Training Begins Again
The results were posted early the next morning. Just as Schubik had predicted, Aidan, Logan, and Lanasa claimed the top three spots in the Knight Department in a row, Eli took first place in the Magic Department—scoring a perfect mark in his major, no less—and Bayul and Quinn managed to land safely in the upper ranks.
"Is that seriously my name?"
He'd been hoping to place somewhere in the middle at best, so the outcome had come as a complete surprise. As Bayul murmured in disbelief, Eli draped an arm around his shoulder in congratulations.
"You could scrub your eyes raw and it'd still be your name, so quit staring at it. This is the fruit of all your hard work. Well done, Bayul."
"Thank you, Eli. It's all thanks to you."
Truthfully, he'd been terrified that another dismal score would set tongues wagging again and drag his father's name through the mud. He'd need to do even better going forward, but for now, a weight had lifted from his chest.
"Well, you did work hard, I'll grant you that. Though my magic notes played a rather significant role, wouldn't you say?"
"They absolutely did! Which reminds me—I'm buying this weekend. Anything in particular you want to eat?"
"Oh, really? Aidan, did you hear that? Bayul's treating! You're coming, right?"
"Nah, I'll probably be too busy."
A bundle of books was stacked against Aidan's chest, presumably en route to the library. When he flicked his eyes up to check the rankings, there wasn't the slightest change on his face.
"It's not every day a friend offers to spend money on you. Surely you can make the time?"
Eli helped him set the books down on the floor and pressed again.
"Can't. I'm busy that day. I promised Clara I'd play with her."
"What? You'd ditch your friend for a five-year-old? Play with your sister on Sunday. We'll hang out on Saturday."
"I'm working Sunday."
"Working? Working on what?"
"Something like that exists. Call it extreme labor."
"Here, return this."
Just then, Quinn held out a book. The creases in Aidan's already furrowed brow deepened further.
"Return it yourself at the library! What am I, your errand boy?"
"What are all those books for, anyway?"
"These are ones the professors are reading."
"So professors get to, but students don't?"
"If it bothers you so much, go become a professor yourself."
Though Aidan's surly retort might have soured anyone else's mood, Quinn was a man of principle in many respects. He simply muttered a quiet "I see" and carried the books off himself.
"Heh heh. I'm a professor of the future, so I imagine I could manage it?"
Unlike with Quinn, Aidan's warnings had zero effect on Eli. He strode over with complete confidence and opened his locker.
"Now, where did I put those books I need to return—!"
But the moment the locker door swung open, the books were the least of it—a cascade of something came pouring out on top of him.
"E-Eli!"
The startled friends all rushed over at once.
"You okay? You're not hurt?"
"I'm fine, as you can see."
"But what is all this stuff?"
"Looks like paper?"
"...Letters?"
"Things had been so quiet lately. So this is starting up again."
Eli's expression, as he shook his head back and forth, was a curious thing—nothing like dislike, exactly, more a mild air of inconvenience.
"Anyone have a spare bag or something?"
"Why do you suddenly need a bag?"
"What do you think? I need somewhere to put all this."
"That's what I'm asking—what is all this?"
"Fan letters."
At Eli's short, crisp explanation, Aidan blinked for a moment—then his eyes went wide and he let out a shout.
"Whoa! These are all love letters?"
"Love letters are what couples exchange. These are fan letters from people who admire me."
"Same thing, same thing."
As if he'd never laid eyes on a love letter in his entire life, Aidan kept going "Whoa, whoa!" while riffling through the piles.
"Huh? This one looks like a man's name?"
A name on one of the envelopes caught his eye. Unusually, it was written not in the Empire's common tongue, but in the script of the Ga Kingdom.
"Lok...ha! Bayul, is that how you read it?"
"Yeah, that's right. It really is a man's name."
"Which means... a man is writing letters to a man...?"
In an instant, everyone stepped back in unison, as if on some unspoken signal, and turned to look at Eli.
"Why are you all looking at me like that?"
"Don't tell me...?"
"Stop jumping to conclusions. The name Lokha doesn't necessarily belong to a man. And besides!"
"...?"
"You really think this beauty wouldn't work on men?"
"Oh!"
He had a point—this was Eli, after all. Bayul himself had spent a long while staring, spellbound, from the moment he first met him in the dining hall. Entirely possible.
"I can't argue with that."
"Exactly."
A solemn nod.
Even Logan, silent until now, inclined his head in agreement.
"Quinn, what about you? If I got this many, surely you got some too?"
It was just as Eli suspected. Quinn's locker held a substantial pile of fan letters—nothing like Eli's haul, but plenty. The one difference was that instead of an empty bag, Quinn's letters went straight to the trash bin.
"Ice cold, Quinn. Ice cold!"
"You truly are a man with no heart and no tears!"
Oblivious to—or indifferent to—their commentary, Quinn's face betrayed not so much as a flicker of expression.
"Aidan, let's open yours too."
