t treated you like one, so if you’re willing to forgive me. I want to go forward as friends.” I said, keeping my eyes on her.

  Emily looked over at Steph with a confused face. “We weren’t friends?” She asked her with a lost face.

  Steph giggled. “For someone that can notice the weirder details….Well I think he wants to officially start fresh as a friend. He likes saying it before he gets super protective of you.” She said with a teasing smirk at me.

  “Hey! You’re making me sound like some old dad!” I argued.

  Steph’s smirk grew into a smile as she eyed me, one of her eyebrows raising as if to ask if that wasn’t what she was implying. “So how do you feel? Want to be official friends with Oliver?“ She asked, ignoring my argumentative crisis.

  Emily’s eyes searched Steph’s face with a tilted head before she pulled herself from Steph’s coils and got off the bed. She walked up to me while clutching the fruit cup close to her side like a sleeping baby and she stood straight.

  “I, Emily Quaerit Solem Aetos, hereby agree to the bonding of friendship and promise to hold your goals in respect, understanding and with healthy consideration. Semper invictus, semper omnia paratus, semper mecum.” She said as she looked me dead in the eyes.

  I was about to smile as I realized this was most likely one of those pacts she always happily spoke about when I felt something. It was like when you sleep and another person pys with your hair, pulling, combing and adjusting it. My body felt hot, my wings felt like the warm webbing between the fingers was being pulled away and my scales vibrated like a million buzzing beetles. And yet it felt right? No… more like it was important but taken as a quiet thank you.

  While I mulled over the feeling, Emily took a sharp gasp as if she just broke free from an ocean, taking in a huge gulp of air. Before finally she rushed up and hugged me. And she felt warm, like a firepce and for a second, I thought I could feel her heart beating. But whatever that was, the strange feeling just disappeared.

  I looked down at Emily who still clung to me and then to Steph who was smiling and also scratching her cast.

  “Did you guys feel that?” I asked, wondering if it was just my emotions, instincts or some temperature change.

  “Not really? If you’re asking about your mana then, its been pretty rexed.” Steph said as she used a cloth to wipe down her tail.

  “Mhdghf hdgsh kjjs.” Emily mumbled with her face pressed into my lower ribs.

  “What?” I asked as I peeled her nuzzling face off me.

  “That’s because of the maju-mew’s magic.” She informed me before trying to get back into our hug.

  “Could you expin?” I asked.

  “No. busy.” was all she said as she went back to hugging me.

  I looked up at Steph with a confused face. “Is she ok?”

  Steph just shrugged. “ She’s just being Emily. Kinda makes it easier.” She said as she looked at her with a smirk. Slowly rising from the bed and sliding over to us.

  Deciding that a hug wasn’t really a problem, I hugged her back. I did feel tempted to rub her back but that felt like I’d be pushing things? I settled for giving her a few back pats. Meanwhile Steph began to expin that maju-mew magic is potent enough to calm the most pissed off Oni or minotaur. The way she expined made it sound like it was some passive effect that makes many monsters feel at peace.

  “It’s one of the few types of magic that can get through a monster’s natural mana defenses.” Steph said as she slithered herself around us, quickly wrapping me and Emily like some pastry. “...Mhmm…. Helped me out…..mmm…when I first converged.” She more sighed than said as she pressed herself next to Emily and me.

  I could feel her snake body bunch up like certain caterpilrs in certain spots before inching along my body. Whenever she bunched up, it was strong knees locking around me, the looser skin almost suctioning to me while the underbelly scales just hooked in pce. Like velcro, if the hooks were rge ft scales with the strength of a muscled thigh behind it.

  “Uh…. Do you have to hug me to expin any of this?” I asked with a raised brow. I could feel her body coiling around us and the muscle it was like being rolled up in huge heavy bnket, warm and firm.

  “Yup. Hugs…Mmm…hugs help open the soul to lot’s of learning.” She said with a big innocent smile and Emily eagerly nodded her agreement. All while she coiled me and Emily into a burrito made of her shiny yellow tail. It was rather tasty, like when I wrap myself in my wings or a cushy comforter.

  “So needy.” I grumbled.

  Steph shifted and Emily was suddenly pressed even closer to me, making me very aware of her thin body. Her small body was stamped into mine so much that I could actually tell she had less fat than I thought. Her body was so smooshed into me that I could even feel her heart beating faster and faster while the sound of her softly breathing sounded louder. But as much as I could compin, we were pretty warm and my instincts just melted into that feeling. Steph clung to Emily more, leaning her head over Emily’s and wrapped her left arm over her while her right hand sorta just rubbed my shoulder.

