[224] 2. Waiting for the New Term (2)
"Haha! That's so Shirone. Why is this letter so long?"
Seeing his son smile so openly was a rare sight at home. Folding up his newspaper in defeat, his father asked Iruki.
"Is that the kid you mentioned?"
"Yes. I sent a letter. He writes really well."
"If you're that close, invite him over. An Unlocker, huh? I'd like to meet him."
"…All right. I'll ask."
Iruki's reply was hollow. Introducing Shirone wouldn't be a problem — introducing his eccentric father to friends, however, was a whole different matter.
'In six days, Father.'
@
The central city Sadia is the region in Tormia with the most provincial nobles.
As a famed granary area, its finances were solid, so few outside powers moved in; instead the internal scramble for territory was fierce, and ranks changed often. Nade's family, the Wests, were no exception.
Over the break Nade had practically been living in his workshop. He'd already pulled two all-nighters; his eyes were hollow from the strain.
The workshop looked like an expanded hall for a paranormal psychical-research society. Tools of indiscernible purpose lay scattered on the floor and gears and engine components were stacked on the tables.
"Phew. Think we'll call it for today?"
Though the season had turned to autumn, the workshop was stifling. He shrugged off his shirt and a scar ran diagonally across his back. It was an old wound, but sometimes it throbbed unbearably.
Nade dragged a tarp over and covered the table. If his family found out, there'd be an uproar about wasting money on useless things.
The Wests had fallen from their former heights; only three generations ago they'd owned half of Sadia's granary lands.
Nade had never been told why their fortunes had declined. After seventeen years of life he'd concluded there probably wasn't a particular reason. It had simply been spent away.
"Nade, Nade."
Back at the manor, a voice that could stop his heart called his name.
It was ironic that the voice belonged to his mother; to Nade, she was the most terrifying presence in the world.
"Yes, Mother."
"You said you were good with machines, right? Go to the Jones family and fix some things."
"Just let me close my eyes for a bit and I'll go."
His mother's face contorted into something monstrous. It was a lock that kept Nade frozen.
He had once talked back to her as a child. But when she began harming herself, he became the world's villain.
You can't win against a parent who hurts themself.
"I'm tired. I haven't slept for two days."
"What on earth are you doing? You don't go out and earn money, and you're no help around the house. I never told you not to sleep—so why can't you just go?"
Nade forced his twisting features into stillness. He didn't want to become his mother's mirror.
"Don't you see how hard I've worked to send you to that fancy magic school? Do you know how much that costs? If it's like this, you might as well disappear from this house. I can't keep providing for you."
Nade tried to remember when she'd ever provided for him. He couldn't. Only the aching pain of the scar on his back kept returning.
No one in the West family even tried small businesses with whatever wealth remained. They did nothing. They had never done anything.
"Sorry, Mother. I understand. I'll go."
Pain flared from Nade's wound. He couldn't show it. The family wouldn't move against her — they avoided her because they didn't want to deal with her.
When she had another self-harming fit, all the household's irritation fell on Nade.
As a child he hadn't known why only he suffered. Growing up taught him one thing: there was no reason.
The Wests offloaded everything on others; they only understood that they themselves mustn't be the ones to act.
"Go before sunset. The Joneses need someone to check their boiler. Think you could try being a repairman?"
"I should be able to graduate soon. Please let me finish school first."
"That blasted school is a parasite that eats money and teaches nothing. I might as well die."
Nade tried to understand his mother.
She'd married into a wealthy family and watched money slip away—heartbreak was understandable.
But no matter how he thought about it, he couldn't find any reason he should be the one to fix boilers for them.
When his mother returned to the main house, a hot breath escaped between Nade's teeth.
It felt like murderous intent gathering in every cell. If it built up just a little more… it would explode.
"Master, there's a letter… eek!"
The butler who rushed in went pale. Only then did Nade pull himself together. Realizing that his mother's expression had lodged itself inside him sent a second wave of pain.
"Oh, I couldn't sleep. What is it?"
"A le—letter… it's Arian Shirone."
"What? Shirone?"
Nade's face lit up at once. He snatched the letter and read Shirone's handwriting.
At the line saying he wanted to see him, a lump rose in Nade's chest and a tear sprang to his eye.
"Just a moment, Shirone! I'm coming right away!"
Clutching the letter, Nade left the manor. The Jones family wouldn't need their boiler fixed for ten years now.
@
The Potris family's main house, Seriel's clan, was in Creas city, like Amy's.
Their noble rank wasn't high, but they were a prestigious house known for producing many great physicians and were well regarded across the kingdom.
At school she was Amy's model-student best friend; at home she was a reckless filly who put her younger brother, an aspiring doctor, out front and slipped into the background.
Today, too, she'd been hiding from her mother's nagging for three days. Her brother Vail's room—where he studied to become a top physician—was a sanctuary the family didn't enter.
"Wah! What am I going to do? It's so moving."
Seriel, buried under blankets and reading a romance, couldn't hold back her tears any longer.
Her brother Vail at the desk was about to lose his mind.
"Ugh, be quiet! I'm trying to study! Go to your room! Or at least stop bawling."
