With the opening ceremony coming to a quick end, the students swarmed the school buildings, searching for their classrooms.
With a map of the building in hand, Kiernan stopped in front of the 2-A classroom and then opened the sliding door to find his classmates already inside, eagerly chatting and waiting for the first lesson to begin.
However, when he opened the door, it turned silently, and the classmates looked over to him.
They were shocked at first, then turned nervous as they didn't expect to be Kiernan's classmates.
"Hmm~" Kiernan pocketed the map, and with his backpack in hand, took a seat in the back row, right by the window.
"This is our classroom?" Julian entered the same classroom, looking around with a whistle, and sat down on a desk in front of Kiernan.
He also wanted a window seat.
Kiernan hung the backpack from his chair's backrest, then leaned against his arm as he looked out of the window.
Back on Earth, he never went to a school. The temple where he grew up taught him everything he needed to know pretty much.
Thus, coming back from holiday to school was a very new experience for him.
"Yawn…" Kiernan let out a slight yawn.
He couldn't get a good night of sleep as he stayed awake quite late, thinking things. Therefore, he had to somehow survive the day with four hours of sleep.
The front door of the classroom opened, and in walked the new teacher. She had brown hair, a bun and glasses, and a warm smile on her face.
She had some books in her arms and a stack of papers in her hand.
"Hello, everyone!" Jennifer said. "My name is Jennifer; you may call me Mrs. Jennifer. I am your homeroom teacher for this semester. I hope we will have a great time together."
"Hello, Mrs. Jennifer."
The classroom echoed.
She put her books down on the desk, looked around the classroom, and then began her class.
"First of all, since this is the first day of the semester, there won't be much studying. Instead, there will be the ranked matches. The rankings must be completed by the end of the day."
Several students looked excited. However, there were also those who were nervous and even slightly feared the competition.
Jennifer checked the papers, which had names of every student of her class. They included the name, student's birth dates, and the supposed ranking.
However, since no one really had a ranking, it didn't show anything, but she then noticed that there was already a student among her class that had a ranking.
She thought it was a mistake at first, but she then checked out the name and felt her heart stop beating for a moment.
'Kiernan Hunter. I remember that name. The principal told me about him, and all I hear is people talking about him. The ace of the school that led this school to the quarterfinals last year.'
[Kiernan Hunter - Birth date: 27th of 12th Month of 2588 - Ranking: 1]
'The top-ranked student of the school.'
"K-Kiernan Hunter?" Jennifer looked around the classroom. "May you stand up?"
At the back row, Kiernan pushed himself up and saw everyone in the classroom turn around to look at him.
Jennifer looked at him. She was burning his face to her memory.
"Since you're the top-ranked student of the school, you don't have to participate in the ranked matches. No one is allowed to challenge you either in the first week."
"Alright." Kiernan nodded and sat back down in his seat.
"You all may go to the ranked stadium now." Mrs. Jennifer said. "Your match-ups will be posted on the bulletin board outside the stadium."
"Wohoo!" Julian jumped from his seat in excitement. "Kiernan, you coming?"
"Nah, I don't really like watching fights. It just makes me want to fight as well."
Kiernan said with a wry smile and stood up from his seat. Since there was nothing to do in the school for him, he wondered whether he should just head back home.
The students started rushing out of the classroom, and the hallways were packed with people eager to leave. Every student was racing towards the ranked stadium!
Kiernan picked up his backpack, slung it over his shoulder, and took his phone from his pocket. He wanted to text his father to check whether he had already left.
If he was still here, he might be able to get a ride back home.
A sound came from over the front door.
Mrs. Jennifer, who was getting her things settled on the desk, nodded and said.
"Yes, he is right here."
With papers in hand, Julia Karuza entered the classroom. Looked around until she found Kiernan, who was standing in the back row, and made her way over to him.
"Is there something you need from me?" Kiernan asked.
"Y-yes, Coach Jin wanted me to bring you a message." Julia said. "He'd like to meet you back in the gymnasium."
"Oh? Are you his messenger or something?" Kiernan asked and checked his phone. "I am pretty sure I have his number, though…"
"Oh, you don't know." Julia smiled and said. "I will be the team's manager. I will be helping out with the organization of team meetings and events."
"Welcome on board, then." Kiernan said, pocketed his phone, and headed to the door. "I have some things to talk with him about, as well."
Julia jogged after him, trying to keep up with his quick pace, but even though he was walking at what seemed like his normal speed, it was still hard to keep up with him.
'So fast…' Julia thought as she looked at his broad back. 'I can't even tell how strong he is anymore. He must've reached the Champion realm already…'
Through the gymnasium's open doors, Kiernan entered with Julia in tow.
The gymnasium had changed. It had brand-new facilities and state-of-the-art equipment. It wasn't a run-of-the-mill gym from last year.
Since they were now a proper powerhouse school, their gymnasium reflected their status.