Sincerely, Vanessa

=

Vanessa also extended her hand, and the two of them shook hands politely.

“I’m Vanessa Rose, the same grade as you. I came in as a transfer student, so I’ve been using the room first.”

“That’s fine. I must have left my luggage everywhere, it must have been hard to organize.”

“No, there was plenty of space, so it was fine.”

After their polite exchange, Lina, who was fiddling with her bangs cut sharply above her eyebrows, lifted her luggage with a swift motion.

Lina walked deeper into the room and started to organize her things around her desk and bed.

Vanessa hesitated for a moment but then sat back down at her desk to start reviewing. However, all her attention was focused on her new dorm roommate.

Clears throat.

At the soft sound of a cough, Vanessa cautiously turned around to see Lina Delina sitting on her bed, watching her with interest. It seemed like her new roommate was quite intrigued by her.

“You only introduced your name! I’m 17 years old, and I’m from the Arelia region. Have you heard of my family? Where are you from?”

“Ah…”

Vanessa hesitated for a moment. If she mentioned that she came from an orphanage, she worried that this pretty girl might get uncomfortable and leave.

But she didn’t want to hide it.

“I’m 18, and I don’t have parents, so I came here with the help of a sponsor. If that bothers you, I can change rooms.”

Lina’s eyes widened.

“Your sponsor helped you get into Bamberg Academy? Wow, you must be quite capable!”

“No, I don’t have any special abilities. Why?”

“My goodness. Do you know how much Bamberg Academy’s tuition is? It’s the most expensive academy! They wouldn’t just send anyone here. So, did you grow up in an orphanage? Or did you have a godfather or godmother?”

Vanessa fell silent for a moment, feeling like Lina was digging too much into her past. If the children at the orphanage had said something like that, they would have gotten a smack.

After a few moments of silence, Lina realized her rudeness.

“Sorry, I was just curious. I don’t know anything about that… No! That was rude. You don’t have to answer.”

Lina Delina spoke cautiously, turning away from her. She slapped her own mouth. Damn it, Lina Delina!

“No, um, I grew up in an orphanage.”

“Ah… Hmm. The person who was here before couldn’t keep up with the course progress and workload, so they dropped out. They said it wasn’t going to work here. I think they went to Bardo Academy instead. Are you going to study more?”

“I’m just going to study a little more. You can finish unpacking comfortably.”

“Thanks.”

The two of them couldn’t overcome the awkward silence and went to their respective desks. Vanessa still had a lot to do.

She finally finished her assignments and picked up her pen to write part of a letter to her “teacher.”

Just a few lines. She felt strangely down. Worried that this mood might reflect in the letter, she eventually put the pen down.

There must be a lot of rich kids at the academy. Smart kids, too. Will I be able to do well among them? Fitting in seems like it will be a challenge.

The excitement she had earlier faded, and a faint sense of unease settled in.

Vanessa got up from the desk and changed into her pajamas.

“Hmm, light gray really suits the color of your eyes.”

Lina Delina spoke up with a slightly prim tone.

“Orphanages like colors like this.”

Lina Delina slapped her mouth while still under the blanket. Damn it, every step I take is like stepping on a landmine! Vanessa noticed and chuckled softly.

“I’m not mad, it’s just the truth. Orphanages prefer colors that don’t get dirty easily. By the way, do you not usually wear pajamas like these?”

“Pajamas are all pretty much the same, right?”

The fabric is different… Lina Delina, wearing pure white pajamas, swallowed those words. Vanessa lay on her bed, buried under the blankets.

In the brief silence, Vanessa hesitated before speaking up.

“Um, is it really hard for a transfer student to keep up? Everyone just says it’s fine.”

“There’s a reason the professors allowed you to enter as a third-year student.”

“Do you think it’s because I’m a little older?”

“Here, age doesn’t matter even within the same grade. In fact, there are students in the third year who are as young as 16 and as old as 24. So the grade is what really matters. I don’t think your age is an issue.”

Lina said this with an encouraging tone. Vanessa turned off the lamp.

“Thank you, good night.”

Vanessa whispered her good night, and Lina Delina mumbled back.

“Good night.”

And soon, the room in the farthest corner on the fourth floor became quiet.

***

To the teacher,

Hello, teacher. It’s a lovely spring day with a rather warm breeze. I hope all is well with you.

I am doing very well. I’ve been so busy learning new things every day that it has been a while since I last wrote.

Hmm? I think I just heard a voice saying that it doesn’t matter at all, but it must have been a mistake, right?

You can’t imagine how happy I was to receive your first reply.

Honestly, I thought it wouldn’t matter if you didn’t read my letters. I talk too much, after all!

You must be very busy, so I’m really happy that you took the time to reply.

I found a very beautiful box. Your letters will be carefully stored here.

Finally, regular classes started a week ago. I was so nervous that morning, I was so tight in my stomach that I couldn’t even drink a glass of water.

When I turned pale, my roommate silently handed me a glass of water.

My roommate is a really beautiful girl. She has bangs cut sharply above her eyebrows, and her red hair is just the right amount of curl, brushing the ends of her shoulders. I thought she looked like a young lady.

We haven’t talked much yet, but she seems like the first daughter of a very good family. Her name is Lina Delina.

At first, I thought there was no way we would ever get along, especially when she elegantly tied her ribbon-shaped tie in her neat uniform.

