Doggone Academy

Sion and I watched the setting sun by the Eternia River docks.

Having my fortune told hadn’t been the best choice.

The remnants of my burst of emotion still muddled my heart. Recognizing my own immaturity was a minor takeaway, I suppose.

I didn’t want to delve deep into the fortune teller’s words. They had shaken me more than necessary, and I needed time to regain my composure.

And suddenly, I found myself yearning for Silveryn. I decided to collect Stitch, which I had left for repairs, on the way back.

Beside me, Sion sat expressionlessly and then asked,

“That fortune teller pinpointed your past accurately, I take it?”

“Well, in a manner of speaking.”

“So… it’s true, then, that you were an orphan?”

It wasn’t something to boast about, nor was it something I felt the need to hide deliberately.

“Yes.”

“…I understand a bit now.”

“What do you mean?”

“What the master once said. People who grow up privileged don’t feel the need to become strong.”

“What do you mean?”

“Even if they have great talent, if they’re in a comfortable position with adequate wealth and status, they prefer to stay there. Only those who’ve been through hell truly become strong.”

Becoming stronger… I only wanted enough power to protect the people I love. Now, that goal seemed frustratingly out of reach.

“Today made me realize, you haven’t had an ordinary life either.”

The old man’s words included clues to my past. Without being specific, it seemed she could guess my background.

Sion watched the sunset-dyed river nonchalantly and spoke lightly,

“I’m an orphan too. Maybe that’s why the master took me in.”

Her words meant that Sion, too, had experienced her own trials, and in some way, she acknowledged and opened up to me.

“…Do you still want to fight me?”

“No, not at all.”

She seemed not to be particularly interested anymore.

And so we sat in silence for a while, the wind blowing and the river water rippling.

As the sun finally set and the twilight moon rose, we stood up as if on cue.

We were dusting off our pants when someone called out.

“…Candy?”

Sion and I turned around simultaneously.

About ten steps away stood Cecil and Marta.

It was an encounter I hadn’t anticipated. Now that I thought of it, they had mentioned they were going to have their fortunes told too.

However, Cecil seemed different from usual. She murmured quietly while looking at us,

“It really is Candy…”

She glanced at Sion and then back at me with a glare. Lips pursed, she seemed upset as she recognized the situation.

Cecil stood frozen for a moment, then briskly turned and disappeared into the crowd.

Marta hurried after her, calling out,

“Hey, hey! Where are you going?”

Watching this, Sion yawned tiredly.

“I’m going to head out.”

She left without a farewell, truly like the wind.

I was somewhat bothered by Cecil’s reaction and followed in the direction she went but ultimately failed to catch up.

In the end, I retrieved Stitch, Silveryn’s repair. Stitch had been shattered once and, like cracked glass, bore the scars, but the repairman had assured its functionality.

With that, I returned home.

It had been a long day.

The mansion was quiet since Trisha had already left for the Thorn Garden. On a whim, I lifted my bed covers. As expected, nothing.

When she was around, the room always felt untidy, but now it felt empty without her.

I decided to write a letter to Silveryn.

I wrote about my new friends, the incidents in the cardiovascular wards, and even the story of achieving the highest grade in practice. I hoped the letter would bring at least some small joy to Silveryn.

As I was going to write about today’s events, I hesitated, reflecting on the astrologer’s words.

Could Silveryn provide an answer? After some thought, I chose not to write about the fortune. I needed to learn to stand on my own, not seek life’s answers from her.

Having sent off a letter filled with my daily life at Eternia, I went to bed.

And that night, I dreamed.

Everything was blurry, leaving no strong impression. I faced something indistinct; there was someone behind me, and we were on a cliff edge.

That was all. The only memory similar was the time chasing after Liza and Venemaril.

Perhaps, due to stirring up unwanted memories the evening before, it had emerged abruptly, without warning.

Early in the morning, I sent Stitch to Cecil at the Eternia campus.

Her expression from the previous day stuck with me, and coincidentally, I required someone to appraise a crystal I had acquired from a wingless dragon.

However, no reply came the rest of the morning.

Unable to wait any longer, I donned my mask and headed to the library.

I found Cecil with ease in the stacks. When I approached, she halted her search, turned, and walked away.

