◇Houghtow City—Houghtow College of Magic◇
Flio and Taclyde, the administrator of the Houghtow College of Magic,
conversed as they entered an old single-story building.
"Thank you so much for coming all this way, Mister Flio," Taclyde said.
"I know you must be busy."
"Not at all!" Flio responded. "I'm honored that you would have me!"
Inside the building was a number of old chairs and tables lined up in the
corner, and a section divided off by a rectangular partition. "Well you see,"
Taclyde said, smirking wryly and scratching the back of his head. "It's
about the school store we've been running for our adult students to use. We
tried selling food and stationery from a nearby general store, but things
haven't been going great..."
Flio looked over the paperwork he had received from Taclyde. "Well,
Mister Taclyde," he said. "This request form says...that you want this
building renovated into a three-story structure, with the second and third to
serve as dormitories?"
"Yes, that's right. I'm sorry to trouble you with this, but we just don't
have the time or the money! To be honest, I'm not sure what I'd do if you
turned me down..."
◇ ◇ ◇
Before renovations of the Houghtow College of Magic school store
could commence, the school had held an auction for trade companies.
Companies had bid, but the Houghtow College of Magic simply lacked the
funds necessary for the job. Moreover, it would take all of them a month to
finish, but the lower-grades department was going to be opening in half that
time. In the end, everyone at the auction left, mumbling about how
unreasonable the college was being.
It had taken a long time for Taclyde and the rest of the faculty at the
college to scrape together their funds. And now there wasn't enough time.
"Maybe it's impossible..." Taclyde sighed. Then he saw that one person
was still there—Flio, participating in the auction as a representative of the
Fli-o'-Rys General Store. "Oh, Mister Flio! Now, you don't need to feel
obligated just because your children are starting at our school this
spring...and I understand a hundred times over that financially and
logistically this is basically impossible, but..."
"Oh, no problem!" Flio said. "We'd be happy to take you up on your
offer."
◇ ◇ ◇
"And you're fine with our plans for the renovations?" Flio asked.
"Yes, of course!" Taclyde said. "Our headmaster approved them. But...
Now, I hope this isn't rude of me to ask, but how long will this take? There
are a number of students among the incoming lower-grade classes that will
need to stay in the dormitories. I would hope you could at least get those
floors done as quickly as possible..." He winced apologetically.
Flio just had on his usual easygoing smile. "It'll just take a minute," he
said.
"What? A minute? Oh! You mean a month..."
"No, I mean a minute." Flio headed outside the building and turned to
face it, raising both his hands. A grand magic circle appeared. He began to
chant quietly, and the circle shone brightly and began to revolve.
"I-Incredible!" Taclyde was astounded. "I've been at this college a long
time, but I've never seen a magic circle that made me tingle like that!"
Then, an array of rough-hewn logs flew out of the magic circle and floated
through the air. Taclyde couldn't believe what he was seeing. "Wh-What?!"
Flio pointed casually with his finger, and the logs split, assembling
themselves into neat planks. Meanwhile, the old school store also
disassembled and started to float. The furniture and sundries that were once
inside hung silently in the air.
"That should do it for the demolition," Flio said. "And now we get to
building." He began to make fine movements with his fingers. The lumber
he had produced assembled in the empty space where the old school store
had been. Responding to Flio's gestures, materials piled up here, combined
there, or drove themselves into the earth. All sorts of things were happening
at an astonishing speed.
"I can hardly believe this...!" Taclyde watched in awe as Flio finally
lowered his hands.
"All right," Flio said, resting his chin in his hand. "That should do it."
Taclyde was immobilized with shock. In front of him stood a brand-new
three-story building. It took him a moment to come back to himself. "WhWh-What?! It's finished?!"
"I still need to make some small adjustments," Flio said, walking
towards the entrance. "And give it a once-over, just to be safe."
"O-Oh!" said Taclyde, hurrying after him. "I see..."
◇ ◇ ◇
The furniture that had been in the building before was already on the
first floor where the new shop was going to be. "The chairs and tables look
okay, so I decided to use them as is," Flio said. "Don't hesitate to ask if you
need any other furniture. I'll happily build it for you on the spot." He was
completely nonchalant.
Taclyde was still stupefied. "Amazing... You built such a large building
in no time at all! And it's so well made too! I've never heard of magic like
that before..."
"You haven't?" Flio asked, his smile stiffening. Did I overdo it? he
wondered. If I stand out too much, it might cause trouble for Garyl and
Elinàsze... "May I ask a favor, Mister Taclyde?"
"Y-Yes! What is it?"
"Could you keep what I just did here between us? People don't need to
know that I built the building on my own. It was a job for the Fli-o'-Rys
General Store, after all. I wouldn't want too many people talking about me
personally, you understand."
"I see..." Taclyde said. He thought he understood what Flio was
thinking. "Right, and your children will be using this building as well. You
must be worried about them. All right!" He flashed a thumbs-up. "I'll tell
the parents that all of the store's magic users came to set it up."
