The Twin's Magic

Chapter 3- Strawberry Blond Hair Guy*

Yuri's POV

"Simple rules! Follow the instructions carefully!"

Mr. Demetri slammed his large stick against the table, creating a loud bang that echoed through the classroom.

I immediately felt nervous. He looked extremely serious standing in front of the class.

The sound alone was enough to make half the students sit up straight.

A few people who had been whispering instantly fell silent. Someone behind me even dropped their pen.

Mr. Demetri slowly scanned the room with sharp eyes.

Nobody dared to move.

"Take out a sheet of paper," he announced. "We're having a surprise quiz."

A surprise quiz?

My heart dropped.

I wasn't prepared at all. The last thing I expected today was a quiz.

Around me, several students groaned.

One girl buried her face in her hands.

A guy near the window whispered a prayer.

Meanwhile, Mr. Demetri remained completely expressionless.

"Would you mind giving us at least a minute to review, Sir?" a guy with strawberry-blond hair asked.

I stared at him.

How could he be so calm? Where did he get the courage to interrupt our terrifying professor?

He was unbelievable.

The entire class seemed shocked.

Several students exchanged glances.

Nobody questioned Mr. Demetri.

Nobody.

Yet this guy spoke as casually as if he were asking for extra ketchup at a restaurant.

Mr. Demetri looked at him in disbelief. For a moment, he looked like an angry tiger ready to attack. Then, surprisingly, his expression softened.

"You got me there, Mr. Tui."

He pointed at the guy and smiled.

Wow! That was unbelievable.

The classroom erupted into relieved sighs.

"Alright, class. Get your notes and review. I'll give you five minutes."

I quickly opened my notebook and started scanning my notes.

Everyone at Oakwood University called Mr. Demetri cold-hearted, so this was unexpected.

Thanks to that strawberry-blond-haired guy.

Curious, I glanced at him.

Big mistake.

The moment I looked up, our eyes met.

My heart instantly started pounding.

Damn.

I only noticed it now, but he was ridiculously cute.

His strawberry-blond hair looked slightly messy, as though he had just run his fingers through it.

His sharp eyes carried an effortless confidence.

There was something about him that made me feel strangely nervous.

Then he winked at me.

Oh, boy.

What does he think he's doing?

I rolled my eyes and shot him a glare.

He simply smirked.

The nerve of this guy.

Instead of reviewing his notes, he leaned back in his chair and looked completely relaxed.

How was he not worried?

"Tsk. Yuri Last, stop it. You're here to study, not flirt."

Yep.

That was my subconscious talking.

For the remaining minutes, I forced myself to focus on my notes.

Unfortunately, every time I looked up, I somehow found Shin Tui already looking in my direction.

And every single time, he seemed amused.

It was infuriating.

–

The quiz turned out to be much harder than expected.

By the time Mr. Demetri collected our papers, I felt mentally exhausted.

Students immediately started discussing answers.

I chose not to join them.

Knowing my luck, I'd discover I got everything wrong.

As I packed my notebook into my bag, I heard laughter from the front of the room.

Shin was surrounded by several students.

They seemed eager to talk to him.

Some were asking questions.

Others were simply trying to get his attention.

It reminded me of celebrities being swarmed by fans.

Maybe this girl beside me would know why.

–

"You don't know him, do you?"

"Huh?" I turned to the girl sitting beside me. "Who?"

"The guy with the strawberry-blond hair."

Oh.

The arrogant but ridiculously cute guy.

"Wait... did you see everything?" I covered my mouth in embarrassment.

She laughed.

"His name is Shin Tui. He's one of the School Highnesses."

"School Highnesses?"

I had never heard that term before.

"The School Highnesses are the most powerful students in Oakwood University. There are four of them, and each has unique abilities."

I blinked.

Abilities?

That sounded like something straight out of a fantasy novel.

I almost laughed.

Except she looked completely serious.

"Be careful around them," she continued. "Especially Shin. He may look charming, but don't fall for him. You'll only end up getting hurt."

"Really? Don't worry. He's not my type."

She raised an eyebrow.

"Seriously?"

"Absolutely."

She nodded.

"By the way, I'm Cerine."

She extended her hand.

"Yuri. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too."

We shook hands before turning our attention back to the lesson.

Still, I couldn't stop thinking.

There was so much I didn't know about this school.

If Shin could even influence a professor like Mr. Demetri, then the School Highnesses were clearly no joke.

Everyone seemed afraid of them.

–

Lunch break arrived faster than expected.

Since I was still unfamiliar with the campus, I decided to explore.

Oakwood University was enormous.

The pathways were lined with beautiful trees.

Students gathered beneath them, chatting and laughing.

Everything looked normal.

Yet after Cerine's explanation, I couldn't stop wondering about the so-called abilities.

Were they really powers?

Or was it some strange school tradition?

As I wandered farther from the main buildings, I noticed something unusual.

A wide stone courtyard sat behind one of the academic halls.

Unlike the crowded areas, this place was completely empty.

Not a single student occupied the benches.

Not one.

Strange.

The area was actually beautiful.

Flowers surrounded the courtyard.

A small fountain stood at the center.

Why wasn't anyone here?

Curiosity got the better of me.

I stepped forward.

The moment I entered, I noticed several students passing nearby.

They glanced at me.

Then quickly looked away.

Some even appeared nervous.

What was their problem?

I continued walking.

That was when I heard a voice behind me.

