Blindly digging my hand through my wallet, I grabbed five more gold coins. I handed it to the assistant with a smile.
“Here,” I said, putting away my wallet.
The assistant smiled back, quickly counting everything, before putting it away. She grabbed the large bear and handed it to me.
“I hope that your loved one appreciates this,” She said as I grabbed the bear. The smile on my face was wiped away.
“It’s not a loved one. It's just a favor.” She didn’t seem to believe me as she slowly nodded.
“Yeah, sure, have a great day!”
I left the store with a scowl, already in a bad mood. I put the bear in a chokehold, muttering under my breath, “This better be worth it.”
If having a roommate wasn’t bad enough, I had to have him as my bedmate too. I thought those slots were exclusive for annoying siblings and loved ones?!
I entered the apartment, barely managing to wave at Kieran and Hina who were making breakfast in the kitchen. The two waved back, before giving me a second glance.
“Why do you have a human-sized stuffed bear with you?” Hina asked, holding her mug of black coffee. I put the bear down, exhausted from having to walk so many flights of stairs with it.
“I’m doing somebody a favor.”
Kieran and Hina exchanged glances.
“Ah, I see,” Hina said, taking a sip.
“So that’s what it is,” Kieran replied, flipping his runny eggs.
I frowned, not liking their reactions.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Kieran raised his hands, about to talk when a bit of egg on the spatula ran down his arm. He winced and poured cold water over it, grimacing. Hina rolled her eyes, sneakily taking a bite of his eggs.
“Mm, too runny.”
“Leave my eggs alone!” Kieran slapped her hand away as she tried going for a second bite. Hina sighed, disappointed. She glanced at me.
“Nothing, nothing. It’s just that we both know who this ‘somebody’ is.”
I crossed my arms.
“Right, but your reactions suggested there’s more to it.”
Kieran wiped away the water with a towel, blinking innocently.
“Whatever do you mean, Rael?”
I had enough with the riddles and glared at them. It took less than a minute for them to crack under the pressure. Hina put her mug down and walked to me.
“Listen, Rael. No matter what happens from here on out, please be quiet at night. The walls are quite thin—“
My glare grew murderous. “Finish that sentence, I dare you.” She swallowed the rest of her sentence, walking back to her breakfast. She sat down, giving Kieran a look. Kieran cleared his throat.
“We support the relationship between you and Oden—“
I let out a groan, crouched down, and groaned even louder. I raised my hand over my face to give them a spiteful look.
“Is that what you’ve thought? This whole time?”
“Not this whole time…” Hina tried saying encouragingly. Her encouragement made me feel worse. I wanted the ground to swallow me whole.
“It’s not like that. And why would you even assume it?” I asked.
Kieran cleared his throat. “Well, you see—“ His eyes kept darting in place, refusing to meet mine. “—I walked into your room to check up on you two, around four days ago, and—“
“You saw us in the same bed, holding hands like a married couple?” I finished, not knowing where to even begin explaining the situation. “Why did you have to tell Hina and Jake though?”
Kieran sighed. “Initially, I told Jake. I also told him to keep quiet about it as you two probably wanted to keep it a secret, but the next thing I know, Hina is looking at you two in a funny way.”
“So I wasn’t imagining the funny looks she was giving me?” I said.
“Nope.” He said, popping the p.
Hina was too embarrassed to make excuses, so she hid her face, eating her food in silence. Scowling, I stood up.
“Then I’ll begin to explain. The reason why we’re sharing a bed and holding hands is that he’s an idiot who forgot his stuffed animal at home. He sleepwalks without it, so guess what happened the first few nights?”
I saw the light bulbs above their heads light up.
“So I made a deal with him since I’m such an awesome friend, and here we are.” Kieran glanced at the bear.
“So that is…?”
“The solution to all my problems.” I eyed them and they awkwardly laughed. I picked up the bear.
“And Hina, if you don’t explain everything to your boyfriend, be prepared for the consequences.”
Hina looked up, shaking her head. “He’s not my boyfriend! He’s— I—”
I turned to Kieran. “How can you stand those two?” He shook his head.
“I still don’t know to this day.”
We shared a knowing look before I walked back to my room, ignoring Hina’s horrible explanation of her and Jake’s relationship.
I opened the door, still finding Oden dead asleep. You almost couldn’t believe he was the same person that kicked me out of the bed today.