"Thank you." Flio breathed a sigh of relief. "That'd be a big help."
◇ ◇ ◇
Flio and Taclyde continued their inspection of the building, interior and
exterior. Everything was as it had appeared in the plans Flio had presented
Taclyde earlier. Not a thing was out of place.
"Thank you so much, Mister Flio," Taclyde said. "I was worried we
wouldn't be able to open our lower-grades department!"
"Anything for the children," Flio said, smiling casually. "I'm just happy
I could help." Then something struck him. "Oh, I almost forgot to ask. I
heard from Belano that some of her students in the upper-grades department
are looking for work."
"Yes, that's right," Taclyde said. "Many people with magical aptitude
study here to find jobs related to magic. We have a number of skilled
faculty for such a rural school. Why?"
"This is just a thought, but perhaps we could hire some of your adult
students for part-time work during the day while the lower-grade classes are
in session. From what I've heard, the adult classes start in the evening. The
daytime is when our store gets busy, and we've been looking for more
staff..."
Taclyde smiled. "Oh! That would be wonderful! From what I've heard,
you run a good business. I'd be happy to recommend you to my students."
"Thank you so much! I really appreciate it."
"I've been worried about all those students looking for work! I'll let you
know if anyone bites."
"All right. I'll leave it to you, then."
The two smiled and shared a firm handshake, and the construction was
complete.
◇One Week Later—Flio's House◇
It was the night before the Houghtow College of Magic lower grades'
opening ceremony, and Flio and Rys were in their children's room. It had
once been Wyne's private room, but she had insisted on sharing. "I wanna
be with Gare-Gare and Eli-Eli! I wanna! I wanna!"
The twins had agreed.
"I would like to share a room with Wyne," Elinàsze had said.
"Me too!" Garyl had said.
And so, the room now belonged to all three.
"H-Hey, mom..." Garyl sulked. "Do I really gotta wear this
tomorrow...?"
Rys's mood was the complete opposite of her son's—she had an
enormous self-satisfied smile on her face. "That's right, Garyl! You're
going to look absolutely precious! I've really outdone myself this time!"
Garyl's clothes were absurd. His shirt had a high collar towering above
his head with thick armored pauldrons covering the shoulders. The hem of
his pants was preposterously wide. The color scheme was black and purple,
and the whole thing exuded a powerful magic energy.
"Hrm..." said Ghozal. "Fine work, Rys! It looks just like the outfit
demon royals wear for our coming-of-age ceremony."
"Doesn't it?" Rys gushed, her smile growing even smugger. "I knew
you'd recognize it! You were the Dark One, after all! I studied everything I
could about how to make this while everyone else was asleep, all in
preparation for today! And I do believe I've succeeded!"
Balirossa looked confused. "Ser Uliminas..." she started. "What do you
make of that outfit?"
"Meowr." Uliminas cocked her neck. "She did an ameowzing job
recreating the traditional demon royal garb...but it's just a bit...I don't
know...meowld-fashioned?"
"Do you suppose," Balirossa wondered aloud, "when our own children
are born, they will have to wear...that?"
"Not in a mewllion years."
"Well..." Balirossa sighed. "That is a relief." The two nodded to each
other and shook hands with a knowing grin.
Rys, however, was angry. She stalked up to Uliminas and Balirossa.
"Excuse me!" she hissed. "How could you say such a thing in the presence
of the ultimate garb, steeped in tradition and infused with power?!" Gone
was her usual ladylike disposition. Her fangs were on full display.
Ghozal nodded in agreement. "That's right. It's a wonderful recreation!
I'd love to have my own children wear it."
This time it was Balirossa and Uliminas's turn to snap.
"Don't be ridiculous!" shouted Balirossa. "I would never allow our child
to wear such a thing!"
"Yeah!" agreed Uliminas. "The council of wives will never let mew get
away with this!"
"You're the ones being ridiculous!" Rys said. "How can you not
understand how splendid this outfit is?!"
"Yeah!" Ghozal cut in. "We gotta let the humans at the entrance
ceremony see how amazing it looks!"
The room had suddenly broken out in debate—Uliminas and Balirossa
on one side and Ghozal and Rys on the other—over what Garyl should wear
to the entrance ceremony. It looked like it was going to be some time before
they reached any kind of conclusion.
What am I supposed to do here? Flio wondered, when suddenly Wyne
pulled on his arm.
"Hey, dada?" she said.
"What is it, Wyne?"
"Why does Gare-Gare have to wear that ugly, ugly uniform?"
"What?! What did you say?!" Rys shouted.
"'U-Ugly'?!" Ghozal bellowed.
Garyl turned to face the two, grimacing. "Mom..." he said. "I know you
worked real hard on this...but I don't want to wear it."
"You...don't?" Rys said.
"What are you saying...?" added Ghozal. The two just stared wide-eyed
at the boy.
"But..." Garyl went on. "But I really like this belt." He pointed to the
belt, its buckle the shape of the lupine crest.
"Oh, your father made that for you," Rys said.
