Deep into the night, beneath the hazy sky, a gentle breeze circulates through the Academy grounds. Along the walls separating the Academy from the rest of New Hope City’s southern district, guards donning blades marked with the crest of the prestigious establishment pace back and forth, occasionally pausing their steps to stretch and yawn. Two guards, standing on each side of a tall gate, sigh as the mundane task drains them of the joys of life.
“You hungry?” One of the guards, hearing a quiet growl, turns towards his senior with a wide grin. “I bet you’re hungry.”
“Shut up.” The guard standing on the left side of the gate rebukes his junior as he tries to resist the urge to clutch his stomach. “We’re still on duty.”
“Alright alright. So serious. I guess I’ll just…” The junior guard reaches into the bamboo tray hidden behind the corner of the gate and pulls out a pork bun. Turning back to the senior guard, he grins as he lifts the steamless bun towards his mouth. “Enjoy these all by myself.”
“...Wait.” The senior guard, with a strained expression plastered across his face, extends his hand towards his junior. “Lia?”
Seeing his senior breaking his usual serious demeanor, the junior guard feels a sudden desire to laugh. In an attempt to maintain as much professionalism as possible, he chokes back the urge. He reaches back into the bamboo tray and pulls out another bun before tossing it across the gate towards his senior.
“I didn’t see her at all yesterday. When did sh-”
“Shut up.” The junior guard puts on a serious tone. “We’re still on duty.”
The senior guard accidentally bites the corner of his tongue upon hearing his junior's mockery. He turns towards his junior, glaring at him silently, unable to find the right words to rebuke the young man. How could he when those were his words to begin with?
“She came by in the afternoon.” Seeing the mix of curiosity and anger on his senior's face, the junior relents. “She asked about you.”
“REALLY?! WHAT DI-” The senior guard cuts himself off from his unprofessional behavior. After clearing his throat, he continues. “Wh-what did she ask?”
“Where you were.”
“What did you say?”
“I told her the truth...” The junior guard pauses to take a bite from the bun. After a short moment of chewing and torturing his senior with silence, he grins. “That you had diarrhea.”
“YOU LITTLE SH-” Once again, the senior guard clenches his jaw to cut himself off from the unprofessional outburst. “What the hell is wrong with you?! Why did you d-”
“Brother.” The junior guard suddenly turns serious as he glares across the gate at his foolish senior. “Her kindness is not exclusive to you. It’s not a hint of anything. She may dress simple, but I can assure you that she is anything but.”
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“You don’t kn-”
“She walks freely on Academy grounds without a crest or a pass!” Seeing the denial on his brother’s face, the junior guard suddenly raises his voice. “Even nobles don’t dare show that kind of disrespect towards the Academy. Just a few nights ago, we saw the exalted Ghost Doctor himself visit her residence. I know you’re not blind enough to actually believe her to be a simple woman.”
The senior guard falls silent at the reality of his one-sided infatuation. Seeing the dejected look on his face, the junior guard sighs. Leaving his post, he walks across the gate and places his hand on his brother’s shoulder.
“Brother. Plenty of women have thrown themselves at you for your status as an Academy guard. She hasn’t shown an iota of interest because your status is insignificant from where she stands. If not that, then it’s her heart. It probably already belongs to someone else. Just enjoy the kindness for what it is. Nothing more.”
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The breeze continues to sweep across the Academy grounds, meandering through the walkways and buildings before gently rustling the leaves of a maple tree in the middle of a humble courtyard. A single leaf detaches from the tree, floating gracefully across the courtyard towards an open window on the second floor of the building.
A young lady, her hair as dark as the night, sleeps hunched over a desk with the side of her face resting on her folded arms. Her lashes flutter as she slowly opens her eyes. A single tear escapes the corner of her eye as she lifts her face from the desk. Staring at the open box before her, she suddenly feels her vision blurring.
Reaching into the box, she lifts two small objects and places them onto the desk. With two fingers atop one of the finely crafted marble pieces, marked with a red character, she pushes forward. Lifting her fingers, she gazes at the piece marked with a black character, sitting motionless before her. As the night passes in silence, she suddenly buries her face into her arms once again.
As the stream of memories seeps into her sleeves, a sudden breeze causes the windows to flutter as it enters the room, drawing the young lady’s attention from her reminiscing. Lifting her eyes from her sleeves, she watches as a maple leaf sways side to side, descending towards the desk.
A smile sweeps across her sullen face upon seeing the maple leaf land inside the box. She hurries to wipe the tears from her eyes before reaching out to pick it up. While twirling the leaf by the stem between her fingers, her tumultuous heart begins to fade away. Despite the chill of the autumn breeze, her heart feels warm.
Welcome home…
She gazes longingly at the leaf as time passes, forgetting about missing out on a prior engagement. After a moment, with her tears dry and her heart calm, she lifts her head from the desk once again. Setting the leaf beneath the marble chess pieces, she turns back towards the wooden blue box. With a determination in her eyes, she pulls the box towards the edge of the desk, stopping as the box reaches her chest.
With deep breaths, she lowers her gaze onto the other two objects resting inside the box. With shaky hands, she lifts one from the box and holds it to her ear. After a long struggle with her unstable fingers, she successfully guides the metal hook through her earlobe. She pauses for a moment, taking a deep breath before repeating with the other object.Keeping her gaze low, the young lady clenches her eyes shut upon successfully guiding the hook through her other earlobe.
Her resolve begins to fade, causing her to tremble slightly at the thought of lifting her eyes.
“You can always lean on us…”
A voice rings in her mind, wrapping around her like a pair of arms, pressing down gently on her trembling hands.
Another voice calls out to her, pushing her shoulders straight and washing away the uneasiness in her heart. The two voices reach beneath her chin and gently lift her face towards the mirror before her.
Upon seeing the crystal earrings beneath her ears, the lady in the mirror smiles. As the pair of light blue earrings sway side to side, she smiles back at the lady in the mirror.