36. First Day of School
36. First Day of School
A floral scent tickled the tip of my nose. A soft breath brushed my cheek. I slowly lifted my still-heavy eyelids.
Sunlight pierced through the pitch-black darkness.
Not harsh sunlight, but radiant sunlight.
I blinked my blurry eyes a few more times.
Only then could I make out shapes.
The radiant sunlight that didn't sting wasn't sunlight at all.
Golden hair so lush it would be hard to hold in one hand, yet every strand so soft it made me want to bury my whole body in it.
The blue eyes peeking through it were transparent and clear, like a lake gently rippling beneath the sun.
Then, the round eyes holding that lake—as if it might spill over at any moment—opened wide, before folding softly as if to embrace everything. Crimson lips like summer wildflowers curled upward.
Through the slight parting, white teeth and a coy little tongue peeked out.
A voice that seemed to tickle my earlobe.
And then.
"You're awake."
A whisper carried on a lilting nasal tone.
The scent of summer melted into that small breath, mingling with the fragrance of clear skin—dizzyingly fresh.
"Eurasia...?"
"Hehe. You were the last one to wake up, my lady."
"Mmmnn... ngh..."
I twisted my stiff body this way and that, blinking a couple more times.
Eurasia, lying face-down, came into clear view.
She was looking at me with only her head turned, still lying on her stomach.
"...Why... ahem, hrm. Why are you staring at me like that?"
My voice wouldn't come out properly.
Mumbling. My lips moved sluggishly too.
I fucking hated Illusion Magic.
"I was going to wipe it for you if you drooled?"
"Did I drool?"
"A teensy bit?"
"Sssslp... hff..."
I lightly licked my now-dry lips and sat up. Eurasia sat up as well, matching me.
Still sluggish.
The feeling of being untied after being bound for a long time.
"Hnnngh... hngyaaah...!"
I stretched once and peeled the hair stuck to my cheek away.
Rubbed my eyes a few times, and wiped off any possible drool marks too.
I looked around.
Pulled out of the illusion, I was sitting in a window seat where the sunlight streamed in beautifully.
Eurasia was sitting right beside me.
Before being dragged into the illusion, I'd been standing in front of the back door, but when I came out, this was the state of things.
Time... roughly ten minutes had passed, I guess.
Five hours. Three hundred minutes. Ten minutes.
Thirty times.
Adelia had only said she was above the 7th Circle, but she was clearly at least 8th Circle.
I blinked my bleary eyes and looked straight ahead.
At the front of the lecture hall stood the Black Wizard I'd met in the illusion.
Adelia Baros was standing there, beaming.
"Now everyone's gathered. I mentioned it in the illusion as well, but I'll say it once more."
Clap! Adelia clapped her hands to draw attention.
"I'm Adelia Baros, and I'll be your homeroom professor from now on. I'm affiliated with the Black Magic Tower. It's a pleasure to meet you. Let's get along well for the next three years?"
Clap clap clap— Adelia's gentle greeting drew an enthusiastic response from the students.
Judging by their bright expressions, she'd gotten quite friendly with the students inside the illusion.
Her looks, her voice, her personality, her way of speaking.
It was an image students would like.
Even Pina, who used to wheeze and nearly keel over every time she saw me, was grinning and clapping away.
Gailan was responding enthusiastically too.
And Silina.
Silina, sitting at the very front, was glaring at me.
She'd even turned all the way around to glare at me.
Just from her eyes, she looked ready to drown a person.
"Barely out of diapers and her eyes are already that murderous. Ugh."
"Gasp... my lady...! You can't say things like that!"
"They said there's no royalty or anything at the academy. This is how people get close."
Not that I had any intention of getting close.
"All the more reason to speak prettily!"
"...Eurasia, you've been nagging more lately."
"Since Sara isn't here anymore, I have to do my best!"
"So, from now on you're going to nag like Sara?"
Eurasia flinched.
After a moment, her lips quivered and a timid voice slipped out.
"A-at the academy... you said it was... o-okay... don't glare at me like that... hng."
