episode_0026

After spending a hectic day, the freshmen who had somehow managed to get through their club activities headed towards their respective dorms, while those who hadn’t yet decided on a club seemed to be either heading back to the dorms or going out to explore the city around the academy.

“So, Kidney, are you going to the gym too? They say if you visit here for the first time, they’ll check your body for any issues for free!”

“What- Of course we should go to Opinew Cafe, right? It’s one of the top 3 places you must visit when you arrive at the academy!”

“I’m heading to the armory.”

Although everyone seemed to have many places they wanted to visit, it appeared that they couldn’t quite narrow down their differences in opinions.

“So, you just want to go outside for now, right? Let’s head out first.”

“Alright. Let’s go and decide when we get there!”

“Hmm.. What should we do..”

Frill Youngae, who seemed uneasy as if something was bothering her, shook her head from side to side, approaching as if feeling uncomfortable about something.

“Frill Youngae, what’s wrong?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. I just feel like someone keeps staring in our direction…”

Come to think of it, heirs with high status were said to train their senses to prepare for assassination attempts. Focusing a bit more on that thought, I could indeed feel a gaze coming from the right window.

“A cat?”

“What is it? Oh, it was nothing. Let’s go, hurry up, my dear.”

The culprit turned out to be a black cat, with nothing strange except for its eyes shining golden. Considering it insignificant, we moved on.

“Alright, let’s go.”

“Yes~”

***

“Wow.. There are so many people. What day is it today?”

“Hmm.. It seems slightly less crowded than the average crowd on Saint Street.”

“Is that so??”

While I exuded my northern bumpkin vibe without filter, Selina seemed excited and had already set off, hopping around.

“Haha, she might get lost in the crowd, you know?”

“Is she really being pushed around?”

“Huh?”

“It’s… ”

It seemed like Selina was shouting something in the distance, but amidst the noise of the crowd, nothing was audible.

“Let’s each explore and meet back here in two hours!”

“Oh… Really?”

“Well, there’s no helping it. I wanted to go see a play.”

“Weapons, shiny shiny.”

***

Pushing through the crowds, I continued to chase after the person with red hair. Luckily, I seemed to have avoided being swept away, finding the still figure with apple-red hair.

“Selina! That was close!”

“Who are you, mister?”

The head I thought belonged to Selina turned out to be that of a girl who looked around 8 years old. Like Selina, this girl also seemed to have become lost, with no guardian or adult nearby.

“Hey, little miss? Where are your parents?”

“Hahaha! Your lines are so cheesy, mister! Right, Mom? Mom…? Mom!!”

“Oh.. Did you lose your parents?”

“Waaah!! I want grapes, waaah. I said I wanted grapes.”

“She must have lost them on the way to the store. Shall we look for them together?”

“What am I going to do.. waaah..”

The girl started crying even louder, seemingly not intending to stop.

“Wait. Look at this. Ta-da!”

When I showed her a magic trick of making a coin disappear, she became interested, stopped crying, focused on the hand movements, and when I pulled out the missing coin from behind her ear, she found it fascinating, clapping her hands.

“Wow. I lost a coin too! Would you help me find the coin while looking for your mother?”

“Yes. Sure!”

Feeling uplifted by her innocence, I began visiting nearby fruit stores one by one.

“No, I haven’t seen anyone like that.”

“I don’t know. If you’re not buying, then leave!”

“They’re hiding well and not coming out easily.”

“If we find your mom, then you have to be ‘it’! Our mom is super fast, so you better hide quickly, big brother!”

“Yeah, so let’s find her quickly.”

“Red hair.. Red hair.. Oh! Over there!”

Two women with red hair were seen in front of a distant corner fruit store. The taller woman was asking something to the smaller woman. I hesitated and approached.

“Oh, Mom!!”

“Daughter!!! I told you to hold my hand tightly!!”

“Oh, Kidney!!”

As an uninvited guest during the family reunion, I tried to step back, but Selina, who was next to me, ran over and hugged me.

“I thought I’d never see you again! I heard from the professor that he lost his daughter and was looking for her.”

“Yeah. I’m really glad too. Huh? Professor?”

“Yeah yeah. That person over there is Professor Bella, our etiquette and martial arts professor for our wizards!”

Professor Bella, holding her daughter in one hand, listened to the situation between us and walked towards me.

“I heard about my daughter. I was worried about what would happen if she got kidnapped, but luckily she met a good student.”

“Oh, it’s nothing. I was also looking for Selina. Luckily we could meet both. My name is Kidney Aster.”

The professor continued speaking while patting her daughter’s back as she reached out to buy grapes.

