Disclaimer: the prologue is following the timeline of the actual twst prologue.
Some parts (specifically the Heartslabyul game) are taken from actual twst card stories.
This is the prologue of my (hopefully) upcoming fic centred around my twst yume OCs, and featuring appearances from my moots’ OCs :3 Any criticism is more than welcome, and thank you to everyone who reads it T_T it’s my first time writing an extended piece of fiction in English, so I hope it isn’t too bad!
☆ Cymatilis Mansion, Isle of Lament. Sky’s point of view ☆
Sky peered out of the window as she heard the distinct footsteps of a horse. From the distance, behind the thick fog native of her hometown, she could distinguish the outline of an Ebony carriage. “So it’s happening...” She thought as she finished zipping her bag, hands slightly trembling. Bringing a hand to her chest, she slowly exhaled, closing her eyes. She was finally leaving that cooled-down hell of a household. She was finally going to be able to start fresh.
Full of hopes and expectations, she gave a final look to her childhood bedroom, before dashing downstairs. She stopped in her tracks to look around the walls of the staircase. They were all plastered with pictures- but the young girl was barely on any of them. Looking back at her were dozens of pictures of her brother’s exploits, smiling as a bright aura surrounded him. Despite them being still, she could swear his eyes on the photographs was ridiculing her. Biting her lips, she turned her head and proceeded to go down the last set of stairs, careful not to make any noise. “Please”, she thought. “Please let me leave without anyone noticing-”
“Oh, I see the carriage has arrived. Should I warn Mother and Father of your departure? Although I am sure that it is no event to celebrate, given where you’re going.”
Sky froze as her hand rested on the doorknob. So he heard her. Taking a deep breath, she turned around only to see her brother, Gray, standing in the entrance. He pushed his glasses back as he looked down on her with a disgusted expression.
“Look at you, slipping away like a thief. Well, seeing where you’re going, it doesn’t surprise me.” He sighed, shaking his head. “To think you’re breaking our family’s longstanding tradition of attending Royal Sword Academy by going to that... place...” He paused, a disgusted frown on his face. “But if I am to be honest, it’s not like I had much expectations for you to begin with. I guess for someone like you, Night Raven College indeed is a better option than going to a third-rate magicless high school.”
Sky felt tears prickle her eyes as she bit her lip not to cry. “Not today. I won’t give him the pleasure of seeing me cry. This is the beginning of my story- I won’t be that weak little girl anymore.” Turning around, she strengthened her grip on the doorknob. She could swear the door was heavier than usual as she struggled to open it, hands slightly trembling.
“I-It won’t be necessary. I doubt they’d be very interested in sending me off anyway.” The door was now open, and she gazed at the black carriage in front of her. It did look sinister, but at the thought of what she was leaving behind, it almost shone to her. “On that note, I’m off.”
Without waiting for her brother’s response, she slammed the door behind her. Resting her back on it, she fought to catch her breath as she felt panic creeping up. “D-Did I really just do that? They’re 100% going to kill me... Ugh, why did I say that?? So ridiculous...” She shook her head. “N-No, I can’t keep panicking when things don’t go according to plan. Today’s the first day of the new me, and I won’t let that idiot ruin it.” As she exhaled and inhaled slowly, she looked up to the carriage in front her. Gulping, she stepped down the porch and walked towards it.
“A coffin...? Well, it sure is different from the silver carriage that came to pick up my brother- Wha-?!” Surprised, Sky jolted back. The coffin had opened by itself, as if it was inviting her to step in. She looked around nervously, before casting her gaze down again.
“... I guess driver-less carriages and magic coffins are what you’d expect from a wizard school...”
Climbing on the carriage, she threw her bag next to the coffin while taking position inside of it. She wasn’t really claustrophobic, but she could feel the fear of getting stuck inside of a coffin creep up inside her. Tentatively, she reached to the top of the coffin, slowly lowering it down. “... I guess I do have to lie down inside that thing...” Without warning, the coffin’s lid closed rather harshly, leaving Sky in pitch-black darkness. She let out a small shriek, as she curled up in a foetal position. “This is so creepy...” As soon as she found a comfortable position, her thoughts starting drifting off, a slumber overcoming her. “Ah, that’s right. I did read about this... I think... No one can stay... awake... inside...”