"I see!" said Garyl. "Thanks, dad! This one part is really cool!" He was
grinning ear to ear, completely unlike the sullen face he had been wearing
earlier.
Rys and Ghozal, however, seemed to have been rendered completely
immobile.
◇The Following Morning—Flio's Living Room◇
"Well? What do you think?" Elinàsze did a twirl, making the frilly white
skirt of her outfit spin. "Does it suit me?"
Hiya touched their hands to their cheeks. "Splendid," they said. "You
look lovely, O daughter of the Exalted One."
"It's adorable, Miss Elinàsze," said Damalynas.
"Thank you, Mx. Hiya, Miss Damalynas!" Elinàsze curtsied. Just then,
Flio made his way down the stairs. "Papa! Look at my outfit!" She ran up to
her father, eyes shining. She was so delighted that the jewel on her forehead
gleamed with light.
"She truly is splendid," Hiya said. "I would not think her to be a being
of this world..."
"I know, right?" Damalynas agreed. "That smile! It's entirely too cute!"
The pair watched with adoring faces, their hands on their cheeks.
"Look, papa! Aren't I cute?" Elinàsze asked.
Flio scooped his daughter up and smiled, holding her tight. "Very cute,
Elinàsze," he said.
"Thank you, papa!" she said. "Mama made this for me."
"Rys did?"
"Yes!" Elinàsze beamed.
Flio took another look at Elinàsze's outfit. It was white and had ribbons
and lace placed strategically to maximize the girl's cuteness. If she made
such a cute outfit for Elinàsze, Flio wondered, how did Garyl's end up like
that?!
◇ ◇ ◇
"Good morning, dad!" Garyl said, running down the stairs. He was
wearing an outfit very similar to the adventuring gear Flio liked to wear.
"Garyl, where did you get those clothes?" Flio asked. "I haven't seen
them before."
"Oh! Mom made them for me!"
"What? Rys did?" Flio looked up the stairs, where Rys stood, weary on
her feet. She had dark circles under her eyes.
"I... I did it, my lord husband," she said. "I made clothes Garyl liked in
only one night... Hee hee..."
"R-Rys..." Flio said. "You didn't have to..."
"No, my lord husband. For the sake of my adorable children, I must.
This is the least I can do." As tired as Rys looked, she was smiling.
Flio held his wife gently and healed her fatigue with recovery magic.
"Thank you, Rys," Flio said. "I really appreciate all your hard work."
Rys smiled blissfully in the arms of her husband. The healing magic felt
so good, and before she knew it, she was asleep standing up, leaning against
Flio's chest.
We have some time before we need to go to the school, Flio thought.
There's no harm in letting her sleep a bit... He picked her up and carried her
princess-style to her chair in the living room.
◇Later, at the Houghtow College of Magic◇
A great throng of people had already gathered for the lower-grades
entrance ceremony. The new department had plans to teach not only magic,
but a curriculum of elementary education as well, including reading and
arithmetic. Schools specializing in this sort of education were common in
larger cities close to Klyrode Castle, but Houghtow City was far enough
away from the capital for this to be somewhat rare. Thus, many families
wanted to send their children to be educated here.
Among the crowd who had come to the lecture hall for the ceremony
was a particular young girl. She was small, dressed in a black gothic lolita
dress, and holding a large plush black cat under her arm. Alongside her was
another girl, who seemed to be her older sister. She was wearing glasses
over her youthful face and, in contrast to her sister, a white gothic lolita
dress.
The girl in black turned her plush cat to face her sister. Its mouth opened
and closed as the girl's voice came out—her own mouth didn't move at all.
"Irystiel can manage on her own, darling Belianna."
Her older sister—Belianna—tisked with irritation. Despite her
saccharine appearance, she seemed to be in a bad mood. "Irystiel," she said,
"would you cut it out with the damned ventriloquist act?"
"It isn't ventriloquism!" Irystiel's plush cat insisted. "I keep telling you:
Kitty speaks with the voice of Irystiel's heart!" Apparently, she was going
to keep using a proxy to speak.
Belianna clicked her tongue and leaned forward to whisper into Irystiel's
ear. "Are you sure you'll be all right in this damned human school?" she
asked. "I may have a different mother from you, but our father is the same,
and all our parents are dead and gone anyway. All we have in this damned
world is each other. I'm seriously worried about you, Irystiel."
Yes! This was indeed the Belianna who aspired to the Infernal Four! Her
sister Irystiel was related to her through her father, but while Belianna was a
full devil, Irystiel's mother was a human woman. Under law, those with
human blood were not to reside within territory controlled by the Dark
Army. That was why she was looking after her here, in this provincial
human city. She was in her human form, so nobody noticed her presence.
Irystiel listened, and then pushed her plush cat in front of Belianna's
face to speak. "Everything will be okay, sister. There is a dormitory for us
to live in, and the school will be there to look after us if something were to
happen. So please, don't worry about us and just keep doing your best at
work." She pressed the cat's lips up against her sister's face with a
"smooch!"
