As they make it to the restaurant, Rena's friend welcomes them all.
"Welcome to Forks & Flames! May I interest you in a table?"
Rena hugs her.
"A table for four please! These are my new friends from the academy!"
"My name is Lia Aoyama. Nice to meet you all!"
After their quick introductions, Lia guides them to their table and drops off four menus.
Renji speaks up first.
"So, what's the best item here?"
Maya gets whiplash from that.
"I didn't expect food to be your weakness."
"Everything is good here. Just pick whatever catches your eye." Rena replies.
Ryou chimes in. "With how much you're hyping this place... we'll probably be disappointed."
"Do I look untrustworthy to you?"
The three glance at each other, then answer in unison.
"Yes."
Rena sighs. "You'll find out soon enough."
Minutes go by as they surf through the menu.
Lia comes and picks up their orders. She brings their drinks shortly after.
Renji remembers what Maya said at the arena.
"What about that big announcement?"
"Oh. I almost forgot."
"That's the main reason we're here..."
"Right. Well, before I picked you guys up for the duel, I had to get permission from the Headmaster."
"Go on."
"Well... I thought skipping the tournament for such a feat isn't good enough. I made the proposition that if Renji wins the fight, he should skip the first year altogether."
Ryou thinks about it.
"Can't argue with that. If he bested the top of 2A, it wouldn't make sense for him to waste his time in a worse class. I think he should go even higher. What does the Headmaster think?"
"They accepted. Congrats, Renji! You're officialy starting in 2A!"
Renji looks down and thinks.
"Wait... you're not happy?"
He looks at Maya.
"It's not that... it's just..."
"What?"
"I don't know any magic."
Maya chokes on her drink and starts coughing.
"You don't know magic? You mean high-level spells, right? Don't worry, very few people can use those."
"No... I mean magic, in general. I don't know anything."
"Not even the basics?"
"Not even."
Maya puts her hands on her temples and looks down, thinking.
This guy's a monster. He did all of that without knowing anything. What will I do with him?
Rena smiles.
"You're even more amazing than I thought."
Renji is reluctant to take the compliment.
"Wait... I just confessed I'm completely ignorant and I'm being praised for it?"
Ryou sighs.
"Yes, dummy. If you're this strong despite having the education of a new-born, imagine when you'll actually know stuff."
"A bit too blunt, but yes. What he said."
Renji replies quickly.
"I thought about it. I'm not dumb. But we don't know if I have any talent for magic."
"Well... did you ever even try to use magic? You don't need any textbook education to cast some low-level spells."
"Nobody taught me anything about it. I lost all my family by age twelve."
Silence engulfs their table. A look of worry and understanding appears on their faces.
"I don't want to kill the mood. We don't have to talk about it. In fact, I don't want to. But that's the reason for my ignorance."
The reason Renji got into such a prestigious academy is because despite not using magic, he went through trials for a spot. The trials consist of duels, and he won all of them. That's also where his confidence steams from.
Maya sits up and grabs Renji by the arm.
"Come on. Let's get somewhere where you can cast your first spell."
"What about the food?"
"It's not even here, we have time. Casting a basic spell is very easy, it won't take long."
Renji complies. Ryou and Rina remain at the table.
As they make it outside, they look for a place where they won't bother anyone. They find an empty alley.
"Alright. For starters, you need to learn how to focus. Close your eyes."
Renji closes his eyes.
"Now, extend your arms in front of you with your palms open. Imagine the spell you want to cast. Imagine you want to throw a water spell towards the wall. Focus on it. Keep your breath steady. When you're ready, start casting. The words will naturally come to you."
Renji follows her advice and locks in.
His breathing slows. Arms extended. Eyes closed.
In his mind, he pictures it: a stream of water spiraling out from his palms, striking the wall like a crashing wave. His body feels warm, not from exertion, but from something deeper, like a pulse that doesn't belong to muscle or bone, but something beneath it all.
And then, almost like a whisper at the edge of thought, words come to him.
The air shifts.
A violent burst of water explodes from his palms, raw and untamed. It crashes into the stone wall across the alley with the force of a siege weapon.
BOOM.
The wall doesn't just get wet. It shatters, a massive chunk of the upper structure caving in with a cloud of dust and flying rubble.
Maya stumbles back, shielding her face from the debris.
"The hell was that?!"
Renji opens his eyes, breathing steady, almost confused.
"...Did I do it?"
Maya glares at him like she's offended.
"Did you do it? That wasn't water magic, that was demolition magic!"
She looks at the obliterated wall, then back at him, disbelief all over her face.
"You said you didn't know anything! That was your first spell?!"
Renji shrugs. "I just imagined it like you said."
Maya walks up to him, grabs his face with both hands, and looks him dead in the eyes.
"Listen to me very carefully, you freak of nature. I have trained students for years. Years. And even the most talented can't produce a third of that on their first cast."
She backs off, running a hand through her hair.
"God, the Headmaster's going to lose it when he hears this…"
Renji scratches the back of his head. "So… was that good?"
Maya turns, slowly.
"Good? No. That was absurd. I was planning to teach you the difference between casting with control and just throwing mana around, but clearly we skipped straight to war crimes."
He tries not to smirk.
"Hey, you said focus and let it flow."
She points at the still-smoking crater in the wall.
"That wasn't flow. That was a flood with anger issues."
They stand in silence for a moment, the destroyed wall still hurting.
Then Maya sighs, deeply.
"…Okay. First spell: ten out of ten on power, zero out of ten on restraint. But I get it now."
"Get what?"
"You're not just a strong fighter. You're built for magic. You just needed to unlock it."
Renji exhales, almost in disbelief himself.
"So what now?"
She gives him a tired grin.
"Now? Now we go eat before you break the rest of the city."
They start walking back to the restaurant, and Maya mutters under her breath:
"God help us all…"