Inside the infirmary, Ava sat on a chair while Allen was searching for something to patch up her wound. The room had white walls with two beds, a desk, two chairs and a cupboard. One side of the walls had windows that gave a clear view to the outside sky. It was a fairly simple place that smelled a bit of medicinal herbs.

“I think these will do. Geez, just where did the teacher in charge of this place go?” [Allen]

Grumbling to himself, Allen fished out from the shelves of the cupboard a glass bottle with alcohol inside and a small piece of cloth. Turning around, he saw his friend sitting on the chair for patients while the one for the nurse was occupied by a small harpy.

“Again, th-thank you very much for helping me! And I-I’m very sorry for the wound you got! I’m really sorry! It, it must hurt a lot! B-but, I’ll help to treat it!” [Small harpy]

Constantly thanking and apologizing in a flustered voice, the brown-haired girl lowered her head repeatedly. One of her benefactors was an elf that had dark brown eyes and black hair which was impossible for the elven race. As such, it meant that she was of mixed blood. Furthermore, something might have happened to her in the past because her right eye was white as if she was blinded there.

“Sure, don’t worry… Yeah, no problem… Totally, I’m fine…” [Ava]

Answering off-handedly, the half-elf had a bored look on her face and just waved her hand to casually dismiss both her thanks and her worries. Allen couldn’t help but smile wryly. Even though she was hurt, her attitude was so laidback and indifferent to her injury that one wondered why she even bothered to show up to an infirmary.

“Ava, we’ll disinfect the wound and wipe it.” [Allen]

“Um, pl-please let me help!” [Small harpy]

“Thanks. My name’s Allen. What’s yours?” [Allen]

“I’m, um, Fyr…” [Fyr]

“Nice to meet you, Fyr.” [Allen]

“N-nice to meet you! And thank you very much for helping me, Allen! I’ll do my best to repay you, so if there’s anything you want, um, please say so!” [Fyr]

“Then, help me treat Ava.” [Allen]

“Yes!” [Fyr]

Smiling enthusiastically since she was relied on, Fyr took the bottle that had alcohol in it and poured some on the clean cloth. Then, she gently dabbed it on Ava’s left cheek so that it wouldn’t sting too much.

“Are you alright, um, Ava?” [Fyr]

“I’m fine, they’re just scratches. We don’t really need to treat it.” [Ava]

Ava answered the question of the small harpy who was worryingly staring at her with her right eye. The left side of her face was covered by her long, brown hair, making her look a bit gloomy.

“That’s no good! We need to treat it properly or it’ll get worse! And you’re so pretty, I don’t want it to ruin your face…” [Fyr]

Those were her honest feelings. Her black hair might be messy and her white eye might look weird, but she truly thought that her benefactor was a cute girl.

“Don’t call me pretty ever again.” [Ava]

“I-I’m sorry~!” [Fyr]

Right away, she began trembling out of fright again because of Ava’s words that sounded harsh. Allen stepped in to calm her down while looking troubled. His eccentric friend could be quite blunt with her words which might rub some the wrong way. The only reason she didn’t seem overbearing was because of her sleepy-looking eyes and the generally relaxed aura around her.

“Um, the scratches aren’t really deep, so we don’t need to bandage them. But, we could rub some ointment on them so that it doesn’t hurt. I think we have it here.” [Fyr]

“Don’t need it.” [Ava]

“Ok, then, please keep them clean so that they don’t get infected. Otherwise, I’ll put a bandage on them, ok?” [Fyr]

“Sure, sure.” [Ava]

“Fyr, you’re really knowledgeable about this.” [Allen]

Allen stared at the brown-haired girl with admiration.

“N-not really. I only know a bit about treating injuries.” [Fyr]

“That’s not true. You know a lot more than me. You’re pretty amazing.” [Allen]

“T-thank you…” [Fyr]

Fyr said meekly and fidgeted in her seat while looking down. She was a bit embarrassed to be suddenly praised like that. Next to her, the black-haired elf lightly tapped her cheek with her index finger and nodded once.

“Great, we’re done. Now, let’s get out of here before the nurse comes back and tells us to go to our next class.” [Ava]

“Ava… Don’t tell me you want to skip the afternoon classes.” [Allen]

“Of course. Why else did I bother to come to the infirmary? So, guess I’ll go take a nap.” [Ava]

“You can’t! It’s, it’s bad to skip class!” [Fyr]

The small harpy exclaimed as she clenched her fists in front of her chest, shocked that her savior was a delinquent.

“Hey, we’re already allowed to skip the first afternoon class, so why not take a nap somewhere for the rest of the day?” [Ava]

Spouting out some weird logic, the half-elf pulled out from her sleeve the green feather that she plucked from the wing of the green-haired harpy. When she saw it, Fyr’s expression grew gloomy and she turned quiet. Noticing her state, Allen called out to her.

“Fyr? Are you alright?” [Allen]

“… Yes. But, I’m really sorry. It’s, it’s my fault that you were hurt, Ava.” [Fyr]

“Stop apologizing already. You’re eight hundred thousand years too early to be worrying about me, kid.” [Ava]

Saying so to the depressed harpy, Ava flicked her forehead, which caused a small “Kyaa!” to leak from her lips. Teary-eyed, Fyr covered her forehead with both hands and looked dazed while Allen happily smiled at such a scene.

