Their plan was simple. Once they were inside the school and led to the guestroom, Agis would ask the guide to let him meet Ava. He would then proceed to scold her in the name of the Luceran clan. In the meantime, Talindra would fulfill her daughter’s wish and visit Sanctuary Academy with a staff of the school. This way, Saria and Ava would never meet and they would make Saria happy.
As such, Agis was now waiting in a well-furnished room that had two sofas and a table that was prepared for guests. Meanwhile, Talindra and Saria were following the cat-eared woman assigned to guide them around the campus.
“L-look!” [Student]
“They’re elves.” [Student]
“How pretty…” [Student]
“Their white hair looks so soft and silky.” [Student]
“Elves really do have a different aura. It’s like their shining. Compared to them, that half-elf…” [Student]
They were attracting a lot of attention from the students that were present in the hallways. The mother was ignoring the gazes piercing her while the daughter didn’t notice them at all. She was too busy taking in the sights. She stared back at the middle schoolers that were taller than her and waved at them.
“So cute!” [Student]
“She looks really young. Maybe she’ll attend Sanctuary Academy when she’s older?” [Student]
“So she came here with her mom to visit her future school!” [Student]
This caused some to wave back while smiling heartwarmingly, but no one approached them. From the quality of the bright green dresses they wore and how the staff allowed them to tour the place on a school day, they were probably very influential.
“Ahhh~, I wish I could be in the same year as her.” [Student]
“Look at her mother. She’ll definitely be super cute.” [Student]
“Elves are all so beautiful. I’m jealous.” [Student]
These elves might be nobles, so no one wanted to risk being rude to them. Thanks to that, the visit proceeded without any major incidents. The white-haired mother’s goal was to leave the middle school building as fast as possible to avoid meeting the half-breed. That was why she urged her guide to take them directly to the exit. Things were going well and her daughter didn’t voice any complaints.
“How is it, sweetie? Is visiting this school fun? Sweetie? Saria…?” [Talindra]
However, ten minutes later, Talindra lost sight of Saria, who had, in her excitement, separated from her and ran off somewhere. She, who was supposed to be walking next to her, was nowhere to be seen.
“Saria!” [Talindra]
That was the start. That was how the plan of Agis and Talindra ended up failing.
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“… Where is this? Mother? Moooom?” [Saria]
Saria’s curiosity led her to the top floor of the middle school building. After her vigor calmed down, she finally noticed that she was no longer with her mother. Growing uneasy and scared, she walked around while looking restlessly left and right for her. The students who noticed her pretty much let her be as she trotted through the hallways with a big smile on her face. They believed she was a visitor that was enjoying herself.
If they saw her now, they would only see a lost child that was on the verge of crying. Unfortunately, Saria had arrived at one deserted part of the school. It was a small section that no one approached because of what happened not long ago. It was the stairs that led to the rooftop. A certain individual was forbidden from going near there, but the teachers had grown lax. As such…
“… What’s a kid doing here?” [Ava]
From the top of the flight of stairs came the voice of a young girl. When Saria looked up, she saw a black-haired girl wearing a white dress and black pants. Her hand was on the doorknob, showing that she was just about to go to the roof. Frozen in that position, the middle schooler stared at the eight years old with her eyes of different color.
“E-excuse me, I lost-.” [Saria]
Flustered, Saria was surprised to have been spoken to so suddenly. However, her attention was instantly caught by the elvish trait of the individual at the top of the stairs.
“That’s…” [Saria]
Similar to her, there were long pointy ears sticking out horizontally on each side of her head. Coupled with her black hair that no elves had, the girl in front of her eyes was someone that her family warned her about.
“Half… Elf…?” [Saria]
The half-elf, Ava, tilted her head.
“Yeah. So?” [Ava]
“No, um, It’s my first time… Meeting a half-elf…” [Saria]
Saria said as she fidgeted, clasping the front of her skirt.
“Uh-huh.” [Ava]
Seemingly having lost interest, Ava opened the door and crossed to the rooftop.