As Eurasia mumbled her answer, I could see ears and a tail she didn't even have drooping dejectedly.
"What's with the 'hng.'"
Without holding back the soft laugh that escaped, I reached out both hands and placed them above Eurasia's head.
And folded them down dejectedly.
"Suits you."
"Huh...? What does...?"
Thinking that I'd have to put animal-ear headbands on her sometime, I giggled and looked forward.
My eyes met Adelia's.
My mood soured.
As if she'd noticed my feelings, Adelia smiled bitterly and looked around the lecture hall before speaking.
"Thank you for the enthusiastic cheers. Hehe. Since today is entrance day, we won't be having class. Instead, I'll be giving you some important explanations, so please focus and listen carefully?"
Her gently swaying palm twirled.
Then, in her hand appeared something that hadn't been there moments ago.
"Wondering what this is? If you're curious, would you like to open the drawer under your desk?"
Rattle— the drawer opened before I even touched it.
The other students seemed to be in the same situation, startled as they peered into their drawers.
"Oh...! My lady, this is it. That thing!"
Listening to Eurasia's excited voice, I examined my drawer as well.
Inside was a rectangular... mirror-like object, a bit bigger than my palm.
A rectangle.
Thin. At its center was something like black glass reflecting my face, and on both sides I could feel protruding button-like things.
"Some of you may already know about it from rumors, and some of you may be seeing it for the first time. Now, this is a Magic Tool called a Device. From now on, if there are any announcements or schedules set at Karelai Academy, they'll be delivered through this Device. In addition, it contains everything about Karelai Academy's rules and facility usage, so I recommend browsing through it slowly. Now, first, would you press the longest button on the right side for four seconds?"
Device. Device.
Chewing over the name that wouldn't stick in my mouth, I pressed the button firmly.
"Now, the screen should be on. No one needs help, right?"
...It didn't turn on.
Was it broken?
Was this not the right button?
I tried the other buttons too, but it still wouldn't turn on.
I turned my gaze to see Eurasia's Device glowing brightly.
Meanwhile, mine?
No matter how hard I pressed various buttons, it wouldn't turn on.
...What do I do.
"...A piece of shit this tiny is pissing me off."
After struggling for a while, I finally called over to Eurasia sitting next to me.
"Umm... Eurasia. How do you turn this thing on?"
"Oh? Ah, this one, press and hold. This one. You can't press it together with the button on the side, just this one. Yes. That's right."
"It definitely didn't work earlier... oh."
Flash— white light lit up the black glass.
Soon after, the emblem of Karelai Academy and the symbol of the Green Magic Tower flashed past, and fingernail-sized icons began lining up in order.
Seeing that, I suddenly realized.
This Device thing looked like the kiosks I'd seen in the dining hall and library.
...My stomach already felt queasy.
Meanwhile, the lecture hall buzzed with students' admiration.
Eurasia, sitting right next to me, had already discovered something and was holding the back of her Device toward me, making click— click— sounds I didn't understand.
"My lady, my lady. Please look here."
"Why?"
Click—
"My lady, my lady. Could you look over there this time?"
"...What are you doing?"
Click— click— click—
"Heehee... this one came out well."
After repeating that click— sound several times, Eurasia held it preciously in both hands, as if it were a treasure.
As for me... I just flipped it face-down on the desk.
I'd have to figure out what was what before I could use it or not.
Even so, Adelia's explanation continued.
Each Device had its own number, and if you saved that number to someone else's Device, you could contact each other.
There was a club at the academy that printed newspapers, and you could read that club's newspaper on the Device.
If you went outside, the Device would become useless, so it could only be used within the academy.
Things like that.
That was all that stuck in my memory.
I couldn't even turn it on properly, so I didn't really listen.
Even if I had listened, it was all stuff I wouldn't understand.
I'd have to ask Eurasia to teach me how to use it later, or I'd never be able to use it.
"That concludes the general explanation. Since today is the first day of classes, I'll stop here. If you have questions, I could take them today... but hehe, you should have time to get to know each other, so I'll take questions tomorrow."
