Chapter 6: Peace Is the Best, Isn’t It?!
CHEEP, CHEEP, CHEEP.
“…Oh, no.”
The next morning in her dorm room, Yuffie muttered to herself as she lay in bed, looking dazed. Probably a combination of having just woken up and feeling like she’d been drained of her soul. Of course, the reason she felt anxious didn’t have anything to do with waking up.
“Aaaaaah! I wanna die, I wanna die, I wanna diiiiie!”
ROLL, ROLL, ROLL!
She covered her face and rolled around on her bed. Yesterday, she burst into tears in front of Lyle and the others in the student council room. Thinking about it made her so embarrassed that she just wanted to keep rolling until she reached her parents’ house back in Millil.
THUD!
“Owww!”
But she got carried away and tumbled out of bed, crashing into the wall.
“Ouch… Ouch…”
Yuffie groaned in pain from the dull ache in the back of her head.
“Darn it! What are you banging around like that for so early in the morning?!’’ came a sharp voice from the other side of the wall.
“Eeek! I’m sorry!’’
Jumping back from the wall, she ground her forehead against the floor. The sight of her bowing to the wall had become a regular thing since she moved into the dorm. When silence descended again, Yuffie felt relieved.
“I have to gift her another one…’’
She stood up and rummaged through her still-bulging backpack, taking out some burdock. This was also a familiar offering.
“How should I wrap it…?”
Burdock in hand, Yuffie mulled the problem over, especially since the girl hadn’t been too keen on the altar. It was only the day before yesterday that she found out her neighbor was the daughter of a distinguished family. Lyle and the others came to her rescue when Yuffie was being harassed after facing criticism for joining the student council. The magnificent halo of hair created by Jack’s fire magic had left a strong impression on her.
Knock, knock.
“Eeep?!”
The unexpected sound echoed through the room, and Yuffie jumped in reaction.
“W-Who is it…?”
She had no idea who could be visiting her. Gulping, she opened the door timidly.
“Good morning.” Her neighbor stood there, arms crossed, expression sullen.
Yuffie’s face froze at seeing Catherine in her doorway.
“Hey, stop that this instant! Why are you trying to shut me out?!” Catherine yelped as she jammed the fan she was holding between the door and the doorjamb.
“Ack! I’m sorry! No one has ever come to see me before, so I didn’t know what to do and just…tried to run away.”
“R-Really? I feel like I heard something incredibly sad, but maybe I’m just imagining it?”
“Um… R-Right. Definitely your imagination… Anyway, good morning…Ms. Cathevich?”
“You just mashed together my first and last names.”
“Ahhh, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”
“I just now realized I haven’t introduced myself properly. I’m Catherine Kulkovich. Imprint that in your brain, hm?” she remarked with a sigh when Yuffie moved to grovel again.
“Th-Thank you, Catherine… Um, and I’m…Yuffie…”
Yuffie glanced at the girl’s head. Bandages covered her beautiful blonde curls, making her look like someone who was seriously injured.
“Make a comment about my hair, and I’ll use the full force of the Kulkovich family to crush you. I dare you.”
“Eeek! I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry!”
Catherine sighed again seeing Yuffie genuinely freaking out. “As long as you understand. Anyway, was that burdock meant for me?” Catherine asked, pointing with her fan at the root Yuffie held in her hand.
“Oh… Yes, actually. I was being noisy again, so I wanted to give it to you as an apology… But you already figured that out.”
“Like it was hard to? You have a pattern, you know. Every time you lose your mind, you come and share some with me.”
“Wow! Is that mind-reading magic?!”
“As if I can use forbidden magic like that! You’re just too easy to read. I didn’t want you to build an altar in front of my room again, so I came to get it from you myself.”
“Thank you so much for your kindness and consideration… And I’m sorry again. You won’t hear another peep from me. I’ll do my best to make this the last time I give you burdock, so please forgive me…”
Catherine looked like the world was ending when she heard that. “I don’t mind…if you’re noisy occasionally, you know.”
“Huh?” Yuffie tilted her head in confusion at the unexpected words.
“Of course, only if you apologize to me with burdock every time you flip out. If you can do that, I don’t care if you bang on the wall or scream.”
Yuffie thought of a possibility then. Her eyes swiveled back and forth between the burdock and Catherine. “Maybe you really like this burdock…?”
“As! If! All right, fine. From a personal point of view, this burdock tastes so good that I have to give it a high rating. But it’s not like I’m obsessed with it or anything. I’m just…eating it for my health. Yes, that’s right, my health!” Catherine blurted out in rapid succession before she pointed her fan at Yuffie. “Anyway! I, the daughter of the Duke of Kulkovich, personally grant you the right to make noise in exchange for burdock. You should be grateful to me.”
“Oh, yes! I’m very grateful! Thank you so much!”
Catherine blinked as Yuffie bowed. Then she scratched her head as if thrown off balance. “You…really are an oddball, hm?”
Though she sounded hesitant, a slight smile curved her lips.
💠🌸💠