“Still, what was that bird’s problem?” [Ava]

Lifting the feather in front of her face and waving it in the air, the girl clad in a white dress casually asked.

“T-that, it’s because of me… I have small wings…” [Fyr]

“Um, what’s wrong with that?” [Allen]

“To us harpies, our wings are important. Those with big and beautiful wings are, well, cooler and more attractive.” [Fyr]

“So, that means that a harpy with big wings will be more respected?” [Ava]

“Yes. Harpies like me that have small wings and can’t fly are… Made fun of…” [Fyr]

Raising her hands that had brown feathers forming small wings, Fyr lightly flapped them to show her point. These wings of hers weren’t able to support her in the air.

“Also, I… I can’t fly… And it’s weird for a harpy. So, they laugh at me… A lot…” [Fyr]

“… Is it that bad?” [Allen]

After meekly nodding, Fyr told her story. Not once since she was born did she ever manage to fly. Cases like hers were quite rare since it meant that such individuals wouldn’t be able to live the life of a normal harpy. That was why she was bullied and pitied ever since she was small. Her family was endlessly worried about her future and decided to send her to Sanctuary Academy, away from other harpies. They thought that she might be able to make friends there and find a way to be happy outside of harpy society.

So, she started studying at this school where different races mixed together. However, because of her inferiority complex that was ingrained in her, she quietly lived her student life and didn’t dare approach anyone. Sometimes, other harpies that also studied at the academy would make fun of her and she silently endured it. It never escalated beyond a few words of mockery or snickers being heard behind her back. The encounter today was the worst that she had experienced in the school.

“So, basically, it’s that? If you can’t fly, you’re not considered a real harpy.” [Ava]

Breaking the heavy silence that was created when Fyr finished speaking, Ava voiced her thoughts on the matter.

“W-well, I guess.” [Fyr]

“But, even if a bird can’t fly, it’s still called a bird. A chicken can’t fly, but it’s still a bird. So, technically, you’re still a chicken.” [Ava]

“Chi… Chicken…?” [Fyr]

“Ava! You’re making Fyr cry!” [Allen]

Allen was rubbing the back of the small harpy whose black eyes instantly turned moist.

“Not the best example. Noted.” [Ava]

The half-elf said, seemingly not feeling guilty over bringing a meek girl, who was even smaller than her, to tears.

“Well, what about using magic to fly?” [Ava]

“Harpies can’t use magic, Ava.” [Allen]

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“Yes, like Allen said, we can’t. We’re not like you elves…” [Fyr]

“I’m a half-elf though.” [Ava]

“Ah! I-I’m sorry!” [Fyr]

“Why are you panicking again?” [Ava]

Fyr lowered her head and was flustered over her mistake. Elves were infamous for their disdain of half-elves, so she thought that she made Ava remember some bad memories. Allen, who wanted to calm her down, patted her back and smiled gently when she looked up at him. Then, confirming that she stopped trembling, he tried to change the subject of the conversation.

“That reminds me, elves are all born with their own type of magic, right? And they don’t call it magic. Ava, you don’t consider your power as magical?” [Allen]

“Pretty much. It’s part of our lives, so it’s as normal as breathing, I guess. They, or rather, we see it as a latent talent that we’re born with. So, it’s just called ‘ability’ or ‘power’. I never heard anyone use the word ‘magic’ to describe it before.” [Ava]

“In our case, we mostly call it ‘elven magic’. I think there was another term for it.” [Allen]

“Seriously, they should have come up with an original name for it since that naming sense might be a bit confusing.” [Ava]

After adding her own complaint at the end of her explanation, the black-haired half-elf returned to the original topic.

“Anyway, didn’t your dad or mom give you flying lessons? You know, a way to fly even with small wings?” [Ava]

“Uhh, well, my mom tried, but I can’t even float for a few seconds, so it was useless. Also, I don’t have a dad.” [Fyr]

“You don’t?” [Ava]

“Harpies are all females. Only girls are born.” [Fyr]

Fyr added while rubbing her eyes, explaining her race’s traits.

“We find a male from another race to have, that is, kids. So, I guess I do have a dad, but he was gone before I was born. A-and, my mom said he was, w-well, a com-communal husband.” [Fyr]

Staring at her feet, her face was red from embarrassment and she was poking her fingers together in front of her chest.

“What’s a communal husband?” [Allen]

Standing on the side, Allen asked as he tilted his head and quizzically looked at the brown-haired girl. Ava, seeing how the small girl flinched, smirked for a second and began explaining it to him.

“You don’t know, huh? Then let’s see, a communal husband basically means that a guy’s little guy is public prop-.” [Ava]

“Waaaahhh~! Please don’t say it!” [Fyr]

However, she was interrupted by the middle schooler who was pleading with a red face and a teary voice.

“How can your own way of life embarrass you?” [Ava]

Ava said, a bit surprised by this shy harpy who had small wings.