  Emily took a deep breath like she was smelling her favorite kind of pie before nuzzling her face into my ribs some more. “Just like Aunty.” She murmured to herself.

  After all that, ‘friendship hugging’……. I made my way to PE css…. It took a little bit to remove them…. Actually it was way more difficult with my arms pressed against Emily. It was like we were sharing a giant hoodie that was actually a living straight-jacket! One that was all too happy to stubbornly cling to the both of us! Did Emily sneak in some sort of snake girl version of catnip?! Even when I did manage to remove them, Steph’s tail had wrapped around my ankle knee joint, almost tripping me when I tried to leave.

  So by the time I reached the room I was te and the moment I reached for the door, I heard an explosion. It shook the thick doors and even some of the ground. Oh shit! Is my new teacher and Jaque actually killing each other! I rushed in only to be greeted by a room filled with smoke and floating dust, even the ground easily cracked, covered in bits of rock.

  “And that’s how you turn a cliff into your own little farewell gift.” Came a cute almost squeaky tomboy voice.

  “Amazing! I have much to learn!” I heard Jaque excitedly cheer.

  “Hello?! Is everything alright?” I called into the dust cloud.

  I heard a few steps and noticed a shadow move behind another shadow. More steps to my left and then my right. I saw something dark that looked like a fin sinking into the cloud like a snake and then…….. The dust bulged out like a whale jumping out the water, it whipped to the right before whipping to the left. Blowing away the dust around me and revealing who the moving shadow was.

  Before me stood a woman with dark gray smooth skin except for below her lower lip and the middle of her neck going down into her strange bra like vest was a white color. Her bright red and blue vest thing looked like a flight suit, only it covered her chest like a sports bra. It had a shark mouth logo with the words, ‘shark bite’ that crossed over where her left nipple might be under it. But it also had a weird water like fabric that covered her ribs and back like some mesh negligee and occasionally, I’d see bubbles move through it. Passed that was a white, abb sculpted belly, pushing through a tight wetsuit like skin. While her sides were the same dark gray the area around her ribs looked packed with muscle and even moved as she breathed, puffing out and finally opening two slits, like gills. Every time they opened, bubbles poured out into that water fabric and as it closed it even pulled some of that fabric into them. From her shoulders to her waist was almost a smooth turpedo like triangle before fring out again for her hips. There she wore what looked like a padded high cut bikini made of some red and outlined in blue. Behind that was a rge meaty shark tail that easily curled above her left leg, though the tail and top fin looked razor sharp.

  Though her hands were rge, probably big enough to hold a medium watermelon in just one. They were tipped with small cws that looked sorta like human nails from the front if they weren’t ft. Her thighs and lower legs were long and looked filled with muscle. Other than her cwed toes and tail, she looked rather humanoid, she even had gray almost bck hair that was spiked up and away from her face like it was blown by the wind.

  She fshed a big toothy smile as she saw me, lifted her rge glittering hand and shot it to the left with a loud snap. And the dust cloud around her, expanded and flew into the corners like she made an explosion of wind. As the dust retreated from her, I saw several pilrs of mountainous rock towering behind her and a few craters around the floor.

  “Hello.” She turned her head upwards to the left but kept her eyes on me. “You just leveled up.”

  “You’re my new teacher?! How’d you do that without the glow?!” I asked in shock. Was she my ticket to real mana control?!

  She csped her left shoulder with her right hand while her left arm bent up and ended in a fist. “That’s what I’ll be teaching you.” She said with a cocky voice before her smile grew wider. “And much much more!”

  “When do we start?” I said as I felt my scales heating up and my wings pulling open part way.

  “In a moment.” She pointed a finger at the high ceiling. When I looked up, I saw what looked like a kid sized hole up there. Meanwhile Her tail swam behind her before smming the bottom fin into the ground, sliding in like a sword.

  A second ter, the whole room shook side to side. The tall pilrs of rock all turned a brighter brown then melted into the floor and the kid sized hole closed up. And with a pop, Jaque shot out of the ground next to her.

  Jaque looked at her with huge eyes. “You know mend on top of morph!?” His ears were pointing up like arrowheads and his tail wagged so fast, I thought it was a buzzsaw.

  “Jaque?! You’re not dead?!” I asked as I eyed his small form. It didn’t look like he got any new scars.

  He looked over at me, shock appearing on his face. “Oliver? When did you learn the surprise spell?!” He asked as if I popped out of nowhere in front of him.

