“FINALLY, it’s over…”
In a room in the Academy of Magic’s student dormitory, Yuffie was wiping the sweat from her forehead as she took a breather. She had eaten dinner (burdock root she brought from home) and was unpacking her things. The room assigned to her was equipped with all the necessary furniture for living alone, such as a bed, desk, closet, and dressing table. Maybe on account of so many students being from famous noble families, the room was well-built and spacious for one person.
In addition, there was a large store on the first floor of the dormitory that sold food and daily necessities, so Yuffie won’t have any trouble with daily life here. Also, since many of the aristocratic students brought their pets, Yuffie was able to procure cat food for Friend. To Yuffie, who came from a rundown house in the faraway countryside, it felt like moving into a mansion.
“You seem tired, Friend.”
She dove into the lush bed, and Friend, who’d been sleeping soundly at her side, opened his eyes and meowed. But after a moment, he yawned, closed his eyes again, and went back to sleep. Yuffie had just fed him, which explained his food coma.
Friend, Yuffie’s imaginary friend, appeared whenever she was in a pickle or started acting strangely. He was, so to speak, responsible for her mental stability. So, Friend was probably just a cat under normal circumstances.
“You’re so laidback.”
She smiled a little after giving him a pat, then looked up at the ceiling and muttered to herself. “I forgot to ask her name…” The beautiful person who had shown her the way to the dorms was such a kind, gentle girl—like a Saint.
All the more reason why Yuffie was so filled with self-loathing when she thought back to how she’d acted.
“Ugh… I’m so sorry…”
As soon as several female students who seemed to be the girl’s friends showed up, she ran away. Her social skills were already bad enough, but if more people were added into the mix, running away was a conditioned reflex action because Yuffie knew she wouldn’t be able to handle it.
“Next time I see her, I have to apologize…”
She also had to give the young lady a token of her friendship. Yuffie didn’t know whether the girl was a classmate or if she could start a conversation herself, so she had no idea what would happen. Still, she had made up her mind.
“Up we go!”
Since there was nothing in particular to do, Yuffie got off the bed. She opened the window and stepped out onto the balcony. The dormitory was on a small hill overlooking the cluster of densely packed school buildings, affording a panoramic view of the campus.
“I can’t believe I’m going to live here from now on…”
She leaned her weight on the railing and felt a strange emotion rise as she looked down at the line of buildings. In principle, schools of magic were boarding schools. There were exceptions for some high-ranking nobles who lived in mansions in the royal capital and were exempt from having to stay in the dorms. Yuffie, who came all the way from the countryside, didn’t fall into that category.
If she were being honest, she felt a bit lonely. But more than that was excitement. Even though the village church served as a substitute for a school, the classroom was shabby, there weren’t many students, and the subjects taught weren’t particularly interesting. Because of all this, her expectations for the coming days here only grew.
“Heh heh… Heh heh heh…”
Her expectations were so high that she let out a creepy laugh. Not good. Not good at all. Yuffie pressed her cheeks hard to smooth out her expression.
“I’m looking forward to my dream school life…”
She had a flashback to her memories at the church. No friends to pair up with, so she paired up with a nun. No friends to eat lunch with on the field trip, so she ate with a nun. She wasn’t given any role in the school play because they’d forgotten about her, so for whatever reason, she ended up watching it from the audience. It was hell trying to think of excuses to give Mom and Dad.
And then, a voice echoed in her head.
“Yuffie, you’re always alone.”
“Aaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrghhhhhhhhh! Forget, forget, forget already!”
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Yuffie slammed her head against the banister, trying to blow all thoughts away into the darkness of the night.
“Meow?” Stunned by her sudden, bizarre behavior, Friend jumped up.
“Go away, my dark past!”
She danced to banish the nightmarish images, expel the dreaded memories from her mind. Yuffie thought she heard an ominous cracking sound come from somewhere in her body, a sound that shouldn’t have been there. Even so, she danced like a maniac. Unfortunately, Yuffie’s stamina was as weak as her communication skills, so it wasn’t long before she hit her limit.
“Haa… Haa…”
Out of breath, she curled up as if slammed by a body blow. After a while, she staggered to her feet.
“I-It is what it is… I was just unlucky enough to grow up in a bad environment…”
She forced herself to say positive things to lift her spirits and dispel the negative thoughts. After wiping the sweat from her forehead, she strained a smile. Her facial muscles weren’t used to the exercise. Pulling herself together, Yuffie returned to the banister, letting the night breeze carry her words away.
“My new life is about to start. I wonder if I can make a hundred friends… No, a hundred is too much… How about ten? No, even ten is a bit much…” Yuffie stood staring into the night, pondering her next choice of words. “New goal! One friend!”
That was a much more realistic target. Feeling refreshed now, Yuffie decided to go to bed for the night. All the traveling, talking to lots of people (two people), and the dance earlier had brought her stamina gauge down close to zero. Once she was ready to sleep, she crawled into bed.
“Goodnight, Friend.”
“Meow…”
Yuffie closed her eyes, full of hopes and dreams for her school life. Going to bed at this reasonable hour meant waking up early in the morning. Then, she could spend that free time before classes however she wanted. Reading, taking a walk, or meditating. A productive way to kick off the day?
Because starting tomorrow, I’ll be a student at the prestigious Academy of Magic…
Yuffie had finally taken her first step toward becoming the Saint she’d always longed to be. That was her reason for being here in the first place. She needed to keep that in the front of her mind, always. As she closed her eyes, bright scenes flashed in her mind one after another. She couldn’t help but smile as she imagined herself using healing magic as an extraordinary Saint.
“Heh heh heh… I’m the genius Saint, Yuffie…”
And with that, her day ended.
💠🌸💠