"Y-You cut that out!" Belianna stammered, blushing. "A-Anyway, I'll be
back in a damned minute. Your big sis has to head to the guardians'
seating."
As Belianna marched off, Irystiel took one of the plush cat's arms in her
own hand, waving it bye-bye.
◇ ◇ ◇
Salina, a human girl, was lined up with all the other new students here
for the entrance ceremony. She sighed. How droll... she thought. Why must I
attend such a school in the middle of nowhere like this? She looked around
at her prospective classmates. Everyone here is a child too... With such
young peers, there's simply no way this will amount to anything more than a
years-long waste of time. My grand scheme to woo some noble heir and
snag a husband has been thwarted before it could even begin! Oh, how I
had been looking forward to a whirlwind romance...
She sighed again as she slowly took her seat. In front of her, a smallbodied woman who seemed to be a teacher was directing the children here
and there.
If only there were some handsome youth here with a gentle smile and
prospects for his future! But alas, in this provincial school, there could
never be such a—
Salina stopped dead in her tracks. The boy the small teacher was
currently directing had caught her eye. Or more accurately, she couldn't
take her eyes off him. Her heart began to beat faster. Blush crept into her
cheeks as she stared agape.
I can sense his future prospects from here! she thought. His smile is
practically blinding! He's perfect!
Looking all around, the handsome boy made his way over to the seat
next to hers. "Found it! Here's my seat!" he said, plopping himself down.
Salina's brain was screaming at her. Pretty boy alert! There's a pretty
boy right next to me!!!
The boy turned to look at her, and she met his gaze. He smiled—oh so
gently—and held out his hand for her to shake. "I'm Garyl!" he said. "Nice
to meetcha!"
"S-Salina..." she mumbled, her face bright red as she squeezed Garyl's
hand. "I-It's nice to meet you too..." O-O-Oh no, my heart's beating too
loudly! I can barely speak! I must be acting like a complete weirdo! She
was starting to foam at the mouth.
"Hi, Salina!" Garyl said. "I guess we're gonna be in the same class!"
Wha?! Salina stared at him, captivated by his cheerful voice and his
impossibly bright smile. Her heart felt like it was going to burst out from
her chest. This must be it! she thought. Destiny at work! Surely, I was born
to meet this boy! I just know it! Lord...Garyl, was it? I shall devote my
whole life to you!
◇ ◇ ◇
Sitting ahead of Garyl in the front row was his sister Elinàsze. With her
chestnut hair done up adorably with orange ribbons, her cuteness was leaps
and bounds ahead of the rest. Her classmates, boys and girls alike, found
their gazes unconsciously drawn to her, unable to look away. It was a
curious sight, and the guardians were beginning to take notice.
Flio, who was sitting with the other guardians, grimaced. Oh no... he
thought. I knew Elinàsze was cute, but I didn't think she would be this much
of a distraction for her classmates! He turned to where Rys was sitting
beside him.
Rys was not wearing her usual white dress, but a different dress with
long slits exposing her cleavage and her back. She was wearing heavier
makeup than usual too, with deep eye shadow accentuating her almond
eyes. She was beautiful enough that even Flio, who got to spend every day
with her, felt his heart skip a beat. Strange... he thought. We came here
together! Why would I be so suddenly taken by her now?
For her part, Rys's attention was fixed intently on their children. As for
Flio, he felt his face growing pink as he looked at her.
◇ ◇ ◇
Before long, the entrance ceremony had begun. The headmaster, a
somewhat heavyset woman with neat hair and a well-tailored outfit, made
the introductions. "Hello, everyone, and welcome to our new lower-grades
school! I am Blanquette, the headmaster of this institution..."
Blanquette went on to introduce the head teachers. The student body
was divided into three classes, with twenty students per class for a total of
sixty. Elinàsze and Garyl were in Class A, taught by Belano.
Belano ascended the stage to introduce herself. "H-H-H-H-Hi..." she
stammered. "M-My name is Belano. L-L-Let's all g-get a— GACK!!!"
Belano had always been shy, and on top of that, she was being watched
by a huge crowd of students and their families. Her stuttering had gotten so
bad that she had chomped down hard on her tongue, loudly enough for the
entire lecture hall to hear. She hastily bowed and lowered her head, and
everyone in the hall gave her a round of fond applause.
Finally, Taclyde delivered a message from the administration regarding
the new school store and dormitory. Those who wished to lodge in the dorm
should go to the administrative office along with their guardian once the
individual classes' first homeroom had been concluded. It was really a
message for the guardians more than the students.
"And finally," Taclyde continued, "I would like to thank everyone at the
Fli-o'-Rys General Store for their work building our new dormitories and
for their agreement to help run our school store from now on. They worked
hard to make sure everything was ready in time for the entrance ceremony. I
believe the children of the store's proprietor will be starting school
themselves this semester. If I'm not mistaken, he's sitting with the other
guardians right now! Let's have a round of applause for Mister Flio!"
