The Academy's Time Looper

Exhaustedly rubbing his eyes as he hadn't managed to even close them and experience the bliss of darkness for over eight hours, Athen lifted his head from the windowsill.

The first half of the ride was cool...but after that, the eventual despair began setting in and invading his mind.

With nothing to see but the light-blue sky and the clouds below, Athen only had his mind to entertain him.

And...entertain him, it did!

Just a couple of scenarios that Athen had imagined about his impending punishment for using his ability three times included having his body taken over, dying, and becoming a puppet.

It got to the point where Athen had sprinted down the lower deck and pleaded with the bartender for a drink.

Of course, the bartender did not oblige, but Athen had managed to steal a half-empty glass from a distracted customer.

He needed something...anything to distract him.

Unfortunately, that meant Athen had missed the landing of the ship as he had been too preoccupied with stealing drinks.

And, just when he got back to his seat, the announcement had gone off.

Looking out of the window now, Athen could see that the flying ship was once again in a hangar.

Shaking his head, Athen looked at the inside of the ship, already seeing people crowding around the stairs downward to the exit of the ship.

Placing the black cloth he had worn earlier over the nametag on his collared shirt, Athen reluctantly got up from his seat and joined the chaotic line of the people.

For now, he could hide the nametag that said, "Kai" and avoid the attention from the "celebrity's" name, but Athen doubted he would be able to when he entered the academy.

He would draw even more attention, possibly negative, if he walked around a noble magic academy with a dirty piece of black cloth in his hands.

Walking down the stairs, Athen glanced ahead and, coincidentally, spotted Kai's amber-brown hair a couple of feet away.

Pushing his way through a couple of people, Athen followed Kai as he exited the ship and stepped foot onto the floor of the hangar.

However, just as Athen was about to exit the hangar behind him, Kai suddenly turned around with a hearty smile and asked.

"You don't know the way from here to the academy, do you?"

Realizing that his guise was up, Athen nodded his head with an innocent expression.

Sighing, Kai pointed out one of the hangar's windows, and following Kai's finger, Athen spotted a couple of carriages outside the hangar.

"Following me won't work, although I am flattered you chose me out of all people."

Pausing for a moment, Kai extended his palm before using his other hand to point at the index finger of his extended palm.

"This is the hangar we're at right now..."

Pushing his finger over his extended palm, Kai continued.

"Go straight until you see a sign, then make a ri-"

Interrupting Kai mid-sentence, a familiar figure with jet-black hair and greenish-yellow eyes exited the ship before immediately grabbing his shirt and pulling him forward.

"Let's go unless you want the carriages to leave you behind."

Paying no attention to Athen, Alice dragged Kai by the shoulder forward and out of the hangar.

Unable to resist, Kai allowed himself to be dragged out before pointing to a group of students by the entrance and yelling.

"FOLLOW THEM, MY FRIEND! I'LL SEE YOU AT THE ACADEMY...AND WE WILL BE UNITED TILL DEATH DO US PART!"

"..."

Thankfully, due to hundreds of other people in the hangar, Kai's voice was ignored and drowned out by most.

Too tired to respond to Kai with another dramatic and semi-romantic line, Athen lazily glanced at the group of students by the entrance before following them as they left the hangar.

The walk to the academy couldn't be that long...could it?

Only holding on due to the half-glass of beer from earlier, Athen exited the hangar...only to be completely re-energized.

Similar to the hangar in the other town, this one also sat atop a gigantic hit, allowing him to see the entire city below.

There were buildings that seemed to tower up to the sky...thousands of lights that lit up the dark night, and carriages, which were a rare sight in Athen's hometown, were as common as a glass of beer in a bar.

Taking in the amazing view of the city, Athen halted for a second and took a couple of deep breaths, confirming that he wasn't dreaming.

Though since Athen was so high up, he couldn't make out any specific details, the sheer size and quantity of everything shocked him.

Buildings were stuffed right next to each other with barely any gaps, and an intricate system of roads was visible throughout the entire city.

Regaining his composure, Athen smiled before walking down the hill and following behind the group of students.

One thing that still shocked Athens was that there was no space left unused.

There were no plains of grass or any signs of nature anywhere...everything was marked by human touch.

Even on the path downhill, Athens left and right were filled with countless buildings and shops, each different than the previous one.

The designs, materials, and shapes of each building and shop made the city feel so new and fresh, not repetitive in the slightest.

"Hmm?"

Seeing the students take a right, Athen was immediately met with a sight that he hadn't even seen in books, only read about.

"A...mana train?"

Railroad tracks that encircled the entire capital city and delved inside lay in front of Athen.

Walking below a large cover, Athen spotted hundreds of students in a uniform similar to his waiting right by the ledge with the tracks below then.

However, before he could join them, Athen was met with... countless metal bars.

Getting in line behind one of the metal bars, Athen watched with interest as a person in front of them crouched down and placed a single coin into a hole in the bar.

In unison, the bar raised itself, allowing the student to pass before immediately lowering and blocking the next student off.

Thanking the bartender, instead of cursing him out internally like earlier, Athen grabbed the single copper coin in his pocket and walked up to the bar.

"..?"

Letting the copper coin fall back into his pocket, Athen glanced around to make sure nobody was watching.

Then, without any hesitation, Athen crouched down and crawled under the metal bar.