“There’s no such thing as seat ownership. First come, first served. Jaylin, don’t mind him and sit wherever you like! No, wait. I can’t possibly let our precious new member sit on that filthy couch used by sword department brutes. Don’t worry, Jaylin. I’ll get you your very own sofa—way better than that one.”
“Oh, no. That’s really not necessary…”
“Bah! You shouldn’t use the same furniture as those brainless sword majors. Their ignorance might rub off on you.”
“Ignorant? Are you insane?! Hey, you little—!”
Adrian flared up, and Stephan stuck out his tongue to mock him even more.
“What, what? Everyone knows the sword department has that kind of reputation.”
“Oh yeah? Then with all your brain wrinkles, why’d you come dead last last semester?”
At Adrian’s counterattack, Stephan’s face turned pale.
“Eeeek! Adrian! How could you say something so cruel in front of Jaylin… Exposing my shame like that… That’s just mean!”
“It was going to come out after midterms anyway. Better to know now.”
Adrian replied indifferently.
“Still! That’s too harsh, too harsh!”
“Please, you don’t even care about your grades.”
Adrian and Stephan’s bickering continued right up until Jaylin had to leave the clubroom for her next class.
Finally, the day of the mock monster combat class arrived.
Since she only had afternoon classes today, Jaylin decided to take her time getting to school.
She tried to study during the free time, but she couldn’t concentrate. Her heart was too restless with excitement over the possibility of seeing Lionel.
Eventually, Jaylin closed her book and got up. She figured it would be better to go out early and take care of some errands she’d been putting off.
Leaving the boarding house, Jaylin pedaled her bicycle toward the bank located within the academy grounds.
Thanks to her excellent entrance exam results, she’d been lucky enough to receive a scholarship—but it wasn’t enough. She still had to pay for room and board, as well as other living expenses.
Fortunately, the academy offered loans to students, so she decided to borrow a little money to get by while attending school.
Of course, it would be ideal to get a part-time job to cover her expenses, but as a transfer student in her fourth year, she figured just keeping up with the coursework would already be overwhelming.
‘If only I could earn some money during the break…’
Jaylin pedaled hard. She had rented a cheap room far from the main campus buildings, so it took a while to get anywhere on foot. That’s why she borrowed a bike to commute.
Her worn-out bicycle creaked as it finally brought her to a stop in front of the bank.
Jaylin parked her bike nearby and walked into the building.
As soon as she stepped through the door, a tall young man with sea-colored hair standing at the entrance turned around and let out a surprised exclamation.
“Oh? You!”
Jaylin was confused. She didn’t recognize him, but he was acting like he knew her.
The man smiled brightly, revealing a row of white teeth. His lips curled upward, almost touching the corners of his eyes—it was a very charming smile.
“Hi there! I’m Nathan. And you are?”
Nathan held out his hand with a playful smirk. Being approached so warmly by a stranger made Jaylin feel a bit uncomfortable.
Still, she couldn’t completely ignore the hand stretched toward her, so she cautiously gave him a quick handshake with a wary look.
“J-Jaylin.”
“Ah, nice to meet you, Jaylin. You’re a first-year student who entered this year, right?”
“I did enter this year, but… I’m a fourth-year.”
Nathan’s expression shifted slightly. He furrowed his brow for a moment, then opened his mouth again.
“Fourth year? So you transferred in? I haven’t seen you before this semester.”
“Yes, I transferred this year.”
“Got it. Studied abroad, huh?”
Nathan asked this as if it were the obvious answer.
“S-studied abroad?”
“Yeah. You transferred as a fourth year, so I figured you studied in another country. Shalak? Jekallan?”
“I-I am a transfer student, but I didn’t study abroad. I’ve never even left the country.”
“You didn’t study abroad and still transferred directly into fourth year?”
“Yes.”
“That’s rare. Most people don’t get into fourth year straight away unless they studied overseas… Weird.”
Nathan scratched the back of his head.
“Anyway, Jaylin—you know Lionel, right?”
“Huh? H-how did you…?”
Jaylin’s eyes widened at the sudden mention of Lionel’s name from someone she’d just met.
“I’m a friend of his.”
Relieved, Jaylin relaxed her shoulders. She hadn’t realized she’d been so tense.