The crowd dutifully began to clap, but Flio was sitting in his chair with
his head down.
"Perhaps you should stand, my lord husband?" Rys said.
With his wife's encouragement, Flio took to his feet. "Ah... Thank
you...!" he said, bowing all around. "Thank you very much!"
◇Houghtow City—The Fli-o'-Rys General Store◇
While the Houghtow College of Magic was holding its entrance
ceremony, Balirossa was back at the store, muttering to herself as she
stocked the shelves. "I suppose little Elinàsze and Garyl are at the entrance
ceremony right now..."
Uliminas leaned in to whisper in Balirossa's ear. "Are mew jealous
too?" she asked. "Ah... I can't wait until it's meowr kittens going off to
school..."
"I-I suppose," Balirossa said. "In truth, I was thinking the same thing..."
The two turned their gazes towards the store entrance, where Ghozal
was standing on guard duty. Even as a guard, Ghozal's physique was
imposing enough to frighten customers, so they kept his presence hidden
with magic. On the rare occasion they had trouble with a customer, he
would lower the magic and sternly say, "Hrm. What do you think you're
doing?"
That was all it took to settle problem customers. Rumors had spread all
throughout Houghtow that if you tried to rob or start a scene in the Fli-o'-
Rys General Store, an enormous man would appear out of nowhere and
catch you. It had been a long time since anyone had tried anything, but
Ghozal was always there, watching with his keen eyes.
Ghozal noticed Balirossa and Uliminas staring at him. "Hrm?" he said,
dispelling his Concealment spell and walking up to them. "Is something
wrong?"
The two hadn't been expecting Ghozal's sudden appearance. They both
began to blush.
"Well, not exactly..." said Balirossa. I can't tell him I want a child in the
middle of work!
"It's mewre like there's something we want..." said Uliminas. Don't
make me say it!
Ghozal looked between his two mumbling wives. "Hrm? What's the
matter? Staring at me like that and mumbling to yourselves... What's gotten
into you two today?"
"Oh," said Balirossa. "I do wish you would think a little, Sir Ghozal..."
"Fur sure..." said Uliminas. "Mew're such a blockhead sometimes!"
"Hrm? I don't get it. Can you tell me what this is about?" He cocked his
head, more uncertain than ever what the blushing women in front of him
were on about.
◇Houghtow College of Magic—A Hallway◇
After the entrance ceremony, the homeroom teachers led the students to
their classrooms, guardians following along behind. Huh... Belianna
thought as she watched Flio from behind as they walked. So that's the
damned proprietor of the store that built the dormitory... Her sister Irystiel
was in Class A, along with Flio's children. Irystiel wouldn't be able to go to
school safely like this if it weren't for that damned dormitory. I suppose I
damned well ought to thank him...
But as soon as she thought about approaching him, her body went stiff.
It almost felt like fear. Wh-What is this damned feeling? she thought. Am
I...afraid? Her body shaking, she looked around to see the woman next to
Flio glaring at her with a look of murderous hostility. O-Oh, come on, she
chided herself. Am I letting this damned woman get under my skin? She
tried to steel herself but simply couldn't stop her body from shaking.
"Rys, what's wrong?" Flio asked, noticing her behavior.
Rys finally turned her gaze away from Belianna to look at her husband.
"Oh..." she said. "Nothing of any note." But she brought her lips up close to
whisper in Flio's ear. "A demon woman in human form was looking at you,
my lord husband. I suppose it put me a little on guard..."
"Ah!" Flio exclaimed just loudly enough for only Rys to hear him. "I
don't think there's any need to worry about her. She seems like a kind
person who loves her little sister." He gave her one of his carefree smiles.
"Oh? You know of her, my lord husband?"
"Yes. Well, I've met her once. Or, rather, the Wolf of Justice did. I don't
think she's noticed who I am..."
"The Wolf of Justice..." Rys muttered. "Th-Then...is she, perhaps, the
woman from the hot springs...?"
The two kept on talking as the group made their way to the classroom.
Meanwhile, behind them, Belianna heaved a powerful sigh. Rys's killer
glare had left her whole body drenched in cold sweat, and she was still
shaking slightly. That woman is something else... she thought. She looks like
a normal damned demihuman, but that bloodlust...! Damn! I need more
training...
Belianna smacked her own cheeks and tried to refocus.
◇Houghtow College of Magic—Class A◇
The students reached their classroom and sat down at their brand-new
desks. They had been assigned seats to start out with based on the order of
height, putting little Elinàsze in the front row, and Garyl, who was tall for a
humanoid child, all the way in the back.
The guardians watched from the back of the room. Flio and Rys found
themselves right behind Garyl. "And I thought our Garyl had gotten big..."
Flio marveled as he looked around. "I suppose the children of different
species come in all different sizes!"
Next to Garyl was a rukh—a great bird, large even by the standards of
demihumans. Garyl was a whole head taller than the next tallest humanoid
student in the class, but the rukh was another head taller still.
