Archie led the group of students into a large room and in the center was a neatly maintained small plot of land with neatly trimmed grass and in the middle of it was a sword in a stone. The garden was surrounded by velvet rope as the students excitedly made their way to it which gave Archie a look of panic on his face as he quickly ran past them and stood in front of them. The students slowly came to a halt, Archie said. “Remember, no crossing the rope.” He let out a soft sigh as the students walked past him and stared at the sword behind the velvet rope.

Lewis made his way toward Archie as he let out a chuckle, he said. “Archie, no one is going to test if they can pull the sword out. ” Archie used his hand to comb through his ebony hair and said. “You’d be surprised at the amount of students who crossed the rope hoping they could pull that sword out. It always ends with them being dragged by those two guards and getting picked up by a police car…” Lewis had a doubtful look on his face, he said. “It can’t be that many.” Archie glanced at the students admiring the sword as Archie spoke in a whisper.

He said. “Last year alone nearly four hundred got sent to the youth detention center.” Lewis's eyes widened as he thought for a moment and said. “That’s… A lot higher than I expected…” Archie gave him a nod as one of the students made his way to Archie and spoke in a polite tone. He said. “Mr. Archie, what can you tell us about excalibur?” Archie smiled at him and said. “Everything I know.” He made his way to the front as the students took a few steps back.

Archie stood at the front of the crowd as he cleared his throat, he said. “This sword has been in stone around the fifth or sixth century. It is double-edged and exactly ninety centimeters long.” One of the students raised their hands as Archie pointed at him and continued. “Yes?” The student placed her hand back to her, she said. “Since half of the blade is buried in the stone, how did you figure out its length?” Archie snapped his fingers and said. “Excellent question, with the help of an earth mage.”

The group of students let out chuckles under their breath as a few of them tried their best to prevent their laughter from spilling out. Lewis was standing at the back as he placed a hand over his mouth to hide the smile on his face as Archie failed to keep his mouth from forming into a smile. Archie continued. “Placed his hands on the rock and scanned it, after a few minutes of waiting he drew a rough sketch of how deep the sword is.” One of the students glanced at the grass that was the same level as the floor tiles.

He raised his hands as Archie pointed at him, the student said. “This… Land? Was this specially built here?” Archie shook his head sideways and said. “It was not, for my job I was given access to records of how they relocated this sword and you can not lift the rock it is stabbed in.” Archie did a half turn as he gestured at the small plot of land, he continued. “So instead they hired a group of mages and adventurers to take the land around the sword. I’ve seen a couple of pictures where it used to have a patch of flowers and a tree before they decided to reduce its size.”

One of the students turned his head to stare at the sword, he narrowed his eyes and said. “I’ve spotted some rust on the sword, has no one been maintaining it?” Archie did a half turn to face the students, he said. “We’ve tried all possible methods to get rid of it, different grits of sandpaper, vinegar, sandblasting, grinder, and a laser cleaner. There was even a time when the person who could get rid of the rust would get handsomely rewarded by the royal family.” One of the students raised their hands and said. “Why are fifteen-year-olds the only ones allowed to pull the sword?”

Archie rubbed his hands together, he said. “It’s the age king Arthur pulled the sword out of the stone.” One of the students said. “But what if someone above the age of fifteen had the potential to pull the sword out of the stone? What happens in this hypothetical situation?” Archie pointed at him and said. “Excellent question, they would need to pay a fee to get in line.” The students had confused looks on their faces while Lewis’s brows furrowed. Lewis said. “I thought the only requirement to get a chance to pull the sword was to be of age?”

Archie moved his gaze onto him and said. “That holds true based on the assumption that you’re born and raised here in England.” One of the female students said. “Then all those foreigners who had the opportunity to pull the sword paid the fee?” Archie gave her a nod as another student said. “How much did they pay?” Archie thought for a moment and said. “Fifty million pounds.” All the students had shocked looks on their faces while Lewis had a look of disbelief. One of the male students said. “Fifty million pounds?! I’ll just use that kind of money to live my life as I please.”

