"Oh, I haven't introduced myself yet," Sophie stroked Moon's head affectionately and smiled at the Servie boy.
"I'm Sophie and this is my partner Moon. Say hi Moon."
Squeak! Squeak!
Moon flapped his wings to make a small waving motion and then closed his eyes to enjoy some more head pats.
"I… I… I'm Plume Roseheart," the boy managed to stammer out as he just noticed how attractive the hybrid girl in front of him was.
Sophie noticed that he seemed a bit nervous, so she told a few jokes while they walked to class and soon the atmosphere got noticeably lighter.
Plume did not own a singular combat pet as he was training to be a beast tide controller.
Instead he used a colony of Xephyres to hone his ability to command multiple species at once.
Xephyres were tiny fur balls with each no bigger than the size of a marble with the ability to merge together and combine to form different shapes.
Their fighting ability was quite low, so they were mainly used for training or scouting purposes rather than the main combatants in a beast tide controller's army.
Sophie kept getting distracted by the different animals inside the enclosures as they walked through the park.
Some animals were only the size of her fingertips while others were so large than their heads poked into the clouds.
Strange appendages and orifices appeared on their bodies with some animals having outer fur coats with colours that Sophie had never seen before.
Fur, gills, scales, wings and so many more….
Each enclosure had a small sign at the entrance with the species name of the animal inside as well as their combat pet rating.
Even in a first-tier institution like Zrudread University, there were only a handful of legendary pets.
As for pets in the godly tier…. Sophie could not spot a single one.
This was to be expected as the Earth Federation government restricted the sale of these class of combat pets to military purposes only.
Sophie and Plume soon arrived at a forested area with a small clearing in the middle where mats were placed on the ground for the students to sit down with their partners.
Most students were still getting to know one another so everyone was a bit quiet as they waited for the teacher to arrive.
It seemed that Plume had some friends in the regular class, so he gave Sophie a small wave and zipped off towards the back of the clearing.
Sophie was a bit disappointed that her new acquaintance wasn't going to sit with her, but she held in her emotions and awkwardly looked around for an open spot.
Suddenly Sophie saw something that just made her heart melt away.
A blonde-haired girl wearing a frilly pink princess outfit with red ribbons in her hair was sitting down.
She elegantly sipped on some liquid in a teacup while fanning herself casually with a small paper fan.
This girl oozed class and refinement which made it hard for any friendly students to interact or approach her, so she was sitting by herself.
She definitely stood out among the other students present but Sophie's attention was on the companion beast by her side.
This innocent looking rich girl had the most fierce and enormous hound that Sophie had ever seen.
It stood at a whooping twelve feet in height with dark black fur and three heads that spewed out flames when it exhaled.
Sophie was reminded of the old Greek legend from ancient Earth about the three headed dog Cerberus that guarded the underworld to prevent souls from escaping.
"Hi! What species is your dog?" Sophie walked over and sat on the mat next to the girl while she stared at the hulking beast.
"Dog?" the girl cocked her brow and smirked.
"Blackie is no ordinary mongrel nor common breed. Why he is simply the finest crossbred between a canis lupus and the DNA of a flame demon."
"He is a legendary combat pet and the price…. well money is not a concern for people like me."
"My noble family has the rank of duke!"
"Are you impressed yet?!"
The girl proudly tilted her head upwards and waited for Sophie to gasp in amazement.
Her parents had always told her to make a strong first impression, so it was time to flex her wealth!
Firstly, she needed to mention she was well off, then she would talk about her noble title to really make herself seem awesome.
If there was another person in Sophie's shoes, they would be leaping at the chance to make a connection with a member of an upper noble house but unfortunately for the girl….
She introduced herself to the wrong person.
The main problem was…. Sophie was also a rich second generation…...
….. and part of a noble duke house as well.
"Err…." Sophie hesitantly spoke.
The minutes ticked by as she struggled to find the right words to say.
An awkward silence had now developed so she figured it was probably for the best to just fake some applause.
Clap! Clap!
"Amazing!" Sophie smiled while trying not to laugh.
The girl puffed out her chest in pride and secretly congratulated herself on how well her attempt at making friends was going.
"Good I like you. You can be my number one follower for the rest of the year," she declared.
"What is your name?"
Sophie couldn't help but want to tease this spoiled and yet strangely naive girl, so she decided to give an official greeting.
She cleared her throat with a few coughs and begun her performance,
"My name is Sophie Peterlor of house Peterlor. I am the sole heir apparent of a dukedom and this is my partner Moon. Moon is a legendary combat pet from the species Frostwing bat."
"It is indeed my pleasure to meet your acquaintance."
Sophie bowed her head and gestured with the universal noble sign of respect. A closed first pressed tightly against the chest while her other hand displayed two finger pointing to the left.
(Luna's POV)
Why can't I make friends?
I grew up on a tier three planet in some backwater star system where my family were basically the rulers of a planet as we were the highest nobles.
Ever since I was little, people would approach me with the same greedy look in their eyes.
It wasn't so bad when I was younger but as I grew up… the pure friendship I once shared with my classmates was tainted.
I lost track of the sheet amount of confessions from both males and females given to me on a daily basis.
This was not due to my personality or charm but rather in hopes of seeking a connection with the force that stood behind me.
And what was a stronger connection other than marriage.
Naturally, my parents trained me well in how to spot such behaviour, but it still cut me deeply every time someone I thought was my friend would pull me aside and ask me for a favour.
Money, connections, or power.
It was the same three request over and over and over and over again.
I just wanted to scream.
Was I even a person? Or was I just a tool to fulfill their goal?
Eventually…. my heart closed.
I stopped interacting with my classmates other than just surface level appearances. I became a loner, but I still had new people approaching me on a regular basis.
Once the rejections started to increase, my reputation of being a spoilt princess was quietly circulated around the school.
It was a relief to pass the entrance exam for Zrudread University and finally get away from the hell that was my high school.
My parents were not pleased with my lack of social skills, so my mother demanded that I bring at least ten friends to the mansion over the winter break.
Simple enough…. just show off my wealth and status.
I had no doubt that I would soon attract a crowd of boot lickers and then I could just bring a random group of ten home during the winter break.
I carefully planned out my entire routine but so far no one had even come near me.
I blame Blackie for this.
That my darling poochie refuses to take a shower whenever I try to get him clean.
Oh, wait someone was coming over!
A hybrid girl?
I vaguely recall her asking something about Blackie, but I was too focused on perfecting my routine, so I wasn't paying much attention.
Okay here we go!
Brag about wealth…. Check.
Brag about pet…. Check again.
Final check…. Brag about being an upper noble…. Check.
I finished my performance and gazed into the hybrid girl's eyes while expecting to see the same face I had seen my entire life.
But something had change….
She was different.
Her eyes held no greed.
In fact, her attention was not on me at all. She seemed more concerned with staring at my combat pet rather than making connections with an upper noble.
Was she a simpleton?
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