“W-wait!” [Saria]
Seeing this, the young elf hurriedly climbed the stairs and chased after her. That was the course of action that instinctively came to her, though she didn’t know why. It might be because of her curiosity. It might be because she didn’t want to be alone right now. Or, it might be something else entirely. Whatever the reason was, Saria was now outside under the bright blue sky. She could clearly see the other buildings of the campus from the roof. Stretching over the horizons was green lands and in front of her stood-.
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“Mhh? Why are you following me, kid?” [Ava]
The first half-elf she had ever met.
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“We need to find her! Hurry!” [Talindra]
Talindra, panicking, told her guide to issue a school-wide search request for her daughter.
“Y-yes! I’ll inform the principal right away!” [Guide]
The cat-eared woman quickly left to fulfill the elven woman’s request. Her daughter was lost in the school she worked for. This situation might cause some friction with their family if it wasn’t resolved promptly. She knew they were from the Luceran clan and being their enemy wasn’t a good idea. Frightened by the idea that such an outcome could be her fault, she ran off like an escaping rabbit.
Because of her fear and anxiety, every thought besides her current goal was pushed outside her mind. As a result, the guide left behind the guest she was supposed to take care of. However, Talindra didn’t care about that and began walking about at a brisk pace, almost jogging. She began searching for her daughter while calling her name loudly and asking the students around her. There was an uneasy and frantic look on her face, one that feared for her miracle’s well-being.
“Saria! Saria!! You! Have you seen an eight year old, elven girl?! She has white hair like mine and blue eyes!” [Saria]
Stopping yet another student, she questioned him about her daughter with impatience. The red-haired boy blinked and froze for a second, surprised that an unknown adult spoke to him. In fact, the brown-haired harpy next to him was shaking in her boots and going “Awawawa”. The elven beauty didn’t seem to be a teacher nor did he remember ever seeing her. Also, her voice sounded desperate and her face was pale.
“U-um…” [Allen]
Taking a few moments to recover, he thought about her question and searched his memories.
“I-I’m sorry, miss. I didn’t see anyone like that.” [Allen]
Upon hearing his answer, Talindra walked away and continued her search for Saria.
“Allen, maybe she, you know, meant Ava…?” [Fyr]
However, the name she heard from the harpy’s mouth stopped her in her tracks.
“No. She said she has white hair like hers. Ava has black hair, remember?” [Allen]
Slowly, she turned her head and looked behind her. Her eyes were wide open and there was a shocked expression on her face.
“That, that’s true… Now that I think about it, Ava’s hair is pretty, but really messy. I wonder if she’ll let me comb it.” [Fyr]
“Haha, I think she’ll just say it’s a pain.” [Allen]
The two middle schoolers, Allen and Fyr, knew about Ava, the half-breed. Moreover, from how they talked about her, they were close to her.
“You two…” [Talindra]
Talindra turned her whole body to face them. Upon hearing Ava’s name, a feeling of dread assaulted her. It was like what she didn’t want to happen, happened. That was why, following her intuition-.
“Do you know where Ava is?” [Talindra]
She asked those two to lead her to the half-breed.
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“Seriously, why are you here?” [Ava]
Ava asked the little elf that was sitting in front of her.
“To talk with you.” [Saria]
The white-haired girl, Saria, answered as such. The two of them were on the rooftop during lunchtime. Ava was sitting cross-legged while Saria, who was on her left, had her legs folded on her side.
“My mother said that it’s bad manners to sit like that. People can see your underwear.” [Saria]
“I’m wearing pants, so it’s fine. More importantly, a human and a harpy are going to be here soon, so you should leave.” [Ava]
Although Saria pointed out that her way of sitting was improper for a girl, Ava didn’t even look at her and just told her to leave. This caused her to look down sadly.
“Is it bad if I stay here?” [Saria]
“You’re not a student from this school, right?” [Ava]
“Y-yes. I’m visiting the school.” [Saria]
“Did you come with your family?” [Ava]
“With my mother and big brother.” [Saria]
“Do they know you’re here?” [Ava]
“… No.” [Saria]
Thanks to Ava, Saria remembered her current situation and reflexively looked at the door that led to the roof. Her gentle mother and cool big brother were probably very worried about her.