“Our daughter has high standards and doesn’t follow just anyone. There must be a reason why she followed you.”

“Yeah. I like him! I’m going to marry him later!”

“What!? Hey. No way..! He’s actually very mischievous, flirtatious, and..”

“What are you saying in front of the child.”

“Haha. If you’re in the proximity class, we’ll see each other at school later. See you then, Kidney Sangdo.”

…

“It was kind of chaotic.”

“So.. I wanted to go to a cafe, but lost the group.. What’s going on.”

“Yeah, weren’t we supposed to go to a cafe?”

“Oh! Ah.. It’s already closing time..”

“Hmm.. Should we just walk around the streets for a while?”

“Yes! But, don’t lose each other again!”

Extending one hand first, you urged me forward, leaving your blushing cheeks behind. Smiling, showing off your white teeth, you led the way by holding my hand.

“Wait, let’s go slowly!”

“We said we’d meet up in a bit! Let’s enjoy ourselves until then!”

“Okay. Got it!”

***

“Oh, apples look delicious. Sir, can I have one of these!”

“Oh! A discerning young lady! This one is from the Protein Territory!”

“It’s ours! No wonder!”

Selina took a bite of the apple and offered it to me to try. As she said, the apple was juicy, tangy, and sweeter than the usual ones she sent me.

“Next.. there! Let’s go see some accessories!”

“You usually don’t like this kind of stuff.”

“Ugh! Be quiet!”

Once again, Selina went to the counter first, her eyes sparkling as she browsed through the items. Even the cheap silver bracelet shone with her hair strands reflecting light. Her green eyes did the same. Seemingly contemplating seriously, she snatched the bracelet in her hand, paid for it, and moved on.

“Thank you! A gift for your girlfriend? You have a sense of style! This flower-shaped bracelet is engraved with marigold flowers.. What was the meaning… Oh, I can’t remember..”

“Surely, it will bring happiness.”

“Oh, right. That was it.”

“…!!”

Selina stood frozen, hand covering her mouth. After putting the bracelet on her thin wrist, she tried to move again. However, she couldn’t move due to her stillness.

“Freeze.”

“Wait, Selina. What’s this!”

“Stay there!”

Using magic to freeze my feet, she went back into the accessory store where we had just come out. In fact, it was magic that could easily be undone if she wanted to leave properly. But thinking of Selina desperately calling out, I decided not to release it.

“Mom, why is that guy acting like that?”

“Mm. Maybe they’re getting punished for doing something bad. If you do bad things, will you end up like that too?”

“Gasp. Mm… Mom.. I’m sorry for picking out the beans from the rice today.”

“My arm’s starting to feel numb, Selina…”

Ding-

“Gasp. Gasp…”

“Why did you rush back so quickly? I would have been here anyway.”

“I wanted to pick quickly, okay!”

What she handed me was another flower-shaped accessory. Not a ring or bracelet, but a larger form. Grateful, but unsure where to put it, I hesitated, so she came over and started attaching it to my collar herself.

“Earrings or rings might be uncomfortable in a fight. If I attach it here, won’t you think of the gift I gave you every day? Hehe,”

As she said that with a smile, her smile was like a single flower. Innocent yet firmly growing.

“But what flower is this modeled after?”

“Forget-me-nots.”

“Forget-me-nots… I feel like forget-me-nots had some meaning… What was it again?”

“I don’t know. Fool. Figure it out yourself!”

Saying that, she grabbed my hand and ran off, saying our meeting time was almost up, leaving me no choice but to follow her.

***

“Sigh.. That was good. The ribs were really delicious today.”

“Selina Yeong-ae, that cafe was really nice. I also got some madeleines for Yeong-ae.”

“Gasp. Really??? Thank you!!! I really wanted to eat this!”

Selina cheered holding the bag Frill Yeong-ae handed her on her cheek. Smiling at her delighted appearance, David noticed the accessory on my collar and asked about it.

“What’s this? Where did it come from? Did you buy it?”

“No, I received it. It’s for someone who will definitely become happy.”

“Hmm.. Whatever. Let’s go back to school now.”

“Shiny black. Nice.”

“You bought a sword?”

“Yeah. It looked really cool, so I quickly paid for it and brought it.”

“Is that okay though..?”

Today, even as we returned to the academy, recounting our experiences to each other seemed endless, making it a tumultuous day, but still a very pleasant one.

Looking at the forget-me-not swaying with the carriage’s vibrations at the end of the sword hilt left beside me, I flicked it with my finger for no reason.

Though I couldn’t feel it, somehow I felt like I could even sense the scent of forget-me-not flowers.