Is This Worth The Rite? [Lewd Femboy Progression Fantasy]

1 - Luck?

Riley had checked his phone repeatedly for the last thirty minutes. There was no doubt about it, the bus was late, and he was at the edge of the city, waiting and hoping it would just get there already. It was cold, as it was still on the cusp of spring, not to mention Carrowick was a mountainous city and practically elevated a little higher than most civilized cities in the world. (The ones that were left, at least.)

It had been three months since he lost his [Courier] class and manifested as a max-level [magical novice]. Even though he had kept most of his courier skills, his employers no longer saw him as a nascent youth and had laid him off. Accepting a job at a rival company had been easy, but the pay was horrible for what he got.

Mira, his sister, had practically forced applications for magical academies onto him. Yes, yes, he was a late bloomer in magical society. Could you blame him for it? Most people manifested in their late teens at the latest, and then there was him. Sure, he could do some magic now, levitate his phone if he concentrated hard enough, but if he was going to be involved in the broader workforce, protecting city states from monsters or contributing to humanity's recovering magical era, he'd rather have been chosen as some kind of warrior at a young age.

But alas. He was still bitter about being jobless, having no money, and being legally compelled to manage his magical outbursts outside of public spaces. He didn't want to think about the exact incident that got him fired.

He swiped at his phone, swearing, stomping his foot on the ground, then threw himself back against the bench. This magical academy, Ardent-Bloom, yeah, maybe, just maybe, it might actually be a nice place. Cute girls to meet. He wasn't exactly a social genius, but if it was anything like his high school years, he might actually do better than the loser he had been. Hot girls, a dorm to sleep in, and crazy activities that came with being a student. A covered food allowance and the lump sum of money he got from his sister, he would be okay...for a while. He thought. Girls, huh? He stroked his hair for a moment. Would they even like him?

It didn't matter. What mattered was getting on the damn bus whenever it decided to show. He looked up, then at his phone again. It was still chilly this time of year, and the forest to the north was probably teeming with little monsters. Scary to think that one day he'd probably be out there walking beyond the walls. For now, he needed to alleviate his boredom.

Scroll, swipe, tap and hold. Over and over again. The problem was that inevitably he'd stumble onto something erotic and his brain would be fried for the rest of the day. Honestly, he could do without a phone.

Riley slapped both his cheeks at the same time, turned his head and blinked. A figure in a dark hoodie was walking toward him, male or female, hard to tell from here, but they were definitely heading to sit next to him at the same bench. He didn't suffer much from social anxiety, but the fear of being displaced and moved around was nerve-wracking. He tapped his frail chest, cleared his throat, and looked up.

The other person was already next to him, smiling. "Hey there! Waiting for the bus?" A woman, he thought, but the voice was deeper than he expected. This "person", because he couldn't determine whether or not they were male or female, sat next to him. The next few moments would make that very, very apparent.

"Um, yes, I'm assuming there's some kind of holdup, though I've been sitting here for a while."

"Oh, don't worry about it. That particular academy has a habit of turning up late, which is why I took my sweet time getting here." The voice was clearly male, but on the very soft side. Hard to distinguish from a well-spoken woman with a voice quirk.

Though there was something to be said about that. Something was off about his demeanor and appearance. Painted nails, slightly smaller than Riley, lipstick, strangely braided hair, hanging earrings, and the absence of a typical shirt underneath the hoodie. Oh, Riley thought. Just another student, a bit more liberal and queer than he was.