Maya went back to quietly practicing her mana manipulation in the corner, thoroughly motivated by our chat.
Suddenly, I felt a presence slide up next to me. A hand reached out to tap my shoulder.
I subtly shifted my weight, stepping half a pace to the right, causing the hand to grasp empty air.
"Whoa! What was that? How did you dodge it without even looking?"
I turned my head.
"Quit it, Martin. What do you want?"
"Nothing much," Martin grinned, rubbing the back of his neck. "Just wanted to ask something."
'Then why are you circling me like a vulture? You can speak from a normal distance, you know.'
Martin, who had been spinning around with an annoyingly big smile, suddenly stopped. He leaned in close, checking to make sure no one was listening, and dropped his voice to a conspiratorial whisper.
"Alex, what about your practical evaluation today? Do you have any plans to survive? Those seniors look like they want to murder you."
"I have a plan," I replied smoothly.