I resisted the urge to slam the bear on his peaceful figure but instead opted to put it next to him. After this day, we’d be sleeping apart. And I couldn’t be happier about it.
I began to change into the school uniform. I struggled to put on my tie and had to redo it a couple of times.
“Thank you…”
I turned my head, seeing Oden awake. His bed hair went in every direction and he had a bit of drool on his cheeks. He was already hugging the bear as though they were best friends.
“I couldn’t stand the thought of sleeping next to you for another day,” I said dryly. He stuck his tongue out, too lazy to retort.
Still angry that he woke me up, I teased him.
“At this point, I pity whoever marries you, since they’ll be waking up on the floor every single night—“ I dodged the pillow that he threw, laughing as I closed the door behind me.
I walked into the kitchen, eating a few eggs that Kieran had generously left for me. They had already left by the time I sat down. I ate in peace, glancing at the clock. It was still early. I wasn’t sure what to do for one and a half hours.
I stood up, heading out of the apartment.
Maybe it’s time for a power-up?
“[Light!]” I shouted, pointing my wand at the wall. A bright light emerged for a split second before it vanished. I couldn’t help but smile. A week of practicing and I couldn’t do this previously. But after increasing my magic potential, it took only five minutes to receive results.
I was in the training facilities, the building right beside the Academy. It was meant for students to train in their free time. You had to choose a room (that was vacant). There were all sorts of rooms but they were mainly split into two categories, magic or magicless.
The Academy didn’t groom only mages, but also magic knights. By the second year, the students would be split into different categories and trained to become the very best.
I hadn’t thought of what I wanted to be just yet. But there wasn’t a rush, I still had a whole year to think. But even in the second year, you didn’t have to choose only one path. Quite a lot of students pick three or four at the same time. It was so that you could gradually drop those who were too taxing or not as interesting.
I looked through the pamphlet, wanting to learn as many spells before time was up. There wasn’t a lot of time left before the Mystic Legacy Trial. I didn’t want to be the best but I wanted to succeed at the very best.
I continued to practice spells until I was sweaty all over. I grabbed my shirt, wrinkling my nose. I felt gross. Thankfully, I wore training clothes that I received as it was my first time coming here (I thought I'd have to buy some in advance).
I quickly walked out, blindly walking and following the signs before finding the bathroom. Sighing in relief, I walked in, stopping to double-check it was the male shower room, before walking in. I took a quick shower, avoiding anyone. I put on my uniform and walked out, realizing I had five minutes to get to class. Fixing my messy tie, I sprinted to the first class of the day.
Of course, I didn’t make it in time. I was reprimanded by the teacher and saw Oden laughing quietly to himself. While pretending to find my seat, I walked up to him and bent down to whisper, “Keep giggling and you’ll find that bear of yours headless in seconds.”
“You wouldn’t?!” He gasped.
“Try me,” I whispered with a smile.
Oden wiped his grin off his face, turning surprised. Satisfied with his reaction, I sat down.
I spent the rest of the class practicing more spells. Usually, the first three classes went by quickly. By lunch, we were all sitting at a table, eating while talking.
Al and I were arguing about the best meal in the cafeteria while Oden and Weiss were bickering (like always). When their argument grew too heated, Claus would slap both of them at the back of their heads.
“Keep it down.” He hissed, causing them to grow silent for one minute. Before they grew too annoyed at the other's presence and began arguing again. I watched Claus sigh for the fifth time and made a mental note to give him my thank you. He was responsible for keeping those two in check as he was good at intimidation.
Al hit the table with his hand, furiously shaking his head. “No no, the deep-fried double-layered cheese pizza is the best option!”
“There’s so much grease on it that you’re eating more fat than actual pizza!” I argued back, wrinkling my nose.
“So? Fat is good for you! And it’s delicious!”
“No, it’s not! You just don’t know good food! Pasta is the best choice! You can even choose the toppings and—and—“ I couldn’t speak clearly, using hand gestures to point at my meal. “It’s a whole buffet but with pasta! If that isn’t the best, I don’t know what is!”
“You’re not supposed to combine all of the pasta and sauces! Those are supposed to be separate!”
“It’s more fun and delicious like this! Why stress on one combo when I can have them all!?” I said, mixing my bowl of pasta. Al gave me a disappointed look, turning to his pizza. We silently judged each other as we ate.
I felt something bump into me.
“Hm? Is that pasta? Can I taste it?” Weiss asked, finally done bickering. I scowled.
“Get your own.”
