Celebration
“What’s this? A drone?”
Ma Ji-hye poked the machine lightly, and a whooshing wind sound burst from the speaker. The drone wobbled suddenly, then performed a perfect 360-degree spin right in front of her.
“Kyaaak! Wha... what is it?”
She really can’t be helped.
“My friend. She’s handling my filming for the day.”
“Ah... hello...!”
“Yeees.”
It only took fifteen minutes to walk to school, leaving plenty of time for chit-chat. We passed the bus stop where Seo Yu-na usually got off.
“Not waiting for Yuna?”
“Her legs hurt, so she’s riding to school with her brother today.”
“Makes sense. She practiced the most and worked the hardest.”
Seri mentioned that Seo Maru had just gotten his license recently. In an era where 95% of vehicles were autonomous, it was oddly surprising how much harder it was to get a license than in my first life.
On the way to school, I gave Ji-hye the feedback from yesterday’s tournament that we hadn’t finished.
“N-no more...!”
“And you need to start learning coordinate transformation soon, Ji-hye. You can’t rely on magic tools forever, right?”
“Yeah...”
“Study matrix multiplication at home tonight. Then I’ll teach you.”
“Ma... matrices?”
“It’s not a hard concept.”
“Hwaaaang! Nooo!”
Time flew by in moments like this, but with friends like these, I wondered when their heads would finally grow up. The middle schoolers already looked like fresh-faced kids, and these elementary ones still had four years until graduation. Sparring matches felt like a decade away.
“Huh? What’s this? How did everything change so much in just a week?”
Walking along the main road, a massive sense of dissonance hit me, and I looked around. Christmas was nowhere near, yet the street trees were decked out with decorations and lights. A couple of helium balloons floated high in the sky.
“It wasn’t like this even last Friday?”
Even Han Se-ri, the only one of us still at the academy, tilted her head.
Banners stretched endlessly between the trees.
“Whoa! They must’ve decorated like this because we won the academy tournament! It’s so pretty!”
“Did they do this last year too?”
“Hmm... I don’t remember well, but we lost last year, so probably nothing.”
An 8-year victory after so long—Gu On-yu must’ve splurged big time.
Classic Gu On-yu. Even specifying the elementary score amid it all. Her rivalry with the middle and high school principals was obvious—she was hogging the spotlight, and it made me chuckle.
But the real surprise came right after.
“Huh? There’s a ton of people.”
“Aren’t those all our academy seniors? What are they doing over there?”
“Adella, fly up high and take a photo, send it to my phone.”
The drone’s electric motors whirred alongside the magic circle, shooting it high into the sky. The photo Adella sent made my eyes widen.
From here to the academy gate, the path was packed solid with people.
500? 700? That’s basically the whole school.
Yet they stood orderly on both sides, waiting for someone.
My eyes met those of the high school third-years at the far end.
“...!”
Spotting me approaching, the murmurs grew louder.
“Nami’s over there!”
“...?”
Between the cherry blossom trees that Se-ri pointed out hung the largest banner yet.
“No way, what’s with all this...”
“Nami! They’re clapping for you.”
Clap clap clap clap clap—hundreds of students applauding in unison.
Caught off guard, my body froze for a moment. All their gazes were fixed on me. My heart pounded like a drum.
I wasn’t used to so many eyes on me. Looking down, my shadow stretched long in the morning sun.
“You’ll have to go the rest alone from here.”
“Seri and I will head in later...!”
“Go on!”
My friends pushed my back. Lifting my head again, I took in the warm gazes.
The moment I stepped into the path they’d made, cheers louder than my racing heartbeat filled the crisp autumn air.
“Waaaaah!”
“NoName! NoName! NoName!”
“Nami, let’s live at the academy together forever!”
“You’re the best! Thanks, NoName! You know your big sis loves you, right?!”
From the high school third-years down to second-years, first-years. Even the mature students shouted my name at the top of their lungs. Who organized all this? My face burned.
Then the middle schoolers.
“Wooooh! Na~me, Nami Nami Na~me! Na~me, Nami Nami Na~me!”
They’d even made up a song with my name. Some tournament participants were mixed in too.
“What... weren’t you seniors supposed to be in the hospital?”
It was too noisy to hear replies, but their bright smiles gave me the gist.
“Congrats, Nami!”
“Our elementary division is the strongest! NoName fighting!”
“Demon King Nami appears! Make way!”
“Demon King beeeeam! Hweeeek!”
Even the elementary kids shrieked in their high-pitched, pre-pubescent voices. As embarrassment melted into joy, I finally reached the entrance.
The academy teachers formed the finish line. Gu On-yu and Jacqueline Carol raised their hands high in welcome.
“What’s all this? Did you arrange it, Principal?”
“This is how we celebrate tournament wins.”
“Oh, really?”
“Starting this year. I’m the principal—doesn’t matter.”
Gu On-yu grabbed her wand from against the wall and drew a magic circle on the ground. Jackie Teacher added a small one to assist the cast.
“Congratulations again on the academy tournament victory, NoName.”
A massive barrier engulfed hundreds, and the sun faded, blurring shadow edges. Pitch black.
Toward the invisible night sky, six fireworks rocketed upward against gravity, trailing fire.
Piiiuuung—!
The little spaceships hit the barrier ceiling and exploded.
“...!”
In that instant, a festival of light, fire, and stars erupted. Lights gathered into embers, embers into stars, stars radiating light.
Bang—! Boom—!
From the stars’ explosions, countless tiny stars announced their birth.
Six constellations spelling my name across the night sky.
“Waaah...”
Like gold dust on a black canvas. The starlight then drifted down like snow.
I rubbed my eyes at the breathtaking sight, staring skyward. People’s silhouettes reemerged, starting with Jackie Teacher. The dark sky regained its blue, the magic circle dissolving into nature.
“Welcome to Sepiron Academy, NoName.”
That fleeting illusion would be etched in everyone’s hearts forever. Maybe that’s why humans learn magic.
“Thank you... for making a place for me.”
* * *
At the first-floor lobby stairs. Gu On-yu headed to her office, I to Class 2-A, ending our brief walk together. I’d gotten conditional permission for Adella’s academy filming too—everything was going smoothly.
As we parted with a grin, I suddenly asked the principal,
“By the way, Principal. Did the Sepiron Foundation approve the budget? Just curious.”
“I used my own money. What’s it to them?”
“Ah, got it.”
Right—she was loaded. But her wand had been inside the barrier, hadn’t it...?
“You’re sure you cast that spell outside academy grounds?”
“Huh? Uh... um?”
“Just double-checking.”
“W-wait...? Did I cast it from inside?”
She yanked out her phone, frantically checking something. Her face paled.
“I’m screwed...”
Without a goodbye, she U-turned and bolted toward the foundation HQ. Kim Yong-sil, the budget manager, was probably in for a shock.
“Adella, our class is this way. Let’s go.”
Our grand Sepiron Academy, earning that from Adella. I couldn’t hide my regret.