The square was packed full. Every single student was within its walls, scouring its shops as they sought to restock their dorms. Merlin, Chima, and Hakyun were no different.

  “So,” Hakyun started as they received their mall pass from the reception and walked down the square’s path, “we need some soap, detergent—”

  “Aren’t soap and detergent the same thing?” Chima cut in, his eyes flaying the scenery. The amazement of such a building existing within the Academy still baffled him, Merlin could see it written over the boy’s face, and that was partly because he too was still amazed.

  “No, they aren’t dimwit,” Hakyun snorted. “Of course, they are both cleaning agents—surfactants to be precise. But they’re made from different compositions. Soap from natural fats and oils, while detergents are synthetic. If I recall correctly, I think they’re made from petroleum-based materials.”

  Chima rolled his eyes at Hakyun and then leaned closer to Merlin. “Mind telling him that I know that, and what I meant was why we needed to buy both when we could just buy one? You know, save some cash?”

  “I can hear you.” Hakyun’s nose wrung up.

  Merlin, on the other hand, would take any means to pull himself away from his roommates. In fact, he would be very grateful if they could just put aside their differences so that they could focus on what they were here to do. He had left Blue all alone in the dorm, and there was no saying what that little, rapidly growing dragon could do.

  Ah… That reminded him.

  “Why don’t you guys take care of the household consumables,” Merlin said, “while I shop for other things?”

  Chima and Hakyun narrowed their eyes on him. “Other things like what?” they said in unison.

  Despite how they bickered a lot, they were always on the same page—to be suspicious of Merlin’s movements, at least.

  “You know, Merlin. I’ve been noticing that you like distancing yourself from us.” Hakyun nudged his glasses upward. “Ashamed to be hanging out with us?”

  Merlin recoiled. “What in the world are you saying?”

  “Then explain why every time we’re in a sea of people, you always want to run away like you’re doing now?”

  Merlin furrowed his brows and turned to Chima for help. However, the boy just stared back at him.

  Absurd.

  Merlin groaned, rubbing the back of his neck. “Well, you guys are always arguing.”

  Hakyun jerked back slightly. “What? We’re not always arguing.”

  Merlin blinked incredulously.

  Was this the case of one not knowing what they did until they were told?

  He sighed and shook his head. It didn’t matter.

  “I’m going to buy some meat,” he said.

  “What? We don’t need meat yet.” Chima growled, but Merlin didn’t answer and just walked towards the nearest frozen food store he could find. “Hey, Mel. Easy on the cash, would you?”

  It was his cash, but he was thankful for the thoughtfulness.

  After a few tests, Merlin had found out that dragons preferred red meat to every other type of meat. What he had not realized was that packing his basket full with only red meat would draw a lot of attention.

  “What is he? A cannibal?” a girl said to her friend as they both glanced over their shoulders at him. “Why buy so much red meat?”

  “Must have something to do with his fitness,” her friend said. “He looks like he works out.”

  “Or he’s just a cannibal.”

  Merlin chuckled inwardly. They wouldn’t believe him even if he told them the reason.

  With a deep breath, he threw one last packaged frozen piece of red meat into his basket and decided to seek out something else, just so that the ‘cannibal’ claim could die down. That thought brought him to a different aisle in the store, one that housed frozen fruit blends. He was craving a fruit salad, so he decided to just get that out of the way.

  Merlin slid open the freezer, put two pre-package blends in his basket, and was just about to proceed to the counter when a tingling feeling crept up his neck. He turned around just in time to grab a dainty hand that had been reaching for his shoulder. A yelp followed after that.

  “Ouch,” Sofia cried. “That hurts, Merlin.”

  Merlin gasped and let go of her. He blinked himself back and rubbed his forehead.

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t know…”

  “It’s fine,” she cut in. “I called, but you didn’t hear me. So I decided to tap you. I shouldn’t have.”

  “Oh, no,” Merlin shook his head. “It’s fine, really.”

  What wasn’t fine was his Perception seemingly affecting his daily life. It was just at level nineteen, and the instant someone drew closer to him, it went all haywire. Now, Merlin was scared of how it would be when it got to, say, level fifty. If Kieran’s was anything to go by, the protagonist was hardly ever caught by surprise. That was unless the monster or person could hide their presence.

  Merlin didn’t want to be instinctively grabbing everyone’s hands when they reached for him. With the way his Strength was also growing, he might end up snapping one’s bone. In fact, Sofia’s wrist had felt so delicate under his grip that if he had put even a bit more force in his hold, he might have dislocated it.

  Thankfully he had held himself back.

  “That’s…” Sofia’s gaze dropped to his basket as she twirled her wrist, “...a lot of red meat.”

  See what you’re making me do, Blue…

  Merlin chuckled. “I know right? Doctor’s orders.”

  Sofia raised a perfectly lined brow, making the mood awkward for a moment. Then she burst into laughter, and Merlin exhaled. He had thought his joke was abysmal. But, luckily for him, it wasn’t. Or maybe she was just pretending to make him feel better.