“Don’t wanna.” He said in a pouting voice.
“Too bad.” I slapped his hand away but he sneakily stabbed a bit of it and ate it. He grinned while chewing before grimacing.
“Good gods, what did you put in this?” I blinked innocently.
“You can’t just have pasta without any… condiments.” Weiss looked at me suspiciously.
“Which one did you pick?”
“One? Oh no, I chose them all.”
Weiss' face looked a shade paler as he stared at my bowl of food. He looked at me again.
“Are you trying to poison somebody?”
“That’s what I was saying!” Al said, pausing his chewing to talk.
“How rude! So ungrateful! It tastes amazing.” I took big bites, savoring everything. The mayo, the siracha, the ketchup, and the mustard, with other colorful sauces. I combined it with ten different kinds of pasta and even more pasta sauces.
It was a meal-made buffet!
School had already ended but I decided to go back to the training facilities. Last time, I had to pick a magic room with no further assistance. But this time, I chose the magicless room, with assistance.
I stretched my body, each body part for at least five minutes before I was ready. Taking a deep breath, I tapped the ‘1’ button.
In my peripheral view, one shadow emerged out of nowhere. It carried no weapons, just as I’d adjusted it. It seemed to analyze me for a few seconds before jumping at me. I jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding it. I brandished my sword, gripping it tightly.
I felt my heart throbbing for a split second, before I stabbed the sword into the shadow, catching it off guard. It vanished as the sword impaled it. I shivered at the sensation of it but tried calming down. It wasn’t real, merely a simulation for training.
The assistance of this room meant that you experienced a ‘real life’ experience. And that, for a battle mage, was crucial to have. However, these rooms were usually vacant and they cost quite a bit. I only hired it for an hour, planning on going here every day until the end of the month. Something told me, that swordsmanship might grow useful later.
I scoffed at my paranoia before clicking on number two, ready for two opponents this time. Not only did the opponents increase but their reaction time, intelligence, and aggression increased. By the fifth button, they gained weapons, which hurt to get hit by. Those wounds did not disappear either. But the shadows aren’t able to kill you, only incapacitate you.
I faced my two opponents, more nervous than before. But I finished them off just as quickly, the only thing I needed to do was to dodge their initial attacks before counterattacking. They vanished in seconds.
Taking a deep breath, I tapped three and continued the pattern. Of course, the more difficult they became, the more I changed my fighting style. I dodged, made sure I wasn’t surrounded, and attacked any holes or weak points that the clumsy shadows made.
By the fifth button, two shadows emerged with weapons. I took a deep breath and prepared. They rushed at me, as expected. I tried to sidestep, but the other shadow was right by me, slashing as I avoided one attack. I blocked the attack with my sword, nearly dropping it from the collision.
Shit, I wasn’t prepared.
The grip on my sword tightened as I clenched my jaw. I stepped forwards, overpowering the weaker shadow, before ending the shadow before it could get up. I ran it through with my blade and watched as it vanished into a cloud of smoke.
Now only one opponent left.
Exhaling slowly, I turned to face them. They were standing there, waiting. I got into a stance, feeling my concentration peak. I was still as the shadow rushed at me. And I observed the shadow as everything seemed to slow down.
Two steady hands grasped a deadly sword. A dark expression that revealed no emotion. And the arising sense to fight.
I felt it all as I observed the shadow. I lowered my sword and ran at it. It wasn’t surprised and slashed at me. I parried the attack, jumping back. This shadow was stronger than the last. Swallowing my saliva, I leaped back and ran to it, gaining momentum.
Wide-eyed, I saw it slash at me again. I was running too quickly to dodge or parry it. So I did the next best thing.
Stepping clockwise, I spun, raising my sword and beheading the shadow. The sword vanished, merely inches from penetrating my skin. The shadow disappeared as I fell on my butt, panting. It was one of the tricks that Heath had thought me when we trained. But it took a lot out of me to do it.
I was tired.
I wanted to try the higher stages but it would be stupid as I had no energy left in my body. Lying on the ground for a while, I took deep breaths, calming my hammering heart.
I stood up with a grimace. My body was sore everywhere. Gosh, if that sword had reached me, I would’ve felt worse. Sighing, I picked up my sword. I had to leave as my hour was up.
With heavy steps, I left the room.
We sat at lunch and Claus had suggested eating at one of the restaurants for once. His reason being; “If I have to sit next to these two idiots one more time, I’m going to go insane.”