☆ Night Raven College, Hall of Mirrors. Sky’s point of view. ☆
“... Oiii ~ You there, please wake up ~”
Sky slowly opened her eyes as she felt someone’s hand shake her awake. The light seemed almost blinding to her as she repeatedly blinked to get used to it.
Finally awake, she peered around her. She was sitting in a room full of mirrors that looked like coffins, emitting the bright green light that hurt her eyes a mere seconds earlier. “Oh”, she thought. “I assume this is Night Raven College’s infamous Hall of Mirrors.”
Sky had completely forgotten about the person in front of her, too immersed in appraising the room around her. Jolting back up, she brushed her clothes as she bowed, profusely apologising.
“A-Ah, I’m so sorry, I was just-”
“No big deal, don’t sweat it ~” The girl in front of her chuckled, as she lowered the hood of her robe. “A lot of people have troubles waking up when they get here. ‘Twas the same for me in first year, so I totally get you!”
Sky lifted her head up to sneak a peek at her. She had blonde hair with pink highlights, and her ruby eyes were smiling while she presented a purple and black robe to Sky: the same as the one she was wearing. “That’s right. NRC students have to wear a robe for the entrance ceremony, I completely forgot...”
“Ah! Sorry, completely forgot to introduce myself. I’m Mary-Ann Harland, third-year in Heartslabyul, one of the seven dorms of NRC ~” Sky nodded her head as she received the robe. “I was supposed to take it easy since it’s my last year and all, but Riddle decided I didn’t help enough for the ceremony so he yelled at me, saying ‘How dare you slack off during such an important event!!! This is breaking rule 67 of the Queen of Hearts: always be proactive during school-related events!!!!’, so, he gave me the worst role, to hand robes to new students... Aaah, don’t you think this is totally unfair? ~”
Sky finished putting her robe on, as her thoughts went into a havoc. What is this senpai talking about...? She did read about Heartslabyul, but who is Riddle, and what are the Queen of Hearts rules? And also... “... Why is she telling me all this when we just met?”
“O-Oh, I’m sorry to hear that... I’m Sky, by the way. S-Sky Cymatilis.” This was the best Sky could come up with, not knowing what to respond.
“Aah, glad you feel me on that one Sky-chan ~” Mary-Ann responded, totally oblivious to Sky’s confused expression. “Anyway, I’m just wasting your time here- the ceremony is starting soon, so just follow the arrows behind me to get to ceremony venue. The mirror will choose a dorm for you there, so look forward to it ~”
☆ Night Raven College, Mirror Chamber. Sky’s point of view. ☆
Clothed with her robe, Sky entered the Mirror Chamber, heart racing as she looked around. “Wow, there are seriously so many students...” From what she could tell, all the first-years were standing in the middle of the room, while second and third-years were standing on the sides, waiting for everyone to step in front of the mirror. She could see some of the upperclassmen snickering and gossiping about the new students, as others were scolding them. Gulping nervously, she pulled her hood up, as she stood in line, waiting for her turn.
She peered around, curious about the type of students that were about to be her classmates. Some of them had animal ears- “Ah”, she thought. “I read that most of them come from the Afterglow Savannah, and end up in Savanaclaw. I think that’s a dorm that relies on physical strength a lot, so I don’t think I’ll end up there.... Or get along with any of them.” She sighed, as she spotted a very tall man with a grave expression. “Oh? Green hair.. I think green is the colour of Diasomnia, the dorm reputed for talented students, and his aura totally tells me he belongs there... It’d be nice if I could get sorted there too, actually... Huh? That guy...” Next to her was a young boy with blue hair and blue eyes, shaking from heads to toes as he glared at everyone around him. “... Looks even more scared than I am. Nice to know I’m not alone in this...”
