A man in his thirties tried to read a newspaper in the living room.
"Father, I've decided to return to school."
His red eyes watched me as he starts to talk.
"Such a mystery. First you come crying saying you never want to go to school anymore.
And now you want to go back?"
"It is going to be different this time.
I'm already age 10, which means Magicae should accept me."
"Magicae? You know children can't just enroll at Magicae.
Magicae send invitations to chosen children."
"You are a noble father, I'm sure you're able to get a invitation on your own."
"It is been a while since you asked me anything.
But due to your past history with school...
I will think about it.
Come to the basement tomorrow morning.
----------------------------------------
Lying in my huge room.
There is only one thing worth my attention.
My cellphone in front of my eyes.
11:59.
Any time now.
...
...
...
12:00!
I jump from the bed, going straight for the door.
The wooden door creaks as I step onto the empty hallways.
My footsteps echoe through the mansion.
I try to walk as slow as possible as to not wake my parents.
There, stairs leading to the basement.
This mansion is old, and I don't think anyone comes at the basement other than me.
Old stuff lied there, but I can't even think of approaching it.
Don't want to trigger my allergy.
The only thing that matters here is the treasure chest ontop of the table.
My father knows a lot about technology, so it is no surprise he was able to build this.
There is a projector on the ceiling that is directly connected to the treasure chest.
"Start!"
And there is a voice detection device somewhere here too.
At first, it took a while to discover how the treasure chest worked.
The projector then shows on the white board behind me a screen.
The screen then shows a question about any kind of subject, from math to biology, from philosophy to science.
There is spyware on my cellphone that detects when I search for a answer. And I need to answer in less than one minute.
If I get it right, the next question is generated.
If I get it wrong, I need to wait until the next day to try again.
Questions gotten wrong never appear again and are substituted by new questions of the same difficulty.
[Question Number 387,420,488]
[In a universe where mathematical constants come to life, π and e engage in a race around a circle with a radius of 10^100 light-years. They start from diametrically opposite points on the circumference and travel in opposite directions. π moves at a constant speed of 3.14159 × 10^99 light-years per second, while e moves at a constant speed of 2.71828 × 10^99 light-years per second. How many times will they pass each other before they complete one full lap around the circle, and what is the exact moment when they pass each other for the first time?]
"π and e will pass each other exactly 7 times before they complete one full lap around the circle."
"The first time they pass each other occurs at t = (π^2 + 3) × 10^100 seconds."
[You're correct!]
[Next question being generated in 60 seconds.]
I'm sure that after I answer enough questions, the chest will open and inside there will be something that I will show to father.
Then he will try his hardest to get a invitation for Magicae.
[Question Number 387,420,489]
[What is your name?]
"Shikimi Elewp!"
[You're fully correct!]
Hmm?
What was that sound just now.
As I turn, the treasure chest has opened.
Finally... Finally!
I run to it, and inside there is a...
Key made out of pink crystal.
This is a Kaye!
Invitation for Magicae, or Kaye for short, are sent to special children.
They can't be bought or get through grades. Which is why the children that get allowed onto Magicae are seen as special.
If this is here... Then I got invited to Magicae!
But this chest appeared here one day after I talked with father.
Not even him would be able to get a Kaye so fast...
Then... I already got sent a Kaye and he didn't even talk about it with me?
Even knowing how much of a fan of Magicae I am?
Dumb old man.
But the past is in the past.
Wait... A month has already passed since classes started.
I will be all alone as the new student...
Everyone will have already formed their student groups.
Ugh.
There goes my dream of having friends.
Or even something beyond that.
Ugh...
Okay, tomorrow I shall start my classes.
Or today, considering it is midnight.
----------------------------------------
Triiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiim.
Triiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiim.
Triiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiim.
Instinctively I grab the alarm clock [05:30] near my pillow and throw at the wall.
The sound of glass breaking awakes me.
"Wait, I don't have a alarm clock."
I nearly cry looking at all the broken parts of a cellphone scattered through the floor.
"Haha... Who needs one anyway..."