Nobody objected, not even Weiss or Oden. We walked around, looking for a nice restaurant. Nobody could decide so Al blindly spun around and pointed at one. We walked and sat down, getting a menu from the waiter.
I took my cup of cold water and drained half of it, sighing in happiness.
“It’s so warm today,” I said, filling my cup.
“Right? I wish I could just take a nice cool bath somewhere.” Al said, slouching as he looked through the menu.
“They have a swimming pool inside, y’know,” Weiss replied.
“Yeah, but then I’d have to change and I think I’d melt into a puddle before then,” Al said.
“Hey, isn’t there a fountain somewhere near here?” Claus joined in.
“Oh, there is!” Al perked up.
“Ah, maybe we should all just jump into it,” Weiss suggested.
My face grew pale. That was the worst suggestion I have ever heard.
“Hell no. Don’t go near that fountain.” They all gave me strange looks.
“Why not?”
“Just because… it looks dangerous.”
Al slapped my shoulder. “Stop being so paranoid, I know you want to cool off too.”
If they were to jump into the fountain, I feared to think what might happen to them. I furiously shook my head.
“I won’t jump no matter what. I value my life.” Al sighed, giving up as he picked up his menu once more. The waiter took all of our orders, so all we had to do was wait.
I was listening to Al and Oden’s conversation about how difficult the [Fire] spell was to learn. Because they feared the thought of fire on their hand, it was impossible to conjure the spell, no matter how hard they tried.
I opened my mouth to tell that to them when Weiss nudged me.
“Hey, Rael, I’ve been wondering.” He began, speaking quietly enough that only I could hear.
“Yeah?” I replied, just as quietly. He inched closer, near my ear.
“You’ve gotten close to Oden, haven’t you?” I gave him a quizzical look.
“So?”
“I just find it strange that you two are already so close when it’s not even been a month. Not to mention, I always see you two together.” He said with a slight frown. I let out a laugh.
“Of course, he’s my bed—er, roommate.”
“You share a room?” The tone of his voice shifted. I felt the urge to tease him.
“Yeah, why, are you jealous or something?”
I watched the usual confident Weiss back away from me, furiously shaking his head and hands, his expression animated with panic.
“W-what! No! Of course not! I-I just wanted to know. After all, he’s so annoying, I can’t understand how you can tolerate him!” Weiss said, crossing his arms. From the corner of my eye, Oden shot Weiss a spiteful look.
I shrugged. “He’s a good friend, what else can I say?” Weiss’ bad mood didn’t improve.
“Yeah, sure.”
The food had arrived as I stared at him. Smelling the spices, I was drawn in by the dishes. Never in my life had I gobbled down food so quickly. I felt my stomach ache by the time I wiped my mouth.
“Ugh, stomachache…” I groaned, leaning against the table.
“M-me too…” Al said, looking pale as he drank his third cup of water.
“Hey, give me some water too,” I said, raising my hand. Al dodged my hand, hugging the water jug close to him.
“No, I need every drop of this water.” He poured the remaining water into his cup and finished it with a grin. “Oh no, it’s empty.”
He laughed when he saw my expression. I scowled before dropping the issue. I began to ask him about his classmates, since he went to a different class, as we waited for the others to finish eating.
When they did, I saw we still had plenty of time before class began. Al grabbed Claus’s hand.
“C’mon Claus, let’s go to the swimming pool and cool off! I’m so warm right now that I’m desperate enough to buy swim trunks!”
Claus nodded, probably as overheated as Al. They waved us goodbye as they headed out. I patted my full stomach, satisfied.
“Hmm, strangely, even though I’m full, I’m in the mood for something sweet,” I muttered, not expecting anyone to take me seriously.
Weiss and Oden perked up.
“Ice cream would be nice,” Weiss said.
“Or maybe just a smoothie,” Oden replied.
I smiled. “Then let’s go buy some and enjoy it before class.”
Weiss’ eyes darted around. “Ah, but Rael, there was something I wanted to show you…” He grabbed my arm. “It’ll just take a few minutes, I’m sure Oden can wait.” He turned to Oden, giving the boy a fake smile.
“Right?”
Oden blinked as Weiss led Rael out of the restaurant. He didn’t realize that Weiss had purposefully excluded him so that he could be alone with Rael. Oden stared at the ground.
“You could’ve asked if I wanted to go as well.” He sulked as he walked back to the school, staring at the ground.
Mmmmm good