"You're either brave or stupid."

I turned.

A tall, beautiful girl stood in front of me, pointing a finger in my face.

–

"Huh? Are you talking to me?" I asked, glancing around.

"Obviously. There isn't anyone else here."

She looked irritated.

"Excuse me? Who are you to talk to me like that?"

My patience was already running out.

"Tsk. Pathetic."

She crossed her arms.

"Oh, you don't know me? Everyone knows me."

"Well, apparently I don't."

Her lips curled into a smirk.

"Then let me introduce myself."

She stepped closer.

"I'm Agane Philips. One of the School Highnesses."

My eyes widened.

So she was one of them.

Even before she said anything else, I could feel an overwhelming presence coming from her.

Students weren't exaggerating.

There was something intimidating about her.

"This place belongs to me. No one comes here because they're afraid of me and they're afraid of what I'll do if they cross me."

She smiled looking so proud of her self.

"Do you want to find out?"

"I'm not afraid of you."

I tried to sound brave.

Unfortunately, I wasn't feeling brave anymore.

Agane slowly raised her hand.

A strange smile appeared on her face.

Then she whispered something.

Suddenly, dizziness hit me.

The ground beneath my feet began to shake.

At first, I thought it was an earthquake.

But then I realized something terrifying.

Only the area around me was moving.

My heart raced.

What was happening?

Was this some kind of curse?

Panic took over.

I looked around desperately for a way out, but there was none.

The fountain twisted before my eyes.

The stone paths seemed to bend.

Even the sky looked distorted.

My knees weakened.

Every instinct screamed at me to run.

Yet I couldn't move.

The pressure around me felt overwhelming.

"Stop it!" I shouted.

Agane only smiled wider.

"No."

Her voice was cold.

"Not until you're begging for your life."

Fear hits me.

"I warned you not to disrespect me. This is what happens when you provoke a Highness."

She was too focused on me to notice someone approaching.

The dizziness became worse.

My vision blurred.

I thought I might actually faint.

Then—

"That's enough, Agane."

A powerful voice cut through the air.

Agane froze.

The pressure immediately lessened.

I looked up.

Shin Tui.

Relief washed over me.

The moment he arrived, Agane lowered her hand.

The shaking stopped instantly.

Everything back to normal.

I nearly collapsed from exhaustion.

"She provoked me, Shin," Agane said calmly, as if she hadn't just terrified me.

"You shouldn't be using your powers on a human," Shin replied.

Human?

Wait... what?

The word struck me immediately.

Why did he say it like that?

"And what was I supposed to do?" Agane snapped. "Let her disrespect me?"

"Just leave, Agane."

"But—"

"No."

His voice was firm.

"Leave."

For a brief moment, the two simply stared at each other.

The atmosphere felt incredibly tense.

Neither seemed willing to back down.

Finally, Agane sighed.

"Fine. Your wish is my command."

She gave him a respectful bow before turning to me.

"I'm not finished with you, newbie."

Her smile sent chills down my spine.

"You're lucky Shin is here today."

Then she walked away.

I watched her disappear beyond the plants.

Only when she was completely gone did I realize how hard I was breathing.

–

The moment she disappeared, my legs nearly gave out.

What had just happened?

That wasn't normal.

Agane wasn't an ordinary student.

She had powers.

Real powers.

Shin took a step toward me.

"Are you okay?"

He looked genuinely concerned.

I forced a smile.

"Yeah. I'm fine."

A lie.

I was terrified.

"Good."

He sighed.

"Stay away from Agane. She's dangerous."

"I can take care of myself."

He laughed.

"Really?"

His eyes sparkled with amusement.

"Because a few minutes ago, you looked scared to death."

I frowned.

"Are you threatening me?"

"No. I'm warning you."

His expression became serious.

"You have no idea what Agane is capable of."

A gust of wind passed between us.

For the first time, he didn't look playful.

He looked worried.

Actually worried.

He stared directly into my eyes.

"That's the problem with newbies. They're looking so brave because they don't know nothing – they don't know how dangerous things really are."

He shook his head.

"One day, you'll understand why everyone respects the Highnesses."

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

The courtyard felt strangely quiet.

I wanted to ask him a hundred questions.

Who really is Agane?

What were the Highnesses?

What did he mean by human?

Why did everyone fear them?

But before I could speak, Shin looked away.

Then he turned back his gazed on me.

"And next time, don't expect me to save you."

He started walking off.

"You don't appreciate my kindness anyway."

For some reason, he sounded disappointed.

Then he left.

I watched him go.

The sunlight filtered through the trees as his figure disappeared into the distance.

My heart was still racing.

Not because of Agane.

Well... maybe partially because of that freaking girl.

But mostly because none of this made sense.

This school wasn't normal.

The students weren't normal.

And the School Highnesses were definitely not normal.

Was all of that just an act?

Maybe.

Cerine said Shin was famous for his charm.

Maybe this was simply another one of his tricks.

Maybe he treated every girl this way.

Maybe the concern in his eyes wasn't real.

Either way, I wouldn't fall for it.

No matter how handsome he was.

I wouldn't.

I swear.

Unfortunately, as I walked back toward the main campus, I couldn't stop replaying the moment he appeared.

The way the terrifying situation ended the instant he arrived.

The way Agane listened to him.

The way he looked at me.

And somehow, that bothered me more than anything else.

Because for the first time since arriving at Oakwood University, I had a feeling my life was about to become a lot more complicated.