“Are you ready yet?” I tapped my foot impatiently as I waited outside my room for Haine to get ready. Stacks of suitcases towered beside me. I’d be lying if I said I’d miss this inn, but it still felt weird to move out after staying here for so long. I had gotten used to it, I suppose.

But today was finally the day we moved into our dorms, and the last thing I wanted was to be late.

The door slammed open with a bang. “Here I am!”

My jaw dropped. “W-w-what are you wearing!?” Was that what she spent the last few nights doing in secret? She said she was working on something very important, too! But this… this was something else.

She had made a few ‘alterations’ to her school uniform. Not like that was banned or anything, but I don’t think they meant it like that. Her blazer hung loose off her shoulders as her shirt, buttoned up maybe only halfway, was bursting at its seams. She had somehow managed to cut the length of her skirt in half, revealing her thighs, and at certain angles, much more. Honestly, I was almost more surprised at how well she managed to stitch it up to look as good as new.

Almost. “W-what are you wearing?” I asked, already knowing the answer.

She gave me a confused look. “Uhh, it’s our school uniform, what else? Look, we’re matching now!”

I just smiled and nodded along. She didn’t think there was anything wrong with her outfit, so there was no use in protesting any further. Even if our two uniforms couldn’t be any more different.

Hefting our bags, we said our goodbyes to the innkeeper. He was nice enough to let Haine stay in my room for no extra charge, so I had forgiven him for tossing me out a while ago. But hanging around that inn was kinda awkward after the whole drinking incident, I was a bit relieved I was finally leaving.

Off to the academy, that place I had always dreamed of. Now within reach. We dragged our luggage across town, up the steps, and through those hallowed gates. Even though it was early in the morning, I was expecting the town to be more busy. But peace and quiet was nice too.

As we reached the last steps to the academy, I turned back to see the city, slowly stirring from its slumber, as the sun emerged from beneath the bay. This would be my new view every morning. Nothing felt sweeter.

“This place is kinda empty. You didn’t get the date wrong, did you?” A voice broke me from my train of thought.

“Of course not. We’re just an hour early. You always need to be punctual for this sort of thing. You make a better first impression that way.”

She groaned. “Aww, you mean you woke me up this early for nothing? You could’ve let me get my proper beauty sleep.”

“Well, if you didn’t stay up all night working on… whatever you’re wearing, you wouldn’t be so tired now.”

“Hey, this was important! A woman’s gotta stay fashionable no matter what!”

“Ah, am I interrupting something?” A voice chimed in from behind us. It came from an elderly woman in a kitchen apron. “You two are a bit early for orientation, I’m afraid.”

She spoke with a calm and reassuring voice, and carried herself with a sort of grace befitting someone of her age. “O-oh, sorry for being too loud,” I said as politely as possible. The school staff were the last people I’d want to mess with. “Um, are you a teacher here?” She had a very… teacher-like aura to her.

She chuckled softly. “Oh, no, that’s all in the past. I don’t teach anymore. I just manage some of the dorm buildings nowadays. But I can’t blame you folk for being enthusiastic today.”

“Yup!” Haine beamed. “It’s finally our first day at school! I’ve been waiting all week for this!”

“Y-yeah. It’s an honor to be here,” I said. We quickly introduced ourselves. I wanted to make as good of a first impression as possible here.

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Hey eyes lit up as we told her our names. “Oh! So you’re the two Marjorie was talking about! What a coincidence!”

She knew the boss of Magical Affairs? “S-so does that mean…”

She nodded before I could even finish my sentence. “Yes, I’m aware of your situation. I was contacted to watch over you during your time in the academy. In fact, you’ll be staying at the old dorm buildings, which I manage. It’s a bit off the beaten path, so I can show you the way now.”

Back to hauling luggage. The two of us followed her off a fork in the road, leading into the forest that surrounded the main school buildings. Before long the school had disappeared from view, shrouded by the thick treetops.