There goes my birthday present from last year.
But the past is in the past.
Walking through the cold hallway, I hear footsteps at the living room.
Someone is there.
It should be spring, but I guess this house still thinks it is winter.
The living room is already way warmer.
Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.
The heater is turned on.
And a man in his thirties prepare a glass of milk with toast.
Setting it up at the table.
"You're late, princess."
A man dressed full in black, with red eyes was already waiting for me.
"You don't need to call me princess anymore...
I'm not the same kid who asked you that."
"You're still a kid, you only have ten-years old."
"I'm nearly a pre-teen, okay?!"
"Already on a rebellious phase, I see."
He is Hikage, the butler of my family.
"Hikage, can you bring me somewhere today?"
"It is been a while since you asked me anything.
Bring you to Magicae? Of course."
"Wait, father already told you? Ugh, it sucks to be unable to surprise anyone with the news.
Mother and father already know anyway."
I leave Hikage there waiting for me as I return to my room to get ready.
I take a short hot bath, which is uncommon. But I'm anxious enough as it is.
I brush my hair and change onto my uniform.
I already bought a classic Magicae uniform.
An all-white uniform.
Magicae prizes individualism, so anyone can go with whatever uniform they want.
Even so, it is socially accepted to use a variation of the default style.
I will get a proper customized uniform later on.
But let's start with vanilla, of course.
As for a overcoat... This pink-white kimono with blue flowers should be perfect.
All I have left is breakfast, I will feel awful not eating it considering Hikage made it for me.
Even if I'm not hungry after all.
"Let's go!"
"I beg your pardon?"
"The wind howls, dear butler."
"Better."
While I may act as I wish when I'm alone.
I must act like a noble when outside.
As I leave the mansion behing, a limousine is awaiting me.
Hikage will drive me there as I asked him.
I check my bag to see if the Kaye is there.
I've been keeping it near me at all times this past morning.
For some reason, I have hope that it will change my life for the better.
Quickly enough, the mansion I lived my entire life vanishes between the trees.
As we leave the forest behind, we pass by a small town.
Actually, my family owns the forest and this city.
And the rural areas behind it.
It's going to be a while until we reach Magicae.
"If anyone tries to hurt you.
You know you just need to ask.
I will help you."
"No... Please no.
You don't need to worry, no one will hurt me anymore."
"You just need to ask."
My eyes started to waver halfway through the trip.
And before I knew it, we were already in front of Magicae.
"Just give me a call whenever you want to return home.
Goodbye princess."
He then leaves.
I just forgot to tell him that my phone was broken.
Oh no, that is a problem for future me to solve.
There were no students at the school gate.
Did I get too early? Probably, but I can't check the hour.
There is no use waiting.
Let's enter.
I showed the key to the gatekeeper, and he allowed me in.
Said to go to the director's office to get enrolled.
The school's architecture can be explained in:
If viewing from above, it should be just like a square.
Marble walls surrounding from all sides.
The gate then leads to the front of the school.
A path leading to a ramp. With a green lawn to the sides.
Quite a few decorative plants made the garden's decoration.
The ramp then leads to the actual entrance of the building.
Entering through the building, something like a hall of fame of past alumni on the walls.
One day I'm also going to be here.
I wonder how much my life is going to change until then.
Then, the path forks to three directions:
A ramp leading to the upper floors.
A ramp leading to the lower floor.
And a hallway with many doors.
I'm able to find the door to the Director's Office easy enough.
As I'm going to knock on the door-
"Enter."
A man's voice already tells me to enter, before I even knock.
As a open the door, there is something wrong here.
The Director's Office looks normal enough, but on the wall on the back...
Many televisions with camera footage are spread evenly.
Classrooms, hallways, even the one I was before.
This is how he knew that I was on the door?
I didn't even notice there was a camera there.
But something really wrong is also there.
Camera footage from all the bathrooms.
"Shikimi Elewp... You're late...
Really... Absurdly... Horribly... late."
Says the man sitting where the director should be.