There must have been an influx of new students coming in, because Sky could suddenly felt herself getting pushed forward, bumping in the girl in front of her. “A-Ah, what is this, I can’t be rude to anyone on my first day!!”
“.. Huh? Ah, it’s nothing.”
The girl in front of her turned around, an indifferent expression of her face. The first thing that struck Sky was how beautiful her eyes were. They were of a beautiful emerald green, and almost reminded her of precious stones with how nicely they contrasted with her slightly tanned skin and dark brown hair. Sky stared at her for a few seconds, amazed.
“A-AH, I’m so sorry for staring, I d-didn’t mean to-” Embarrassed, Sky realised that she had been staring for way too long. “I’m sorry, I didn’t want t-to be rude-”
“... Hm? No, that’s okay, I don’t think you were rude or anything...” The girl responded with a monotonous voice.
“... Umm, is that so?” Sky cursed herself underneath her breathe. “Ugh, I’m seriously embarrassing myself here...” “A-Ahem.” She cleared her throat, throwing her head back with a now collected expression. “My name is Sky, Sky Cymatilis. What is yours?”
“Yam...Likha? Is that your first and last name, or?”
“No, just my first name. I don’t have a last name.”
“Hm? Why don’t you don’t have a-” Sky realised what this meant, colour draining from her face. Did she just ask an orphan why she didn’t have a last name? “A-ah, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to pry-”
“I don’t really mind.” Yamlikha’s expression was as unfazed as ever as she tilted her head. “You sure do apologize a lot.”
“A-Ahah, do I? Maybe you’re right... ahah...”
Sky turned around, face as red as a tomato. She promised herself she’d become cool and collected like those otome MCs she admires, but managed to embarrass herself within the first 10 minutes of her high school experience. Struggling to keep herself from breaking down, she intently stared at the mirror in the distance in order to fight the tears she could feel coming. “Aah, I wonder which dorm I’ll be sorted in... Please let it be a good one... I just want a peaceful high school life....”
☆ Night Raven College, Mirror Chamber. Mary-Ann’s point of view. ☆
“Aah, seriously, screw Riddle... I’m so tired and the ceremony has barely started...”
“Eeh ~ Mary-Ann-chan, don’t look so dejected! It’s the entrance ceremony, the entrance ceremony ☆ As third-years, we have to be good senpai and pay attention, you know?”
“Cater’s right. Plus, this is on you: I told you not to take a nap in the courtyard when Riddle was setting things up, and look where it lead you...”
“Ugh, Trey, way to rub salt in the wound ~” Mary-Ann sighed. “Okay, okay, I’ll pay attention, but seriously, why is this so long? Can’t the mirror hurry up?”
“Stop grumbling. Don’t you remember when we were first years too?” Trey lifted Mary-Ann’s hood back up for her. “We were so nervous and excited, weren’t we? The wait is part of the experience, after all.”
“Dunno. All I remember is how FREAKISHLY long this queue is, and I swear it gets bigger every year.” Mary-Ann pouted as she twirled with her hair, glaring at the mirror.
“Those freshmen sure are cute, looking all nervous and all ~ Nee, nee, Mar-Ann-chan, was Trey this cute back then too?”
“That guy?” Mary-Ann folded her arms while analysing Trey. “... Definitely not. He’s had this got-my-life-together look for a while after all, you know? ~”
“Ahah, I can definitely see that ~ Well, I know one person who wasn’t innocent since day one of enrolling here…”
“You freshmen over there. Four rows from the right, you three in the back! Could you stay quiet during the ceremony? Start whispering again and it’ll immediately be off with your head. Take this warning seriously.”
“Whew~! Riddle’s setting things straight right away today too~ It’s almost giving me chills.”
“That’s because this is Riddle’s first entrance ceremony as a 2nd-year and a dorm leader. He’s probably just feeling nervous, and that’s definitely why he was so harsh on you too, Mary-Ann.”
“Ugh... Still, no one’s gonna want to join us if he keeps this up...”
“Now now, no need to be so negative ☆ Mary-Ann-chan, Trey-kun, why don’t we play a game?”
