A Name of Her Own
"Quinn, is this seriously all you've got? I'm not even going to ask about patterns at this point—can we at least change the color? Red. No, anything in the red family and I'll wear it!"
It took less than a heartbeat for the expectation to drain from Eli's sculpted face.
"No."
"What kind of answer is that? That fast? Are you sure there's really nothing?"
"If you hate it that much, just keep taking it off."
"Are you insane? Everyone else is dressed—why would I be the only one naked?"
"You were fine with it earlier."
"That was for swimming!"
"Doesn't matter to me either way."
Naked or not, it was all the same to him. As if to announce that this pointless conversation had run its course, Quinn turned away without another word.
"Ugh, this is infuriating!"
To Eli, clothes had never been merely a way to cover himself like everyone else. Fashion was his life's work, his pride, his one true pleasure. If the model student, the top of his class, obsessed over anything besides his studies, it was dressing himself up—outfits, hairstyles, accessories, the whole art of it.
"I'm sorry, Eli. I'll apologize on her behalf."
Bayul, who had been waiting for exactly the right moment, hurried to speak before things could get any worse.
"Why you? What did you do wrong?"
"...I feel like it's practically the same as if I'd done it myself."
"I have eyes, you know."
"Huh?"
"I saw the whole thing. That little brat splashing water everywhere and laughing her head off. She was having the time of her life."
"She's still young, so......"
"You're already taking her side? Ugh, forget it. Never mind. I'll just wear this until my uniform dries, that's all."
He had resigned himself, but the resentment hadn't faded one bit. Glaring at the spirit as if she were his sworn mortal enemy, Eli began pulling on the patternless garment—a strip of fabric that could only be described as a bandage.
"What do I do? I think she's really made him mad."
As the spirit, absorbed in her game of popping water droplets with Ingrid, stole a nervous glance at Eli, Aidan waved his hand with an easy laugh.
"It's fine, it's fine. He's just a little sensitive about his clothes. He's a good guy at heart, so he'll get over it soon enough."
"And you're not sensitive?"
"Me? I'm good. Clothes just have to fit, that's all."
Hehehe, Aidan chuckled, rolling up his sleeves. But his own ankles were in much the same predicament. With such a difference in height between him and the clothes' owner, nothing fit him either.
"Are all humans like you?"
"Nope, all different. Just look at him—he's prickly as hell."
"Hm?"
The spirit tilted her head. The way she narrowed her eyes with that tiny little face was almost unbearably cute.
"Even though you're all human?"
"Did you get so angry you forgot he was human?"
It wasn't even funny, but Aidan snickered to himself anyway.
"No, that's not it......"
"There are some who don't seem all that human, though. Like Jared. But Eli's a good guy, so don't get the wrong idea!"
"Are you really, truly human?"
Even with Aidan saying yes, the spirit couldn't quite let the question go. That was when Eli raised his voice and shouted.
"Wh-what part of me looks like that, you insolent little—! Hey, brat, are you picking a fight with me? Is that what this is?"
The way he stuttered, cheeks flushing red, made it clear he was furious all over again.
Should I apologize again?
The moment Bayul found himself mired in deliberation, Aidan—bless his heart—stepped in to save the day.
"Okay, okay, let's all calm down. How about we just introduce ourselves? I'm Aidan. This here is Quinn, and that one's Eli. The most important one of all is Bayul. Ah, you probably already know him, though? And our Ingrid said hello too, right?"
Apparently worn out from all the playing, Ingrid had already settled onto the crown of Aidan's head and was nodding off. Any other time, he would have covered her with his hat, but everything was still soaked through, so he couldn't.
"Now it's your turn. What's your name? What should we call you?"
Bayul was curious too. Truth be told, he'd been quietly agonizing over what to call the spirit for a while now.
"I don't have a name."
"Huh? You don't have a name?"
"Nope, don't have one."
So what? What's the big deal? Far from flustered, the spirit actually stared at Aidan as if he were the strange one.
"So a name is something you can just...... not have?"
"Are all of you like that?"
"Then what do we even call you? Just 'hey, spirit'? That'd be way too weird."
As Aidan scratched his head in dismay, Quinn tossed a casual remark at Bayul.
"Then give her one."
"...Me?"
"You're the spirit user, aren't you?"
"Still......"
"Who knows? Maybe this is a spirit user's first trial."
First trial?
With no other spirit users around to ask, there was no way to know. Quinn's guess might be right or wrong, but what mattered was that the spirit needed a name, if only for the sake of their relationship.
"...Would it really be all right, if it came from me?"
He had only ever named one creature in his life. Jasper, the guard dog who waited for him so faithfully back at the estate. It had been Bayul who named him, back when Bayil was still alive.
"I'd love that!"
The spirit fluttered up to him, brimming with delight. Only moments ago she'd seemed completely indifferent to the whole notion of names, and now her attitude had turned on a dime.
A name of my own!
My very own special name!
She'd never had one before, and the excitement showed all over her.
"I'm the first ever! Yay!"
Seeing her so expectant somehow made the weight on his shoulders even heavier. What if she was disappointed? If he was going to do this, he wanted to give her a name that suited her—one she'd surely fall in love with.
"Hoo."
Bayul calmly recalled his first encounter with the spirit.
The vivid, biting cold. The bright, refreshing energy. Sweet-natured one moment, mischievous and teasing the next, even suspicious on occasion. She laughed freely and openly, and when she made that innocent little face, she was so adorable he could just about eat her up.
"...Ah!"
