“Miss Brigitte, will you be my partner in the magic-stone hunt?”
In the hushed classroom, Nival held his hand out to Brigitte, almost like a challenge. She shook her head.
“I’m sorry.”
A buzz went through the room while her classmates gaped at Nival with open pity. But he paid no attention, instead staring wide-eyed at Brigitte.
“You’re not going to be partners with him, are you?”
“Who do you mean?”
“Of course I mean Yu—”
“I do not intend to be partners with anybody!” she interrupted before he could utter the dreaded name. She unfurled her luxurious fan, which Sienna had returned, and laughed haughtily. “I am aware that some people work as a team…but I wish to rely only on my own ability.”
After her neat and clean look the past weekend, she was playing the villainess with more dramatic flair than usual, but her classmates were so used to it that they didn’t even notice. As for Nival, he seemed disappointed but not surprised.
“That makes sense… With your ability, I’m sure you’ll be fine alone…”
Uh…I’m not so sure about that…
Brigitte didn’t say what she was thinking, however. Her spirit had stopped Nival’s ariel from going on a rampage, but even though Brigitte had been trying to talk to it ever since, she’d gotten no response. She didn’t have much hope of getting help from her spirit this time around, either. What she did have was confidence.
As a future spiritologist, I am determined to win…!
Everyone in class was talking about the magic-stone hunt. Officially, it was the practical portion of the upcoming exams. The challenge was to collect special magic stones hidden by the teachers in the dense forest surrounding the academy. All students took the test before summer vacation in their second year, making it something of a school tradition.
Success demanded that students at the very least get help from their contracted spirits—and more importantly, that they grasp the movements of wild spirits not contracted with anybody.
Although spirits basically spent their days in the spirit world, some of them emerged from time to time in sacred, sparsely populated parts of the human world, such as forests, groves, and rivers. The forest around Otoleanna Academy was one such place that they favored. And because spirits universally liked magic stones, they tended to carry off the ones that teachers scattered around for the test.
The test lasted two days. Students were required to spend one night in the forest. This was a daunting requirement for the sons and daughters of nobles, so many students formed teams for the test.
Causing direct harm to either students or spirits was forbidden, and the permitted equipment was defined in detail.
The challenge was to propitiate as many spirits as possible in a short time—in other words, to win their favor so they would gift their magic stones.
And since scores were based simply on how many stones each student received, Brigitte couldn’t help feeling eager for the test.
That day after school, Brigitte went to the gazebo near the library.
“Sir Yuri!”
Yuri, who was reading a book, looked up. When she sat down across from him, his well-shaped eyebrows furrowed together in puzzlement.
“Back to your old self, I see?”
“…Yes. I was just experimenting…I suppose.”
A shadow passed over her face. Yuri had to be referring to two days ago, when they’d run into each other downtown. Her makeup, clothing, and hairstyle had all been different from usual, and to make matters worse, Sienna had said some mortifying things. It was awful. Not to mention what he’d said in return or the present he’d given her. She still hadn’t made sense of it all.
I couldn’t sleep all weekend… Ugh, enough.
She had to stop. Thinking about it was likely to give her a fever. She was about to change the subject when Yuri spoke up again.
“You’re not wearing it?”
“What?”
“The hair ornament.”
I’ve been trying so hard to forget about that! She glared at him reproachfully.
But he met her gaze with his, which made her so flustered that she had to look away.
Please don’t blush…
Praying that her recently disobedient cheeks would listen, she mumbled an answer.
“…I-I’ll wear it if I feel like it…but I really should give it back to you, shouldn’t I?”
The day he gave it to her, she’d said over and over that she was giving it back, only to discover it in her hand after fleeing home in a panic—although Sienna seemed to have known all along that she had it.
She knew the ornament was incredibly expensive. She also knew it wasn’t a gift for a girl viewed as a heretic by her own family.
But instead of answering her question, Yuri made a request. “I wish you’d wear it as often as possible.”
Huh?
She was astonished, but his expression remained blank. It seemed he would not drop the subject until she agreed. She had no idea how to respond. Honestly, he was telling her to wear the present he himself had given her? It was almost as if…he felt something for her. She couldn’t help wishing that was true.
B-but…I know that can’t be right!
