Y.G. International Academy
All classes for the day have ended, and with that, most of the students have went back to their homes or dormitories, keeping in mind what they have learned from classes today. Above the entrance of the main building, the holographic screen depicts Flying Maiden - the academy's mascot - waving goodbye while saying "See you again!"
All the current members of the International Sealing Club (save Adam, who is still busy with his urgent family business and thus couldn't make it) gathered under the apple tree in front of the main building.
"Well, just because the supernatural exists in the world doesn't mean every unusual phenomenon has a supernatural explanation." Renko said in response to what she heard from Bella about Constanze.
"But she called me 'Bella'," Bella pointed out. "which is such a rarely used shortening of 'Maribel' that it is highly unlikely anyone would think of it in their first meetings with me." She then pointed a finger at Renko. "Tell me, Renko: when we first met at Gatwick Airport, is 'Bella' the first thing you thought of when thinking of a way to shorten my first name?"
Renko shook her head. "No. But that doesn't mean Constanze is a mind-reader." She then glanced over to Jing-Jun. "Although I wouldn't deny the possibility of her being a Precog..."
"However," Jing-Jun countered, as he used his mobile phone to surf the internet for answers. "research has shown that Precognition is the rarest type of ESP power, and only one out of a million Espers have it." He then pocketed his phone. "Some have even said that the likelihood of someone meeting two Precog Espers in the same lifetime is less likely than getting struck by lightning thrice in a row."
Bella rolled her eyes. You're more likely to get struck by lightning three times in a row than meeting two Precog Espers in your lifetime? She wondered about the numbers. Math is not her strong suit (or most people, for that matters), but she can tell that Jing-Jun is basically saying that it is astronomically unlikely.
"But it isn't completely impossible, is it?" The American girl countered back "Most people, even scientists, have the mentality that 'highly unlikely' equals 'completely impossible', but how many events that scientists say are 'highly unlikely' ended up happening anyway?"
"I get your point." Jing-Jun said flatly. "But didn't this conversation began being about whether a fellow classmate is a Telepath Esper or not?"
Hearing that caused Bella to almost slap herself for getting carried away.
"Well, it's getting late already..." Bella decided to end the conversation. "Maybe we can continue the discussion in our group chat, or in person tomorrow."
Renko and Jing-Jun knew precisely why Bella said that, but paid no mind to it as the American girl is right.
...
The Flat
Later that night...
Bella laid on her bed in her bedroom, unable to go to sleep as she is thinking about Constanze (and wondering just how many times does she have to be kept awake by something in her mind).
She decided to pass the time by reaching for her mobile phone and entering the International Sealing Club's Sina Weibo group page.
The group's page has three new posts on the timeline. The first is Adam apologizing about being kept busy by family matters (he just got it wrapped up minutes ago). The second is Jing-Jun talking about how Pre-crime Arrests as depicted by the book Minority Report (and the film adaptation and its remake) would never work in real life. The third is... just Erich putting up an archived link to the infamous "Storm Area 51" meme post from the now-defunct Twitter as another one of his attempts at mocking the International Sealing Club.
Unsurprisingly, Renko and Jing-Jun were not amused by Erich's meme post, and Adam responded by blocking him from the group entirely. The very last comment on the meme post is Vivit giving a sincere apology in her "brother's" behalf.
Other than that, nothing interesting.
Bella contemplated if she should bore herself to sleep by reading bad Hunger Games fanfiction like she has always done whenever something kept her awake. But just as she is about to go through with the option, her phone displayed a notification that she just received an SMS.
The SMS came from a number she does not recognize.
Who could it have come from? Bella wondered as she opened the SMS and read it.
The message shocked her.
"Cafe Retrospective Fifty-Three.
Be there at 1230 Hours tomorrow.
-Constanze"
Bella went so wide-eyed with shock that her eyeballs nearly popped out of their sockets. The most important question she is asking herself right now is: where on Earth did Constanze get her phone number? She most certainly didn't tell the German girl, none of the other Sealing Clubbers know her beyond the conversation Bella had with them earlier. So how? And why?
Whatever the case may be, this has just confirmed Bella's suspicion that Constanze has some very peculiar thing going on with her...
...
Cafe Retrospective Fifty-Three
On the next day, immediately after Social Etiquette and Morals class, Bella was reminded by Constanze about the SMS from last night. When Bella tried to play dumb about it, Constanze is not amused by the move - proving that she did send that SMS - and practically dragged her off in response.