“Umm, what exactly are the old dorm buildings?” I had done a few tours of the school before, but I had no idea there were any buildings here.

“They’re a bunch of old buildings, the only surviving traces of the school before it was burnt down by the last king. The academy was rebuilt into what you see now, and these old buildings were converted into dorms for… certain students.” She paused, turning to look at Haine. She stroked her chin as she eyed Haine from top to bottom. “You know, when I heard you were from another world, I wasn’t expecting someone so normal-looking.”

“Hey, I try my best to stand out as much as possible!” Haine pouted. I couldn’t believe she actually admitted to that.

The dorm manager laughed. “You’ve definitely succeeded at that.”

We continued onward, until I could finally make out our new home. A large, rustic brick building, nestled in a clearing of pale, oversized mushrooms. Twisting moss creeped across the exterior, trimmed just enough to not cover the windows but otherwise left intact. The front porch–an intimidating set of ornately carved doors–was adorned with rows of blossoming flowers of all different colors, each as tall as me. I could only stand there in awe as I took in the sights.

“Now, a word of warning before we enter. Because this place is so secluded, they’re where the academy houses the students with special circumstances.” Her words took me out of my daze.

“W-what do you mean by that? We’re not in trouble or anything like that, are we?”

“No, no, of course not. Generally what that means is students who need to be separated from the rest of the students. Because there’s that awful criminal group after you, and your position as an otherworlder, it was decided to house you two here,” she explained. “As for the rest… Well, I’m sure you’ll find out when they arrive. Don’t worry though, they’re all good kids.”

“I see…” Those words were not really reassuring. But I couldn’t be picky about where I was staying. I was already here by a miracle. No need to push my luck.

We stepped through the doors, and found our way to the last room on the right. Our new home… was kind of a cramped mess. Cobwebs lined the corners, and every surface was covered by a thin veneer of dust. The room itself was only slightly bigger than that cheap inn room, and the beds and desks crammed against the walls left little room for privacy.

Again. Couldn’t be picky. Nothing a bit of cleaning couldn’t solve, right? I tried my best to suppress my annoyance and keep a smile on my face.

“Sorry about all the mess. No one’s stayed here for years. But it’s the only room here big enough to fit two people.” She sighed. “Well, why don’t you hurry up to orientation, and I’ll have this mess cleaned up before tonight. Feel free to drop old Miss Rilona a holler if you need anything, okay?”

Huh? Rilona? That name sounded familiar…

“W-wait, are you the Rilona? Rilona the Witchblade?” I couldn’t believe it. I mean, reading about your heroes was one thing, but actually getting to meet them? Being here really was a dream come true.

She smiled. “How nostalgic. I haven’t heard anyone call me that in so long.”

“Is she famous or something?” Haine asked.

“Famous? She’s only one of the most powerful mages in all of history! I’ve read all about you! About how you wandered the Falcatia Badlands for decades, about all those people you rescued, all those monsters you defeated–a-and is it true that you managed to kill a Drident Wurm all by yourself?”

“Aww, you’re embarrassing me. But yes, all of it’s true.” She winked at me. “Those were the days. But, that’s all in the past now. Now, I would gladly spend all day regaling you with tales of my glory days, but… Don’t you have somewhere to be soon?”

Oh. Right. “Y-yeah, that’s right… We should really be going soon. Um… thank you for your time!” I quickly waved goodbye and grabbed Haine’s hand, racing out of there as fast as possible. Ugh, she probably thought I was annoying, didn’t she. I just couldn’t help myself, and got carried away. I wanted to just curl up into a ball and scream.

With me panicking and Haine reassuring me that it was gonna be okay, we retraced our steps back to the main campus, this time bustling with hordes of new students all funneling into the main auditorium. It was way too crowded for my liking, which was why I wanted to be early in the first place, but at least we weren’t late. We entered the building, and our first day of school officially began.