Within the academy's magnificent library, Ken sat by himself flicking through the pile of books he had gathered, taking down useful notes in his exercise book.
“No, that won't do.”
“Damn it, this is a headache. I didn't think creating a brand new spell would be this much of a struggle for me!”
Ken’s studies had him scratching his head, frustrated at his inability to work out the problem he was trying to solve.
“...maybe I need to look at it from a different angle… or maybe I just need to start again…”
**Ding**
His train of thought was broken by a notification from his student cell. Looking at his phone, he saw a message from Hanako.
[Message]
[Hanako]
Hello.
[Ken]
Hey, what's up?
[Hanako]
I just finished a two-hour lecture class, which is the only class I have today. How many classes do you have left for today?
[Ken]
I have no class today. I've been in the library since this morning.
[Hanako]
How much longer are you going to be there?
[Ken]
I'm just about done here for the day. Did you want to hang out?
[Hanako]
It's been almost two weeks now. So, I was planning on joining a club, maybe you would like to join one together?....
[Ken]
Yeah, that sounds like a great idea!😁
Did you have any club in mind?
[Hanako]
No, I thought we could choose together…
[Ken]
Yes, of course. I'll come to you.
[Hanako]
I'm in the Class Zone, next to the water fountain.
[Ken]
On my way, now.
[End]
Ken returned the pile of books he had gathered and swiftly made his way to the Class Zone, where he met Hanako by the water fountain.
"Even though I've been here like a hundred times, this place is still amazing," looking at Ken, one would think this was his first time here.
"Alright, enough of that. We should join a club that specializes in something neither of us is good at.”
"Hmmm… well, I'm not really g-good at Summoning Magic," Said Hanako.
"Great! Neither am I. I've rarely tried summoning magic. If I remember correctly, as a kid all my summoning's would end up as a disaster. So it's settled, let's look for a club that specializes in summoning!"
The two looked around for a bit. The Class Zone was brimming with all sorts of clubs, some clubs weren't related to the arts of magic at all, such as hair stylist, cosmetics, music, food, and more.
They soon came across a summoning Club called; Companions. It was a small Club and didn't look like it had many members, or any to be honest, but they decided it would be good to join a quiet club. Before they could enter, they heard shouting from inside.
"I'm sorry Finn, but I can no longer be in this club!"
"But why?”
"B-Because, I can't stay in a club that no longer has any members!" a student ran out the door past Ken and Hanako.
The two were confused, but they walked in anyway. Once inside, they saw a man sitting on a chair, with his head down. Gloom filled the clubhouse.
"Umm… sir?" Hanako called out, slowly walking up to the man.
"Hey, I'm Finn, sorry but the Companions are no longer a club." he didn't even raise his head.
Stepping closer, Ken said, "Really? Cause we were thinking of joining."
"R-Really?" Finn looked up, hope in his eyes. "You want to join?"
"Yeah, we both need to improve on our Summoning Spells," Ken replied, carrying a smile.
Looking at Ken with his hazel brown eyes, the slither of hope that was in Finn’s eyes vanished. Ken’s presence only made his mood worse. "Oh no, you're that infamous first-year who no one likes. If I let you join, then my club will really be at the point of no return.”
"Hey! What's with that tone!? From where I'm standing, your club already looks like it's at the point of no return, so you should be happy we are.” Ken bickered.
"...We will help you bring back your m-members," Hanako added.
"Hmmm, alright. I guess it can't get any worse than it already is.” Finn conceded. “My name is Finn Crust. I'm a second year, welcome to the Companion’s Club."
"I'm Hanako Sakura…" Hanako said with a slight head bow
"And I'm Ken Granfold.”
Standing up from his seat, Finn neatened up his messy man bun. He stood tall, easily seeing above both Ken and Hanako. “Well, I guess to start, I should see what you two are capable of. So, show me what you can summon."
“No can do. I have nothing to show for.” Ken shrugged his shoulders.
"Oh, that's great," Finn replied sarcastically.
"I can summon, but… my summoning comes out… ummm, t-tiny due to my low mana." Hanako twiddled her fingers.
"I've got a solution for that, give me a second." digging into a nearby chest, Finn grabbed two blue crystals.
"I'm sure you already know, but these are Mana Crystals, Great Mana Crystals to be exact. They can be used to temporarily boost one's mana. Use them to give yourself a boost in mana, and summon your companion." Finn explained before giving Hanako the Great Mana Crystals.
"Ummm… well, m-my companion can… Ummm, get really rough and wild. He doesn't always listen to me…."
"Don't worry, if he gets out of control, I have a level 2 banish tag that should send him back." Finn pulled out a small paper tag from his back pocket.
"Right! And I'm here too, so you're safe." Ken’s confidence reassured Hanako.
The three of them made their way to the back of the club, where a large circular stage was built. Hanako stood in front of the stage, while the two boys stood back and observed.
Holding the two crystals in her hand, she absorbed the Mana into herself, raising her mana level. Taking a deep breath, Hanako conjured a large green magic circle on the stage.
“B-Brace yourselves…”
“H-Hear me, Tempest, and come forth. Summoning Magic!”
The magic circle shined a bright green light before a huge tornado burst out from it. The tornado destroyed everything around it, including the entire back part of the clubhouse. Ken and Finn protected themselves with a shield spell. As for Hanako, she was unaffected by the raging winds.
The nearby students were caught off guard, but they were all capable enough to protect themselves from the savage winds.
The tornado finally calmed down, revealing a magnificent wolf with pure white fur and sky-blue eyes. On each of its ankles sprouted sky-blue feathers.
"I was wrong! This is worse, much worse!!" Finn shouted. His face filled with regret as he looked around at his torn-up clubhouse.