A complete delinquent from the looks of it.
He should not be older than twenty.
A blonde man using shorts and a sleveless shirt.
Wearing slippers.
Another strange thing was his tattoo.
An "I" tattoed over his eye.
"Just let's get this over with.
Give me the Kaye."
My enrollment was faster than I expected.
"Good, go to your classroom.
You're also late today... Wow..."
I don't know why he keeps saying I'm late.
But I can't check the clock, but I should be early.
I look to the camera footage.
I see a girl going to the bathroom.
While the delinquent keeps looking at it directly.
"Hey, that is invasion of privacy.
And that girl is really young too...
You're a complete pervert."
"Here in Magicae, we must ensure that nothing is going against the rules, that means complete vigilance over everything."
They take the rules that rigid? Or is that just an excuse?
"Just kidding. I actually don't care about rules. I just watch for my own fun.
If you speak another word, I'm expelling you from Magicae."
My body freezes. I can't move an inch.
Anxiety boils through me.
The carefree persona he was giving off is gone.
A serious and cold human being is right there.
This is not a empty threat.
I need to get out of here.
I turn around and reach for the door.
I need to escape.
I need to-
"Fate has decreed already. Your time will be gone soon."
Someone whispers to my ear.
I turn around by instinct. But he is already watching the footage again.
Was that my imagination?
I close the door behind and fall to the floor.
My heart is nearly jumping out of my chest.
What was that?
Killing intent, I could sense that.
This is almost on par with...
It is okay, no one will hurt you.
Breathe. Go up the ramp.
Go to your classroom.
Third floor.
As soon as I'm out of the room, the pressure is gone.
It took a while for my heart to return to normal.
I felt like a rat cornered by a wolf.
I look around, expecting something to be following me.
But there is not.
The only feeling is that I know I'm being watched.
Everyone is being watched.
A pervert with high status... I wonder if I told the police...
Or whether other students know it.
Soon enough I'm on the second floor.
Then the third, then the fourth.
My classroom is on the fifth.
I see four classrooms.
As I walk to mine-
"You're late."
A woman's voice comes from behind.
The complete opposite from the man before.
A woman in blue.
Using a black suit coupled with a blue tie.
Serene and calm expression.
Her blue hair, rather than seem unnatural, is the pinnacle of nature.
Almost like I'm looking directly at a lake.
"Classes started thirty minutes ago."
As she says that, something clicks inside of me.
The hour on my cellphone as I grabbed it right before I threw it at the wall.
It was [05:30] wasn't it? I normally wake up at [05:00]...
Then the hour was messed with?
Don't tell me father changed my wake up alarm to thirty minutes late...
That is just like him.
"I'm sorry for my mistake. Can I still attend the current class?"
"Huh, classy. Of course, go ahead and introduce yourself."
"Class, we're having a transfer student, treat her well."
The teacher quickly told the class, and went to her desk.
I practiced this so much, I won't fail in another class.
The normal Elewp is too shy to speak in front of everyone.
I would just crumble in my anxiety.
But I've been practicing, instead of being me.
I'm a alter-ego.
Just the way my mother taught me etiquette.
Acting like a high-class noble.
That is my duty.
Just imagine the mask of a noble over my face.
And I'm fearless.
"Hello, I'm glad to meet the class.
I hope we can all have a positive associaton in the future.
My personal name is Elewp, I hail from the Shikimi Family."
As I finish my introduction. Everything freezes.
Red? I see something red.
But then it is gone.
Before I know it, I'm back to my body.
Nothing abnormal, everyone is normal.
What did just happen.
"You can sit over there, Elewp."
The teacher said, with a tablet in hand, and pointed to a empty desk.
As I walk over there.
And prepare to sit, there is someone right next to me.
A girl with pink hair, wearing a uniform red as fire.
Just looking at her, I could see how popular she is.
An incarnation of beauty... Like an exotic bird.
My body stops, as I'm seeing a ghost.
She is her... My childhood friend... My first love...
A girl that was assassinated.
There was Arstria Groe.