  “I just walked in….” I looked at my new teacher. “There’s a spell for that?”

  “Yeah, though it works best if your mind is all over the pce. Soooo not really something I’ll teach.” She said with a shrug and a shake of her head.

  I eyed them after that. “You guys weren’t trying to blow each other up?” I asked with a confused face.

  They looked at each other then back to me. “We were.” They both said.

  The shark teacher moved her tail over to Jaque and poked his shoulder. “But this little guy kept admiring my spell craft. So we have a truce.” she spped his back with the ft of her tail fin. “You better not pull that stunt again or I’ll eat your ears.” She added as her friendly face melted into one of bulging veins and a huge scowl directed at Jaque.

  Jaque nodded his head. “One warrior to another. I will not allow that to happen again.” He said.

  “No. Act on it.” She warned him as she stared down at him. “Now go sit over there and watch.” She pointed to a corner.

  Once Jaque sat in the corner, she turned back to me and gave a smirk. “So before we start.” She spped her chest with her hand. “I’m TL but you can just call me Shogone. I’ll be teaching you how to manage and manipute your mana. Plus show you how to handle magic like I do. But if things get too sideswiped then just say so.” She said without an ounce of fre in her voice.

  “Alright Miss Shogone. I’m Oliver, I’d like to know how long will it take to keep my mana from pouring out.” I said as I looked into her eyes.

  “A couple weeks….five tops. But I’m aiming for two weeks.” She said as she held up two fingers. Her lips grew into a rge almost excited smile. “Ready to start?” She asked.

  I gave a nod. “Yes.” I said as a growl escaping my throat.

  Shogone stabbed the floor with her tail fin followed by the ground shaking until three pilrs of rock, half my height stood in front of us. She slid her fin out of the ground then motioned to the pilrs.

  “Cover these stone fiends in your mana. Nothing else and don’t worry if something weird happens. This is only the before phase.” She said. “Oh and just think of your mana like water if you have trouble moving it.” She quickly added.

  “Alright….water….water…water…” I muttered to myself, trying to focus my mind. Cover in mana…push it out? But make it water…. I began to focus the heat of my mana, feeling it move down into my hand until I felt it slide out of my hand into that wobbly construct. Water-water-wat- wait how should I move it? And the idea of a rushing wave popped up and the mana construct shook, fttened and wiggled. Then it squished like a spring and instead of shooting forward, it dropped to the floor before rushing at the first rock pilr. It jumped up like a fat wave and……..

  *CRACK*

  It hit the pilr, ripped it off the ground, and sent it into the air. Then the wave chased it up into the air, got above it and smmed it into the floor. When I stopped using my mana, all that was left was a thousand polished egg shaped stones.

  “Wow! Mana constructs!? I was told you were capable but I didn’t think you’d be tha- wait a minute….” Shogone picked up a polished stone and a small ball of light appeared inside it. “DUDE! You’re way above what a cyclops can do!” She rushed back to me and almost patted my arm but she pulled back at the st second. “Ehm, so don’t use a mana construct. Just aim your hand at it and channel your mana out of your core.” She expined.

  “Alright…. Sorta like search magic?” I asked as I lifted my hand at the next pilr.

  “Yes but you have to focus on the feeling of the mana, just don’t throw or pull it or you’ll get a construct. Think of it like the heat you feel coming off of something metal.” She expined as she motioned her fingers up and down, rising from her arm.

  “I think I get what you mean.” I did as she expined and focused on the warmth and heat mana gave off channeling up from my chest to my aiming hand and let the mana escape my body. “WOW!” I felt my mana move passed my scales, moving through my cws and even as it floated in the air! It moved forward for a bit before I FELT it touch the pilr! I felt its rough texture, felt any dimples, cracks and when I closed my eyes I could feel out an image! It was like I was feeling with my hands if they had the sensitivity of lips! But then I felt my mana move passed the pilr and I felt…. heat, wetness, more rough rock and a soft breeze…?

  I opened my eyes but didn’t see anything behind the pilr, just Jaque watching in the back with focused eyes. From where I felt my mana, hitting the pilr, moving around it and floating a few feet from it. Then is that left over mana? Uh, aether? Am I feeling the junk mana from their fight? Is this how police and detectives solve magic reted crimes? Probably the evidence part.

  Then I felt something smooth….no wait is that needle like teeth? Those are huge teeth! Huh? It’s moving?!

  “Oliver? What are you doing?” Shogone asked as she waved her rge hand in front of my hand.

