The next day, whispers spread across the academy like wildfire.
"Did you hear?"
"New Familiars are going to spar tomorrow."
"And against Leonel and Zann, no less. This is going to be wild!"
By the time Aranea's group gathered for their morning classes, the atmosphere was already charged. Students craned their necks in hallways, pointing and whispering whenever Aerin or Auron passed. The twins, however, couldn't have looked more different in their reactions.
Aerin soaked it in like sunlight, waving cheerfully at gawkers. "Hello~! Yes, yes, we're amazing, I know!"
Auron ignored everyone, hands in his pockets, eyes half-lidded as if the entire school were a mild inconvenience.
"Tomorrow's gonna be interesting," Beau muttered as they filed into Defense Against Magic. "Half the school's betting money on the outcome."
Aranea groaned, rubbing her temples. "We're not gladiators, we're students. Why does everything turn into a show here?"