The lecture hall buzzed— the students' faces brightened. Some were already shifting in their seats, eager to get up.
Eurasia was doing that.
"Congratulations once again on entering Karelai Academy's Signia Class. I don't know if it'll be three years or four, but let's get along well during that time."
A clear yet sticky voice.
Her red eyes were fixed on me, the corners folding as she smiled.
And with a pop!
"Huh...? The professor disappeared."
She vanished from her spot, scattering crow feathers.
"It was an illusion. That wasn't her real body."
"...Really?"
Startled, Eurasia dragged her chair over and sat pressed right against my desk.
"Anyway, my lady."
"Hm?"
"Give me your number."
"Number?"
"Yes. Your Device number. If I save it, they said we can contact each other anytime, even when we're not together. Communication magic! They said it works anytime inside the academy!"
Whether the homeroom professor disappeared or not, Eurasia didn't seem to care.
The Device in her hands was her only concern right now.
Of course, all the other students were the same.
Even Silina, who'd been sitting rigidly, was holding her Device with both hands and pressing buttons here and there—so that said it all.
"I'll give it to you, but we're going to be together every day anyway. Do you really need to go that far?"
"Together every day... mm, hehe... but we're apart when we sleep!"
For some reason, Eurasia squirmed, then returned to a serious expression and thrust out both hands.
"Anyway, hurry up and give it to me!"
Reluctantly, as if pushed, I handed my Device to Eurasia.
"Then while you're at it, save your number on mine too. I can't use this thing at all."
"Heehee. Of course I'll do mine too!"
Tap tap tap tap— I smirked as I watched Eurasia tap away skillfully at the Device.
I'd had experiences like this in my Past Life too.
Whether I got a weapon, an Artifact, money, jewels, armor—anything at all.
Whenever I got something, Arisa would always come scampering over and write her name on it.
And she always said the same thing.
—I took Ronan's first!
—Why do you have to say it so horrifically? And why do you always come running to me to do that? Why the hell are you writing your name on it? It's mine.
—Hmm? It's a memento!
—If it's a memento, do it to Luna and Paulo and Kaloso too. Why are you only making a fuss over my stuff?
—Huh? Uh, um... well... because Ronan always teases me! I'm leaving my mark on Ronan!
—Even so, I'm never going to become a chimpanzee.
—But who knows? If all your weapons break, you'll have no choice but to use your fists, and then Ronan might learn the real thrill of martial combat!
—Can't you see this? I have over twenty weapons. If all of these break, I'm just dead.
—Gasp! No! Don't say things like dying so casually... oh? My name's still written here? You didn't erase it?
—When would I ever erase what you've written on every single one of my weapons?
—Oh... really...? Hehehe, if you ever want it erased, I'll erase it for you! You like keeping your weapons clean, Ronan.
—The fact that you knew and did it anyway pisses me off even more. Forget it, why bother erasing it. It'll wear off on its own.
Over the blurry reverie, the Device suddenly appeared.
"My lady. It's all done. If you look here... ta-da. This is my number. If you want to hear my voice, press this, and if you want to send me a letter, press this."
[Eurasia]
On the empty screen, Eurasia's name floated alone.
I propped my chin on my hand and turned my head.
Backlit by the sunlight, Eurasia was looking at me with bright, round eyes.
Our eyes met. Then her eyes crinkled and the corners of her lips rose into a radiant smile.
I watched Eurasia quietly for a moment.
Then I whispered words that tickled the tip of my tongue.
"Eurasia took my first."
I'd said it partly to see how she'd react, and partly to see how it felt to be the one saying it.
Eurasia just tilted her head, still smiling.
Did she not hear?
If she didn't hear, that's a shame, I guess.
But I wasn't going to say it again.
Because after saying those words, not just the tip of my tongue but my whole body had started tingling.
I shuddered at the creepy sensation and stood up.
"Let's go eat—"
That moment.
BOOM—!
The lecture hall door burst open with the sound of an explosion.
"ELIARNESSSS!!!"
A crazed beast charged straight at me.