She clearly saw me but pretended not to. The coldness in her actions was unmistakable. Clearly, there was something disappointing or hurtful about her disposition towards me.

Maintaining some distance, I followed her. Sensing my pursuit, she quickened her pace, trying to shake me off.

As Cecil sat down at a reading table, I stealthily took a seat across from her.

“Can we talk?”

“…”

Cecil opened a book and shielded her face, signaling she didn’t even want to make eye contact.

I quickly sifted through yesterday’s events for anything that might have angered her, but found nothing significant.

“Did you get Stitch?”

“…”

Cecil gathered her books and moved to another table.

This is not good. It seemed she was truly upset.

If I pretended not to notice, our relationship could be over for good. I needed to pursue her and find out why she was angry.

Unabashedly, I followed Cecil and sat opposite her again.

“I’ve brought something I thought you’d find curious, aren’t you interested?”

Cecil spoke from behind her book.

“Not interested. Go away.”

Her tone was uncharacteristically cold.

“Let’s talk.”

“No.”

I cheekily plucked one of the books she had collected and skimmed through it.

“I’ll follow you around until you do.”

The was about a vigilante punishing womanizers. Some of the gruesome illustrations made me frown. Cecil had quite the peculiar taste.

Cecil maintained her barrier with the book.

“I’ll report this as harassment within the school.”

“I’m a ghost student, so even if you report it, they can’t catch me.”

“I’ll call my seniors to exorcize you.”

“That hurts. Enlisting seniors to ostracize a friend.”

“…Hurt?”

“Yeah.”

“You’re hurt????”

As the atmosphere deteriorated further, I quickly shifted the topic.

“There seems to be something that’s bothering you.”

“Hmph…”

“Why did you just leave yesterday?”

“Who wants to barge in on a date and be an unwelcome third wheel?”

“It wasn’t a date.”

“Oh, indeed. Secretly meeting in Rigved, just the two of you, enjoying the evening glow—it sure looked lovely. Who asked for the date?”

“…”

“How is it dating one head student after another? Is it nice? When’s your date with Iris?”

Ah, this is trouble. I seem to have gotten on her bad side. How do I clear up this misconceived notion of only meeting with the top students?

“The meeting with Sion was unavoidable.”

“Oh, so you’ve got someone special for dates and someone different for when you need them? Was I overstepping?”

Her words were filled with thorns. She could be quite intimidating when angry.

“It was just to sort out the constant challenges from Sion. Didn’t want to make my other friends feel uncomfortable.”

“Right, so important that you couldn’t meet at the school, had to pick a scenic spot. Unlike with other friends.”

“…”

“Great, someone might think I’m saying all this because I fancy you. I was merely expressing disappointment as a ‘friend’.”

This is giving me a headache. How do I manage to persuade her with words? It’s impossible to give her the commission in this state. If only I’d brought some form of bribe.

Cecil lowered the book slightly, revealing just her eyes, which were slightly bloodshot.

“…Is she crying? No, I don’t believe it. Surely she isn’t that upset over me. Right? …It must just be from reading for too long.

“Tell me honestly. Do you only hang out with head students? Why are we friends?”

“Because you’re….”

Cecil cut me off mid-sentence.

“It’s because I’m pretty, because my body’s nice, everything’s fine. I could even accept something perverse like it’s because I have a big chest, but if it’s because I’m the head of the magic department, that’s unforgivable.”

This is serious. It’s true that I value accomplishment in a field that isn’t innate but earned. People seem to have more issues with superficial appearance, but she’s the opposite.

“With you… it seems like it’d be fun to hang out.”

Was that a good enough answer?

Cecil lowered her book again, leaving only her eyes visible.

“That’s a 7 out of 10 response.”

“What’s a perfect score?”

“A thousand.”

“…”

While her words seemed harsh, the knotted feeling appeared to loosen a bit.

“If it’s so fun, why haven’t you ever asked?”

“Can’t invite you without something fun to do.”

“…If I invite you, will you come?”

After saying it, I couldn’t refuse.

“Of course.”

Cecil peeked over the book with just her eyes.

“…Then come to the Guardian Tree tonight.”

“Isn’t access to the area around the Guardian Tree still forbidden?”

“Do you know why it’s forbidden?”

“…No.”

“There’s a ghost appearing in front of the Guardian Tree. So come catch ghosts with me tonight.”