THE mountain behind the school was known as a place to relax. The trees were spaced apart, making it relatively bright and open for a mountain. It was located opposite the area where the Flame Cerberus appeared the other day, and students could often be seen walking there for exercise on holidays.
“Damn it, I thought I could head home early today.” And in what should have been a pleasant place, Jack complained.
“Stop swearing and keep your eyes peeled. Even if it is just a hunt for a pup, it’s still a job for the student council,” Edward retorted.
“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Jack muttered back.
Yuffie, Lyle, Jack, Edward, and Erina had decided to split up in their search for the puppy. Noah stayed behind in the student council office to take care of paperwork.
“This mountain is fairly large, so let’s look carefully but don’t push yourselves too hard.” With a relaxed expression, Lyle led the way slowly at the front.
Meanwhile, Yuffie was desperately searching for the dog with Friend on her head. It’d be nice if I found him first…
She looked around restlessly, squinting her eyes as she let her imagination run wild.
“I found John!”
The others surround Yuffie, holding up the puppy.
“Excellent work, Yuffie!”
“Gosh, Yuffie, well done!”
“I wasn’t expecting much, but I suppose even you have your days.”
“Woo hoo! Thanks to you, I can train! Nice job.”
“Heh… Heh heh heh…”
Uh-oh, she was drooling. Yuffie rubbed her mouth, and Friend meowed above her head.
“He’s so darn cute.” Erina smiled happily, stroking Friend. “What was his name again? New Phoenix Crusher Dragon?”
“No, it’s Friend,” Yuffie corrected her.
“Right, sorry.”
She had stopped thinking too deeply about Erina’s naming choices.
“How is Friend doing? Do you think he can find Dark Galaxy…I mean, John?”
“I’m not sure. I’ll ask him. Friend, sense anything?” Yuffie asked, and he answered telepathically in his usual relaxed tone.
“Hm, nothing yet.”
“…Ummm, he says we might find it soon!”
“How wonderful! I knew your cat would be a clever little one.”
“Ha ha… Ha ha ha…”
Yuffie was dripping with cold sweat as she recalled the events leading to now. After the student council had decided to explore the mountain behind the school, she returned to the dorm and brought Friend out with her.
“Since they’re both creatures of the fluffy kind, I figured maybe he can sense something and find John.”
In hindsight, it had been a strange thing for her to do, but it was also Yuffie’s way of trying to help. Having said that, Friend was being possessed by Yuffie’s imaginary friend. Since their conversations always took place in her head, it was hard to say that they were actually communicating. So far, the only thing they’d accomplished was Erina’s obsession with his cuteness.
“You really are one of a kind, Yuffie.”
She was a little relieved that Lyle accepted her too, eccentricities and all.
A-Anyway! I have to do what I can to help them! Vowing to herself, she desperately searched for John. Unfortunately, her enthusiasm backfired.
“Aaaahhh!”
She was so engrossed in her search that she stopped paying attention to where she was going. Her foot got caught on a tree root, and she fell.
“Yuffie!” Erina cried out in surprise and ran over to her.
Meanwhile, Edward was staring at Yuffie in amazement, wondering what she was doing.
“Are you all right? You’re not hurt, are you?” Lyle, who was nearby, offered his hand.
“Th-Thank you, I’m fine… Ouch!” She had a minor scrape on her knee. She must have tripped over a rock because the cut was bleeding.
“Wait right there, I’ll heal you in a jiffy!” Erina placed her hand over her knee, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. “O god of healing…”
She chanted the spell, enveloping Yuffie’s knee in a pale light. In the next instant, the skin was back to normal, and the pain had vanished like…magic.
Erina’s healing magic is so amazing…
“That should do it.” The girl nodded in satisfaction.
“Th-Thank you so much… I’m really sorry for all the trouble…”
Yuffie bowed her head in apology, and Erina gently placed her hand on her crown. “Stop worrying, will you? I often trip over nothing too.”
Urk… Your kindness makes my heart ache…
Guilt filled Yuffie over forcing Erina to comfort her. A few minutes later, she regained her composure and resumed searching for John.
“We won’t get anywhere at this rate, so I suggest we split up,” Edward said. So they did just that, dividing into two groups. Yuffie went with Lyle and Erina. Edward went with Jack.
“We have to find John as soon as possible and return him to his owner…” Erina narrowed her eyes in earnest, digging through the brush.
She’s so kind…
Yuffie couldn’t help but ask what had been on her mind for a while now. “Erina, why do you want to be a Saint?”
Her friend’s eyes widened in confusion since the question came completely out of the blue.
“Ack, I’m sorry, Erina, I just think it’s amazing how you can work so hard for others… So, I wondered if that’s where your desire to become a Saint came from. Actually, I guess I was just curious… Sorry, I’m all over the place,” Yuffie rambled nervously.
Erina replied with a gentle smile. “Well, the reason I wanted to learn healing magic was…my grandmother. When I saw how much she suffered from her illness, I felt so helpless that I couldn’t do anything… I think I told everyone this at the entrance ceremony.”
“Ahhh! I’m sorry, I’m sorry! You’re right, I completely forgot…”