“Mmrrgh!”
As Jacqueline stretched vigorously, sunlight streaming in through the window slipped diagonally down her outstretched arms.
Morning had come.
“Oof, my whole body aches…”
It looked like she had fallen asleep at her desk rather than in bed, having studied until dawn.
Just one day remained before finals began.
Her desk was piled high with textbooks and notebooks. Jacqueline began sorting them, placing each one back into the bookshelf.
When she was done, there was one book on the left and eight on the right.
The ones on the right were the materials she had already reviewed.
A satisfied smile spread across Jacqueline’s face.
Her preparation was going smoothly.
“That aside… why do my shoulders ache so much today?”
Throwing open the dormitory window, Jacqueline started stretching.
She began by loosening her arms and legs, then placed her hands on her waist and leaned her upper body backward, only to suddenly lose balance in surprise.
She had locked eyes with Rita, who was looking right at her.
From an upside-down perspective, no less.
Rubbing her sleepy eyes, Rita spoke.
“You’re surprisingly flexible.”
“Y-You’re up early.”
“Just woke up. Because of your groaning.”
“Sorry…”
“It’s fine. Good timing, actually. I fell asleep without memorizing all the magical symbols last night.”
With that, Rita pulled a thick book out from under her pillow and began reading.
Jacqueline said, half in awe,
“No wonder you’re always second in the class.”
“This time, I’m aiming for first.”
The top scorer last time had been Shannon.
And Rita was one of the few first-years with enough competitive fire to challenge Shannon head-on.
“You got a perfect score on the written exam, right? And Shannon aced the practical.”
“Honestly, Shannon probably knows way more than I do. But I heard she lost a bunch of points on problems that needed detailed solutions. She only wrote the answers. Said she didn’t realize she had to show her work.”
“Shannon, as expected… Do you really think you can beat her?”
“I’m aiming for another perfect score on the written exam, and if luck’s on my side for the practical, it just might be possible. Shannon’s been acting a bit strange lately.”
“Strange? How so?”
“Let’s wash up first.”
After freshening up and grabbing a bite to eat, the two decided to make some hot tea in the lounge.
Since lighting fires indoors was against the dormitory rules, Jacqueline had to boil the water outside and pass the kettle through the window.
“Oh, that reminds me. When I said I was making tea this morning, Christopher seemed jealous. Said it’s something only mages can do.”
“Christopher? That guy from the Knight Department you’re friends with?”
“Yeah, he’s the class rep for Group A.”
“The Knight Department dorms are far from the kitchens, so it’s hard for them to get hot water. I heard some even have to take cold showers in winter.”
“That sounds rough.”
“Sometimes, they pay Magic Department students to boil water for them.”
“Really? How much do they pay?”
“There are a lot of students over there. When a bunch of them chip in, it adds up nicely.”
“Hmm, maybe I should try it too.”
As they sipped the steaming tea and chatted, shaking off the fatigue from their late-night study session, Shannon arrived at the lounge.
And just then, Jacqueline finally understood what Rita had meant earlier when she said,
“Shannon’s been acting strange lately.”
“Shannon, you’re up early today.”
“Mhmm.”
“You still look sleepy. Want some tea?”
“Mhmm.”
“The weather’s so nice… maybe we should ditch studying and go on a picnic instead.”
“…Mhmm.”
No matter what they said, Shannon kept replying with the same flat answer.
Lately, she seemed a little spaced out.
Even in the middle of conversations, her mind often seemed elsewhere.
It had started after she received the return order from Karaf.
Jacqueline glanced at Rita, who just shrugged.
“See? I told you she’s been acting weird.”
“Is she sick or something?”
“I don’t think so. But it feels like something’s bothering her…”
“Bothering her? I thought the Karaf situation was resolved safely thanks to Professor Winslet. Is there something still unresolved?”
“No, but from my experience, that look usually means one thing….it’s guy trouble.”
“…What?”
“Like… maybe she’s got a crush on someone.”
“No way! Absolutely not! Who the hell dares lay a finger on our Shannon…? Get in line first!”
Jacqueline growled as she whipped her head around in all directions.
She looked like a guard dog chasing off an intruder, and Rita couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Well, you’ve got to admit…. it’s not all that surprising. We’ve got hundreds of guys and girls at the peak of their youth all living in the same building. Wouldn’t it be stranger if no feelings ever sparked?”
“But we’re on separate floors. And if you’re caught sneaking around at night, you get in trouble. It’s not like people can even go meet up.”
“Oh, Jacqueline… you sweet summer child. Did you really not know? Our academy has a rich and cultural tradition of lowering bedsheet ropes from dorm windows at night… Ahem. Maybe that’s a little advanced for you.”
Jacqueline shouted, her face filled with betrayal.
“Are you serious?! Everyone’s dating?!”
“Just among the first-years, I already know of a few couples. It’s not like school rules forbid dating or anything. What about you, Jacqueline? Don’t you want a boyfriend?”
“Hah! Of course not, I…”
Jacqueline scoffed indignantly, then answered with complete honesty.
“Of course I do.”
She just never had the chance, that’s all!
With a serious expression, Jacqueline added,
“I’m actively recruiting, by the way.”