Another male student smacked the one who just spoke in the chest as Archie let out a laugh and said. “Yes, this was also my first reaction upon hearing the amount.” He continued talking as no one noticed a streak of white phasing through the ceiling as it landed next to the sword. Cherry stared at excalibur as she stared at it with her blood-red eyes while one of the students noticed something white from the corner of his eye. The student turned his head and saw an albino crow staring at the sword as he grabbed the sleeves of the students next to him. He said. “Hey, look at-.”

Cherry turned into a streak of white as she phased through the floor as the student he pulled the sleeve turned his head to face him. The student paused for a moment and spoke in a whisper, he said. “Uh, w-where are we having lunch again?”

~Five Hours Later~

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Reiki’s Room

Reiki was sitting on the bed while his palms were covered in a layer of mana as he slowly pressed his palms together. He slowly moved them apart as a thin string of mana formed in the center of his palms as the length of the string grew the further his palms were. The string snapped as the mana on his palms quickly vanished, Reiki thought. This is a lot harder than making mana circles…

He laid down on the bed as he turned his head to stare out the window and continued his train of thought. … Already midnight… He sat up straight and did some stretches while sitting on his bed, Reiki stared at his palms as mana started to envelop them simultaneously. The mana on his palms visibly wavered a bit before solidifying into a more stable and smooth consistency, Reiki pressed his palms together and pulled them apart creating a string in the center of his palms.

Reiki’s hands were roughly three inches apart as the mana string snapped and vanished along with the mana on his palms. He scratched the side of his head and stood up from the bed, Reiki thought. I’ll practice after some training.

~Six Hours Later~

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Living Room

Reiki was sitting on the couch as the TV was playing a show in English while he was in the middle of creating a mana in between in palms. He thought. Just a little more-. The mana string snapped as the mana on his palms vanished, he used the towel draped over his shoulder to dry his slightly damp hair as the sound of knocking came from the front door.

Reiki stood up from the couch as he made his way to the front door while drying his hair. He placed his hand on the door and opened it revealing Namida wearing casual clothes. She said. “I’m here to return the plates and have breakfast.” Reiki stopped drying his hair with the towel and held out his left hand at her, he said. “Plates first.” Namida smiled at him and said. “Sure.” She placed her right hand into her pocket and took out two ceramic plates, Namida continued. “No need to thank me for washing them before giving them back.”

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Reiki took the plates off her hands as he smiled at her before closing the door and locking it, he made his way to the kitchen and thought. No thanks, I don’t want Onee-chan in a sour mood first thing in the morning. The sound of a door unlocking came from behind as he froze mid-walk and turned around as Namida made her way inside. She said. “What’s on the menu?” She closed the door behind her and made her way to the shoe compartment.

Reiki watched Namida take out a pair of white indoor slippers from the shoe compartment and place them on the ground. He said. “I was planning to make something light for my sisters.” Namida waved her hand as her shoelaces untied themselves, she took them off and put her sports shoes to the side. She said. “That sounds good, I want an egg yolk on my bowl of rice and a side of pickled vegetables.” Reiki thought for a moment and said. “Are you fine with salt-grilled horse mackerel with a side of grated daikon?”

Namida gave him a nod and said. “That sounds good, can you make some egg rolls too?” Reiki made his way to the kitchen, he said. “Only because there’s a lot of eggs in the fridge oh and I’m going to cook a few packs of sausages.” Namida made her way to the couch while Reiki took off the white indoor slippers he was wearing. Namida sat on the couch and said. “I thought we were aiming for a traditional breakfast?” She picked up the remote on the coffee table and changed the channel, she thought. Why is he watching a show from the states? Ketsueki never told us he spoke english.

Reiki placed the plates on the counter as he climbed on it and opened one of the cabinets on the top. He said. “I am making a traditional meal, I just need the calories.” Reiki placed the two plates inside as the sound of footsteps came from the staircase and quickly got down from the counter. Ketsueki gently rubbed her left eye as she reached the bottom of the stairs and said. “Reiki… Make me some green tea-.” She stopped when she saw Namida sitting on the couch with both her feet on the coffee table.