  I eyed her hand for a moment, I didn’t notice it before but it looks like it got darker around a inch or two from the wrist down to the fingers. “Uh, I felt the rock pilr and then warmth? Water and more rock. Was that your fight with Jaque?” I asked as I shifted my eyes to her face.

  “Yeah. That was probably our sparring match.” Her eyes looked at Jaque for a second but I could see anger in them. “But!” She shifted her body to face me. “The way you used your mana…” She pushed out her hand at the remaining rock pilrs, shattering them. “Aim your mana at the rock bits.” She pointed to the rubble.

  “Okay?” I did as she asked and felt rge chunks of rock, small bits and even pebbles lodged between the gaps. “It’s just a lot of ro- wait….” I suddenly felt ridges, corners and circles. They all connected into letters and spelled out, ‘Blueberry butt, sharks are awesome and I’m cute’. I looked at Shogone with a raised brow.

  She smiled and ughed. She bent backward, leaning on her tail as she spped her belly. “HAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

  “What? What?! I don’t get what’s so funny?” I asked, getting a little annoyed.

  She tried to point at me but she lost bance and fell to the floor. “That little fighter was right! HAhAHA! B-but for the wrong reason-hahah~!” She hammered the ground with a fist while her tail easily cut lines into the ground.

  “What does Jaque have to do with this?” I asked, my throat releasing a soft rumbling growl.

  “OK-OK I’m-hehe- ehm! I’m good!” She sat up. “So the school keeps a record of what us magic teachers see and train our students. And that little kitsu-dumby thought you learned best through battle. Said you have lots of hidden talent and ability. Had he just tried to work on testing your magic more, then you’d probably would’ve learned more!”

  “I don’t really like Jaque but he did try to teach me magic.” I pointed out.

  “But he didn’t really expin it to you since he believed you were talented. Probably thought by throwing you at the ball, you’d catch magic.” She looked over at Jaque whose ears fell ft on his head.

  “Really? That’s all?” I looked over at Jaque and gred at him.

  “Well there’s more but I need to test it a few more times to be sure before I say anything.” She pyed with one of her pointed teeth. “Next css, bring a swimsuit. We’ll try more mana training then.” Her tail swished through the air like it was swimming and all the small rock debris floated away. “Now is there anything you’d like to ask me about today, magic or mana?” She asked as she twirled to face me again.

  I thought about today, how she seemingly used magic without a glow and wait! If she’s focusing her magic then it should’ve bsted the area with leftover mana. I looked around but didn’t see any weird damages nor did I feel any mana around……. She didn’t act nervous around me either. “I’m curious why you didn’t freakout from my mana and I thought if you focus magic then the more power it radiates. So how did you pull that off without so much aether?” I asked.

  “I have simple answer to both questions. That is, mana hardening-body strengthening, bod alteration or my favorite, Diamond is unyielding!” She crossed her arms and leaned backward at such an impossible angle I thought she’d either break her ankles or fall. But she held herself up with her tail like it was a flexible chair.

  “But how does that work? Is that how I can control my mana?” I asked unsure if she was suggesting the use of body supplements or some weird magic spell stacking.

  “I can’t tell you that just yet. Why? Because your mana is tooooooo…. Immense. If you experiment without proper supervision then something could go super wrong. But what I can say is, it is just a part of managing your mana. A puzzle piece really.” She gave me a small warm smile. “Is there anything else you want to ask?”

  I looked at her tail, thinking back to how easily she moved it and used it to cast certain spells. It whipped around like it was an actual shark in water and she used it like it was another arm. “How does your tail do all of that?” I asked as I kept my eyes on the thing.

  “Whoa! Hey now!” Her tail quickly hid behind her body like a scared child. “You can’t go asking a sharr about their parts! It’s like trying to take a pixie’s wings!” She said with a nervous look in her eyes.

  “What?! I wasn’t- I was asking about magic! And how’d you protect it in a fight!” I quickly expined as I stepped back, my wings opening into a ready fpping position.

  Shogone stopped and facepalmed. “Right…… damn youthful maiden crap….” She muttered under her breath. “Sorry. Intusive thoughts. EHM! SO tail magic, caudal casting… many waterborne monsters use it when being chased…. As for the um, defensive side of a tail…. I swim with it a lot so to me it is a leg or arm.”

  “It’s ok, and sorry for the confusion.” I sighed and folded my wings. “But could you teach that too?” I asked hopefully.

  “Uh, yeah. We’ll try some next css in the water too.”