I was worried that everyone might treat me with the prejudice of “Vanessa? The girl who grew up in an orphanage?” and I also judged Lina with my own prejudices.

But Lina turned out to be a really good person. When I managed to take a sip of the water she gave me, she kept checking on me, walking around and being considerate.

Fortunately, the first class was a common third-year class, Professor Marina’s History of Almost Everything. It’s a class where we look at the history of various countries, but it’s so vast that it’s overwhelming.

As I walked, clutching my book tightly and trembling, Lina gave my waist a firm tap and spoke.

“Lena Delina gave me a somewhat prim instruction.

“Keep your neck long, straighten your back, and look straight ahead! These are the things my mom and dad always tell me. Elegance comes from posture.”

Hearing that, I straightened up as best as I could. Lena looked me over and smiled before opening the back door of the classroom.

As she did, people started calling out to her. Lena said we should go together, but the only seat left nearby was just one, so I sat by myself.

Lena didn’t need to look after me, right?

And after about a week, I understood why Senior Alyssa had said that adjusting wouldn’t be too difficult. Everyone is buried in assignments, and there’s just no time or energy left.

Of course, there are times on weekends when I have some free time, but I don’t have time to relax because of all the assignments.

Just yesterday, I finished everything and fell asleep at 2 AM.

The professors don’t give a specific deadline for the remaining assignments. But I’m scared of falling behind, so I always rush to finish as quickly as possible.

Then, the professor gives more assignments, and I rush to finish them, and then more assignments come, and I do them again…

Is this called a vicious cycle?

What have you been doing these days, teacher?

The weather is nice, are you going for a walk at least once a day? I hope you’re enjoying my letters as well.

Sometimes, I imagine what you might look like.

You’re sitting at a large, elegant desk, wearing a tight formal suit, and trimming your sharp, white hair and pointed mustache while going through some documents. Then, you read the letter I sent and smile. That makes me feel a little proud.

I’ll wrap this up now. I’m finishing my day, buried in assignments.

I pray that good things always come your way.

Sincerely,

Vanessa Rose.

***

Vanessa finished the letter, sealed it, and placed it in the hornir. The wax seal was a beautiful red color, almost like a painting.

Inside the hornir, a soft yellow light lingered for a moment, and then the letter was gone.

Looking ahead, the textbooks for today’s classes, Understanding Elemental Magic and Mathematics 3, were proudly displayed on the desk. If they fell on someone’s foot, their bones would likely break from the weight.

Vanessa let out a deep sigh.

“Giving up would be easier.”

Lina, noticing the sigh, lay down on the bed and said primly.

“Vanessa, you’ve signed up for way too many infamous classes. Common classes like Understanding Elemental Magic, History of Almost Everything, and Priva’s Literature. Just those three would probably kill you, and you’ve added Mathematics 3 and Principles of Magic and Basic Magic Engineering?!”

Lina Delina decisively passed judgment.

“You’re insane. You should have taken something like General Music or a foreign language.”

Vanessa replied gloomily.

“General Music sounds nice. If I had met you sooner, I might have known about it. But I’m sure when I took remedial classes, Professor Guido didn’t assign much homework.”

“That’s the trick. Professor Guido is always trying to discover at least one student with magical talent. Most students only manage to make their hats fly, and many have no magical talent at all.”

Vanessa tugged at her messy hair.

“Goodness. I’ll probably be up past 3 AM again tonight…”

“Why not just lie down like I do?”

Vanessa briefly shot a glance at Lina Delina. She was irritated by the way Lina was lying provocatively on the bed, beckoning her. The soft, soapy scent of the freshly fluffed blanket made her want to bury herself in it immediately.

“You’re just saying that, but you already finished your Math 3 assignment. How do you do statistics so well?”

“I was born into a family that runs a trading business. I’ve been memorizing math formulas since I was four,” Lina giggled.

Vanessa and Lina bantered back and forth for a moment. In the week they had spent together, they had become quite close.

At that moment, a soft blue glow radiated from Vanessa’s hornir. As both their gazes turned toward it, candy began pouring out from the opening of the hornir.

“Oh, oh!”

Vanessa caught a few of the overflowing candies, but chocolates, taffy, and jellybeans spilled endlessly across the desk.

“Did your sponsor send this? Oh, this is Alpine candy!”

Lina picked up one of the fallen candies with curious eyes.

“Alpine?”

“Well, not a great wizard, but it’s candy made by a magician. If you eat this, it’ll probably give you a little energy. It’s really expensive. Anything with magic in it tends to be pricey.”

The candy wrappers seemed unusual too. They were golden, blue, and silver.

The wrappers, filled with all sorts of colors, bore someone’s signature. It was probably the signature of the wizard Alpine.

Vanessa picked up two pieces of candy, giving one to Lina and unwrapping the other to pop into her mouth. Lina did the same, crunching on hers.

Vanessa felt as though some energy was truly flowing through her body.

“Alright, I’ll definitely go to sleep by 1 AM tonight.”

Vanessa gathered her hair with determination and tied it up. Lina Delina scoffed and pulled the blanket over her head.

***

Beeeep-beeeep-beeeep!

Vanessa, with a tired expression, hit the alarm clock that was screeching loudly beside her.

She could’ve sworn she had only briefly closed her eyes, but it was morning already—this must be a lie. Maybe she should’ve just slept when Lina did…

Her melancholic thoughts were fleeting, as her eyes quickly widened. There was a letter in the opening of the hornir.