Namida lazily gave her a salute and said. “Morning sleeping beauty.” Ketsueki used the back of her hand to gently rub both her eyes and saw Namida smiling at her. Namida said. “I’m still here.” Ketsueki let out a sigh as she made her way to the couch while Namida repeatedly patted the spot next to her. Ketsueki intentionally sat on the right side of the sofa, she said. “Reiki… Why is she here?” Reiki made his way to the living room while carrying a glass of ice-cold water in each hand, he placed the glass on the coffee table near them.

He said. “Onee-chan, she’s your friend. Why are you asking me?” Ketsueki glared at him as Reiki quickly did a half-turn and made his way to the kitchen. He said. “Green tea will be ready in a few minutes.” Namida let out a chuckle as she found a show playing on TV and placed the remote on the couch next to her while Ketsueki used her hand to comb through her long black hair. Ketsueki said. “Namida… The sun is barely out, why are you here?” Namida leaned on the backrest of the couch as she waved her hand as a glass of water flew toward her palm.

Namida said. “I was by the neighborhood and-.” Ketsueki cut her off and said. “Your house is in the opposite direction.” Namida took a sip of her glass as she let go as it stayed floating in mid-air, she said. “I’m not allowed to drop by my friend's house without a reason?” Ketsueki stared at her as she spoke in a blunt tone and said. “No.” Namida ignored her and said. “Great, thanks for not minding letting myself in your house.” Ketsueki picked up her glass from the coffee table and took a sip of it.

She thought. At least she’s alone-. The two of them heard knocking from the front door as they heard Sachi’s voice, she said. “Hey, is she up yet?” Ketsueki let out one long sigh while Reiki peeked from the edge of the kitchen. Ketsueki thought. Spoke too soon. Sachi made her way to the living room as she was wearing white indoor slippers, she said. “Morning ladies.” She sat on the couch beside Ketsueki while ignoring the side-eye glare she was getting from her friend. Reiki made his way to the living room while he carried a tray and said. “Green tea is ready.”

Reiki was near the coffee table as he placed three cylinder-shaped tea cups on the coffee table within reach of the girls, he said. “Good morning, Sachi.” Sachi smiled at him and said. “Morning, Reiki.” She picked up one of the cups of green tea on the coffee table and gently blew on it to cool it down. Sachi said. “What’s for breakfast?” Ketsueki massaged the temples of her head while Reiki spun the tray on the tip of his index finger and said. “Salt-grilled horse mackerel with a side of grated daikon, egg rolls, miso, and sausages.”

Sachi’s expression turned slightly odd while Namida reached for her glass of green tea and gently blew on it. Sachi raised a brow and said. “I thought you were taking a more traditional approach.” Namida was about to take a sip of her tea but stopped and said. “That’s what I said.” She took a sip of her tea while Ketsueki moved her gaze onto her friends, she said. “My boy needs to eat, if you two are so against his decision you know where the door is.” Sachi placed her cup of tea on the coffee table and picked up the remote on the couch, she said. “I was just surprised by hearing sausage.”

Reiki turned his head toward the staircase as he heard the faint sound of footsteps while Shiro reached the bottom of the stairs. Shiro's eyes were still closed as she let out a yawn and said. “... Onii-chan… Morning…” Reiki walked toward her and said. “Good morning, Shiro.” Shiro grabbed air as she managed to grab her older brother’s wrist after a few misses, she said. “... Water…” Reiki squatted down and carried his little sister with one hand while Shiro leaned her head onto her older brother’s shoulder.

While carrying his little sister Reiki made his way to the kitchen and thought. How nice… A small but lively home… Ketsueki placed her cup of tea on the coffee table as Namida gave her friend a couple of pats on the back. Namida said. “If it upsets you that much, we’ll buy you something at lunch.” Sachi took a sip of her tea while Namida moved her gaze to the TV while neither of them noticed Ketsueki’s smile curled into a cold smirk.

