"...You do realize you're standing in my dorm room, right?"
Riley blinked and looked around. Sure enough, there were two beds, clothes scattered everywhere, and a desk cluttered with random items. There was also a laptop left on the desk that clearly showed a website not intended for children under eighteen years old.
In fact, he was actually standing in front of one of the beds, and Katherine was sitting on the said bed, painting her nails with nothing but a large shirt on… right in front of him.
Katherine narrowed her eyes at him before looking at where he was staring at—and as soon as she saw that laptop open, her face immediately paled as he saw the black and yellow logo.
"Wha—!?" She quickly pointed a finger at the laptop, and in an instant, a violent blast of wind, fire, water, and dirt shot from her hand, utterly obliterating it.
A long, awkward silence followed.
"That… that wasn't my laptop," Katherine muttered, her voice an octave higher than earlier. "That was my roommate's. Wait…why am I even explaining to you!?"
She then cleared her throat and quickly turned back to Riley.
"And what the fuck are you doing here!? Who are you, and how did you even get inside!?"
"As I said, Ms. Katherine," Riley replied, blinking, "I was lost. I tried opening other doors, but they were locked. This was the only one that wasn't."
"That… doesn't mean you can just walk in—where even are your parents?" Katherine finally stood up, running a hand through her long brown hair. "You know what? Get out."
Her oversized shirt bounced as she pointed at the door.
"Out. Now."
"But I am lost, Ms. Katherine."
"I don't care! Get out!"
"I thought this was supposed to be a school for training superheroes, Ms. Katherine." Riley sighed, shaking his head as he turned toward the door.
Katherine stared at him like he was the dumbest person alive. Then, with a frustrated groan, she started gathering the clothes strewn across the floor.
"Just—just wait outside! I'll get dressed and help you, damn it!"
Riley remained still for a moment, scanning the chaotic state of the room.
"I did not realize a storm had passed through Mega Academy, Ms. Katherine," he remarked. "This room is completely wrecked."
Katherine's eye twitched.
"Out!"
"Okay."
Riley finally stepped out, waiting patiently in the hallway. A few minutes later, Katherine emerged, now dressed in a sweatshirt and shorts.
Riley's eyes, however, slightly widened as he noticed something.
"Your hair is red now, Ms. Katherine."
"It's a wig," Katherine muttered, rolling her eyes. She tossed the crimson locks over her shoulder, the sunlight from the window making them glow. "Seniors have to keep up appearances—we get photographed a lot."
"You looked more beautiful before, Ms. Katherine."
Katherine paused as she looked blankly at Riley.
"...Thank you," she said dryly. "That would have been great if it didn't come from a literal child."
"Hmm."
"But enough about that," she gestured for him to follow. "Come on, I'll take you back to where you're supposed to be. How did you even get up here?"
"I took the stairs, Ms. Katherine."
"What? Why?"
Riley tilted his head. "Doesn't it make sense to go down?" Katherine asked, raising an eyebrow. "This building is literally separated by a hanging tunnel—why'd you even cross that? How are you this dense!?"
"I am used to taking the stairs to get to the living room in my house, Ms. Katherine." Riley nodded. "And I also take a bridge to get to Father's gym."
"...What?" She glanced back at him,
"Whose son are you?"
"That is a secret, Ms. Katherine," Riley said, shaking his head. "For Father has a secret identity."
Katherine narrowed her eyes.
"Huh… you're not lying."
"I do not lie, Ms. Katherine. That would be bad."
Katherine scoffed. "That's a first. Everyone I've met is a liar."
"How would you know that, Ms. Katherine?" Riley asked as they descended the stairs.
She smirked and tapped the side of her head. "I can tell when people are lying."
"I thought you were a multikinetic, Ms. Katherine?"
"I am," she shrugged, "but I've got other tricks up my sleeve."
Riley's eyes narrowed as he leaned closer, staring intently at her sleeves.
"Can you lift them so I can see these tricks, Ms. Katherine?"
"What? No!" She yanked her arm away. "Are you—no. You are, and that would be offensive. That was a figure of speech, Riley. A figure of speech."
"Oh." Riley leaned back, nodding. "...Can you teach me how to control my telekinesis, Ms. Katherine?"
"You're telekinetic? I don't know if I can teach you anything—I can summon and control the elements, but I can't move things with my mind."
"Your control is exceptional, Ms. Katherine. Perhaps the best I have seen, even on the internet."
Katherine smirked. "Finally, someone who appreciates real talent." She pointed at Riley. "Can you tell that to the instructors so they'll finally rank me No. 1 instead of that pervert?"
"I can do that, Ms. Katherine," Riley nodded. "But who is the pervert?"
"You'll figure it out yourself," Katherine waved him off. "You know what, kid? I like you. Come find me, and I'll teach you some things. And if anyone from the upper classes messes with you, tell them the Scarlet Mage won't let it slide."
She flicked her crimson hair over her shoulder. "That's my superhero name, by the way. Like it?"
"No," Riley shook his head.
"What the—minus points!" Katherine pointed at him. "That's the best name I could come up with! Look at my hair!"
"That is not your real hair, Ms. Katherine," Riley replied. "Brown Mage would suit you better."
"That literally sounds like shit," Katherine scoffed, waving her hand. "But you know, I was thinking about switching to platinum or silver."
"I believe silver would suit you better than red, Ms. Katherine."
"...Maybe I'll try it—wait. You're not just saying that because you have white hair, are you?"
"Perhaps."
"You…" Katherine narrowed her eyes before shaking her head with a chuckle.
The two continued chatting about completely random things as they walked, and given the Academy's size, it took several minutes before they finally reached the other future students gathered outside.
"Ah! Riley!"
Hannah spotted him from half a mile away, and soon, everyone else did too.
It was hard not to when both Riley and the lady beside him were practically glowing under the sunlight with their bright hair.
"Oh, is that your sister?" Katherine stopped walking as she saw Hannah rushing toward them. "Wow, there are way more people here than when I enrolled. I guess it's true—more and more people are awakening their powers."
Riley turned to her and bowed slightly. "Thank you for escorting me, Ms. Katherine."
"You… don't need to bow," Katherine said, amused. "Anyway, see you around—and please, don't go wandering into the girls' dorm again. If it had been anyone else, I would've reported them."
"Thank you for not reporting me, Ms. Katherine."
"It's fine—you were telling the truth." Katherine waved a hand dismissively as she walked away. "See you around."
Riley watched her go before bowing once again.
"RILEY! Where the fuck did you go!? Bella and the others already left!"
Hannah grabbed his hand the moment she reached him. "I found Uncle Bulwark, and he said your interview ended an hour ago!"
"I apologize deeply, Sister. I got lost." Riley nodded before gesturing toward Katherine, who was disappearing into the crowd. "But that kind woman helped me."
"Ack, it doesn't matter." Hannah ran a hand down her face and sighed. "Mom's been calling me, like… a hundred times. She found out from Dad that you enrolled at the Academy. Dad was ecstatic when I saw him with Uncle earlier, but he said to tell Mom that he was really mad."
"Hmm."
"Ugh… we're in trouble, dude."
"Hmm." Riley placed a hand on his chin, thinking.
"We should start inquiring about the dormitories, Sister."
***
[Breaking News]
A super named Ryan Roman has escaped from a mental asylum. Roman is considered an extremely dangerous individual—please lock your doors and avoid going out alone at night. Stay tuned for more updates. I'm Lorraine, and this is ABC-ZBN News.