“Thank you so much, Miss Mylene! I think I’ve made progress.”
“Oh, thank you for giving me an opportunity to review the basics. If there’s anything else you need, don’t hesitate to reach out.”
As the schoolgirl thanked me profusely and dashed away, waving with vigor, I plastered a smile on my face and waved daintily back.
It had gotten quite late. Noticing the counseling room was deserted, I yawned and gave a stretch just short of what would be called unladylike.
It would be time for lights-out soon. I had stayed up this late helping a classmate study magic—while wearing my good-girl mask, mind you! Just look at me. Teaching! Sometimes I’m shocked at how nice I’ve gotten.
I scoff…but in all honesty, it wasn’t all an act or a fanciful whim. Aside from the upper crust, the students at the Zelfore Academy of Magic were all sons and daughters of nobility. I had to get them in my debt—which was an exaggerated way of putting it, but at the very least, if I made a good impression with them, they might be useful connections for me in the future. It was a calculated wager.
And then again, I was telling the truth when I said it was a good review for me.
Most of the first-year curriculum here consisted of basic techniques. It was material I had already studied on my own, but there were sections I’d skipped over. Those were new to me. And teaching somebody else the material out loud was the perfect way for me to retain it.
So anyway, that’s how these nighttime study consultations had come to be a habit of mine. It made me realize I’d really gotten the hang of this well-bred little lady life.
I looked around the mostly empty room. One of the seats that should have been occupied was empty today. I clasped my hands and heaved a heavy sigh.
I hadn’t seen Colette since she’d left our evening training session early. The mysterious errand of hers was starting to tug on my conscience. If it was something she couldn’t tell us about…if it had something to do with Gods of the Moon—
“Shit…” A curse escaped my lips. I’d forgotten I was in the counseling room, but thankfully, I was too quiet to be heard.
Even if somebody had overheard my profane utterance, my good-girl facade was so expertly constructed that they would doubt their ears. I tried to console myself with this thought, but traces of anger still remained.
If I’d known Colette was gonna be out this late, I should’ve gone looking for her before lights-out. I wasn’t gonna sleep well with this on my conscience.
Oh well. Guess I’ll search for Colette after curfew. Heaving a decisive sigh, I departed for my room.
The girls’ dormitory at the Zelfore Academy of Magic was (and I hear it’s the same for the boys’ dorms) divided into double rooms. Though it had its imperfections, Zelfore was a prep school for little rich kids—if there were some mistake, they’d be in big trouble—so the rich kids were paired off with roommates who served as their watchers.
That being said, a fellow student guarding you didn’t amount to much. It was customary for a roommate to coincidentally have an extra-long bathroom break just before you got into trouble. And it was a friendly relationship with your roommate that made such things possible.
In other words, those debts the other students racked up in the counseling room came in handy. My roommate Holly had her own fair share of debt as well. She was a homely girl with red hair. We weren’t in the same class, but since she was quiet, we got along okay.
If I give her the backstory, she should help me with my current problem.
“That girl really is a pain in the ass. Okay, I’m technically hurting my own ass voluntarily, but still.”
I made sure I was alone in the hallway as I cursed under my breath.
Shit, this ain’t like me. I don’t even know for sure it’s about Gods of the Moon. Why am I so pissed off just because Colette went off on her own for a few hours?
If my former self saw me like this, he’d gag. I gave a self-deprecating snort as I arrived at my room and touched the doorknob—and erased all traces of emotion from my face.
Somebody’s in there. And it’s not Holly.
I paused.
Don’t tell me they came to get me at school.
I masked my magic energy as much as I could, then burst into the room!
“Mylene!”
The moment I entered, somebody called my name and ran toward me.
I filled my fists with magic, thinking it was Gods of the Moon. But what I saw instead was—
“Wha…Colette?!”
It was my friend who’d disappeared earlier that evening. While I was stunned and immobilized, she flung her arms tightly around me.
“Wh-where the hell have you been—what’re ya doin’ here?!”
“Mmm! It’s my authentic Mylene! I’ve missed you! We haven’t had many chances to be alone lately!”
“Aaagh! Get off, you clingy bitch!”
I tried to pry Colette off me without hurting her, but her iron grip proved impossible escape. But after I let her squeeze me for a while, Colette suddenly relaxed her hold on me. Just when her clinginess had gotten unbearable, it was almost a letdown to be suddenly free.
With a little cough, I gave the widely beaming girl a dubious stare. “Ah, shit…what the hell are you doing here? First ya leave evening training early, then ya disappear until curfew—what gives?”
As I scratched my head thinking about how she was driving me crazy, Colette gave a little snort, and her smile softened.