“Yep, yep ~ let’s bet on who gets sorted into Heartslabyul! Now then… The 2,000,001st Heartslabyul Freshman Guessing Game starts now ♪ Hmm... See that tall guy with the white ears over there? No for sure ☆” The three friends expectantly waited for the mirror’s verdict. “Woah, big victory!! Way to go, Cay-kun! ~”
“Eeeh, Catercchi, that was an easy one, of course he’d go to Savanaclaw ~ Mmmh, then...” Mary-Ann scanned the crowd for easy targets. “See this guy over there, the one that looks like he’s about to pass away from fear?”
“What a way to describe him...” Trey deadpanned. “You mean, the guy with blue hair?”
“Yeah, him. Imma say yes, because he’s got that “living-in-fear-of-riddle” look down to a T ~”
“You’re unbelievable...” Trey sighed, as the three held their breath. “Oh? Now that’s surprising, I didn’t think you’d be right about this.”
“Eheh, I can spot the Riddlephobia from a mile away after all!” Mary-Ann grinned.
“... Please don’t say that ever again. Now, for me, hmmm... You see that girl with blue hair?”
“Who? Oh, her? I had to wake her up in the mirror room... hmmm, what was her name again?”
“She totally looks like she belongs to Ignihyde, doesn’t she? ~”
“... Cater, aren’t you just saying that because of the hair colour? I’m going to say yes.”
“Looks like it’s an L, Trey-kun ~ Although I wouldn’t have predicted Scarabia either... Next! That girl with purple hair..”
“Isn’t that a guy?” Trey interjected, squinting his eyes to get a clearer view of the student in question.
“Nah, I think Catercchi’s right- looks like a girl to me.”
“Right, right- well, I think she’s going to Heartslabyul! Because she’d fit our trendy uniform so well, wouldn’t she? ~”
“... Pomefiore? Well, that was expected ~ Now, my turn again! Hmmm.. That girl with brown hair would definitely join us, I think... Eeeh? Scarabia?”
“Ahah, I got worried for a second, but it looks like your guesses are as bad as usual, Mary-Ann. Now then... The freshman with auburn hair? I’d vote yes.”
“Yeah, yeah, me too ~ Trey-kun’s right, he perfectly matches Riddle and I ☆... Yay, it’s a V!”
“Ugh, I can’t believe I lost....”
“Right, Trey-kun sure is observant, isn’t he ~”
“Stop acting like I’m some kind of fortune-teller, the score was just 8 to 6. Now, as promised, the losers attend the new students, so have fun, both of you.” Trey stated as he walked past them, ruffling Mary-Ann’s hair in the process.
“Aaah, seriously, this sucks... Today really isn’t my lucky day... First Riddle, and now this?” Mary-Ann lamented, sighing.
“Now now, don’t be so negative- at least we’re together, right? ☆ Mary-Ann-chan and Cay-kun’s welcome ceremony mission, starting now!”
☆ Scarabia Dorm, Lounge. Sky’s point of view. ☆
Sky let out a relieved sigh as she stepped into the Scarabia lounge. The minutes spent waiting for the mirror to give his verdict had seemed like eternity to her-
“The shape of thy soul is..... Scarabia.”
- And the result had really caught her off guard. She had been hoping to join Diasomnia: had she joined the dorm reputed for its magical prowess, she would have without a doubt earned respect. But Scarabia? She wasn’t sure what to think about it. During the entrance ceremony havoc, where a familiar set the place on fire, the person who seems to be the dorm leader- Kalim, was it?- clearly didn’t have as much of a presence as the rest of the dorm leaders did. Instead of using trying to clear the situation, like the Heartslabyul and Octavinelle dorm leaders, all he did was whine about how his butt was on fire. Was this truly going to be alright?
“Alright. Scarabia first years, please line up- our dorm leader, Kalim Al-Asim, will give his welcome speech in a minute or so. I am Jamil Viper, your vice-dorm leader, and we are both second years.”