“See?” [Ava]
She turned her gaze to the one who spoke. A pair of white and dark brown eyes met hers.
“It’s bad if you stay here and make them worry. That’s why you should leave as soon as possible.” [Ava]
It felt a bit strange to see someone of the elven race with such eye as well as hair color.
“… But, I really want to talk to you.” [Saria]
Saria said as she stared downwards. Conflicted between her desire to stay here and to reunite with her family, the blue-eyed girl didn’t know what to do.
“What’s the big deal? Are you that interested in half-elves?” [Ava]
“A little. But, um, I just really, really want to talk to you.” [Saria]
The elementary schooler tried to explain the unknown feeling in her chest. It was what compelled her to approach the half-elf. She had been told of them before and there was something that she wanted to confirm.
“And, there’s something I wanted to ask you.” [Saria]
She said to the sleepy-looking girl who was now staring into space. Looking at the left side of her face, Saria voiced her question.
“Is it true that you’re cursed?” [Saria]
This time, it was Ava who stared at her. Curiosity was mixed in her dull gaze, but it quickly disappeared in a moment.
“If I am, shouldn’t you stay away from me?” [Ava]
She showed a small, but wicked grin to scare the girl away, but Saria merely shook her head. Then, she took a moment to organize what she wanted to say.
“I think… We should be friends.” [Saria]
She declared something pretty ridiculous given the situation. Even Ava stopped grinning and watched her quizzically.
“How did you come up with that?” [Ava]
“Because, I’m not scared, and I don’t hate you. And, I want to be friends.” [Saria]
The white-haired girl said with an innocent smile on her face. She believed that this was what she had to do. This was what the unknown feeling in her chest was telling her to do.
“… You’re pretty weird.” [Ava]
Her request was splendidly ignored and she was insulted to boot.
“I’m not weird!” [Saria]
She pouted, unhappy with the treatment she was receiving from the half-elf. Yet, a part of her strangely felt at ease as she talked and stayed next to Ava.
“Let’s be friends~!” [Saria]
Saria demanded childishly while shaking her fists up and down in front of her chest.
“Ask me that when you’re at least eight hundred thousand years old.” [Ava]
“Eehhhh~?” [Saria]
They bickered for a bit, or rather, Saria kept bugging her like a playful kitten while Saria warded her off like an old dog.
“My hair is white, but yours is black.” [Saria]
“Yeah.” [Ava]
“I think it’s pretty.” [Saria]
“Uh-huh.” [Ava]
“Can I touch it?” [Saria]
“No.” [Ava]
The elven girl reached her hand out to the middle schooler’s hair, but didn’t touch her without her permission.
“SARIA!!” [Talindra]
Interrupting the peaceful atmosphere was a female scream that sounded like a shriek. The two turned their gazes to the door at the same time which was where the voice came from. Standing in front of a perplexed Allen and Fyr was Talindra who had a hand over her mouth and her eyes wide open. She had finally found her daughter and was truly relieved. However, her expression was a mix of fear, hatred and disgust when she saw the black-haired girl sitting next to Saria.
“Saria!” [Talindra]
She ran up to the two, picked up her daughter in her arms, and stepped back from Ava. The way she closely held her against her bosom was the very image of a mother desperately protecting her child from danger.
“Don’t touch my daughter!” [Talindra]
Talindra said as she glared at the half-breed who showed no sign of moving. The black-haired girl was looking at her while tilting her head, wondering what the problem was this time.
“M-mother?” [Saria]
Dumbfounded by her behavior, Saria stared at her mother from her arms.
“Are you alright? Did she do anything to you?” [Talindra]
Talindra asked her worriedly and slowly backed away from Ava.
“No. I’m ok. But, but, mothe-.” [Saria]
Before she could finish speaking, Talindra had turned around and ran off for the door to head downstairs. Saria could only helplessly watch as she was carried further and further away from her friend. Until the very end, she never knew that the sleepy-looking girl she met for the first time was her half-sister.
As for Ava…
“(That woman sounds familiar… And Saria? I think I heard that name before, but where…? Nope, can’t remember.)” [Ava]
She didn’t know either.