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Building Sec-B Mathematics
The Mathematics Building rose clean and geometric against the morning sky, its facade a mixture of solar-glass panels and reinforced bio-composite frames. Large windows ran along each floor, allowing natural light to flood the interior. A holographic sign above the entrance flickered softly:
MATHEMATICS – ALL SECTIONS.
The four of them pushed through the entrance doors—smooth, sensor-activated panels that slid open with a quiet hiss. Inside, the lobby was spacious and bright.
Students from various grades milled about some reviewing notes on handheld tablets, others chatting in clusters near vending machines that dispensed energy drinks and protein bars. The walls were lined with achievement boards displaying top scorers and mathematical proofs submitted by students.
Blaze led the way toward the elevators, weaving between groups of students. Terra followed close behind, while Vento walked with exaggerated swagger, and Aqua drifted along at the rear, still half-present.
They reached the elevator bank; three sets of doors, each trimmed with soft blue bioluminescent strips that pulsed gently. The middle door opened with a soft chime.
Inside, the elevator was surprisingly spacious. Reinforced walls, polished metal handrails, and overhead lighting that glowed with the same gentle bioluminescence: cool white with faint cyan undertones. The interface panel displayed floor numbers in clean digital script: 1 | 2 | 3.
Blaze pressed 3.
The doors closed smoothly, and the elevator began its ascent. There was barely any sensation of movement—just a faint hum and the soft glow of the floor indicator climbing upward.
Vento leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "I still think we should get teleportation privileges."
Terra glanced at him. "You mean so you can show off?"
"No. So I can arrive fashionably."
Aqua's eyes remained half-closed. "You'd just trip and faceplant."
Vento's head snapped toward him. "I would not—"
𝘋𝘪𝘯𝘨.
The elevator stopped. The doors slid open, revealing the third floor.
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Third Floor – Classroom B-11
The hallway stretched out before them, clean and well-lit. Classrooms lined both sides, each door marked with a digital plaque displaying the room number and current subject. Faint sounds of conversation and movement echoed through the corridor—students settling in, teachers preparing materials, the low hum of energy flowing through the building's systems.
They walked to Class B-11.
Blaze pushed it open.
The classroom was already buzzing with energy. Students filled the rows—some leaning back in their chairs, others hunched over tablets or notebooks, a few engaged in animated conversations. Laughter echoed from one corner. Someone near the front was juggling small orbs of light between their hands, showing off.
Vento glared at the student so hard that he just stopped showing off.
The room itself was designed with function and comfort in mind. Five rows of desks, each row slightly elevated from the one in front to ensure clear sightlines to the board. Large windows along the left wall offered a view of the campus—sunlight pouring in, illuminating dust motes floating lazily in the air. The walls were a soft cream color, decorated with mathematical diagrams, formulas, and a digital board at the front that currently displayed the date and a cheerful "Welcome Back!" message.
They moved toward the middle-left section of the room.
Vento immediately beelined for the fifth row, sliding into the window seat with a satisfied grin. "I deserve this spot."
Terra dropped into the seat beside him, shaking his head. "You say that every time."
"Because it's true every time."
One row ahead, Blaze took the fourth row, and Aqua claimed the window seat without a word, his liquid tendril retracting as he set his bag down on the floor. He leaned back in his chair, gazing out the window with half-lidded eyes.
Blaze glanced around the room, taking it all in—the familiar faces, the energy, the sense of routine mixed with excitement. His gaze drifted toward the back.
Seventh row. Corner seat.
Volt sat there, leaning slightly toward another student; a guy who looked stressed, his notebook open, pencil gripped tightly in one hand. Volt was speaking quietly, gesturing at the page, pointing out equations with patient precision. The other student nodded slowly, brow furrowed in concentration.
Blaze grinned. "Hey, Volt!"
His voice carried across the room.
Vento's head whipped around. "Volt? Where's the Slow-Guy?"
Terra didn't even look at him. "He's faster than you, Airidiot."
"No, he's not."
Back in the seventh row, Volt's head turned at the sound of his name. His orangish-yellow scarf shifted slightly as he straightened, a small, polite smile crossing his face.
"Hm? Oh, hey, guys!" He waved briefly. "I'll be right there after I teach him some maths."
He turned his attention back to the struggling student, resuming the lesson in the same calm, methodical tone.
Blaze watched for a moment, then stood up from his seat, curiosity pulling him forward. He walked over, weaving between desks until he reached the seventh row. Leaning over slightly, he glanced down at the open notebook.
Numbers. Symbols. Derivatives. Integrals. Limit notations.
His eyes widened.
"Oh, uh…" Blaze hesitated. "Is it some college-level advanced calculus?"
Volt glanced up, shaking his head with a small, amused smile. "No, it's actually just Basic Calculus."
Blaze stared at the page.
Then at Volt.