Clutching the tragic-ending book, Seriel savored the afterglow. By her own reckoning it ranked among the best reads she'd enjoyed over the break.
"It was such a sad love story. Ah, where's a man like Joseph when you need one?"
Vail paused his notes and looked up.
"There is."
"Really? Who is he?"
"Joseph."
"You're asking for trouble! Are you teasing me?"
"Why not? If he doesn't exist in real life, I'll cling to a character. Heh heh."
Seriel stuck her tongue out at her brother's back. Because she'd been staying with him for days she hadn't made a fuss, and now he was getting cocky.
At that moment the door opened and a letter thumped to the floor along with their mother's scolding.
"A letter! I won't lecture you, so don't bother your brother and come out. If you're going to play, at least wash up first. How will you ever get married like that? Tsk tsk."
Seriel pouted and crawled under the bed.
She'd assumed it might be from Amy, but when she checked the sender she was surprised.
"Oh? It's from Shirone! Shirone!"
Seriel hurriedly opened the envelope and read. Her eyes softened instantly. She buried her face in the paper to breathe in the scent and murmured,
"Ah, where's a man like Shirone?"
Vail, who had been diligently studying, rolled his eyes.
'Shirone's a real person, idiot. Just go court him.'
The words rose to his throat, but she wouldn't hear any of it. After days spent in novels, she was clearly not in her right mind.
@
Creas City Municipal Training Ground.
Mark paid the pricey entrance fee and went in. He'd earned early promotion with Maria and would be assigned to Class Six next semester; his heart was already fluttering.
'Finally I'll have juniors in the advanced class.'
If he hadn't lost on the Uncrossable Bridge, this day might never have come. That defeat had turned Shirone into his role model, and he'd worked tirelessly to reach his goal.
"Hey, Maria."
"You're here? Earlier than yesterday."
Maria, waiting at the ground, teased him and Mark smiled. She'd once been gloomy enough to trigger the Uncrossable Bridge's mechanism and endanger students, but becoming Sade's protégé had brightened her considerably.
"Sorry. My father nagged me. He asked why I train outside when there are good instructors at the Mage Association."
"True. The Slider family is tied to the Mage Association. Are you sure you want to keep training with us?"
"No problem. If I decide to do something, I see it through."
Mark winked and gave a thumbs-up. In truth he'd escaped that morning on an empty stomach. At some point a fifteen-year-old boy's eyes had begun to see the nineteen-year-old sister as a woman.
'I must be truly mad. How could I think of teasing such a cute older sister?'
"Hey! Sorry I'm late. Did you wait long?"
When Sade ran up at the entrance, Mark's expression soured. He was Mark's rival. It was a ridiculous situation—teacher and student competing over the same woman—but with a twenty-six-to-nineteen gap it wasn't impossible, and Sade didn't seem half-hearted, which made it worse.
Whether Sade knew Mark's feelings or not, Maria greeted him with the warmest smile.
"Oh, we just got here too."
"Yeah. I was seeing the principal off, so I'm a little late."
"Goodness, where did the principal go?"
"Ah, something came up. Anyway, sorry to keep you waiting."
Left out of the conversation, Mark felt uneasy. He'd had his fill of women's affections toward Sade, but Maria's extra tenderness stung.
Maria clapped her hands and produced a letter from her bag.
"Oh, right! Did you see this? A letter came for Senior Shirone."
"Huh? Senior Shirone? I didn't get one."
"You probably did. I picked mine up on the way here. I haven't read it yet."
Maria shook the envelope like a prize and then opened the letter. Warm, affectionate lines melted her expression.
"Ah, he's really wonderful—strong yet kind. Amy, who's dating Senior Shirone, must be so lucky."
A strange tension flickered across Sade's face.
To be honest, he was about seventy percent certain Maria had fallen for him. But hearing that now—perhaps she only respected Shirone—made him uneasy.
When Sade sank into gloom, Mark felt a surge of satisfaction.
Most younger female students talked about Shirone like Maria did, so Mark didn't feel jealous.
Besides, standing beside Shirone was the insurmountable barrier named Amy.
'Good! My goal to follow in Senior Shirone's footsteps has only strengthened!'
Anxious, Sade tried to recover.
"Haha! Sure, Shirone's amazing. But don't people usually prefer older lovers? If not older, at least someone the same age. Young guys aren't much fun, right?"
Mark snapped back.
"What kind of talk is that? Love knows no borders—age doesn't matter."
"Age matters more than borders. Should we ask Maria? Older or younger—what would you choose?"
Maria propped her chin and toyed with an answer, sticking her tongue out playfully to avoid committing.
"Heh heh, I don't know?"
Mark and Sade, expecting fireworks, felt deflated. Maybe she really was a master of string-pulling.
In any case, after paying an expensive fee they couldn't just gossip forever. Mark and Maria warmed up with ranking exercises before the real class began. While they did, Sade looked up at the sky and thought of Shirone.
'Break's almost over. I wonder what trouble he'll cause when he returns?'
From the moment Shirone entered the Magic Academy, his path had been singular in the school's history.
That made Sade uneasy.
It depended on what answer Shirone's teacher returned with; if approval was granted, everything about his school life could change.
'This won't be easy, Shirone.'