Chapter 4: Burdock Will Save the World
MEDITATION is a journey into the ocean of the mind. Shutting out the five senses as much as possible and facing yourself releases the real essence hidden in the unconscious. In other words, a moment of encounter with your true self that you’ve almost forgotten in the busyness of everyday life.
“Yuffie, what are you doing?” Friend asked her.
“I’m meditating.”
“Detonating?”
“Um, I think you misheard me.”
After the battle with Jack, Yuffie had gone back to her room and was now meditating on the balcony. Years ago, a believer in the village church practiced meditation, which, according to what she’d heard, had the effect of calming the mind and organizing your thoughts. With how hectic the day had been, her head felt like hundreds of crushed candies mixed together, so she had decided to try meditating. But…
“Actually, maybe detonating is a better description…”
Far from calming her mind, her worries had only increased. It was obvious what was troubling Yuffie. She recalled the aftermath of the fight with Jack after school.
Once Erina healed the unconscious Jack using her magic, everyone returned to the student council room.
“Now you all know—it’s an undeniable fact that Yuffie can use offensive magic,” Lyle began with a grin. “So, in light of this, I’d like you to consider allowing her to join the student council. What does everyone say?”
Yuffie, shaking and silent, stood next to Lyle, who spoke confidently. She looked nothing like the girl who had unleashed such unconventional magic earlier. A space with too many people was much more threatening than Jack, a powerful fire magic user.
Edward, Erina, and Jack responded to Lyle’s proposal in succession.
“Forgive me, but I need some time. I’d like to get my thoughts in order.”
“I’m sorry… I’m not sure I can accept reality either…”
“…”
All three were confused, unable to think logically.
“Of course. No one would be able to stay calm after witnessing something like that.”
Unsurprisingly, since everything they had believed as common sense was turned upside down in just a few minutes. Deciding that the others needed time to process this new reality, Lyle turned to Yuffie and said, “There you have it. I’m sorry for imposing on you even more, but please come to the student council room again tomorrow after school.”
“Oh, yes, of course.”
Unable to refuse, Yuffie nodded vigorously. And with that, she was free to go about her day.
After that, she returned to the dormitory in a daze, and when she sat down on her bed in her room, she suddenly realized the gravity of the situation.
“The three of them found out that I could use offensive magic, and I hurt Jack… Arrrgh, what should I do…?”
I… I just did something completely outrageous…
For Yuffie, who had thoroughly avoided standing out (or thought she had), this was a disaster. Her dream school life was on the verge of crumbling. She had only herself to blame, though, since she’d given in to the peer pressure.
“But more than that, my attack magic was…incredible.”
The situation she’d laughed off as impossible turned out to be real. Her offensive magic really was amazing compared to others’. Jack was apparently the second-most skilled at it after Lyle in their cohort.
Her first thought when she heard that was, Really…? Of course, she’d immediately felt apologetic toward Jack for even thinking it. However, it didn’t change the fact that his fire magic had been much weaker than the first spell she’d learned. So, when comparing her attack magic to his, the vast disparity was clear to see.
“There’s never been a woman in history who can use attack magic. In fact, I’ve never heard of anyone who can use all five elements, not even men. Yuffie, you’re really incredible.”
The words Lyle had spoken after the battle kept looping in her head. She had found them hard to believe at first, but his face told her he wasn’t lying.
“I should be happy about this. So why aren’t I…?”
Her expression as she gazed up at the moon floating in the dark sky was conflicted. She had made it her goal to learn and master healing magic and become a Saint. Still, for some reason, she wound up focusing on attack magic—unwillingly—especially because her healing magic was still as useless as ever.
“If only some of the power from my attack magic could be diverted to healing magic…” She knew it was a wish that would never come true. After all, there had never been a single woman in history who could use offensive magic. “Why can I use it…?”
And hers was exponentially more powerful.
“I just don’t get any of this…”
No clues came to mind. The first time she used attack magic, she’d managed somehow by visualizing the spell. It hadn’t been all that hard, which was why she couldn’t understand everyone else’s reactions. She thought that if she could use it, anyone could, and that it wasn’t a big deal.
Yuffie’s self-esteem was already lower than the ground. She was terrible at everything she did, so there was no way she could fathom the idea that she could use offensive magic on a level that had never existed before. Just like Edward and the others who couldn’t understand this reality, she herself couldn’t accept the uniqueness of her power. Not only that, her very existence began to feel alien, and an indescribable fear struck her…
“Gah! No, stop it!” Sensing her thoughts veering to the dark side, Yuffie shook her head vigorously. “Anyway, there’s no point in thinking about it now…”
She had made peace with what happened today. The rest she would leave to future Yuffie to decide her next step when she went to the student council office tomorrow. For now, she was done thinking about it.
“Yuffie, I’m hungry,” Friend said as he sat next to her. His eyes were admonishing.
“Oh, sorry, you’re right, it’s almost time for dinner.”
Her stomach voiced its hunger loudly then. She realized she hadn’t eaten anything since lunch. Her mind had been racing so much, she’d forgotten to eat.
I have to go buy dinner… No, it’s too much of a hassle; I’ll just have burdock root again today…
Just as she was about to stand up…
“Ungh?!”
An electric current zapped through both of her legs! Having been sitting cross-legged for so long and engrossed in her thoughts, Yuffie didn’t realize that they’d gone numb!
“Ooowww…”
Moving like an old lady who’d hurt her back, she stumbled to her feet.
“Aaaahhhh, my legs! Aaaaahhhh!”
Yuffie rolled around on the balcony with both legs in the air, trying to shake off the painful pins-and-needles tingling.
If only I could use healing magic at a time like this…! She should know by now that wishing for the impossible was a pointless exercise.
While she bellowed in unbearable agony…
“Omigosh! Will you shut up?!”
A girl’s sharp voice came from the window of the room next to hers.
“Eeek! I’m sorry!”
She tried to kneel as usual, but the intense numbness in both legs made that impossible. Feeling apologetic, she tried her best to keep her mouth shut and crawled into the room like a caterpillar. Face down and desperate, Yuffie closed the window and finally managed to catch her breath. If she heard a strange voice coming from next door deep in the night, she’d be angry too.
“I was trying so hard not to be a nuisance after bothering you just this morning too… Uuurk… I’m sorry for being a waste of space.” She thought that she should offer up more burdock as an apology again.
“Yuffie, are you all right?”
“I…don’t think I am.”
She definitely wasn’t all right in a lot of ways—not her legs or her future. But time marched on without any mercy. Yuffie understood she had no choice but to go with the flow.
Friend licked her cheek and commented, “Then you will be. You will be.”
And that helped soothe her a bit.
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THE next day after school, in front of the student council room. Yuffie had been pacing back and forth for about ten minutes, facing the intimidating door.
Ugh, it takes courage to open this door alone…
Unlike the classrooms where she could just blend into the background, there was nowhere to escape in the student council office. In fact, remembering what happened yesterday, she was even more worried about how she should act when she stepped inside.
Maybe someone else can open it instead. A girl can hope…
PACE, PACE, PACE, PACE…
“Can I help you?”
“Eeep!” Yuffie flinched and turned toward the voice. “N-Noah?!”
Fair skin and light blue hair. His eyes, peeking out from behind long, trimmed bangs, were a deep forest green. Noah was the upperclassman she’d spoken to in the school’s courtyard on the day of the entrance ceremony.
“We meet again.” He raised his right hand in greeting, his face as expressionless as ever.
“Wh-Why are you here, Noah…?” she asked him timidly.
“What do you mean ‘why?’” Noah glanced at the door to the student council office. “I’m the student council president.”
“Huh…?”
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