  Well, he would take it.

  He glanced at her basket. “Vegetables?” he said. “Vegan?”

  Sofia looked at her own basket as if she hadn’t been the one to place the items in it, then at Merlin’s and blinked.

  “Ah, no. Not vegan… Just…” she stuttered.

  It was fine if she was vegan and he wasn’t. There was no reason for her to get all unrelaxed.

  Merlin shifted away from the freezer. “Here for a fruit blend, right?”

  “Oh… Yeah.” Sofia snapped back to her senses, took a fruit blend of strawberry and kiwi, and a few other exquisite types that made Merlin hum.

  She had always given off the classy vibe to him, and now that he took a closer look at her outfit, she was dressed the same way once again, in a floral pick gown, complemented with bangles, a necklace, and the bands she used to pack her blonde hair into ponytails.

  It didn’t take a genius to figure out that she was from a well-to-do family.

  “You’re heading to the counter, right?” Sofia asked and Merlin nodded.

  They proceeded to check out their bought items together.

  After more than a few minutes of awkward silence together as they, for some reason, kept walking side by side in the square, Merlin decided to break the quiet.

  “So, what do you think about the Tower raid?” he said. “Besides the points that’d be earned, would you like to represent the Academy in the competition?”

  Sofia pursed her lips and let her gaze wander for a moment. “I’m not sure,” she said. “I don’t want to fail the Tower raid, but if I’m given the choice of representing the Academy in the competition, I think I’m going to reject it.”

  “Hmmm…” Merlin hummed. “Why?”

  Sofia sighed softly. “Pain,” she said simply. “I hate being hurt.”

  Merlin’s brows jumped up. That was a weird reason for someone aspiring to be a Mage.

  “I know what you’re thinking,” she said as she glanced at him. “That’s a weird reason for someone who wants to be a Mage, right?”

  Merlin smiled. “If I didn’t know you better, I’d say you were a mind reader.”

  Sofia raised a brow. “Do you, though?”

  Merlin pulled back gently. He had said that as a joke, but, yeah, he didn’t know her at all.

  He would need to work on his jokes.

  “What about you?” she asked. “Would you represent?”

  Merlin didn’t even have to think about it twice. “Yes.”

  Sofia smiled. “Why?”

  “Because I have something to prove,” he answered, his gaze drifting into the distance for a moment.

  Sofia was silent for a second, then she tightened her grip on her plastic bag. “You know you don’t have to prove anything just because you’re a Deficient Mage, right?” Merlin glanced at her. “You’re plenty strong already. Everyone can see that. Anyone who still thinks ‘he’s just a Deficient Mage’ is just in denial. Those kinds get straightened up sooner than later. You don’t have to go out of your way to prove yourself to them.”

  Merlin felt a sense of ease in his chest at her words. She was quite good at calming him down with what she said. It had been this way while they had had tea together too.

  However, he didn’t care about students that thought he was a Deficient Mage. He was long past that point now. The people he wanted to prove himself to were his parents.

  Ever since his battle with the Ice Wyverns, the atmosphere between him and them had changed—worsened. They were scared because of what he had said, and they had no idea how to handle fear. Which was why he had to prove that he could take care of himself.

  There was no way a festival and competition on such a scale wouldn’t be broadcasted, or better still, open to outsiders coming in to watch. That was the perfect time for him to show his parents that he could take care of himself—that he was no longer their little kid who cried from a simple cut on his knee. He had to put their minds at ease. That way, he too would be at ease.

  “Thank you, Sofia,” said Merlin with a smile. “It’s always good talking to you.”

  Sofia blushed as her lips parted into a smile of hers. “Then… I’d like a reward for my services.”

  Merlin tilted his head slightly. “Reward?”

  Sofia looked at him and frowned. “What’s with that tone? People pay to be listened to, you know?”

  Merlin shut his eyes and pressed his lips together. He should have just kept his mouth shut. Hopefully, her ‘reward’ wasn’t something too far-fetched.

  “All right,” he said. “What’s it?”

  “Hmmm…” She took her time scouring through her mind for what she wanted, and, as a result, Merlin had a sinking feeling in his stomach. With each second, he paled as he thought of absurd requests that she could bring up, and Sofia smiled at his plight. She was enjoying it. Not long after, she opened her lips and said, “I’ll think about it and get back to you.”

  Merlin froze in his steps, and when she turned back to ask him what was wrong, he completely mistook her for Nora and pulled her hair. She yelped and slapped his hand away. However, he didn’t feel a bit remorseful. That was what she got for toying with him. And, thankfully, it didn’t seem like she was angry, seeing as she just pouted and smoothed her hair instead of raging.

  Although, she was the least of his concerns now. After all, his roommates stood a distance away, both of them with arched brows and furious gazes.

  They had gotten the wrong impression, hadn’t they?