39. We're Friends, Right?
39. We're Friends, Right?
Giving up on sleep, I downed the Potion Sara had packed for me. Then I threw on the academy-issued training clothes and a hood... hoodie? Whatever it was called, and headed straight outside.
Ten laps with the sandbags strapped on.
Light bodyweight exercises in the clearing.
One low-grade Potion midway through, then twenty laps this time.
Just like always, I went out at dawn and worked up a sweat until the sun rose, and my head cleared.
Morning workouts really are the best.
"Hoo..."
Once I reached a spot with no one around, I pulled off my hood and gathered up my hair, which had come loose at some point, tying it back.
The breeze against the nape of my neck cooled the sweat.
The birdsong announcing morning and the sound of a nearby fountain spraying water were refreshing.
When I breathed in, crisp air filled my whole body, and when I breathed out, a clean breeze swept in to carry the breath away.
It wasn't quite as good as the Eustetia Duchy, but it was clearly better than the air in the Imperial Capital.
The concentration of Mana dissolved in the air, the intermittent gusts of wind—all of it.
And the fact that Devices only worked inside the academy suggested there was something magical surrounding this area.
Or maybe they'd buried a Dragon Heart underground or something.
If that were the case.
"I'd love to borrow it for a bit when I need it."
Indulging in that absurd fantasy, I flopped onto a bench.
Just as I was enjoying the brisk breeze and my breathing settled.
"So... who's been watching me all this time?"
I turned my head toward the gaze that had been sneaking glances at me for a while now. A thick tree. Behind it, a squirrel tail poked out.
I was a little surprised by the unexpected figure, but I quickly grinned and called out to the owner of the tail.
"Hey. Buddy."
At my call, the tail quivered.
"Buddy. Pina. Come here."
As if jolted by electricity, the fur on the tail puffed up wildly, then went still. Then, hesitantly, a pair of terrified eyes peeked out.
I beckoned her over with a gentle wave, and she scrunched up her lips and cautiously approached, sitting down beside me.
I stared at Pina for a long moment before speaking.
"What are you doing here?"
Her tightly shut hazel eyes opened, looking pitiful.
"Why were you sneaking looks at me?"
Shake shake—
Pina shook her head frantically, then reached into the tail she'd set aside and pulled out her Device.
No, wait—why is a Device coming out of her tail?
I was staring at her tail in bewilderment when she held out the Device she'd been tapping away at.
[I'm sorry. But I wasn't sneaking looks at you.]
"Then?"
[I had something to do behind the tree.]
"No matter how urgent it is, you shouldn't just do your business out in the open like that. At least dig a hole and cover it up. You can't just do it and walk away."
Confusion rose on Pina's face, then her eyes went wide, then her mouth opened and closed soundlessly as she made little "hik hik" noises, then she frantically, squirrel-frantically, tapped at her Device.
[Noit'sabsolutelynotthatIreallyhadsomethingtodoI'msorrypleasebelieveme]
Her dainty lips wobbled as she expressed her indignation.
"Fine. I'll keep today's little incident a secret, so next time, clean up after yourself. Think about how flustered the person who has to deal with it would be."
[It'sreallynotthatpleasebelievemeI'mnotthatkindofbeastkin]
"Sure. I'll believe you just this once."
I snickered at the tearful Pina, then let down the hair I'd tied up and leaned back against the bench.
I closed my eyes and let out a soft sigh.
There was a lot to think about.
Verheigen.
Stella Verheigen.
The Black Wizard chasing her—the snake.
The Black Wizard who knew about it—Adelia.
The movements of Vice Dean Leona, who resembles Arisa.
It had only been one day since I entered the academy.
And yet there was already this much to think about.
When I was stuck at home, I'd spent my days agonizing only over the secrets of House Eustetia, but now I couldn't even do that.
Because every single one of these headaches seemed connected to my comrades from my Past Life.
I'd definitely gotten closer than before.
The goal that had been nothing but a phantom had come into focus.
It was ironic that the closest one was Kaloso, that bastard, but it was fine. If I could just find one of them, the rest would get easier.
I didn't feel like it would be a hassle.
If anything, my heart was pounding.
I even found myself thinking that coming to the academy might have been the right call.
At this rate, maybe I should send Mother a thank-you letter. Since thanks would be out of nowhere, a letter just checking in... Hmm, better to write one to Father and one to Mother separately.
Ding-dong— Ding-dong—
Around the time my sweat had mostly dried, the bell announcing 7 a.m. rang.
It was too tight to leisurely eat and wash up. I'd have to do a quick wash and eat after.
I roughly tied up my loose hair and pulled the hood over my head.
I shoved my feet into the shoes I'd taken off and stood up—
Poke— poke—
"Gah?! You scared me..."
Something hard touched my side.
Startled, I turned my head to find Pina holding out her Device.
There was no text written on it.
All I could see was a number pad.