“You’d be popular if you tried a little. You should put yourself out there more. Instead of just playing ball with those Knight Department guys all the time, try giving the boys a little look once in a while…”
“No, I swear, those guys are more into the ball than they are into me. They keep tackling me and stealing it away!”
“None of them ever asked to meet up outside practice?”
“Now that you mention it, Christopher did ask me out a few times. Said he’d show me some good food spots…”
“And?”
“It was delicious. We should go together sometime!”
“Jacqueline, please.”
“Ugh, I know what you’re thinking. But seriously, Christopher isn’t like that. We’re just close friends who can talk openly with each other.”
“He’s the class rep of the Knight Department, right? Probably really popular… and he spends his days off tagging along with just you. Don’t you think that means something—? No, never mind. Stay like this, Jacqueline. You wouldn’t be you otherwise.”
The way Rita nodded in mock pity made it clear she was teasing.
Annoyed, Jacqueline shot the question back.
“What about you, Rita?”
“I’m way too busy studying to even think about dating. I need good grades, I’ve got to keep up with my studies, and I have to get a job after all this. Who’s got time for romance?”
“You know the saying, right? ‘It’s the quiet cat that jumps on the stove first’.”
Rita lifted the corner of her lips into a sly little smile.
“At least, I’m not that cat. I mean, unless the guy’s insanely handsome, competent, and has a great personality… maybe then. Honestly, it’d probably take someone like Professor Winslet to even make me consider it.”
“Wait, what? Why are we bringing him up all of a sudden?”
“He’s handsome. And capable.”
Jacqueline scrunched up her face in disbelief.
“And his personality?”
“Well, even when you’re taking an exam, one strong subject can bring up your overall average. In that sense, Professor Winslet’s looks are like… a thousand out of a hundred?”
“You just said it was out of a hundred!”
“Let’s be real for a second. If Professor Winslet confessed to you, would you say yes or no? What’s your choice?”
Jacqueline went silent, clearly having lost the argument.
“…Let’s just go study.”
“Wow. I can’t believe you said that.”
A declaration of defeat if there ever was one.
Jacqueline grumbled under her breath.
“Still, Professor Winslet is kind of…”
Her thoughts drifted back to what had happened at the Bluefields port.
He’d saved her life from that monster. Even caught her midair when she fell… Her heart had raced in that moment without her even realizing it.
But then he just said she was heavy and tossed her onto the ground like a sack of potatoes. Jacqueline still held a grudge about that.
“Anyway, I prefer someone who’s actually nice to me over someone cold and distant.”
“Ooh, Jacqueline. You know men can be trained.”
“…You think some scary things sometimes, you know that?”
Jacqueline knew better than anyone by now that Rita wasn’t just the sweet, straight-A student she appeared to be.
“Alright, then how about this: sweet, caring Christopher… vs. Professor Winslet who is broke, 100,000 blanc in debt, and powerless.”
“Okay, that’s enough teasing already!”
“What was that? Did you just say Professor Winslet? Why are you talking about him?”
Suddenly, Shannon snapped out of her daze and jumped into the conversation.
A total disaster.
Everything was falling apart.
“Please, let’s just go study. The exams are right around the corner.”
The library was packed on Sunday.
There was never an empty seat by the popular windows.
Looking at the students who had claimed them, it was easy to see why.
Many of them looked like they hadn’t returned to the dorms in days, their appearance a bit ragged.
Since academy grades determined one’s job for the next half of their life, the higher the year, the more students treated studying like a life-or-death matter.
“Well, I guess I should try hard too.”
Jacqueline took out her study materials from her locker and sat down.
She hadn’t finished reviewing her elemental spells textbook, and she also had a set of expected questions for tomorrow’s History of Magic exam.
Farming and studying had a surprising number of things in common. Especially the fact that you reap what you sow.
Though I guess they’re alike in that I hate them both.
Still, as proof of her “all in when it counts” attitude, once she focused, time flew by.
After finishing the problem set, Jacqueline yawned and looked around.
Rita was scribbling notes with laser-sharp focus, while Shannon, as usual, was daydreaming with her head resting on her arm.
At this rate, Rita might really take first place this time.
Jacqueline headed out of the reading room to grab her next set of materials from the locker.
She figured she might as well get some water from the fountain while she was at it.
That’s when it happened.
“Hey, redhead.”
At the sharp voice, Jacqueline flinched and turned around.
A boy and a girl she didn’t recognize were walking toward her.
“Are you talking to me?”
“Yeah, you.”
From the way he talked, he was almost certainly a senior.
“You’re a first-year at the Magic Department, right?”
“How did you—?”
“You’re famous. Didn’t you win some kind of award recently?”
“Oh.”
They must’ve been talking about the commendation she received for helping the homeless at the Bluefields Port.
Jacqueline asked, “And who are you, exactly?”
Instead of answering, the guy pointed his thumb at the badge on his chest.
It had the student council emblem.
He must be one of the newly appointed council members. He was a commoner, if she remembered correctly.
“Do you need something from me…?”
Their attitude wasn’t exactly friendly, so Jacqueline tried to recall if she’d done anything wrong.
The male student gave her a light pat on the shoulder.
“It’s nothing big. We just have a message to pass along.”
A moment later, after hearing the explanation, Jacqueline’s eyes widened.
“What? I have to pay more student fees?”
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