“Uhhh~, I know. But, when I learned it, it was really embarrassing. I mean, to others, isn’t it sha-shameless?” [Fyr]

“… What are we talking about?” [Allen]

Being out of the loop, the red-haired boy asked the two girls sitting in front of him. Although Ava was about to answer him, Fyr made a fuss again, so she decided to stop teasing her and to change the subject.

“Then, if your mom’s flying lessons don’t help, why don’t I teach you how to fly?” [Ava]

“… Huh?” [Fyr]

That was how she made the big jump in topic and how they ended up on the roof with Fyr dangling in mid-air.

“WAAAAAHH~! THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE~!” [Fyr]

“It’s not! You can fly so long as you believe you can! Ah, that only applies if you have wings, so it totally applies to you!” [Ava]

Ignoring the crying girl that was scared out of her wits, Ava encouraged her while holding onto the rope that she had taken from one of her secret stashes around the school. One end was tied around her waist while the other was tied around Fyr. In front of the half-elf, Allen was also hanging onto it with both hands, resolute to not let go no matter what.

“This is crazy, Ava! I shouldn’t have believed you!” [Allen]

“What? I wasn’t lying when I told you to leave it to me. This will definitely solve her problem.” [Ava]

“There’s no way this will help her one bit! I’m really regretting my decision right now!” [Allen]

“UWAAAAAH~! PLEASE STOP~! I’M SCARED!” [Fyr]

“No, it will. Keep it up! You’re doing great, kid! I saw this in something called a ‘cartoon’. First, we’ll get rid of her fear of heights.” [Ava]

“This will only traumatize her!” [Allen]

There was a fence all around the roof that prevented people from failing off and the harpy was on the other side, helplessly hanging high above ground. Too scared to look, she was covering her face with her hands and sobbing, wondering how she let herself get talked into doing this.

“Uuuuh~! *Hic* Help me, please… *Sob* I’m scared, mom…” [Fyr]

“Enough, Ava! Fyr is really crying! Let’s pull her in!” [Allen]

“Well, if the person herself doesn’t want to learn, then it can’t be helped.” [Ava]

In the end, having caused a commotion that was heard by those on the lower floors because of Fyr’s crying, Ava and Allen were punished. It could have become a serious case that would have expelled them, but the meek harpy vehemently protected them. She said she wasn’t being bullied, but she looked like a victim with her tears streaming down her face. Also, many students heard her voice when she was hanging over the edge and it definitely sounded like a case of bullying.

But, thanks to her protests, the worst was avoided. For going to the roof and pulling off such an insane stunt, Ava and Allen were suspended for a week. Fyr was spared from the punishment, but she had to write a reflective essay since she broke the school’s rules by following them to the roof. It was quite lenient compared to the other two who were forced to stay behind and were being scolded inside the principal’s office.

“Crap. Now they’ll be on the lookout for me. I’ll have to stay away from the roof for a while.” [Ava]

“Ava, we got in trouble and made Fyr cry.” [Allen]

When they finally left the room, Allen grumbled to his friend who had come up with that horrible idea. Since he participated in her crazy plan, he didn’t complain when he was punished with her, but he was mad that her bright idea only served to traumatize such a meek and shy girl.

“What are you talking about? The plan was a success.” [Ava]

However, the person herself didn’t seem to be reflecting on her actions.

“I got some time off of school like I wanted, and I got a good laugh out of this as a bonus.” [Ava]

“What?! You were really bullying Fyr?!” [Allen]

He jumped back a bit because of the shock and stared at her with wide eyes.

“Of course not. I’m only half joking.” [Ava]

“O-oh, that’s good. Wait, half?” [Allen]

Stroking his chest in relief, the red-haired middle schooler noticed something important that she casually let slip, but she didn’t give him time to voice his doubt.

“The bird should have a pretty bad impression of me after I scared her a bit. Coupled with my reputation, things should calm down around the bird. If they don’t, then I can just do it again.” [Ava]

“Her name’s Fyr, not ‘bird’. And you didn’t scare her a bit, you scared her a lot.” [Allen]

“Not that bird, the other bird.” [Ava]

“Which bird?” [Allen]

“… You’re actually pretty dumb, aren’t you?” [Ava]

“You’re the one not making any sense!” [Allen]

A few days later, the green-haired harpy and her gang saw Fyr who was walking down the hallway. However, they didn’t approach her.

“Tyra, we’re not gonna tease her?” [Harpy]

One of the harpies asked the leader of their little group. This one shook her head and held her left arm, bringing her green wing in front of her.

“You know how the half-breed made her hang off the roof with a rope tied around her?” [Tyra]

“Yeah, the whole school’s talking about it.” [Harpy]

In her mind, the cruel, vicious smile that the half-elf showed her for a moment vividly resurfaced. The memory gave her goosebumps and she unconsciously rubbed her left arm. Whoever that black-haired girl was, she was not who she appeared to be, and she was dangerous. Tyra was certain of it and didn’t want anything to do with her.

“That’s what happens when you befriend a half-elf. Her and that red-headed guy might end up dead if they stick around her for too long. We should stay away from them from now on.” [Tyra]