"Here we are. This is the location Sasha sent us on the phone. Let's go in."
Kaede simply nodded and followed her brother inside.
The restaurant they entered was one within the city of Alie. It wasn't the biggest one, but just from the interior, it immediately felt very cozy.
"There she is." Kaede pointed out Sasha location by pointing towards her. From the distance, Sasha could be seen waving at them.
From there, they walked towards her and sat down. The siblings sat next to each other while Sasha in front of Kaede. The sat in a booth next to the window. The window had a nice view of the night city, it being a beautiful scenery. Even the stars could be seen from there.
It was currently 7 pm. The restaurant was fairly busy, and the three of them started to talk.
"So what did you two think of your first day in Rose Academy?"
"Honestly, it was really fun. It was a new experience!"
"Yeah, and not only that, but we actually go to a school where we learn subjects that are truly useful!"
"I know! I didn't think that'd ever happen."
"Hey, Sasha, about the contract…"
"Ah yes, what about it?"
"When's our time limit?"
When Shu asked this, Sasha put a face that made her look as if she didn't want to say it.
"Here's the problem: Your grandfather told me not to tell you so you could have time to prepare yourself for it without having to force yourself. He told me that if you force yourself, it won't work as well."
Confused, but at the same time understanding, Shu replied: "That makes sense, then. Alright."
Kaede then asked them: "So it's finally happening, isn't it?"
"I honestly can't believe it is after all these years…" Shu responded her question.
"It's shocking, even for me…not to mention a little terrifying hehe..."
After Sasha laughed at herself, the waiter went to their table and told them what they were going to order. The all agreed that they wanted to order right away. Once they all ordered their drinks and dishes, the waiter left.
Even though it wasn't visible from their points of view, they were currently cooking in the kitchen with magic, which wasn't the rarest thing in the world. If there was something that magic was very commonly used for that wasn't either work or fighting, it was cooking.
"So, Kaede, random question but…what exactly do you think about your family's magic?"
Even though Kaede was confused by her question, she happily answered: "Well, if I have to say, it's very interesting and versatile, but when I first started learning how to use it, it was hard to due to that reason. That's why I decided to specialize in only a few spells, Bleeding Blades being the best example."
"I see. And what about you, Shu? Of course, I know you weren't with the same ability as your family, but what about your fire magic? Do you like it?"
"I mean, I kind of have to, honestly. It's all I can use. But yeah, I'd say it's fun to use. It's very versatile when it comes to fire magic, so I'd say that it's extremely fun to use. I remember when we used to fight in the SR that it was extremely useful."
"Hey, about the SR, brother…Have you heard of anything regarding it?"
"Now that you say that…no, I haven't. I hope they're all okay without their top members. Not to brag, of course, but I feel that we were two of the most helpful members."
"Agreed."
"I forgot about the SR. It's been so long since I've seen you two or your family that I blanked it from my memory."
As Sasha finished her statement, Shu finally remembered the thing he wanted to ask her.
"Wait, before I forget! Kaede, you said that you saw other students wearing the same uniform as mine at the academy, right?"
"Huh? Oh yeah, I did say that! I forgot about that!"
"How many did you see?!"
Hearing her brother's impatient sounding voice, she responded quickly: "I saw around 6 people in total: 3 guys and 3 girls, Lucille being one of them."
"I figured. I wanted to ask her about it, but I completely forgot. But what exactly is that uniform?"
Sasha had spaced out by looking out the window. Once she snapped back into reality, she realized the siblings were talking. Wanting to join, she asked them: "What are we talking about?"
Still sounding impatient, for whatever reason, Shu told her the topic. "You know the uniform I have to wear? I'm trying to figure out why a handful of students, myself included, have a different uniform than the rest of the students. I just can't put my head around it!"
"Oh, right…I honestly don't get it, either. I haven't seen anyone with that same uniform."
"Someone we met today has it, and honestly, I don't think she knows why herself."
"I mean, maybe she does, brother. We should try asking her tomorrow."
"I agree." Shu finished the conversation by putting his hand on his forehead, still trying to think about a valid reason.
"But anyway, Sasha, now that you say you haven't seen us in a long time. Where exactly did you go?"
Sasha responding after she tilted her head. "Wait, did I never tell you? My father sent me to study at an overseas boarding school. However, your grandfather called us and told us that both of you…well, Shu specifically because of the contract, were going to the Magic Side to enroll in one of the Seven Magic Academies. Due to this, I left my boarding school and was enrolled in Rose. It's honestly a miracle that my Mana Rank is also 1 like both of yours."