Sky snapped out of her thoughts as soon as she heard that phrase. Second years? From what she had read about NRC, it was quite rare to have second years as dorm leaders, or vice-dorm leaders: which meant that those two must be quite powerful wizards. “I take back what I said”, she thought, grinning to herself. “Maybe this isn’t so bad after all.” Curious, she looked around to see who her dorm-mates were going to be. There was a handful of familiar faces from the entrance ceremony, and-
“Oh? Sky-san, was it? It seems like we’re both in the same dorm.” Yamlikha remarked, as imperturbable as ever.
“Ah, I’m so glad, I was worried about not knowing anyone....” Sky’s thoughts trailed off. “Hmm... From what I can tell, Yamlikha seems to be quite a level-headed person...”
“Hello everyone!! I’m your dorm leader Kalim, welcome to Scarabia!!”
“?!” Startled, Sky turned towards the centre of the lounge. Their dorm leader was standing there, a mic way too close to his face, as Jamil was trying to get him to step back. “Oh.. A-Ahah, I guess his speech is... starting?”
Yamlikha took out a small console from underneath her robe, and started playing as Kalim delivered his speech. Caught off-guard, Sky nervously stole glances at the girl standing next to her. Was she really going to play games during such an important event? She initially thought that Yamlikha was the calm and collected type, but those types don’t play fighting games when Senpai are giving speeches, right...? Confused, Sky shook her head. Had she misjudged her?
☆ Scarabia Dorm, Lounge. Yamlikha’s point of view. ☆
The entrance ceremony felt like it was never going to end. Yamlikha wasn’t of impatient nature, but she did have an event ending tonight, so she couldn’t afford to stay AFK for much longer. Silentlty, she took out a console from underneath her robe, and started playing as she feigned paying attention. s
She had had a feeling the ceremony might turn out to be way too long, so she had taken it just in case. She figured that things would get repeated during the first few weeks, anyway, and most of the information had already been given by the headmaster during his entrance speech.
“And so, this is the end of my speech, ahah!” Kalim grinned, still way too close to the mic. Jamil’s frowning face was almost comical in the background, as Kalim obliviously waved to the first year students. “Now we have a welcome party coming up, so everyone, let’s enjoy ourselves, okay ?!”
The loud response of the crowd slightly startled Yamlikha, as she sighed while putting her console away. At least she managed to grind a few ranks... “Things should be fine if I pull an all-nighter.” she thought as she re-adjusted her robe.
“Ah, Yamlikha-chan, should we go to the venue? It seems like they’re hosting the banquet in the Scarabia kitchens.”
Yamlikha glanced at Sky for a second before following her. She seemed like a nice enough person: not too extroverted or enthusiastic, which was perfect- because those types can be very exhausting. At the very least, she was a decent person to make friends with on a first day.
The two girls walked in silence towards the kitchen, both admiring the inside of their dorm. The walls were covered with beautiful wallpaper, and even the lights looked expensive- “As expected.” Yamlikha heard that the Al-Asim family had invested in NRC since their son’s acceptance to the school, so she wasn’t too surprised. The Al-Asim were celebrities back in the Land of Hot Sands, being so wealthy that they held a great percentage of the country’s riches.
The people back in Yamlikha’s orphanage absolutely despised them, thought, and the slum’s gangs did scheme a few murder attempts on them, or so she heard. But after all, even a small donation from the family would have improved their living conditions, so she couldn’t blame her fellow countrymen’s anger towards the wealthy merchants. However, she herself felt indifference towards the Al-Asim: hating them wouldn’t make her life any better, and while a few people had tried to network their way into becoming servants for them, she wasn’t interested in that, either. All she was longing for was a normal life- not too miserable, not too flashy either. And she was determined into living the life of a side character in those upcoming three years-
Yamlikha snapped out of her thoughts as she noticed the dorm leader standing in front of her. Confused, she looked at Sky, who looked just as perplexed as she was.
“Ah, no, not you- you there, with the green eyes!” He pointed at Yamlikha, bringing his face closer to hers.
“Oi, Kalim, w-” Jamil emerged from a crowd of people, confused as to why the dorm leader had suddenly zoomed past the new students. “What are you doing???”
