I'm Going to the Academy (2)
After I somehow managed to explain the situation, she nodded along and soon rose to her feet, brushing the dirt from her clothes with a few quick pats. “Oh dear…. I’m in your debt.”
A calm yet somehow warm, low-toned voice reached me. I had sensed it even while she was lying down, but now that she stood fully upright, she was a full head taller than me. The gentle curves visible beneath her white dress… she gave off the kind of comforting warmth that made you want to bury yourself in her arms.
“Hmm… I don’t recall seeing your face before. Are you a new student?”
“Ah, yes.”
“I’m Shin Yu-ra. I’m advancing to second year this semester. Thanks to you, I made it through. Thank you.”
Her bright smile seemed to radiate light all on its own. Ah, it’s dazzling….
“Ah… it was nothing. More importantly… why were you collapsed out here?”
Ether runaway is something every ability user experiences at least once, but that doesn’t make it something to brush off lightly. If left untreated, it can lead to real disaster.
Senior Shin Yu-ra gave an awkward little smile before answering.
“Um…. Do you see those vines beside us?”
What she pointed to was the thick ivy climbing the massive red-brick wall right next to where she had fallen. The kind of plant you see everywhere along sidewalks, yet these looked unusually robust and vibrantly green.
“Yes…. What about them…?”
“Well, I can grow plants, you see.”
She crouched down and touched a fingertip to a still-closed bud. In the next instant, something miraculous happened. The sprout swelled, matured in the blink of an eye, and burst into full bloom. Beautiful pink petals unfurled in every direction, sparkling as they caught the sunlight.
“…!”
“The wall looked a little bare…. I thought ivy would brighten it up, but I suppose I got carried away. Haha… ow.”
Watching her laugh as though it were nothing, I unconsciously seized both her arms.
“You can’t just use your ability again right after suffering an ether runaway!”
“Ah, no, I was only trying to show you…”
“And you triggered the runaway by pouring too much ether into growing ivy? What kind of— who on earth does something like that for such a reason…!”
“A-ah…. I-I’m really fine… I just…”
I shook her arms in a frenzy until I finally calmed down after extracting a firm promise that she would never do it again.
“I-I’m sorry…. I got carried away…”
“No, it’s me who should apologize…. I really was being too careless. I’ll be more cautious from now on. I mean it.”
Once the rush of emotion faded, embarrassment flooded in and heat rose to my face. I hadn’t meant to react so strongly to someone I’d only just met… but my body had moved before my mind could stop it.
The senior patted my shoulder soothingly, then gently changed the subject.
“Now that I think about it, what’s your name, junior? We haven’t even introduced ourselves properly.”
“I’m… Baek Seol. Baek is my family name, Seol is my given name.”
“Baek Seol…. What a lovely name. So easy to say.”
Baek Seol, Baek Seol. Yeah. I can just call her Seol, right?
She rolled my name on her tongue a few times, then looked at me with a fresh, sunny smile. The sudden closeness made me feel strangely shy, and I found myself lowering my head.
“Anyway, thank you again. Thanks to you, Seol, everything ended without any real trouble. It was your ability that helped me… wasn’t it?”
“Y-yes.”
“Healing-type ability users are quite rare…. Once the semester begins you’ll be incredibly popular and busy, won’t you? I feel honored to have met you first.”
She finished speaking, then covered her mouth and let out a soft, amused laugh. What is this mature aura…? It makes me want to act spoiled immediately.
“I-is that so? It’s not actually that powerful an ability…. What I did earlier is pretty much the limit of what I can heal in one go.”
“My goodness. While healing abilities are uncommon, those who can cure ether runaway are even rarer, you know? With a power like yours, plenty of people will want to recruit you.”
W-what is this… She keeps praising me and it’s getting embarrassing….
Hoping to change the subject, I asked about the garden that had caught my interest.
“Ah, this garden…. So you’re the one who takes care of it, senior?”
“Mhm, that’s right. The dorm supervisor asked me, and it’s also my hobby…. Do you know much about flowers?”
