As September approached, Kassel College, a fortress hidden deep in the mountains, gradually awoke from its summer silence with the start of the new term drawing near.
Besides the students who had remained on campus throughout the summer break, more familiar and unfamiliar faces began appearing along the tree-lined paths and beneath the ancient arcades, dragging suitcases behind them. The campus visibly grew livelier, and even the air seemed to carry a trace of restless excitement.
That excitement was especially apparent on the college's internal forum. The boards, quiet for some time, became bustling once more, with all sorts of posts refreshing at lightning speed.
"Breaking news! Have you heard? The college recruited an 'S'-Class student this year!"
"Seriously? An 'S'-Class? Isn't that something that only exists in legends and the Principal's résumé? We haven't seen one in over a decade!"
"More inside information, please! What country are they from? Male or female? What's their Spirit Word?"
"News Department! Where's Boss Finn from the News Department? Get out here and do your job! Don't play dead at a time like this!"
"Begging for 'S'-Class photos! No pictures, no proof!"
Amid all the clamor, a user named "Dragon Slayer of Flame" quietly made a post: "Exclusive high-definition first-hand photos of the 'S'-Class. Message me if you're sincere. Time-wasters need not apply."
Behind the computer screen, Finn von Frings, the uncrowned king of Kassel College's News Department, sat with one leg crossed over the other, smugly counting the small payments that had just arrived.
He had grouped several candid shots of Lu Mingfei into a series called "A Documentary of the Daily Life of an S-Class Freshman," selling each set privately for twenty dollars. He had also solemnly required every buyer to sign a "gentleman's agreement"... forbidding them from sharing the photos