"What. You want my number?"
Nod nod—
"You get scared the moment you see me, but you want my number? Weren't you afraid of me?"
Shake shake—
"Oh, so you just didn't like me?"
Shake shake shake shake—!!
Pina's head, which had been shaking as if she'd snap her own neck, tilted slightly.
Her eyes said, "Is that not okay...?"
There was no reason she couldn't have it.
But.
"I don't know my number."
I didn't know my own number.
Apparently I had to press something to check it, but I'd forgotten how.
Aside from contacting Eurasia last night, I hadn't even turned on my Device.
"No. Don't make that face. I really don't know it."
Pina, who'd been staring blankly with her mouth open and her face gone pale, trembled her shoulders.
Then she bowed her head repeatedly and tried to put the Device she'd held out back into her tail.
"I'm not refusing... Fine. It'd be faster if you just put yours in here."
Left with no choice, I handed Pina the Device I'd kept in my pocket.
"I don't know how to do it, so save your number in mine, then send me a message or something so your Device saves my number too."
That's what Eurasia had done yesterday.
So Pina, who handled her Device skillfully, would be more than capable.
That guess proved right—Pina's face lit up in an instant, and she took my Device with both hands and began tapping at the screen.
After a moment, she handed the Device back to me with a bashful smile.
"Done?"
At my question, Pina tapped at her Device.
Then, ding— with a light vibration, the black screen lit up.
There.
[Thank you! (squirrel smiling brightly) I think we'll be able to talk a little more comfortably now!]
A message from Pina had appeared.
The squirrel face wedged between the words was oddly cute.
"Yeah. See you in the lecture hall later. Take care."
[Yes! (squirrel nodding)]
After checking the last message, I hurried toward the dormitory.
For breakfast, I'd keep it light with a pork cutlet sandwich.
*****
I did wash up... but I couldn't eat.
I'd forgotten that I'd handed my card over to Eurasia yesterday before Leona dragged me off.
I went to the dining hall with my hair still damp, tapped away at the kiosk, and even placed my order perfectly...!
I couldn't eat.
Why the hell doesn't this goddamn academy accept cash?
While I was grumbling to myself on the way to the lecture hall.
"Oh, Eliarnes... you..."
I ran into Stella, who looked somewhat haggard.
"What. Why does your face look like that? Did you have a rough night?"
"What...? What are you suddenly talking about?"
"Your face looks haggard."
"What? No, it doesn't. That's not it. Why would I have a rough night? I slept great."
Well, she wouldn't have.
Maybe because she'd stayed in that shack for quite a while, Stella slept like the dead even in the lodging I'd been staying at, drooling and all.
The dormitory, with its better facilities, went without saying.
"Well, that's good."
"Wh-what about you? You were busy yesterday, I guess?"
"I was busy, yeah. And tired."
A subtle flush of color returned to Stella's haggard, gloomy face.
"O-oh, really? Hmm... So you were busy and tired. Then that makes sense. Yeah."
She muttered a few more things under her breath, then hesitantly—awkwardly—blocked my path.
"S-so, um, you got a Device too, right? It's... kind of amazing, isn't it?"
"Yeah. It is pretty amazing."
"It's an Artifact that lets you use communication magic portably. Of course, it only works inside the academy, but still, it's incredible technology."
Fiddling with the Device she'd taken from her pocket, Stella took a step closer and blushed.
"...And letting such incredible technology just... go to waste would be... a shame, right? I'm a Wizard, so I feel... tremendous interest in Artifacts like that."
What in the world is she trying to say with all this meaningless chatter?
She's not the type of girl to ask me about this kind of thing.
"What about you? Have you... used it? The... messaging, or calling... or whatever?"
"Yeah, I've used it."
"Hmm... I figured you hadn't... Huh? Wh-what did you say? Y-you just said you used it?"
"Yeah."
Stella's eyes went wide.
"W-with who?!"
"With Eurasia."
"Oh, uh...? With Eurasia...? When? Aha. So you tried it right after you got it yesterday?"
"No? I used it at night."
"...Huh?"
Stella's head tilted.
"A-at night...? With Eurasia...? Wh-wh-what... what did you talk about?!"
What did we talk about?
Did we even talk about anything?
We didn't.
"We didn't really talk about anything."
"Y-you... didn't really talk about anything...? Then why...?"
Stella's mouth hung open blankly.
The hand holding her Device trembled, and her violet eyes grew moist.
"Why are you so curious about that?"
Even at my question, Stella just fiddled with her Device, seemingly lost in thought, not answering.
"If you've got nothing else to say, I'm going."
She still didn't answer, so I kept walking.
It was tight, but I still had time.
If I got my card back from Eurasia and ran to the dining hall, I'd have just enough time to eat a sandwich.
On the other hand, if Eurasia wasn't in the lecture hall, I'd have no choice but to starve.
If that happened, should I ask Stella...?