“Eh, not really…”
“Then shall I teach you a little?”
She stepped lightly over to me, slipped her arm through mine, and linked us together.
“!”
Standing so close without the slightest hesitation, she began guiding me along the wide path, explaining the garden as we walked. What is this closeness…? It’s not that I dislike it, but… are all outgoing people this casual?
“See, the pink flower I bloomed earlier is a hyacinth.”
Forsythia, plum blossoms, azaleas, magnolias…. I took in each flower as Senior Yu-ra gently explained them. I’m not particularly fond of flowers, but hearing her soft voice name them made every bloom appear even more beautiful. I’d heard the names before, yet seeing their actual forms brought them to life in a new way.
“This one is a daffodil. It’s my favorite. Doesn’t it look lovely?”
“Ah, yes, it really does.”
“Over there are violets. The purple is striking, isn’t it? Mixing the colors like this creates a beautiful flower garden.”
Now that she mentioned it, even an amateur like me could see how the various flowers coexisted in harmony, each displaying its own hue without clashing. You could feel the tremendous care that had gone into every corner.
And so, led by the senior’s hand, I spent a peaceful stretch of time learning the names of every flower in the garden. Clear skies, pleasant humidity, warm sunlight, and her pleasant voice—perhaps happiness really can be found in places this close.
How long had we been walking?
My body feels so pleasantly languid….
The garden was larger than I’d expected, so the tour took quite a while, yet I didn’t feel tired at all. On the contrary, it felt like the most comfortable, stable time I’d had in ages. Maybe nature truly does ease tension.
When we finally returned to the garden entrance, Senior Yu-ra smiled and held something out to me.
“Since we met like this, it must be fate. Will you accept this?”
I took it without thinking and opened my palm. Inside a small envelope were a few seeds.
“These are…”
“Geranium seeds. They’re one of the easiest plants for beginners to grow. The dormitory isn’t exactly the brightest or cheeriest place, is it? Put them near the window and raise them one by one; it should brighten the room a little.”
Aah… what is this angel who has descended to earth….
“I will raise them with my life, senior…”
“Y-you don’t have to go quite that far.”
The slightly flustered senior gently wrapped both her hands around the one of mine holding the seeds and continued.
“Living in the dormitory, we’ll probably see each other often. I spend most of my time in the garden, so if there’s ever anything you want to talk about, come find me anytime. A junior like you, Seol, is always welcome.”
“…”
A strange tightness bloomed in my chest. My aunt and the teacher I met yesterday had all treated me kindly and with care, yet somehow this felt like the first time in a very long while that I had received someone’s pure, gentle goodwill.
“Yes…. Thank you, senior.”
Hoping I looked presentable, I smiled back at her.
“Hum hum~”
After leaving the garden behind and finishing my tour of the remaining dormitory buildings, the sun had already begun to sink. With the gradually darkening scenery at my back, I headed onward.
The academy…. I had been so worried, yet I’d met a warm person like Senior Yu-ra. If things continued like this, I might actually be able to make friends after all. For some reason, I had a very good feeling.
In my brightened mood, a little humming tune slipped out on its own as I stepped into the dormitory building. Far ahead, someone was standing in front of the door to Room 103.
Room 103
“…?”
As I drew closer, I could hear a blonde girl in a hoodie and sweatpants—who stood out even from a distance—muttering to herself.
“What the heck, why is it locked?”
I paused and observed her from afar. Her makeup was on the heavier side, though not excessive. A piercing in one ear. Add in the deep blonde hair that looked freshly dyed, and—if I may say so—she gave off the impression of a classic delinquent leader.
Scary.
Still… why was she standing in front of my dorm room?
D-don’t tell me….
At that moment, sensing my presence, she whipped her head around. Our eyes met.
“Huk.”
For a brief second she stared at me, and a predator’s gleam flashed in her eyes as they locked onto prey.
“Hey, you.”
“Y-yes?”
Ah, I accidentally answered in formal speech again.
“This your room?”
Eek.