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CLASSES at the academy began with cleaning and greetings. In short, they taught things important to character building. Afterward, they studied Jinlongian reading and writing, arithmetic, geography, the calendar, martial arts, and equestrian arts.
Hisame excelled at reading, writing, and arithmetic. However, he struggled with martial and equestrian arts. Conversely, Ryuho excelled at martial and equestrian arts but struggled with reading, writing, and arithmetic. While Angelina liked equestrian arts, she found martial arts a bit frightening. All three had their strengths and weaknesses. Thus, each day brought its fair share of struggles.
As a pure-hearted and lively young boy, Ryuho naturally became the leader of playtime. Since Angelina was the youngest pupil, older students who wanted to act mature helped teach her with great attention. One of those students was Shua—Ryuho’s older sister.
Getting used to the academy will probably take a long time, Hisame had worried at first. Yet the other students began talking to him amicably when he spent time with Angelina and Ryuho. Thanks to Hisame’s calm demeanor and rich knowledge, the younger children looked up to him as an older brother.
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MORNING classes had ended, and lunch break had arrived. Though the students enjoyed meals in the cafeteria, it was also a place to learn etiquette. Ryuho sat beside Angelina, and Hisame sat across from them.
“Ugh, I’m dead tired…” Ryuho complained, leaning against Angelina.
“If you don’t obey the rules, you’ll get scolded, y’know?” Angelina warned.
“Gimme a minute to rest, Lina. I’m exhausted…”
Ryuho already felt tense from going about his daily life while hiding his tail and ears. That alone would have worn him out, but he’d also been forced to study all day—something he greatly disliked.
“I mean, c’mon,” Ryuho said. “What’s the point of calling the Three Ducal Ministers the Three Pagoda Trees? It just complicates things!”
The Three Ducal Ministers were government officials in Jinlong. Angelina’s class had just learned they were also called the Three Pagoda Trees. Ryuho didn’t understand why anyone would change their name to something so complicated.
“I don’t care if three pagoda trees were planted in some garden!” he huffed. “It doesn’t matter! Jinlongian history’s got nothing to do with me! What’s the point of learning about stuff that already happened?! Wouldn’t getting stronger be a better use of my time? Why do I have to study all this junk?!”
Angelina understood Ryuho’s point of view all too well. Learning history could be boring if you had no interest in it.
“Because history repeats itself,” Hisame said.
When Angelina and Ryuho looked up, Hisame’s eyes widened in surprise, and his mouth snapped shut.
“What do you mean, Hisame?” Angelina asked.
In response to her encouragement, Hisame opened his textbook.
“You want to study even more during lunch break?” Ryuho groaned. “Let’s go play outside already!”
“You can go play if you want,” Hisame replied with a laugh. “I’ll stay here and talk to Angelina.” He then placed his textbook in front of Angelina and brought his face close to hers.
“Don’t get so close!” Ryuho shouted.
Hisame pressed his finger to his lip in a shushing motion. “Today, we learned about a war between Jinlong and Peijan five hundred years ago. As a result, a country between the two nations was destroyed. More recently, the same thing happened to Yule, between Jinlong and Porin’ya.”
Hearing about her mother’s homeland piqued Angelina’s curiosity. “Do you know why Yule was destroyed, Hisame?”
Angelina gazed at Hisame so earnestly that Ryuho couldn’t suppress his jealousy.
“I do,” Hisame responded with a nod. “Your mother was Yulan, wasn’t she? According to legend, the Yulan royal family is descended from a tianshi, and their nation is the birthplace of magic. The Tianshi’s Protective Seal on your hand is supposedly the oldest magical emblem and originated from Yule.”
Angelina stared down at her palm. Usually, the protective seal looked like a pale, white birthmark. When tinged with magic, however, the three almond-shaped markings would turn red and stand out in a radial pattern.
“The Tianshi’s Protective Seal has lost its original magical power,” Hisame continued. “Even so, it remains a charm in various countries, although its color, shape, and surrounding characters often differ. The Kalavinka paints the same marking on her forehead, remember?”
“Does it exist in Anda too?” Angelina asked.
“Yes, but the characters written around the seal are Andan.”
“I see… So why would a country like Yule fall to ruin?”
“Apparently, the royal family possessed a powerful magic called the Yulan Secret Arts,” Hisame explained. “Jinlong and many other countries wanted that power. Still, Yule had always been a small country that eked out a meager existence thanks to the queen’s magic. The last Queen of Yule feared her kingdom might get caught up in a war between two larger nations, and one of them would abuse the Yulan Secret Arts. And so, she used the last of her remaining magic to seal away the castle.”
Hisame sneaked a glance at Angelina. As a descendant of the Yulan royal family, it couldn’t have been a pleasant conversation for her. Hisame wanted to confirm that he hadn’t upset her.
“What happened next?” Angelina asked.
“Jinlong took the young Yulan princess as a prisoner of war,” Hisame answered. “They were interested in the legends of the royal family being descended from a tianshi.”
“Grandfodder destroyed Yule and took Mudder hostage?”
“…Maybe it just so happened to occur during the previous emperor’s reign,” Hisame mumbled. “He might not have ordered it himself.”
Mother’s family was murdered while she was still a child, and then she was carted off to a foreign country, Angelina thought dumbfoundedly. What’s more, she died while still young after giving birth to me. Was she ever happy?
“Oh, I think I get it now!” Ryuho chimed in with a laugh. “Lina’s here now ’cause all that happened, right? The past and future are connected! I’m so glad we were able to meet!”
Ryuho’s words helped brighten the heavy atmosphere.
“Yeah, me too!” Angelina exclaimed, bumping her head against him. “I want to learn more about Jinlong and Yule! I might find out some unpleasant things, but it’s better than turning a blind eye to the truth!”
Hisame breathed a sigh of relief and nodded. “I agree. There are plenty of awful things in Anda’s past, too. That’s why I want to study my nation’s history and prevent it from repeating.”
Angelina and Hisame smiled at each other. “Then let’s study together,” they encouraged each other in unison.
Feeling left out, Ryuho let out a whine inaudible to human ears.
“We have martial arts class in the afternoon, Ryuho,” Angelina said, patting him on the head.
Ryuho’s head shot up. Due to his overwhelming happiness, he pressed down on his hair, worried his tiger ears might have popped out. When everything seemed okay, he breathed a sigh of relief.
“Is something wrong, Ryuho?” Hisame asked.
“…Oh, it’s nothing,” Ryuho answered with a dopey laugh. He was still keeping his feline form a secret from Hisame. At that moment, he had to look away because he was such a bad liar.
Hisame continued looking at him worriedly. “You promise you’re okay?”
In an attempt to stave off the awkwardness, Ryuho stood up. “I’m, uh, heading out early!”
He shot out of the cafeteria.