~Three Hours Later~

Reiki was walking toward his school as he made it past the front gate Ogawa was watching over as he wore his usual tracksuit. Ogawa said. “Oh, Reiki. You’re up early.” Reiki didn’t even make eye contact and said. “Morning, Ogawa sensei.” He made his way to the front entrance of the school which had a flurry of students going in. Reiki thought. So he's the one that’s been staring at me… Reiki made his way into the school and made his way to his shoe locker which had a note sticking out of it.

He thought. They remembered to change my lock. Reiki picked up the note and continued his train of thought. Left nineteen, right five, left seven. He pocketed the note and spun the dial of the lock while a few students using keys to open their shoe locker saw he had a different lock. Reiki grabbed the lock on his locker and put it in his pocket as she squatted down to untie his shoelaces. He stood up, grabbed the uwabaki in the shoe locker, removed his sports shoes, and let go as the uwabaki fell onto the floor.

Reiki put on the uwabaki, placed his sports shoes in his shoe locker, and locked his shoe locker. He started making his way to his classroom and thought. … Another day wasted in this school… I could read little red riding hood and Frankenstein at that abandoned library. He let out a yawn and reached his classroom as he slid open the door as the students who were inside goofing around moved their gazes onto him. Reiki closed the door behind him and made his way to his seat as he ignored a group of boys' moods visibly dropping while Teiko had a cruel smile on his face.

Teiko thought. Yes! He went to school today! Reiki sat down on his seat as he let out a yawn and covered his mouth, he thought. Arashi should be out of dragon meat… I’m going to enjoy the next bet. The door slid open as Sutekina made her way to the podium in the front of the class, she said. “Today is self-study, make sure to review the anatomy of a goblin for the test next week.” Sutekina made her way out of the classroom as she closed the door behind her while Reiki stood up from his seat and walked toward the door at the back.

He made his way out of the classroom while Teiko’s friends started pushing their desks against each other's desks. Sato pulled his seat back and said. “You guys wanna go to a public library later to study for the test?” He sat down in his seat while Amaya still had a bandaid on the side of his face as he pushed his desk to connect with the others. Amaya said. “None of us has a library card.” Hamada plopped down on his seat and said. “We’re not going to borrow a book, we can just write the important parts in our notes.”

The group of boys finished pushing their desks together, Suzuki tapped on his desk with his index finger. He said. “I’ll have to pass, I have club after school. Fukumoto-san, can you lend me your notes tomorrow?” Before Fukumoto could get a word out Teiko said. “Hey, guys. My older brother is going to drop by later today. Wanna watch something funny?” All his friends avoided making eye contact with him as they had a hint of fear in their eyes. Amaya gently touched the bandaid on the side of his face and said. “I-I think we should leave him alone-.”

Teiko slammed both his hands on his desks which caught the attention of the entire classroom, he spoke in a soft tone and through gritted teeth. He said. “So none of you are embarrassed that we couldn’t get a single hit on him?” Teiko put on a fake smile and moved his gaze onto the rest of the class, he said. “I’m sorry, we’re having a… A heated debate about food…” The entire classroom went back to what they were doing while Teiko moved his gaze back to his friends and continued. “All you have to do is follow me to the library and watch my older brother.”

All of his friends exchanged glances with each other as they gave him reluctant nods, Teiko thought. I want that ice shard spell Kussata promised me

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Small Library

Reiki was sitting by the table as he took out his pouch from his pocket, he thought. I should’ve packed more food. He took out a couple of books as he pocketed the pouch and picked up red riding hood. Reiki continued his train of thought. Or at the very least cooked a few extra packets of sausages for me to snack on… He flipped through the pages and started at the beginning of the book.

~Two Hours Later~

Reiki read the last page for frankenstein as he placed it on the table, he thought. I’ll read Arthur after eating my lunch.