Azure's eyes opened to the familiar ceiling, she lacked the presence of a certain redhead. Instead of suffering from not being able to cuddle with her future wife, she wrapped herself around a large pillow like a snake.
"Aquaaa…" She said, rubbing herself against the pillow, unaware of a princess standing above her, her face filled with disgust.
Sheira tapped her foot against the floor. "Azu, she had been gone for less than a day, what's wrong with you?"
Azure shot the princess a threatening glare. "Am I not allowed to miss her? She is my star, reason to keep on living!"
"You are hopeless…" Sheira sighed, jumping back into her own bed. "I don't even have anything to tease you with when you behave like this."
Azure ignored her and rubbed her face in the pillow. "She proposed to me! I am still riding that high, just let me be!"
Sheira groaned. "We still need to go to Professor Mia's class. I can't have you drooling over our heroine."
The princess jumped out of her bed and placed her hands on Azure's wrist, and gently pulled her. "Just let go!"
"Never!"
"Why are you acting more like a child than me?!" She shouted, grabbing the pillow and pulling it against Azure's grip.
She used more strength, overpowering Azure and winning the tug of war. She pulled Azure out of the bed and dragged her over the floor. "Dress and get ready for class! You also have to report for your punishment!"
"I will report for it later, just let me be for a bit!"
Sheira sighed, "What if I make you a plushie in Aqua's likeness? I have been practicing my magical control, and I think I am able to make something like that with this bracelet suppressing my divinity," She said proudly.
Azure's gaze snapped toward Sheira. She looked at her for a moment before jumping out of the bed and grabbing Sheira by her shoulders. "Please make it for me! Please! Please!"
Sheira sighed. "Only if you dress and head to the class."
Azure groaned and sharply turned. "Alright, alright. Give me a moment to change."
Time passed, and just as Sheira was getting annoyed, Azure approached. "Alright, I am ready."
"We are so late, and it's your fault. Miss champion!" Sheira complained.
"Mia won't be too mad at us, I am sure of it," Azure said, chuckling.
"We are supposed to be examples here, you know?"
"Yeah, yeah. I know," Azure waved Sheira off and approached the door. "Let's go."
***
"You two are late, explain."
The duo stood with their hands in a 'V' shape, sheepishly looking down at the teacher.
"We are sorry, Professor Mia, we had some difficulties," Sheira said, eyeing Azure.
A hum escaped Mia's lips, "Is that so? Do not let it happen again."
Both girls saluted and joined the group.
"Alright, we will start with practical casting today, follow me!" With a single order, the group moved following the teacher.
A glint of red reached Azure's eyes from inside Mia's robes, and the bulge was rectangular.
A red book? Did Aqua give it to her? Her thoughts raced, she had not seen many red books in her life. Red was something she only associated with her future wife.
With a quick shake of the head she dismissed her thoughts and the group made their way toward the field. However, unlike the last time, the field was covered by simple wooden tables and chairs that surrounded them.
Mia gestured for the group to stop, and she spun on her heel toward them. "Today, you will start learning the art of mystical engineering. A way to apply the runes to items of great utility!" She spoke with pride.
The silence descended upon the group.
"Ah, you might not have heard of this discipline before, but it will be crucial to understand it. It will help you truly bring your magical control to another level." Her hand disappeared into her robes, and she retrieved a large crimson book.
Her gaze met Sheira's, and a knowing smile stretched over their lips, before turning back toward Mia.
"I want you guys to take one table each, and I will assign you a specific rune combination," She commanded, pointing her wand at the tables.
Sheira rolled her eyes and took the furthest one away, and Azure followed closely.
The table contained multiple pieces of thin, unknown metal, and next to them was an inscription tool. It was nothing more than a quill with a vial of mana conductive ink.
This is definitely Aqua's doing. Her gaze wandered to Mia, who was in the process of explaining the inscription of the runes.
It was one of the things she had learned from Aqua, and even the usage of aether to draw aether circles directly without a need for ink was well known to both her and Sheira.
I guess that explains why Aqua spent so much time with her.
The sheets of metal lay before her, thin and brittle, barely worth the flame used to forge them.
"I want you to produce an elemental crystal above the sheet of metal by using the combination of Earth, followed by Water, Air, and then Fire. We passed over each of these in our previous theory classes; thus, I expect you to succeed," She said. "However, I am not as cruel as to expect you to remember them, so," She crouched down and lifted a large sign from the ground.
On it was inscribed the right combination they were supposed to produce.
The sign managed to produce a sigh out of less prepared students, Azure merely focused on the sheet.
Let's see if the constant practice did anything for me. She chuckled, and her fingertip glowed pale blue.
The sheet vibrated softly, which Azure quickly put an end to by holding it down with her other hand.
While her hands glided without an effort, her eyes wandered to her friend, whose control was much to be desired.
However, despite some difficulty, she was able to control herself enough to inscribe the runes, her gaze then fell onto the bracelet, and everything was clear. She nodded in satisfaction and quickly drew the final rune.
"Professor, I am done!" Azure shouted.