"What? What is it? Did you think of one?"
He nodded.
A single word had seized him out of nowhere. Other images had come to mind, but nothing fit her half as well.
"Innocent."
"...Innocent?"
"It means pure and childlike. What do you think?"
It reminded him of naming Jasper. Bayil had agreed on the spot—'Oh, that's pretty good!'
"Innocent—!"
Suddenly the spirit shot into the air, crying her new name at the top of her lungs. Did she like it?
"Looks like our opinions aren't needed."
"She loves it, doesn't she? What more could you want?"
"From now on, I'm Innocent! Innocent!"
And she truly was. Cackling with laughter as she wheeled and swooped through the room, she looked—if a little exaggeration be forgiven—like someone who owned the entire world.
That unguarded, honest innocence.
It suited the name Innocent to perfection.
What kind of days lie ahead?
Thinking of the future he would face alongside his spirit—no, alongside Innocent—Bayul felt, somehow, a small flicker of anticipation.
Chapter 3 — The Sterbenrauch Library
"Bayul! Bayul!"
Eli's whisper pulled Bayul out of his reverie. Somewhere along the way, Innocent had taken the empty seat in front of him, sitting there primly as if she'd enrolled as a student herself.
"What is it, Eli?"
Class was in session. Bayul lowered his voice and turned to his side.
"......?"
But what on earth was going on? Eli wasn't saying anything—he just kept blinking at him. Before the strangeness of it could register, Bayul found himself thinking, as always, how beautiful the boy's eyes were, like rubies set into stone. That was when Professor Rothius's voice echoed past his ear.
"Bayul, your friend is trying so hard—perhaps you could face forward now?"
Only then did Bayul grasp the situation. Professor Rothius, and indeed every eye in the lecture hall, was fixed squarely on him. As his flustered face turned scarlet, he heard someone snickering.
"I'm curious what could have you so deep in thought. Could it be that you've finally thought of something to say about your father? If so, I'd be more than happy to hear you out."
"N-no, sir. That's not......"
"Really? What a shame."
"...I apologize."
"Oh, I understand. One's mind wanders now and then during class. I'm a very forgiving teacher, you know."
A chorus of boos—boooo—rained down, but Professor Rothius paid them no mind and carried on.
"I trust everyone enjoyed today's lesson? Exams are coming up, so review properly and make sure you do well. And I let you out ten minutes early, so no complaining that I stole your study time. Understood?"
"Yes, Professor! Thank you!"
Color bloomed instantly across the bored faces of the students. Chuckling to himself, Professor Rothius strode out of the lecture hall, pausing at the threshold to point a finger at Bayul.
"Don't be late."
Bayul could only blink dumbly at the cryptic remark, and Eli clicked his tongue lightly.
"What were you even doing that you missed the professor talking? Get going already. He said to come to his office after class."
"...Me?"
"Yeah. You know where, right?"
Of course he knew. The very first place he'd set foot in after entering the Academy had been Professor Rothius's office.
"Why? What does he want with me?"
"This is just my guess, but......"
Aidan, seated in the row ahead, turned around and lowered his voice.
"It's probably because of 'that thing' last week."
"That thing?"
"You know, at the temple."
The temple—the day Bayul had first seen Innocent and fainted dead away. Back then, he'd still believed he'd witnessed some kind of hallucination.
"But he already came and asked me himself if I was all right, that very day......"
When Professor Rothius, in his capacity as the dormitory supervisor, had heard the news and come to check on him, Bayul's condition had fortunately improved considerably. He'd already realized the spirit existed by then, so his mind had been in a bit of a tangle, but physically he'd been perfectly fine.
"It's probably not about you."
"Then what?"
"The High Priest collapsed, remember?"
Aidan dropped his voice even lower, wary of other students overhearing.
"The High Priest saw the spirits going wild too. He'd have reported it to the temple, obviously."
"But he wouldn't have known they were spirits, would he?"
"Doesn't matter. He witnessed something strange, so of course he passed it up the chain. And you're not just any student, Bayul—you're the son of Duke Randert himself. You really think he'd have just sat on it?"
"...I suppose you're right."
As Eli chimed in, Bayul's unease deepened. It was a problem he'd never even considered. Back then, wrapping his head around the spirit's existence had taken every ounce of his attention—there'd been no room to spare for anything else.
"What do I do?"
If the professor asked about what happened that day, he had no answer to give. He couldn't very well say, 'I saw spirits. I believe I've become a spirit user.' And even if he did say it, there was no guarantee the professor would believe him.
"When you're in a tight spot, the best move is to play dumb."
"Play dumb?"
"Yep. Just stick to 'I don't know' all the way through. You were unconscious, after all."
"That's right. If the professor presses you, just insist you don't remember. Besides, the High Priest never actually saw you wake up that day, so it's doable."
It sounded like a solid plan. In truth, if it hadn't been for Quinn and Eli, Bayul would still have believed himself tormented by illness. It was thanks to them that he'd learned spirits existed, and that he'd been able to meet Innocent.
But how do the two of them know so much about spirits, anyway? Quinn being of the merfolk, he could perhaps understand—but Eli was a surprise. Did the gypsy clans perhaps carry some oral tradition about spirits? Could his father know about spirits too?
"Bayul, what are you daydreaming about this time! Aren't you going?"
"Huh? Oh—right, I have to."
Second period was history as well. If he didn't go now, he might find himself recounting that day in front of the whole class. Bayul rose quickly and hurried off toward Professor Rothius's office.