“Yes, you!! What’s your name? Where are you from? You’re a first year, right? Ah, that’s right, I forgot to introduce myself- I’m Kalim Al-Asim!!!” He grinned, standing awfully close to Yamlikha- which made Sky blush as she tried to drag her new friend away from him.
“... Oh. My name’s Yamlikha. I’m from the Land of Hot Sands. And yes, I am a first year.” Much to Sky’s surprise, the young girl looked imperturbable- despite Kalim taking a step closer every time Sky forced her to take a step behind.
“Waaah, your eyes are so pretty!!! They look like emeralds!! You know, that’s my favourite precious stone, we have a lot of them in-”
“KALIM!!” Jamil seized him by the collar, and dragged him away from the two girls. “Now, what the hell are you doing???”
“Huh? Ah, Jamil, don’t drag me like that ~” Kalim whined. Suddenly pulling Jamil closer, he whispered in his ear: “That girl....”
“Hmm? That girl? You mean, the one with the green eyes?” Jamil’s face suddenly grew stern. “.. Do you recognise her? Think she might be a spy?”
“.... No, rather, I....” Jamil anxiously waited for his master’s response, as Kalim’s looked lost in thoughts. If this truly was an assassination attempt, or if a rival family sent her as a spy, then he would have to take appropriate measures.
“... I think...” Kalim suddenly grasped Jamil’s shoulders with his two hands. “Huh?” Jamil thought, suddenly confused. “... I THINK I FOUND MY FUTURE WIFE!!!”
“.... Hah... ????... Wait... WHAT????”
“Jamil, seriously, I felt it as I laid my eyes on her- it’s destiny!!!!” Kalim gushed. “I need to ask her out, and then we can get married, and have kids- I want to beat my dad’s record, so we need more than 30 of them, and-”
“WOWOWOW.” Jamil shook Kalim’s hands off his shoulders, as he deadpanned. “Is this guy for real?” “Hold it, Kalim. You’ve met her for approximatively 10 seconds, and- Wait, where did he go???”
In the few seconds Jamil closed his eyes, Kalim had rushed off back to Sky and Yamlikha, now trying to convince the girl to come with him to the treasure room. Sky was absolutely bewildered, but Yamlikha remained as imperturbable as ever as she politely declined.
“The feast is starting soon, don’t you have other things to attend, Kalim-senpai?”
“Huh? Not at all, I’ll just leave those to Jamil, ahahah!!” He took hold of the girl’s wrist, and dragged her towards the exit. “Oi, Jamil, I’ll go to the treasure room- you handle the feast for now!”
“W-w-w-w-wah???” Sky was absolutely panicked as she turned to Jamil, eyes moist with tears. “H-He’s kidnapping Yamlikha, w-what do we do????”
“....” Jamil sighed, eyebrows twitching. This was seriously the worst scenario- he didn’t even think this would happen. Kalim had never cared about love or anything like that, but suddenly he went on about destiny or whatever? “... Sky-san, was it? Leave them for now, and please follow me to the feast. I’ll go take care of it as soon as everyone is seated.”
☆ Scarabia Dorm, Treasure Room. Yamlikha’s point of view. ☆
“- So this is a collection of precious stones we got from a neighbouring country!!! Pretty, aren’t they?”
Yamlikha glanced at the mountains of riches ahead of her. She couldn’t help but widen her eyes at the amount of gold there was- among the tapestries, paintings, sculptures, and all art forms one could think of.
“Look, this one kinda look like your eyes, ahah!!”
“... You’re right, they do. But Kalim-Senpai...” Yamlikha looked at him with a slightly worried expression. “... Is it okay to be here while the welcome feast is going on?”
“Huh? Ah, I told you not to worry about that, Jamil will take care of it!!! More importantly, can I call you Yamu? Yamlikha is a bit of a mouthful, you know..” Kalim whined as he picked up yet another set of precious stones.
“Sure, I do not particularly mind.”
“Oh, really? Yay, I guess we’re close enough for pet names now, ahahah! Another step in our relationship!”