"Me?"
At Eli's request, Aidan's gaze wavered. Then it landed on Logan, standing there stonily beside them.
Right. I definitely got more than that guy.
Who knew where that confidence came from, but Aidan was certain of it. He marched proudly up to his own locker.
Click.
But contrary to all expectation, Aidan's locker held not so much as a single scrap of paper.
"What? Why don't I have any?"
Staring at a locker so pristine it was practically an insult, Aidan was utterly dumbfounded.
"Is this even possible?"
Whether it would console him or not, Bayul hurried to speak up.
"Aidan, I probably don't have any either."
"How would you know without even looking?"
"I don't need to look to know. Who would ever send me something like that?"
"...I'd have thought someone might."
To put Aidan's suspicions to rest, Bayul kindly opened his own locker. Just as he'd guessed, there were no fan letters to be found. Unlike Aidan, though, he felt no disappointment whatsoever.
"See? Nothing."
That left only Logan. Aidan turned toward him, eyes narrowed.
"You're opening yours too, right?"
What if even a single letter came out of Logan's locker?
No way!
Somebody has to stop this!
That would just make more noise again.
Just imagining it was exhausting enough.
"I said, open it."
Whether or not he registered his friends' silent alarm, Aidan pressed the demand again.
What do we do?
Bayul was looking worriedly at Eli when—
"Why would I do that?"
Logan answered indifferently and simply turned to walk away, as if fan letters held not the slightest interest for him.
"Hey, what's that about? Where are you going? Hey! Open it!"
Aidan stood gaping for a moment, utterly flabbergasted, then yelled at Logan's retreating back—but all that returned was an empty echo.
That night, the morning's love-letter incident behind them, the friends gathered once more. Aidan's glances at Logan—who had never shown them his locker—remained a touch sour, but given the setting, nothing worth worrying about came to pass. If anything, watching him issue orders to his animal companions was almost reassuring.
"Arienne, keep a good watch! Don't let anyone come anywhere near!"
"Grrrooooon—!"
Arienne let out a long cry at Aidan's request and soared into the air.
"Raaow!"
"And you too, Osmond. I'm counting on you!"
Osmond, who had been nuzzling affectionately against Aidan's leg, stiffened his tail upright and vanished in a flash beyond the undergrowth.
"Perfect! Now everything's in place! I've unleashed the finest sentries money can't buy, so relax and practice all you want!"
"Thanks, Aidan. That puts my mind at ease."
"Hah, this is nothing. It's a pain that we've got one uninvited guest now, but you help where you can, right?"
There was no need to ask who the uninvited guest was. Completely unaware of how Logan might be watching him commune with the animals, Aidan just kept grumbling.
"Well then, my turn?"
Pop— pop—
The spheres of white light multiplied before his eyes—one becoming two, then three, then four.
"Whoa! It's bright as broad daylight in here!"
"That's so Innocent can't pull another stunt like last time. I'm keeping the place lit. I'll be watching with both eyes wide open, so behave yourself today, Innocent!"
Innocent had a track record, after all—the unannounced water bomb that had left everyone drenched. Bayul had told her never to do it again, but one could never be too careful.
"Hey! Can't you hear people talking? Not even a response?"
Whether or not Innocent heard Eli's shout, she gave no reply—not even a glance. Giggling merrily, she seemed far too busy catching up with Ingrid, chasing after the bird's tail feathers in pure delight.
"Should I call her over?"
"No, leave her be."
With all the preparations complete, now was finally the moment to begin. Bayul was about to summon Innocent when, for some reason, Quinn stepped in his way.
"You never know when you'll actually need her. And she won't always be right there beside you when it happens."
"That's true, but we're both still so unpracticed right now..."
"Of course you're unpracticed. But aren't you and Innocent connected all the same? Training means making your own body more familiar with the work. Practice like it's the real thing, and you'll get far more out of it."
"I couldn't agree more."
When Logan, quiet until now, cut in out of nowhere, a thin vein throbbed on Aidan's forehead as he watched. Ignoring him entirely, Logan went on.
"Honestly, I still don't quite understand what kind of training you're planning. Spirits are unfamiliar to me. But I wholeheartedly agree with Quinn about practicing like it's real. Bayul—that matters more than anything."
Logan's swordsmanship hadn't come from nowhere. His talent was exceptional, to be sure, but he had never once slacked in his practice. When he trained, as he'd said, he always approached it as though he were facing a real opponent. That discipline was precisely what had made him who he was.
"That's right. If anything goes wrong, we'll stop it for you—so go all out with whatever you try! You've got dependable sentries watching your back. What's there to worry about?"
Now that everyone knew of Aidan's gift, there was no fear of their midnight gatherings being discovered. Within this paddock at least, Arienne's eyes and Osmond's ears were invincible.
Right. I can do this.
With friends like these beside me, what is there to be afraid of?
I'll give it everything.
"Thank you, all of you."