THE school’s courtyard was close to the hall where the entrance ceremony took place. In stark contrast to the inorganic brick school buildings, it was a place surrounded by abundant nature, showcasing its beauty in every season. Old trees stood in the spacious area, and the warm spring breeze rustled branches and leaves. In the middle was a small fountain, the water’s surface sparkling in the sunlight.
And there, in such a peaceful, calming place…
“Ugh…”
…Yuffie was on the verge of throwing up.
Having grown up in the countryside, she couldn’t stand how crowded the entrance ceremony had been and grew nauseous as a result. Not wanting to soil such a beautiful place with her vomit, she desperately tried to force down the hot monster surging up from the back of her throat. Unfortunately, she was losing the fight. At this point, she preferred just facing off against a solitary Black Wolf.
A few moments later, she staggered to her feet and hid herself in a spot of lush vegetation.
“Ah, greenery… The smell of grass, so calming…”
She looked like a suspicious person. However, her quick thinking worked, and the monster returned to its lair in her stomach. Just as Yuffie inhaled, thinking that she had somehow managed to avoid spewing everywhere, someone spoke.
“Oh?”
At the sound of the unfamiliar voice, her heart nearly burst out of her chest and whooshed into the sky to become a star. She whipped around and met the eyes of another incredibly handsome young man.
He had fair skin and light blue hair, like the sky reflected on the lake’s surface. His green eyes, reminiscent of the deep forest, peeked out from behind his long, neatly trimmed bangs. The boy’s lips pressed together in a straight line, and his expression was impassive. His slender but well-proportioned body further accentuated his fragile aura. The young man was wearing the school uniform, but the way he wore it made him look like a historic god written about by ancient poets. His ethereal beauty and mysterious charm made it hard to take your eyes off him.
As soon as this gorgeous young man saw Yuffie, he spoke in a voice like the murmur of a spring stream. “Who are you? Are you up to no good?”
She knew it. She did look like a suspicious intruder.
“N-N-N-No, you’re wrong.” With a rustle, Yuffie rose from the bushes.
“Then were you playing hide-and-seek?”
“N-No, that’s not it either… I got sick at the entrance ceremony, so I was healing myself through the greenery.”
That sounds so stupid! What do you mean by ‘healing yourself through the greenery?’ I’m such an idiot, and on top of that, he definitely thinks I’m weird now!
While regret swamped Yuffie, the young man tapped a finger on his chin, pretending to think, and then spoke again. “So…you were trying to become one with nature to calm your mind?”
“Mm-hm!” Yuffie nodded.
“I know how you feel. Being in nature is very healing.”
Her face brightened at the young man’s calm words. He not only understood her eccentricities but also related to her. Just that was enough to make her happy. She could swear the trumpet corps played a fanfare in her head.
Oh, right! I brought burdock as a sign of friendship… Crud, I don’t have it with me right now! She’d thought it would be a bit odd to bring the root to the entrance ceremony, but now she regretted leaving it in her room!
“If you’re feeling unwell, you should go to the nurse’s office,” he suggested.
“N-N-N-N-No, I’m fine! I managed to calm myself down.”
“That’s good then.”
The young man, expressionless until then, inclined his head with a quiet smile. That smile would have pierced the heart of any normal girl and turned her eyes into heart symbols.
He must be an aristocrat too… I hope I didn’t do anything rude… Uuurk, now I’m super nervous… Yuffie’s self-esteem was so low that she couldn’t survive thinking about that right now, so she tried desperately to calm her pounding heart.
“All right then. I’m going back to my reading.”
The young man lay down in the courtyard. He took out a paperback book and began to read. She blinked at the boy, who was suddenly immersed in his own world.
He’s…different.
She wasn’t sure how to describe him. Marched to the beat of his own drum? Yuffie could tell he was a humble person from his polite tone. But the more powerful impression she got from him was of someone content in his own world, unaffected by the opinions of those around him.
Strangely enough, her shyness wasn’t as strong anymore. Maybe because, unlike most people, he was easy to talk to and approachable. It might be rude to say that he was similar to her, but Yuffie felt a kinship with him.
Since reading is his hobby, it means he’s an indoor person… I’m an indoor person… So, by the transitive property, he’s just like me!
With the formula rattling in her head, she found her feelings toward the young man brightening. To use an analogy, it was like a stray cat tossed unceremoniously into a group of dogs reuniting with its friend after several years. She felt a strong sense of camaraderie with the young man.
“You’re a freshman, aren’t you?”
“Eeek!” Yuffie pressed her hand over her pounding heart. He’d scared her, talking to her out of the blue again. “How did you know…?” she asked him.
His gaze shifted to the bodice of her uniform. “Because your ribbon is red.”
“Ohhh…”
Now it made sense to her. At the Academy of Magic, you could tell what year a student was in by the color of their ribbon or tie. First-year girls wore red, second-year girls wore light pink, and third-year girls wore blue. She’d forgotten the boys’ colors and corresponding years, but Yuffie was almost positive Lyle’s was red. She checked the color of the young man’s tie—green.
“That means you’re an upperclassman, my lord…”
“My lord, hm?”
“I’m sorry, I don’t know how to address you…”
“My name is Noah. What’s yours?”
“……Yuffie.”
“Care to explain that long pause?”
“I was just replenishing my courage, so don’t worry about it…”
“Aha. You’re not so good at talking, are you?”
Yuffie nodded so enthusiastically she almost ripped her own head off. He’s…amazing! It’s like he can read people’s minds! She was liking Noah more and more.
“Nice to meet you, Yuffie.” He held out his hand. In an instant, Yuffie froze like a stone statue. “What’s the matter?”
“Ahhh, I’m sorry! It’s nothing!”
I can’t believe I’m getting another friendly handshake after yesterday’s…
It really put her village in a terrible light, considering she’d lived there for fifteen years and never shaken anyone’s hand even once. So just like she’d done with Lyle yesterday, Yuffie timidly took Noah’s hand. Compared to Lyle’s, which she remembered as firm, Noah’s felt relatively small and kind of fragile.
“By the way, Yuffie, aren’t you going to the party?”
“What party?”
“There’s an informal get-together every year after the entrance ceremony.”
“Noooooooo…”
Yuffie heard a zap in her head as she vaguely remembered the teacher explaining something about a party after the entrance ceremony. She’d been feeling so nauseous that she completely forgot about it.
“Thank you very much for letting me know!” Yuffie quickly let go of Noah’s hand and bowed repeatedly.
“Please be careful.”
He saw her off as she left the courtyard.
💠🌸💠