‘Ah, he knows the young master. That explains it.’
Nathan shrugged casually and smiled again, the mischief in his eyes clearly visible.
“So how do you know Lionel? He’s a good guy, but he never talks about himself, so I’m curious. How’d you two meet?”
“Uh, when we were kids… I used to be his playmate for a while.”
“P-Playmate?”
Nathan tilted his head, puzzled by the title Jaylin used for Lionel.
“Oh, w-well… I’m a commoner, so back then, I called him ‘young master.’”
“Ah! Got it. That’s funny. You said you’re a fourth year, right? Then we’re in the same year. I guess we’ll be seeing each other often. If anything ever comes up or you need help, don’t hesitate to ask me. I’ve got your back.”
With a wink, Nathan playfully squinted one eye.
“Y-yes. Thank you.”
Jaylin nodded awkwardly, startled by the wink.
That afternoon, Jaylin arrived at the building where the mock monster combat class was held and parked her bicycle out front.
The gentle spring breeze suddenly turned into a gust.
Petals fluttered wildly in the air, and the yellow ribbon that had barely clung to Jaylin’s hair was swept away, falling to the ground.
Before Jaylin could even bend down to pick it up, a large shadow reached it first.
Dark hair, deeper than the night sky, filled Jaylin’s view.
It was Lionel.
“You dropped this.”
Jaylin looked down at the yellow ribbon Lionel held out to her. It was the same ribbon he had given her as a gift when they were children.
She had cherished it for years, but with time, the ends had frayed and worn thin.
As Jaylin lifted her head, flower petals rained softly above Lionel’s head.
The youthful face that had once given her this ribbon overlapped clearly with the young man now standing before her.
Jaylin wanted to ask if he remembered—but she didn’t have the courage. All she could do was accept the ribbon and thank him.
“Th-thank you.”
Lionel simply smiled kindly in response.
The moment Lionel smiled, Jaylin’s mind went completely blank. She found herself mumbling stiffly, not even aware of what she was saying.
“H-hello.”
It was just a greeting—but one she barely managed to get out while suppressing the pounding of her heart.
The brief brush of his hand as he gave her the ribbon felt like it had scorched her fingers.
To calm herself, Jaylin clenched the ribbon tightly in her palm.
“Are you doing well? How’s academy life treating you?”
Despite Jaylin’s awkward greeting, Lionel naturally carried the conversation forward.
“Y-yes. It’s been okay so far.”
Even after her answer, Lionel continued staring at her—so intently that Jaylin grew restless.
Unable to bear it any longer, she asked nervously,
“Wh-what is it…?”
“Excuse me a second.”
Lionel gently reached out and brushed something from the end of Jaylin’s honey-colored hair.
At his touch, her cheeks flushed bright red.
“This was stuck there.”
A light pink petal clung to his fingertips.
Jaylin couldn’t even look him in the eyes. Staring at the ground, she muttered another thank you.
“Th-thank you…”
No sooner had the words left her lips than there was a loud thump, and Lionel’s body tilted forward slightly.
A bright, cheerful voice rang out from behind him.
“Lio-nel!!”
“Sasha. You don’t need to crash into me like that to say hi. A simple greeting would’ve done.”
Despite his words of protest, Lionel smiled softly and turned around.
Standing there was Sasha—with short blonde hair and eyes as blue as the sea.
“What are you doing here? Aren’t you going in?”
Sasha tilted her head, puzzled by Lionel’s presence outside the building.
“I’m heading in now.”
As Lionel turned fully to face Sasha, she finally noticed Jaylin standing behind him and waved with a smile.
“Oh! Hi there! I didn’t see you—Lionel was blocking you.”
“H-hello…”
After Jaylin returned the greeting, Lionel turned back to her with a calm, gentle tone.
“Well then, Jaylin. I’ll head in first. I’ve got class soon.”
“O-okay.”
Lionel and Sasha began walking away from her.
Jaylin watched as Sasha casually slipped her arm through Lionel’s and started chattering.
“I trained super hard over break. This semester, I will beat you! Just watch!”
Jaylin could clearly see Lionel’s side profile as he smiled down at Sasha’s determined expression.
They looked very close. It wasn’t until the two of them completely disappeared into the building that Jaylin was finally able to tear her gaze away.