"It's no surprise," Rys said. "An adult rukh or giant could be ten feet or
taller! Look—some of the children's guardians are too big to fit in the
classroom. They have to watch through the window!"
Rys pointed out the window, where, just as she said, a number of giants
and rukhs were watching the proceedings. The classroom was on the second
floor, so they could just stand up straight and look in.
Flio smiled looking at the happy faces of the large-bodied guardians
outside, but suddenly a worried look crossed his face. Hm? he thought.
Behind that rukh parent... Is that...? He looked and saw...
"Wyne..." A small girl's head was poking out, peering into the
classroom. "So you came after all..." Flio smirked.
Earlier that day, Wyne had had a conniption. "No faaair!" she wailed. "I
wanna go to Gare-Gare and Eli-Eli's ceremony!"
"Wyne," Flio explained, over and over again, "I'm really sorry. The
school only has enough room for two people from each family. They can't
make an exception for everyone."
Finally, Wyne had relented and agreed to stay home—although she
didn't stop pouting. "Hmph. Fine, fine. I'll just go play with Sy-Sy, then..."
Yet here she was, her wyvern wings poking out behind a rukh's back as
she skillfully kept herself hovering in their shadow. She was watching
Elinàsze and Garyl with a look of joy on her face.
"Oh, that Wyne..." Rys noticed Wyne's presence not long after Flio had.
She covered her mouth with her hand. "What should we do, my lord
husband?"
"Hmm..." Flio thought. "She's just watching, I suppose. As long as she
doesn't make any trouble, I'd just as soon pretend I didn't see her."
"Very well." Rys smirked and nodded.
For her part, Wyne seemed to think she had gotten away unnoticed. She
kept on watching, poking her head out from her hiding spot again and
again.
◇ ◇ ◇
After everyone's introductions were finished, the faculty and guardians
went together to another room, leaving the students alone in the classroom.
A girl walked up to Garyl. "Excuse me...my lord?" It was Salina, who had
sat next to him during the opening ceremony.
"Oh, Salina!" Garyl exclaimed. "What's up?"
"Oh! It's just...how to put it..." Salina began to turn red, pressing her
cheeks with her hands as she smiled bashfully. "I thought, perhaps, it would
be nice to talk about our plans together..."
"Huh?" Garyl was confused. "What do you mean, our plans together?"
"Well... I figured we could start as friends," she said, choosing her
words very deliberately. "And then..." Her blush grew deeper.
"Hey, Salina!" a boy butted in suddenly. "Whatcha talkin' about with
this weirdo here?"
Salina glanced at the boy. Her warm smile vanished, replaced instantly
with a look of utter revulsion. "Sadjitta," she spat, "you are interrupting my
pleasant conversation with Lord Garyl. Go away." She made a shooing
gesture with her hand.
"Hey!" Sadjitta shot back. "You don't gotta be so mean! I'm your
fiancé!"
"Excuse me?!" Salina said. "How dare you bring up that ridiculous
promise our parents made, just because they get along with each other. I'll
have you know that I don't like you one bit!"
"Wh-What?!"
"You heard me!"
The two pressed their heads close to each other, glaring daggers. For a
while, Garyl didn't know what to do. But then he flashed a great big smile.
"You two seem like you really get along!" he said. "This must be what my
dad meant when he told me about lovers' quarrels!"
"N-No!" Sadjitta said, blushing. "W-Well, maybe..."
Salina, on the other hand, was firm in her denial. "My lord, please! You
mustn't misunderstand! I truly do hate Sadjitta! Please don't say such things
about us!"
"What are you saying, Salina...?" Sadjitta moaned. "What's so great
about this boy, anyway?"
"Well, to begin with, he's tall! And he's handsome, and his smile is so
lovely... I looked over every boy in the entrance ceremony to try to find one
I might like to marry, and it simply must be my lord Garyl!"
"N-No way..." said Sadjitta. "How could you say that to my face...?" He
ran his fingers through his hair, trying to look unaffected. But his tortured
expression was plain to see.
Garyl stepped in the middle before the two could start tearing each
other's faces off. "Hey, hey," he said. "Let's play nice, okay? We're here to
learn, right? As classmates?"
"Oh, well..." Salina stepped down. "If you say so, my lord..." Ahhh! she
rhapsodized internally. Lord Garyl's illustrious face is so close to mine! I
could just faint!
Salina... Sadjitta puffed out his cheeks. You're losing it just 'cause this
boy's in your face, aren't you...? "I'll step down this time, Garyl..." he said.
"But remember this—I won't let you have Salina!" He pointed menacingly.
"Okay!" said Garyl, grinning as bright as always. He took the hand
Sadjitta had pointed at him and shook it, half by force. "It's nice to meetcha,
Sadjitta!"
"This is all out of whack..." Sadjitta muttered as he returned to his seat,
impromptu handshake concluded.
Then, Elinàsze walked up to Garyl, standing right in the spot Sadjitta
had just left. "What were you and Sadjitta talking about, Garyl?" she asked.
"Huh?" Garyl said. "Oh, just, you know. I was just saying it would be
nice to be friends!"