"So, if your Mana Rank hadn't been 1…"
"Yeah, I wouldn't have been able to enroll in Rose."
"That's…honestly surreal to think about."
As they both finished talking, the waiter returned with their food and drinks. He handed them out respectively.
Sasha got a roasted salmon alongside a glass of water. Kaede got a burger with fries served with a sweet glass of apple juice, and Shu got an order of tsukemen accompanied with his very own glass of iced tea.
"Well, everyone, enjoy your meal." The siblings were told by Sasha.
"Thank you. Bone apple teeth!"
"Kaede, I don't think that's how the saying goes…"
"Don't care, food time!"
And so, they each began eating their respective dishes. They all thought their dishes were pretty good, although they could agree that they'd had better in other restaurants, though.
As they were eating, it started to rain outside, making the aesthetic feel even more cozy than before. The feeling of being inside with such outside weather was always peaceful to some people, and they all were to some extent.
After a few minutes and a few miscellaneous conversations here and there, they all finished their food.
"That was good, but honestly not the best burger I've had." Kaede started.
"Yeah, this tsukemen wasn't the best, but I would honestly come back someday."
Sasha was looking down on her plate without saying a word.
"Um, Sasha, you okay?"
"I'm sorry, Shu. I hope I didn't fail to choose a restaurant…"
"Eh? No no, you didn't, don't worry! I would honestly come back again!"
"Are you sure?" She looked up at him, her eyes slightly wet.
"Yeah, of course. You don't have to worry about it!"
"Thank you…" She used her hand to clean her eyes. "I'm glad…"
"Speaking off topic, I really hope Grandfather's doing fine."
"I hope so too, Kaede. But I think he can manage. I mean, with everyone in the mansion helping him and such, he can get through life easily."
"Actually, Shu, now that you mention the mansion, how's Sonia doing?"
"She's doing fine. I saw her the day we left. She's still alongside Grandfather, so yeah."
"I'm glad." Sasha smied.
Sonia Sonomari was Sasha's older sister. They had a large age gap even for sisters. Sadly though, it'd been so long since any of them had asked her that they all forgot her specific age. Sasha was very close to her sister as a kid, and even though she was older, Sonia enjoyed playing with her. Of course, though, things happened, and now they haven't seen each other in a few years. They both had the same type of magic.
"Your magic's still doing well, right?" Shu asked her.
"Yeah, I've been slowly getting better. But healing people is pretty tough, honestly. I know my family's magic is extremely strong, but I still need to get the hang of it."
That was the Sonomari family's magic: healing magic. But not just any kind of healing magic. Their healing magic was so strong that it managed to capture the interest of the Makahoushi family, which was extremely well known in the world of magic at one point. And that interest was what sparked the concept of the contract.
"Well, it's getting a little late, so I think we should pay and head home."
"Agreed." Both girls responded at the same time, giggling at each other after they did.
They asked for the check, and so the waiter handed them a small, blue device. Sasha (the one who took it off his hands), put it on the table and a holographic blue screen appeared over it, with a virtual check being visible through it.
From her pockets, Sasha took out a certain card and put it near the hologram, the bill being paid instantly.
Kaede glanced at the card, and couldn't help but ask: "Hey, what's that card?"
"Oh, this? Don't you two have one? It's the ID card the school gives you."
"No, we never got those…"
"Oh, you didn't? That's strange… You're supposed to get them the day before you enroll, and you can use them to pay. Depending on the grades you get and certain other tasks you do, you can be rewarded a certain amount of Cil."
"Cil? Is that the name of the currency?"
"Yes, it is, Kaede."
"The more you know…" Muttering to himself, Shu spoke afterwards: "We should probably ask one of the faculty members tomorrow about it."
Kaede, after agreeing with a nod and a "Hmph", she responded: "I agree."
After the bill was paid, they stood up and walked out the restaurant, saying "thank you!" to the receptionist out of courtesy.
As they walked out, they noticed something they just realized: It was still raining.
"Oh. I think we should wait then." Shu thought out loud.
"I think so, too."
"I think so, three."
After Sasha and Kaede responded, they waited a minute or so, and the rain stopped out of nowhere. They decided that this was their chance, and they started their way towards their dorms once again.
At one point, they decided to separate at a certain point, and then they all made it to their respective new homes.