The sun was high in the sky. Area BSchool of Performing Arts, first floor.
In the lecture hall, the air conditioner hummed. Dr. Marian was teaching the 'Superpower Performance Studies' course.
'Kate must have read Shetty's memories, that's how she knew I was the one behind it... I can't push her too hard; a person who has given up on themselves is of no use to me.' Wade stood in the long, winding queue, occasionally stealing glances at Andre and Jordan Li, who were auditing the class in the front row. 'I wonder how long the altered memories will last? Or maybe it'll be fine as long as they aren't mentioned.'
Students went up to the stage one by one like a flock of peacocks, taking turns to display various superpowers on the stage at the front of the venue.
"Watch this!" A tall, thin boy's face turned red as he pointed his hands at the wheelchair beneath him.
The wheelchair suddenly levitated, wobbling as it glided around the stage for a few laps, drawing good-natured laughter and applause from the audience.
"My turn, my turn!" Another girl with twin tails concentrated, using Telekinesis to make a dozen markers fly into the air, forming a constantly changing simple pattern, earning bursts of gasps.
Another boy's arm suddenly mutated into a rubber-like material; after stretching, it easily touched every corner of the classroom, drawing sighs of admiration.
Various bizarre ability demonstrations led to rounds of exaggerated applause and laughter, making the classroom atmosphere as lively as a circus.
A minute later, it was Wade's turn at the front of the queue.
He walked onto the podium expressionlessly, nodding and bowing slightly. "Hello teacher, hello classmates. My name is Wade Thompson, and my ability is Gas Manipulation."
Whispers immediately broke out below the stage.
"Gas Manipulation? Can he make it windy?"
"Sounds a bit... ordinary, compared to that rubber hand just now."
"Don't you know? He's the famous 'Cyclone'! The most popular freshman, a big hit online!"
Marian adjusted her gold-rimmed glasses and spoke enthusiastically into her headset, "Are there any students willing to volunteer? You've all heard of 'Cyclone' on campus, right? Opportunities to experience swirling air currents don't come often!"
As soon as she finished, the classroom erupted.
"Me, me, me! Pick me!"
"So cool! I want to try!"
"Will it be dangerous?"
"What are you afraid of? 'Cyclone' is very reliable!" a boy, clearly a fan of Wade, said loudly.
Within ten seconds, a dozen of the boldest girls and boys scrambled onto the podium.
They chattered and squeezed into three rows, their faces filled with expectation and curiosity.
Marian pointed and smiled brilliantly, "Please begin your performance."
Wade calmly waved his hand, dispersing the overly concentrated cold air above the podium. He then raised his arms as if feeling and touching invisible strings in the air.
'Good thing I've been practicing hard. My current upper limit for gas levitation is at least four tons... otherwise, I'd really make a fool of myself in this situation and become a laughingstock.'
A gentle, stable air current swirled up from beneath the volunteers' feet, sweeping across the stage like an invisible tide.
It brushed against everyone's hair and clothes just right, bringing a comfortable coolness without any sign of disruption.
"Wow, this feels amazing!" a girl with a bun hairstyle whispered in awe.
"I'm really... floating?!" The bespectacled man next to her saw his feet slowly leaving the ground, his voice changing pitch.
Under the astonished gaze of the audience, the dozen volunteers collectively lost weight, their feet steadily leaving the ground, lifted by a massive invisible force, suspended in mid-air.
Bursts of excited cheers and gasps of disbelief erupted from the audience.
Wade's eyes were focused, his fingertips twitching slightly.
The people floating in the air began to move. Like a school of fish swimming in a clear lake, they circled the spacious classroom ceiling gracefully and smoothly.
Their bodies twisted and drifted gently in the air, creating a surreal and beautiful dynamic tableau.
"I'm flying! I'm really flying!" a boy shouted with his arms wide open.
"This feeling is incredible..." another girl closed her eyes, feeling the air current brush against her cheeks.
The upper part of the classroom was like a dreamlike aquarium, and the floating volunteers were the most eye-catching fish.
Wade's gaze followed them, precisely controlling the rotation of the air currents in different directions.
Several girls wearing skirts held down their hems, feeling a bit nervous and shy.
They soon discovered to their surprise that although their bodies were flipping and moving in the air, their skirts were held down gently by invisible hands, hugging their silhouettes tightly without a single gap.
"My god... he even thought of that?" Below the stage, a girl covered her mouth, her eyes shining with amazement.
"This control is insane!" Her fluffy-haired companion nodded repeatedly.
After several circles, Wade slowly pressed his hands down like a symphony conductor.
The gentle air currents acted like the safest parachutes, enveloping each volunteer and letting them land safely on the podium one by one, like light feathers.
"Clap... clap... clap-clap."
After a brief silence in the classroom, sporadic applause began.
"Clap clap clap...!"
Then, thunderous applause erupted like a bursting dam, mixed with excited screams and heated discussions.
"So cool!"
"Is this really Gas Manipulation? It's like magic!"
"I wish I had this ability!"
Marian looked at the safe and excited volunteers on stage, then at the ignited atmosphere below.
She opened her mouth, her gaze lingering on Wade's calm face, and she quickly made a hesitant mark on the grading board.
Marian forced a standard toothy smile into the microphone. "Fine control, very... creative. Good audience feedback!"
Her evaluation sounded good, but Wade had already sensed her surface thoughts with his keen perception.
The score written on the grading sheet was... C+!
He nodded slightly, his expression remaining calm as he turned and walked off the podium.
'My performance just now should have earned an A by any logic... Is it because my ability's special effects aren't flashy enough? Not enough sparks and lightning?'
Under the gaze of everyone in the classroom, Wade silently walked back to his seat.
'Based on what?'
Filled with doubt, he used his fingertips to look up Marian's personal resume on the official campus website.
[Marian Foster, PhD in Stage Performing Arts]
[...Doctoral Supervisor: Sierra Jones]
A look of realization flashed in Wade's eyes. He tapped quickly on the screen, looking at the School of Performing Arts's staff network, which showed a web-like directory of staff associated with Sierra.
'I offended that woman Sierra last time... I've provoked a whole nest of people!' He put away his phone, a smile playing on his lips. 'Giving me a hard time, huh? Go ahead, the harsher the better.'
This systematic suppression within the academy was the perfect smokescreen. Now he didn't have to worry about attracting attention with overly excellent grades.
'A superpower college student who is extremely biased toward combat and has mediocre grades shouldn't have much commercial value.'
A message suddenly popped up on the screen. Mena had sent an "OK" gesture, a moon, and a bear icon.
'Did she successfully escape? I'll go train her courage again tonight!'
Just then, a familiar fragrance wafted over.
"You, why have you been avoiding me lately?" Harper stood aside with an uneasy face, her long tail hanging low and motionless. She muttered, "I did what you said and'slightly' fabricated some dirt... but I didn't expect your campus ranking to drop so much, sliding straight out of the top 30... I'm sorry."
Wade pulled her down to sit and grabbed her long pink tail to stroke it. "No, you did better than I imagined... Let's stop here for now. I'm very satisfied with this current ranking."
Harper beamed, leaning her body closer, the tip of her tail suddenly wagging at a high frequency. "Then, what about the... reward we agreed on?"
"That won't do. Help me handle my taxes first." Wade held down the tip of her tail and handed over his phone. "Once it's done, I'll give you whatever you want!"
Harper quickly tapped the screen, smiling as she showed the calculator. "Easy peasy. I calculate and report my family's taxes too. I guarantee it'll be fast and accurate!"
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