Attempting to hide her roiling emotions, she answered defensively—although her high-pitched voice hardly hid anything.
“Ah-ha-ha. Forgive me, but I only wear accessories that I like.”
“You didn’t like my present?”
“No, I didn’t…mean that. It’s lovely, and the workmanship is beautiful…”
“Ah. Then please wear it.”
She’d been trounced.
“…If you insist…I’ll wear it starting tomorrow.” She hugged her bag.
I can hardly admit now that I’ve been carrying it around with me…!
She pressed the handle, hoping he wouldn’t guess she had it with her.
Yuri glanced at her hand and shut his book. “And? What did you want to ask me?”
“About the magic-stone hunt, of course.”
He nodded. He must have guessed she’d say that.
“Considering my spirits will be helping me, I’ll have an advantage… You don’t mind?”
“If anything, that should balance the odds. After all, I’m a spiritologist in training,” she declared boldly. He seemed to catch her meaning.
“You’re confident you can communicate with wild spirits, eh? I still think I’ll win.”
“Ha! I’m looking forward to seeing you cry when you lose.”
“Your confidence is really something. But if you want to waste time dreaming about victory, I don’t mind the advantage.”
“Aren’t you the one with a penchant for dreaming of victory?”
They scowled at each other.
They had tied for first place on the previous written test; this magic-stone test would settle the score once and for all.
“So whoever gets the most magic stones wins?”
“Yes. And like last time, the loser has to do one thing the winner says?”
“Excellent.”
He laughed softly—or she thought he did. She threw him a defiant glance.
I’ll beat him hollow this time!
It was the morning of the magic-stone hunt. Brigitte, dressed in the designated short, comfortable clothes, was stretching as she waited at the forest entrance for the test to begin. The sight of a hundred or so second-year students gathered there, all dressed like her, was quite a spectacle.
Some were standing in teams of four or five while others, like Brigitte, were alone. As for her few acquaintances—Yuri, one class over, was also standing alone at a distance from the other students. Her heart leaped when their eyes met briefly…but she quickly looked away.
I have no reason to do that!
She glanced at him again. To her disappointment, he was focused on the forest now. Since he’d made such a fuss about it, she was wearing the hair ornament on her ponytail.
No, I’m wearing it because it’s an excellent magic item—that’s all.
She looked around, trying to regain her mental peace. Although everyone was dressed nearly identically, some students or their spirits were carrying heavy-looking packs most likely stuffed with sleeping bags, clothes, and food. Anyone who left the forest would be automatically disqualified. They had likely overpacked knowing they would need to spend the night in the forest. Brigitte, on the other hand, had only a small knapsack.
I’ll have to move around a lot. I don’t need all that extra stuff!
She had barely managed to escape Sienna, who insisted she take lots of spare clothes.
“Um…”
Huh?
Hearing someone call her, Brigitte turned around.
“Miss Brigitte!”
But she was distracted by Nival, who came striding over, waving eagerly. Everyone stared at them. The sight of the boy who Prince Joseph had been grooming as his aide chasing after the prince’s ex-fiancée must have been quite a shocking sight.
“You seem very energetic, Nival.”
“How could I not be? I was so excited to see your performance today, I couldn’t sleep!”
With his magic-suppressing collar removed, Nival himself was expected to perform well, but when she looked closely, she saw that his eyes were bloodshot. She was worried.
“Nival…it won’t be quite as hot in the forest, but it’s still summer. Make sure you rest, all right?”
“I am honored that you are worried about me, but I’ll be fine. I’m determined to win even without you by my side!”
Brigitte blinked.
He’s going it alone?
She looked around. For some reason, their classmates were standing apart from one another. They all seemed to be watching her with a terrible excitement in their eyes. As she wondered what was going on, Nival explained.
“When you said you were going to rely only on your own ability…we were all inspired to do the test solo, like you.”
“What?!”
What in the world? She hadn’t heard a word about that.
Nival raised his fist triumphantly in the air. “It’s time to show the other classes how amazing you are!”
What?!
The starting bell rang. Thanks to him, she began the test a few seconds late.
Physical fitness, magical ability, negotiating skill—and luck. Of the four elements crucial for the magic-stone hunt, Brigitte felt confident about two: physical fitness and negotiating skill.