"Oh," Elinàsze said with a smile. "That's nice."
"No!" said Sadjitta, suddenly reappearing. "I was saying that I wasn't
going to lose to you! Not at classes, not at sports, and not at magic!" And
then... he thought, Salina will love me! He was burning up with passion!
But Garyl just kept grinning. "Yeah!" he said. "I'm gonna do my best
too! Let's give it our all!" He took Sadjitta's hand again and shook it more
forcefully this time.
"N-No! I— Wait!" Sadjitta stuttered. Garyl had thrown him completely
off his groove. "How come you're such a weirdo...?"
Elinàsze interrupted his train of thought, popping out in front of his face.
"Hello, Sadjitta!" she said. "I'm Garyl's older twin sister, Elinàsze. I do
hope you get along with my little brother."
Wh-Whoa... Sadjitta thought. She's c-cute... "O-Oh!" he said aloud,
avoiding Elinàsze's gaze as he spoke. "Y-Yes! We're classmates, after all..."
The others in the class were gossiping as they watched the scene unfold.
"Ha ha! Salina's 'fiancé' is lookin' at Elinàsze's face and blushing!"
"What a skirt-chaser..."
"Sh-Shut up..." Sadjitta muttered darkly as he returned to his own seat.
"Who cares..."
"Garyl," said Elinàsze, "make sure you get along well with Sadjitta."
"Okay!" Garyl cheerfully responded. "I will!"
Garyl and Elinàsze seemed to have caught the eye of the class. Before
long, they were surrounded by other students.
"Hey, Garyl!" said one. "I'm Reptor, a lizardfolk! Nice to meetcha!"
"H-Hello, Elinàsze..." said another. "My name is Leina Raina. W-Would
you like to be friends?"
The two greeted all their classmates with a smile and an "It's nice to
meet you!" or a "How do you do?" Before long, everyone was engaged in
lively conversation.
Irystiel was sitting in the front row—a ways apart from the chattering
circle of kids. She was gazing vacantly out into the hallway, not making any
movement to join the conversation, her big black plush cat held tight to her
chest.
"Hey," someone said from behind her. "That's a cute plush!"
Irystiel whipped around in surprise to see Garyl. She covered her face
with the plush cat. "Is there something you need?" she asked, speaking
through the cat as always.
As a half-devil, Irystiel had been treated coldly by others since she was
very young. Her ventriloquism was something she had adopted as a form of
self-protection. She used her black plush cat to speak in her place so that
she herself would not have to be hurt by unkind words. But this had only
led other children to call her strange and distance themselves from her.
Nobody ever wanted to play along.
"Wow!" Garyl gushed. "It even talks! That's so cool!"
Irystiel peeked out from behind the plush to see the boy's beaming
smile. "Do you think I'm strange?" the plush asked.
"Strange? Not really. My sister has a huge stuffed animal at home!"
"Garyl!" Elinàsze ran up, turning pink. "You promised to keep that a
secret!"
"Oh...oops! That's right!" Garyl stuck his tongue out at his sister.
"Ehe hee..." Irystiel giggled, with her own voice this time. Noticing she
had let her voice slip, she clapped a hand over her mouth. What was that?
she thought. I just laughed without using Kitty!
Garyl turned back to Irystiel. "So..." he said, grinning. "I just thought,
since we're classmates and all...do you wanna join in with everyone? Your
kitty can come too!"
Irystiel slowly poked her head out from behind the plush. It took her a
long time to say anything, but finally she found the words. "Irystiel says
she'll talk if you're sure you really want to..." the plush said. She slowly
stood up from her seat.
"Okay! Great to have you!" said Garyl.
Irystiel poked her head out again. It was obvious to everyone that a
blush was creeping in under her pale skin.
◇ ◇ ◇
Belano, the homeroom teacher, returned to the classroom to hand out
their schedules for the next day of school and some simple rules, and
finished class for the day. Garyl and Elinàsze left the classroom to where
the guardians for Class A were waiting in the hallway.
"Dad! Mom!" said Garyl, running up as he spotted Flio and Rys in the
crowd.
"Papa! Mama!" said Elinàsze as she ran after, smiling.
Flio gave them both a big hug. "Great job today, both of you. I suppose
it's time to go home now. Are you ready to head back?"
"Yeah!" both twins cried.
All around them, their classmates were meeting up with their respective
guardians. Many of them said goodbye to the two on their way out.
"Catch ya later, Garyl!"
"See you tomorrow, Elinàsze!"
The two said their goodbyes and their see-you-laters as Flio watched
happily. "It looks like you made lots of friends already," he said.
"Yeah!" said Garyl. "It was lots of fun!"
"Yes," Elinàsze agreed. "I had a wonderful time."
"Why don't you tell me all about your new friends on the way home?"
Flio proposed.
"Sure, okay!" said Garyl.
"I'd love to, papa!" said Elinàsze.
The four of them, including Rys, held hands merrily all the way home.
