Luminary Institute

37: The Student At The Top Of A Different Class

Olivia snapped her fingers. The demon appeared after a faint ‘pop.’ Unlike before, the demon now took on a smaller, human-like form. She kicked her legs back and sprawled out on Olivia’s bed. Shuffling the blankets around as she got comfortable on top of Olivia's bed, the demon brushed her fingers against her red lips as a sultry smile appeared on her lips. 

“... Why are you like this, Alecto?” Olivia groaned as she watched the demon get into a... suggestive position to say the least. 

“I don’t get to venture out in this form much, so I have to get the most out of it while I’m here,” Alecto sang while raising a leg into the air. “You, dear Olivia, are just too much of a prude. How did I get stuck with you as my contractor this generation?” 

“Don’t ask me,” Olivia looked out the window, wholly unfazed by Alecto in front of her. “It’s because you’re so... forward, that I don’t summon you out like this...” 

“Aww, why not?” Alecto sang, flipping up and out of bed. She hugged Olivia from behind. “It’s only us two anyway, why not reciprocate my affections.” 

“... Anyway,” Olivia peeled Alecto off of her with a sigh. “Shall we continue our conversation from earlier?” 

“The white-haired girl who recently joined Class Zero?” Alecto sat down on a chair beside Olivia. The playfulness behind her eyes disappeared as a frown replaced her smile. “She’s quite... unique as far as I can tell.” 

“Why is that?” Olivia stared at the white cat napping in the sun outside the window. 

“Well... she has a transformation power,” Alecto tapped her chin while crossing her legs. “Except, unlike most, I see no real... limit to it. She can transform into anything she wants, whenever she wants. Even fictional things.” 

“Fictional?” Olivia pursed her lips. “That doesn’t sound like a real power. What’s the limiting factor then?” 

“Energy? As far as I can tell, that’s about it.” Alecto’s eyebrows furrowed as she tapped the desk beside her. “But energy will increase naturally as she grows. Not to mention the fact that she’ll train it to extraordinary levels here at the academy. Just think back to how much your energy increased, Olivia.” 

“Well, I’m... glad I won’t be fighting her then,” Olivia shook her head. “Or, well, any chance after this year. I think I can manage against her for now.” 

“Many are able to handle her right now,” Alecto agreed. “As far as I can tell, her transformation is what takes most of her energy right now. She has, through what must’ve been years of practice, optimized her energy usage while transformed—to the point that it’s negligible.” 

“... Well, I’m glad she has a kind heart, I’ve only heard good things about her from Ryker and Electra,” Olivia shrugged and yawned. With her eyes still on the cat outside, she couldn’t help but admire its... resourcefulness. How did it get on top of the hourglass? 

“I’m glad she has a kind heart too,” Alecto agreed as she hugged Olivia from behind once more, pressing her chest against her contractor’s arm. “Not as kind as your heart though I bet.” 

“You’re just biased since I’m your contractor. I have quite a few ambitions deep down within me,” Olivia ignored Alecto’s affection. 

“Heavens, you’re such a prude, why didn’t you contract the angel of the family? Actually, she’s worse than me,” Alecto groaned as Olivia remained unfazed. “What are you so busy looking at anyway?” 

“Just a cute cat,” Olivia pointed out the window, a faint smile appearing on her face. She raised her phone and took a few more pictures. “Also, it’s not like I got to choose, I’ve been contracted with you since birth.” 

“True, I guess I can’t blame fate. It just speaks to our great compatibility. You’re the first contractor I’ve ever made a contract with before they were born. The earliest contract I made before you was five-years-old,” Alecto shook her head. She rested her head against Olivia’s shoulder. “But, yes, that is a cute cat.” 

“I know right...” Olivia leaned her head against Alecto’s. “Why have you become so touchy anyway? When I was a child all you did was give me hugs and let me sleep on your lap.” 

“Well, of course I wouldn’t do any of this stuff while you were a child, who do you take me for? A heavenly agent? They’re the ones who are into minors, not me,” Alecto puffed her cheeks out, wrapping her arms around Olivia’s waist. 

“... A surprising amount of decency,” Olivia admitted, scratching the back of her head. “I didn’t expect that, thank you.” 

“Of course,” Alecto grinned, winking at Olivia before leaning in for a kiss. “But now that you’re an adult, I can do stuff like... thi-” 

“No?” Olivia stopped Alecto by pressing a hand against Alecto’s mouth. “We’re just contractor and contractee. Not... you know.” 

“Hmm~ I don’t know,” Alecto teased, only to receive a harsh pinch on the side from Olivia. “Okay, sorry, sorry, I apologize. I’ll be serious, don’t send me off!” 

“Good,” Olivia smiled. “You know, to change the topic, since you have the knowledge of hundreds of years at your disposal, do you know how that cat got there? On top of the hourglass statue? I’ve been thinking about it for a few minutes now, and can’t think of any way a cat could get up there.” 

“Huh? You’re really confused about that?” Alecto raised an eyebrow. “After the entire conversation we just had?” 

Silence filled the room.

“What... do... you mean?” Olivia massaged her face. “Don’t tell me... is it what I think it is?” 

“Probably,” Alecto clutched her stomach as laughter began escaping her lips. “It’s our dear little friend who joined Class Zero. I thought you knew!” 

“How would I know the Institute’s favorite white cat was now a student? She’s been here for the past four years! Or more! She’s been here the entire time that I’ve been here.” Olivia waved her hands out. “I... see though.” 

“Just keep it a secret then, it seems that she doesn’t want her... nap time, disturbed,” Alectro shrugged as she dragged Olivia away from the window. 

“Yeah, you’re right about that. That answers another one of my questions though. I’ll keep her secret, but I’d be careful about investigating her too much Alecto,” Olivia ran her hand through Alecto’s long black hair. “I bet she’s the Ravenstein mentioned by Slade.” 

“That’d... make sense. There’s been no news this entire year of someone being worthy of Class Zero status. But suddenly, someone appeared at the start of the year, someone with powers that should’ve been very well-known.” Alecto counted on her fingers. “The fact she’s been here for so long adds up...” 

“You’re just saying words to say them at this point,” Olivia groaned as Alecto droned on. “Do you like the sound of your voice that much?” 

“Mn... No I don’t,” Alecto teased. “I actually like your voice a lot more.” 

“... Anyway, I’m going to go get dinner, so I’ll talk to you later tonight.” 

One snap later, Olivia unsummoned Alecto and leaned back in her chair. She ignored the complaints running through her mind as she leaned back in her chair. Her head hurt. Not that it mattered, but she needed some water... 

“Oh... the other top students in Class One are getting dinner, I guess I'll join them...”