“Wah- Oh, Jamil, didn’t see you standing there!! You scared me!”
Jamil stood in the entrance of the treasure room, looking absolutely unimpressed. “This guy never ceases to amaze me with how DUMB he is.” He peered over at Yamlikha, who was getting dragged by Kalim to explore yet another corner of the room. Jamil couldn’t help but be wary of the first year girl- Kalim was so naïve he could fall for anyone, so it was his responsibility to make sure that person did not pose a threat to Kalim or the Al-Asim household. “... She doesn’t seem very fazed by all this. Is she a trained spy? But then again, this attitude would make her more suspicious than anything else...”
“Oh, I forgot to say- Yamu, if you want to give me a nickname, that’s fine too!!! Even though it might be hard with Kalim, ahahah!”
“I think Kalim-senpai is fine.”
“Huh??” Kalim took a step back, blushing, before grinning. “Hey Jamil, did you hear that!!! Yamu said my name was pretty, hehe!!”
“... She didn’t say that, you absolute cretin.” Jamil whispered under his breath, getting increasingly more annoyed. “-Ahem. I mean, how nice. But Kalim, the feast has started, and it is time for you to go eat with the new students.”
“Eeh? Can’t that wait?? I want to go on a flying carpet date with Yamu!!”
“Flying carpet?” / “Date?” Yamlikha and Jamil exclaimed at the same time. “Huh? It’s the flying carpet bit that’s throwing her off????”
“Mhm-hm, this is my most prized treasure.... Ta-dah!!” Kalim gestured to the flying carpet that appeared next to him.
“.. I’m sorry, but I’ll have to decline. I’m bad with heights.”
“Huh?” Kalim and Jamil asked, both caught off-guard.
“Oh, that’s fine, I understand!! Don’t worry Yamu, we have a lifetime ahead of us, so you can take your time getting used to flying, ahah!!” Kalim grinned as he guided the flying carpet back into his spot.
“.... Did he just say ‘a lifetime’? I think I’m losing braincells.” Jamil let out a big sigh. He genuinely wondered how long he had left before blowing up. “... Dear Lord, or whatever entity is up there. Please give me the strength needed to not yeet this moron off the nearest balcony.” Taking a deep breath, Jamil tapped his feet on the ground.
“Well, this is lovely and all, but we have an entrance ceremony to finish, Kalim.”
“Eeh? Ah, but I want to spend more time with Yamu....”
“She’ll be at the feast, too.”
“Oh? Right, I forgot about that, ahah!”
“... Can you get any dumber.” Jamil muttered under his breath.
“Alright then, let us head back to the kitchen!! AH.” Kalim clasped his hands together, as if he just remembered something.
“Jamil, for the room arrangements, please make Yamlikha sleep in my room, okay?”
Jamil was speechless. What was this idiot doing?
“... Kalim-senpai, I didn’t think you were this kind of person.”
“Oh, so she’s FINALLY saying something? Thank god.” Jamil glanced at her- but she wasn’t even blushing. Seriously, how does she have such nerves of steel?
“Uh? Oh, no, Yamu, please don’t get the wrong impression!!!!” Kalim was furiously blushing as he waved his hands.
“Of course she would, you absolute moron.” Whispered Jamil.
“I just want us to spend a lot of time together, so we can get to know about each other even faster!!! I-I didn’t mean anything perverted!!!!”
“Oh, I see.” Yamlikha responded, nodding.
“.... If there was a prize for the highest amount of composure, there would not be a single person to compete with this girl in this wide world.” Jamil scratched his head as he ignored Kalim trying to convince her that he “wasn’t a pervert!!”. He thought this would just be yet another whim of Kalim, but if he asked him that, it means he was serious enough about it. He cleared his throat, pulling up his robe’s hood.
“Our dorms are compartmentalized by gender, but I’ll see what I can do. Now, let us hurry back before this turns into FURTHER chaos.”
☆ Scarabia Dorm, Room 97. Sky’s point of view. ☆
Sky stood anxiously before the door of her future room. Her heart was racing as she deliberated how to knock. Should she go the polite way, and slightly knock before opening? Or should she wait for the person inside to respond first? Or should she just enter without knowing to assert dominance?