Then back at the page.
"…I'll just pretend I'm sick."
He turned and walked away, shoulders slumped, devastation written across his entire posture.
Volt called after him, voice light with amusement. "That excuse doesn't work these days, Blaze."
Blaze didn't respond. He just returned to his seat, dropped into the chair, and stared blankly at the desk in front of him.
Aqua glanced over from the window seat. "You okay?"
"Math is Malicious" Blaze muttered.
"Cool."
Behind them, Vento snickered. Terra just smiled, shaking his head.
The classroom continued to hum with energy as more students filtered in, filling the remaining seats. The morning sunlight poured through the windows, warm and steady.
The door opened.
Someone walked in. Quiet, unhurried, almost unnoticed. The classroom's energy didn't shift. Conversations continued. Laughter echoed from the back. No one turned to look.
Except Volt.
He glanced toward the door, then gathered his things from the seventh row. With a quick nod to the student he'd been tutoring, he stood and made his way back toward the front, settling into his usual spot: third row, window seat. As he passed the fourth row, he waved at Blaze and Aqua.
They waved back.
Volt slid into his seat, setting his bag down on the floor. The chair beside him shifted slightly as someone sat down.
Oscuro.
He moved like a shadow; silent, precise, his violet scarf darker than most in the room, almost blending into the fabric of his clothes. His expression was neutral, unreadable, eyes forward. He didn't greet anyone. Didn't need to.
Behind them, Vento's voice cut through the noise.
"…When did he come?"
Blaze blinked, who was talking to Vento and Terra, back turned, glancing over his shoulder. "Oscuro?"
Volt turned slightly in his seat, looking at Oscuro with a small, apologetic smile. "Oh, hey, Oscuro. I couldn't text you new years properly, sorry."
Oscuro's gaze shifted toward him briefly. "It's okay."
Terra leaned forward from the fifth row, "Good morning."
"Morning," Oscuro replied, his tone even, unhurried.
Volt adjusted his position, tilting his head slightly. "So how was your New Year?"
"Calm."
Vento snorted from behind. "Just like Aqua."
Terra didn't even look at him. "Shut up, Airidiot."
"Oh, c'mon, he's so immature."
Aqua's deadpan voice drifted from the window seat. "Coming from a guy who chases girls."
"No! They chase 𝘮𝘦!"
Terra's hand came down lightly on the back of Vento's head, just enough to make a point. "I said shut up, Airidiot."
Vento grumbled something under his breath but didn't argue further.
The room settled for a moment. Conversations dipped into quieter murmurs. The sunlight streaming through the windows had shifted slightly, casting warmer tones across the desks.
Oscuro leaned back in his chair, arms crossed loosely, gaze still forward. Then, without turning his head, he spoke, voice low, quiet enough that only Volt could hear clearly.
"…Volt."
Volt glanced at him. "Yeah?"
"Next month."
Volt's expression shifted—just slightly. A flicker of understanding crossed his face. He nodded. "Oh, yeah, I know."
Oscuro's eyes remained steady. "Do they?"
Volt hesitated, glancing briefly at the others: Blaze, Aqua, Vento, Terra. Then back at Oscuro. "I don't think so."
"You should."
"Yeah, I guess I'll tell them later." Volt paused, his tone softening with genuine curiosity. "Why though, if I may ask?"
Oscuro's gaze didn't waver. "They'll train hard and might be selected as a Main Fighter. And if they do, they'll be happy."
Volt studied him for a long moment. The corner of his mouth lifted just a little. A small, knowing smile.
"…You're considerate."
Oscuro didn't respond. His expression remained unchanged, but there was something in the silence; an acknowledgment, perhaps. Or maybe just acceptance.
Volt turned back toward the front of the room, exhaling softly.
"Well," he said, his voice returning to its usual calm tone. "Time for Maths."
The classroom door opened again.
This time, the energy shifted.
The teacher walked in—tall, confident stride, carrying a sleek tablet under one arm. The chatter died down almost immediately. Students straightened in their seats. A few hurried to pull out their notebooks.
The digital board at the front flickered to life, displaying the day's lesson plan in clean, glowing text:
Introduction to Differential Equations
Applications in Elemental Physics
The teacher set the tablet down on the desk at the front, glancing around the room with a practiced eye. Satisfied, they tapped the board, and the first slide appeared—a complex equation surrounded by diagrams of energy flow patterns.
"Alright, everyone. Let's get started."
Blaze stared at the board.
Then slowly, silently, he let his head drop onto his desk.
Aqua glanced over, completely unbothered. "You good?"
"No," came the muffled reply.
Terra chuckled softly from behind. Vento was already doodling in his notebook, clearly not paying attention.
Volt pulled out his tablet, stylus ready, eyes focused.
Oscuro sat in silence, arms still crossed, watching the board without expression.
The lesson began.
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