◇A Room in the Dormitory◇
After school, the students staying at the dormitory had another short
meeting in the newly built dormitory building itself, where they were
assigned their rooms.
"Now, let's see..." said Taclyde. "Miss Irystiel's room is number 306."
He led Irystiel to her room as she clutched her plush cat close. The students
at the dormitory only had a single room each, but at least the individual
rooms were fairly big. They had a high bed with a writing desk in the space
beneath that the students could use for studying. There was a closet in each
room too for storing the students' personal belongings.
"What about the damned food?" Belianna asked.
"The store on the first floor serves three meals a day," said Taclyde.
"Please let the staff know by noon the day before if you're going to be
eating out or returning home on your days off."
"All right then," Belianna responded, nodding her head.
Meanwhile, Irystiel was glancing all over the room, occasionally
nodding to herself as she checked everywhere, up and down. Then, she
jogged up to Taclyde and Belianna and held her plush cat in front of her
face to speak. "Irystiel says she likes this room."
Taclyde smiled. "I see!" he said. "Glad to hear it!" His explanation
finished, Taclyde moved on to help the next student into their room next
door.
Now alone in the room together, Belianna brought her face right up
close to Irystiel's. "Say, Irystiel..." she said. "Are you sure about using the
plush to speak? Isn't that going to make it damned hard to make friends
with your classmates?"
But Irystiel shook her head and held the cat in front of Belianna's face.
"It won't be a problem," it said. "We made a friend. He said our plush was
cute." She fondly remembered Garyl's kind smile.
"Well, I'll be damned!" Belianna smiled happily. "Damned lucky there
was such a weirdo in the class. I never thought I'd hear you say you made a
friend, Irystiel."
Friend.
Irystiel had said that word without thinking. She didn't realize until her
sister echoed it back to her. Embarrassed, she hid her face behind her plush
and blushed red.
◇Houghtow City—Main Street◇
A carriage clattered along the main street of Houghtow City, carrying
Salina along. Sitting across from her was the head maid, who had come to
the entrance ceremony today to serve as her guardian. Salina's parents were
some of the most influential merchants in Houghtow. They had done
business with Klyrode Castle for many years, and Salina was accustomed to
receiving special treatment wherever she went as if she were nobility
herself.
But it wasn't all sunshine and roses. Her parents' work took them all
over the kingdom and kept them horribly busy. They had left the task of
raising their daughter mainly to their head maid.
"Milady," the maid said, "your lord father sent you a message of
congratulations."
"I see!" Salina said, smiling. "I'll look at it when we get home."
The head maid smiled back, pleased to see Salina in a good mood. "Did
you have a good day at school, milady?" she asked.
"Yes, I had a wonderful day!" Salina said. "How could you tell?" She
tilted her head in curiosity.
"Come now," said the maid. "I've known you since you were thiiis little,
milady." She gestured with her hands. "But it has been a long time since
I've seen you in such high spirits."
"Hm..." Salina considered, smiling as she looked out the window. "Yes,
I suppose you're right." Lord Garyl... she thought. Ah, the wheels of fate
have finally begun to turn...
Oh dear, the head maid thought. Milady Salina is head over heels again,
isn't she? I wonder who it is this time... One of her teachers? A classmate of
hers? No, probably not that. She's far too precocious to fall for a boy her
own age...
◇Flio's House—Evening◇
"We're home!" Flio announced as he led the group back into the house.
Sybe, in its unicorn rabbit form, came snuffling up and jumped into Flio's
arms. "Good to see you, Sybe," Flio said, petting it gently on the head.
"Thank you for holding down the fort." Sybe looked blissfully happy.
"Dada! Mama! Eli-Eli! Gare-Gare! Welcome home!" Wyne came
thundering down the stairs, a big smile on her face. "Ah!" she exclaimed
when she saw Flio praising Sybe. "Me too, dada! I was a good girl and held
down the fort too! Pick me up too! Praise me! Praise me!" She ran up in
front of him and spread her arms wide.
Flio and Rys couldn't help smirking at those words. "That Wyne..." Rys
whispered. "She thinks she got away with it."
"Well, she must have been worried about her brother and sister," said
Flio. "Perhaps we can let it slide this time."
"Dada!" Wyne repeated. "Pick me up! Me too!"
"Okay, okay," Flio said, putting down Sybe and spreading his arms
wide. "Go ahead, Wyne."
"Yay!" Wyne beamed and jumped into Flio's arms. "I love you, dada!"
She draped her arms around his shoulders and quivered as she rubbed her
cheeks against his. Flio pet her fondly on the head.
"Papa, I want a turn!" said Elinàsze. "I would like to be picked up too,
please!"
Flio turned towards Elinàsze with his usual easygoing expression. "Of
course, Elinàsze," he said. "After Wyne's had her turn."
"All right, papa..." Elinàsze said. "Please do hurry up, Wyne!"
"Aha ha!" Wyne laughed. "More! More!"
Garyl, Rys, and Sybe watched on merrily as the two girls clamored over
their father.