“What should I do.... What if I make a bad impression on my roommate? What if she hates me? According to otome games, the option that affects the affection gauge the least is knock and enter, but what if she doesn’t like that....” Sky shook her head, and glared at the door. “N-No, this can’t do. I have to be assertive from now on! Okay, knock and enter, let’s go.” Sky feebly knocked, and shakily opened the door.
“Huh?” Sky instantly relaxed at the sound of the familiar voice. “Ah, Yamlikha-chan!! Are we roommates? Ah, I’m so glad!” She plopped on her bed, letting out a relieved sigh.
“Me too, actually.” Sky peered over at Yamlikha. It was the first time the girl said anything involving any kinds of feelings. “I mean, today has been really exhausting, so I’m glad it’s you and not someone like Kalim-senpai as my roommate.”
“A-Ahah, right, about that...” Sky’s twirled a strand of hair on her finger. Were they close enough that she could ask that, or would her roommate take it the wrong way?
“Erm, about our dorm leader.... Do you know him from somewhere? I-I mean, are you two... you know... dating?” Shyly, she adverted her eyes.
She wasn’t used to girl’s talk, but she was really curious about what happened earlier- as a matter of fact, all of Scarabia was. When heading back from the treasure room, Yamlikha had walked back into the kitchen draped in clashing, but obviously expensive, headbands and jewellery. Furthermore, throughout the feast, Kalim kept asking her questions, and making her try the best dishes- while she would answer the questions monotonously. On top of that, the new students had been gossiping- apparently, one of them overheard Kalim call her his "future wife”.
“Uh? No, we just met today.”
“I said, we just met today.”
“I-I heard you, but...” Sky looked into Yamlikha’s eyes, surprised. It didn’t seem like she was lying. “... So he’s doing all that when you guys just met?”
“It seems like he is, yes. To be fair, I’m confused too, but I guess that’s just the kind of extroverted MC-persona he has.” Yamlikha reached for the console on her bedside table. “... Sky-san. I have an event to grind before tomorrow, so if we can continue this conversation the following morning, it would be much appreciated.”
“Eh? An event?” Sky’s eyes widened. “A-Ahem.. I mean, why, yes, of course. It was rude of me to ask so many questions when you must be tired. Well, then, I’ll begin unpacking- sorry for the noise.”
Yamlikha nodded before diverting her attention back to the game. Sky’s thoughts, on the other side, were racing. Today was her first day out of the Isle of Lamentation- and it was eventful to say the least. Regardless, she was happy: her dorm leader, albeit a bit strange, seemed really nice, and the vice dorm-leader, Jamil, seemed really dependable. Her roommate, while also being strange in her own way, seemed really kind- and anything would be better than going back to her house, anyway.
Tomorrow was the first day of classes- and Sky was determined to make an impression. She had already reviewed all the books set as the reading list for the first term, and practiced some of the potion for alchemy classes. She noticed a small leather notebook next to her bag. Smiling, she took it into her hand while flipping through the blank pages. She was determined to write her own story, and become a new, better version of herself- and that would start tomorrow. As she placed the notebook on her bedside table, she looked around their now fully-tidied room. “Perfect”, she thought.
Sky stepped out of the shower feeling refreshed. She had the time to review tomorrow’s predicted amount of material, just in case teachers decided not to give them an easy time for their first day, which meant she could now go to sleep. She peered over to Yamlikha’s bed, only to see the young girl still immersed in her game. “Well, she did say she had an event...” Silently, Sky climbed into her bed.
“Ah, nothing, I just wanted to say... Good night.”
“Mhm, good night, Sky-san.”
Laying down, she put a hand to her racing heart. She was as excited as she was nervous for tomorrow: but there was a lingering feeling that things were going to be okay. Or so she thought, oblivious to the whirlwind of events that were about to befall her the following day.
But for a first day- “it really wasn’t too bad.” she thought as she drifted off to sleep.