...What Stella. I'd rather suck the liver out of a flea.
*****
Standing still in place, Stella secretly wiped away tears that looked ready to fall and glanced back.
She could see Eliarnes walking away at a very brisk pace, never once looking back.
Just in case, she rummaged through her pocket.
No rustling sound.
The macarons... the macarons she always gave her—there were none.
She didn't take it for granted.
She'd always been grateful.
Not getting one wasn't strange.
But.
But why, of all days, did she not give her one today?
She pressed her trembling lips shut and recalled what Eliarnes had said.
She'd exchanged messages with Eurasia on her Device at night. They'd spent time chatting about trivial things.
There had been no mention of herself in that story.
And even Eurasia hadn't sent her a single message.
"...Wh-why...?"
Even if Eliarnes didn't know, hadn't Eurasia and I gotten close?
We'd eaten together, just the two of us. Even had dessert together.
We'd even gone to the bathroom together!
"Hic..."
A hiccup burst out, welling up with sorrow.
If it was going to be like this, she should've just been honest from the start.
She should've asked for Eurasia's number.
She should've asked Eliarnes to pass along her number.
She'd hemmed and hawed and talked around it because she was worried about coming on too strong, but she hadn't expected it to turn out like this.
Had she been too rude?
She'd been careful with Eurasia, though.
Had that come across as keeping her distance?
Or had her sniping at Eliarnes, the person closest to Eurasia, looked bad?
She didn't know.
She didn't know what to do.
Stella, who had never once in her life made a proper friend, fell into worries and regrets she couldn't resolve on her own.
"Sniff..."
At that moment.
"Pathetic."
Along with a rustling sound, a clear voice reached her.
"Here. Today's macaron. I bought it yesterday afternoon, so it's a little lukewarm... What the. Are you crying?"
And then, pink hair fluttered in front of her bowed face. Startled, Stella immediately rubbed her face and raised her head.
There.
"Huh?! Wh-what?! Why did you—why did you come back?!"
Eliarnes.
With her pink eyes wide open, a surprised-looking Eliarnes stood there.
"I came back to give you the macaron. But why are you crying?"
"Sniff, hic. I'm not—hic—crying. Why would I cry?"
"I'm asking because I don't know. Don't tell me you already got ostracized? Ugh. I knew it. I told you. That nasty little mouth of yours makes you a prime target for bullying."
Stella's face went pale.
"Wh-what... b-bullying...?"
"Yeah, be careful. Always speak nicely. Don't go picking fights. Okay? Live right. Live right, I said. If someone messes with you even then, tell me."
Eliarnes patted Stella on the back as she said this and pressed no fewer than two macarons into her hands.
Rustle— rustle—
Stella, holding the slightly squashed and lukewarm macarons, found tears welling in her eyes before she knew it.
"What could you even do if I told you...?"
"At the very least, more than you could. So listen to me. Then good things will come to you even while you sleep."
"...Don't talk like some old geezer."
"This is all advice for your own good, you brat. Listening to me won't do you any harm."
Even hearing such infuriating, old-geezer-like words, she somehow felt better.
It was strange. The corners of her mouth kept trying to rise.
So, to hide the corners of her mouth that kept creeping up, Stella bowed her head low.
And, unlike usual, she spoke quietly.
"...I really hate you."
"I hate you too."
Eliarnes snickered and took a step back.
The scent of damp shampoo from her half-dried hair spread faintly through the corridor.
A soothing scent.
It was surely the same shampoo, but the distinctly different scent made Stella lift her head.
Two steps away.
Eliarnes was smiling.
Her eyes were folded into a gentle curve, the corners of her lips pulled up slightly, forming the most infuriating eye-smile.
It was definitely infuriating—enough to make her want to smack her—
But to today's Stella, it felt like an incredibly tender smile.
"I'm going ahead. Stop sniveling and get to class."
"I-I wasn't crying!"
Just as she let out that shrill little squawk at Eliarnes's retreating back—
Ding— her Device rang.
[Ughhh... what do I do? I was so out of it yesterday that I completely forgot to message you... (puppy sniffling) I'm really sorry...]
It was a message from Eurasia.
"Heh, heheh... I see. Eurasia was busy too..."
A pleased hum escaped her on its own.
Stella wiped her nose with her sleeve, tucked the macarons into her pocket, and tapped at her Device with a bashful smile.
[No, it's fine. I fell asleep right away yesterday too.]
And then.
"Hmm... is it too stiff if I just send that...?"
[Good luck today!]
"That seems too bubbly..."
[Pay attention in class today. (cat holding a cheering stick)]
"Oh, this is good."
After pressing send, Stella stared at her Device without looking away.
And then, ding—
[Yeah! You too, Stella! (puppy holding a cheering stick)]
Only after confirming Eurasia's reply did she walk on with a lighter heart.
"There's no way Eurasia would leave me out... heheh."