As they shook hands, Amanda noticed that Ryuu's hand was surprisingly very warm. Considering that the outdoor temperatures were in the 60s, she wondered why Ryuu felt unusually hot.

Same could be said of my cheeks, she thought to herself, imagining how beet red they must be.

After extending the invitation to Levent and introducing herself to Ryuu (hiding the fact that she had known his name all along), Amanda listened with a smile as Levent and Ryuu engaged in a friendly banter about what to do about their photoshoot. She was surprised when Ryuu accepted the lunch invitation on Levent's behalf.

Ahhhhhh!!!!! she screamed internally.

But outwardly, she replied, "Sure, that sounds great!"

Amanda picked up her bag from the bench where she had been sitting and started leading the two guys in the direction of Aedes Hall, where she lived. She chatted with them about what ingredients she had in her fridge that they could use for making the sandwiches, apologized in advance if the room was a mess, then asked "So, what's this photoshoot for?"

While they walked and talked, she observed that both guys were much taller than she -- well, most people were -- and tried to sense whether they were human or magical beings.

While she had ogled Ryuu on several occasions from afar, it was usually in the context of the gym or soccer team practices. He was an upperclassman, and they had never had any classes together -- magic or otherwise -- so she wasn't sure. His surprisingly warm hand had caught her off-guard and made her secretly wonder -- and hope -- that he was magical.

Levent, on the other hand, was closer to her age. While they weren't super close, Amanda still considered him a friend, although they had mostly interacted in the context of school events, volunteering, and mutual friend groups. Amanda wasn't sure about Levent either -- he had these peridot orbs that she saw him meditating with often -- and she secretly hoped that Levent was magical too.

Although she had no dearth of friends, being a social butterfly and all, Amanda felt that she could be closer friends with someone who shared a magical background and with whom she could share all of her magical powers without hiding them.