And that's how the American girl found herself sitting directly across her German classmate in the cafe named Retrospective Fifty-Three, in a position that mirrored her not-date with Ke Jing-Jun last week. In the same cafe, even. And now that Bella thought about it, she realized that she is currently sharing with Constanze the exact same table she shared with Jing-Jun last time. And like Jing-Jun at that time, she had only known Constanze for just one day in this... what to call it? A coffee table chat?
"I believe zis is where you Americans would say 'cut to ze chase'?" Constanze began, showing no expression whatsoever on her stoic face.
"What do you want to tell me, anyway?" Bella asked.
Constanze cleared her throat before speaking, "You saw something peculiar about me yesterday, like you did when you first met your Japanese friend at Gatwick. Correct?"
"'Saw something peculiar'? What are you talking ab-" Bella tried to play dumb again.
"Don't play stupid with me, Maribel Lutwidge Hearn." Constanze suddenly said in an interrogative way.
That almost caused Bella to drop her jaws, but not due to how intimidating the German girl sounded. "H-how did you know my full name?!"
"I know more than just your full name, fraulein..." Constanze said, still with the interrogative tone. "You are born on ze 27th of June, year 2041, in ze US state of Minnesota. You came to Y.G. International Academy to study psychology, because you want to know why most humans are bigoted by nature, after having firsthand experience of ze aftermath of ze Sinophobia Accords."
Bella can't help but leave her mouth hanging open. This German girl sure did her homework. That, or she is a Mind-Reading Esper like Bella initially thought.
"Did zat get your attention..." Constanze continued. "Or should I tell you about how you tried to jump into a television screen when you were six years old?"
Bella stood up and put a hand over Constanze's mouth. "Alright, alright, you have my attention!" She told the German girl. She did do some really stupid things when she was around six to eight, and she wants to keep them buried, or else the other Sealing Clubbers (and Erich) will never let her live them down. "Just...what do you want?" She asked.
Constanze pulled out her mobile phone, and tapped on it for a bit before showing what is displayed on its screen to Bella.
Bella took a look at the screen of the phone, then glanced back at Constanze. "Let me get this straight..." She asked in disbelief. "You... want to join the International Sealing Club?"
"Is zis as unbelievable as that time when you are seven, where you jumped off ze second floor balcony of your grandmother's house while straddling a broom," Constanze said, then can't help but break her stoic facade and chortle at the mental image conjured by her statement. "and shouting 'Tia Freyle' in the process, in an attempt to copy your favorite anime?"
Bella's face became as pale as white marble. What Constanze just told her really did happen, and her parents really did never let her live it down. Good thing that they never shared it on social media. If it was funny enough to make the stoic Constanze break character and laugh about it, then who knows what would happen if she were to post it on social media...
"Oh, is that true, Miss Bella Hearn?"
That voice made Bella pale even more. Of all the people to have eavesdropped on her, it had to be that guy...
"By the way, it just got posted on Weibo, so..." Erich faux-apologized. "I don't bloody know... sorry about that?"
By that point, Bella has only three words she want to let out of her mouth.
"WHAT THE FU-"
Character profile
Constanze Vormirberger - The Non-Social Mind-Reader
Birthday: 12th of October, 2042
Hometown: Frankfurt, Germany.
Skills and abilities: Mind-reading (always active, cannot be deactivated).
Likes: Reading about technological breakthroughs.
Dislikes: Being forced to read people's minds 24/7.
Born with the ESP Power of mind-reading that she couldn't turn off at all, Constanze considers her gift to be a curse that will stick with her for her whole life. Because of said curse, she was constantly ostracized by her peers no matter where she go. As such, she has decided to keep quiet about her ability, and not socialize with anyone so as to not get ostracized ever again.
She came to Y.G. International Academy in order to study Psychology, and hopes to use her knowledge to find out why people has the tendency to ostracize others just for being different. Like how she has done it for about a decade, she decided to keep her mind-reading ability a secret, and not socialize with anyone. It worked so well for her until she peered into the mind of this American classmate of hers...
As it can be boring to not socialize with anyone, she has decided to take up reading about technological breakthroughs from all walks of history as a hobby to keep herself occupied.
Yes, I admit that I wrote this chapter's ending this way just to have an excuse to make a reference to Spider-Man: Homecoming. "WHAT THE FU-" indeed...
And so we're given a proper introduction of Constanze. Admittedly, I copied her first name, birthday, and liking technological stuff from Little Witch Academia's Constanze Albretchberger, like how Ako of the Little Witches Mob is based off of Kagari Atsuko from the same anime.
Speaking of LWA, I have started writing a fan remake of it called Luna Nova: School For Witches a while ago, which is also posted on both Fanfiction Dot Net and AO3. Give it a read if you're interested!
"And that, as they say, is that."
Afterwords end here...
