Kiori and I entered Mr. Draco’s office together after I alerted him of our presence with a series of knocks.

  “Back already? Ah, Kiori.”

  “Could you put up that soundproof barrier again, please?” I asked, remembering to be polite at the last second.

  “I can give you 30 minutes at most before Palvoz needs to sleep. After that, you’ll have to find your own way.”

  “Can you maintain that length outside the zone?”

  “Yes, but Palvoz needs to remain nearby.”

  “The name of your dragon?”

  “Yes.”

  “How will I- no, how will we know how much time we’ve got?”

  “I’ll knock every 10 minutes. You should wrap things up at the second knock.”

  Mr. Draco got up and exited the office. A moment later, the room once again took on a yellow hue.

  “Alright…” Kiori began. “You’ve got your soundproof barrier. What do you want to talk about?”

  “Why did you summon me to begin with? Surely you knew the risks. I mean, the death penalty? What the hell were you thinking? If you’re turned in, I die too!”

  He looked away with a pained expression. “You wouldn’t know.”

  “Don’t state the obvious, Kiori. Of course, I wouldn’t know. I didn’t exist until 5 days ago.”

  He took a deep breath. 1 second holding it, and 1 second to breathe out.

  “What do you think of my string attunement?” Kiori held out his hand and produced a tangled-up ball of string.

  I touched the ball with my finger. It was soft.

  “Are you looking for anything specific, or just whatever comes to my mind?”

  “Do you believe that this-” He gestured toward the ball of string. “-would let me contend against any of my classmates in Mr. Evenicht’s class?

  “Who’s that?”

  “Our final period teacher.”

  “Oh! You mean the guy whose image I spat on?”

  Kiori glared at me.

  “Hey, he nearly killed me! I have every right to hold it against him, even if he thought-”

  That’s when I realized Kiori wasn’t there for the meeting where I saw the file about the smoke-covered serpent murder cases.

  “Thought what?”

  “Umm.. you’ll have to ask Mr. B-Draco about that after this. Let’s just say I think his reasons were justified.”

  “What did you do?”

  I held my hand out, and a small plume of smoke emerged from my hand. “I was trying to ask for help when I accidentally lost my dorm key.”

  There was an incredulous look on his face. “What?”

  “I was trying to convey the phrase ‘went up in smoke and mirrors.’ It means something’s disappeared. In hindsight, producing possibly toxic smoke shouldn’t have been my first course of action.”

  “Was this before the language barrier disappeared?”

  “It was before the language barrier disappeared.”

  There was a knock at the door. It's already been 10 minutes?

  “So, Kiori. Where were we?”

  The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  “I asked you what you think of my string attunement. Could it contend against anyone in a combat situation?”

  “Is string of this softness all that you’re capable of?”

  He produced a small roll of string with the texture of a fishing line.

  “You’re better off supplying thread for clothes, pillows, or fishing lines.”

  Kiori suddenly squatted, with his head hung low. I felt like I’ve seen this pose as a meme, but I can’t recall where.

  No! This isn’t the time to see things as an internet lurker!

  “It’s over for me. This is where my path as a mage ends.”

  “Umm… what’s this about?”

  His eyes met mine. “You’ve seen how everyone has to fight each other in class, right?”

  “Those squares the students fight in? Is that legal?”

  Thinking back, the whole thing gave illegal fighting ring vibes.

  “The best way to get stronger as a mage is to learn how to fight against a mage. I’ve never been able to win a single time against anyone! Do you know what it’s like to be treated as the weakest mage here?”

  His situation reminded me of a plot of a certain anime, but I shelved the thought in favor of listening to my summoner rant.

  “I wouldn’t know.”

  “Right, since it was your first day. Do you know what I thought when I heard you were paired against Alicia?!” His voice became louder. The raising of his tone made me more concerned.

  I stayed silent as he continued.

  “I thought, maybe I’d have someone to relate to. You have a weird attunement, and Alicia’s our second strong Ice Mage! There’s no way a new student would be able to beat our Ice Queen!”

  It was harder to tell if he was talking to me, despite being the only person in the room.

  “And then you beat her!” He shouted at the top of his lungs. “Not just beat her, but made her afraid of you! Do you even know how strong you’d have to be to do that!?”

  “Are you jealous of me?”

  “What?”

  “The way you’re talking. It’s weird… and a bit off-putting. Were you expecting to comfort me if I lost? I barely know a thing about you, and that language barrier was its own pile of issues. Were you, my summoner, expecting me to be consoled by whatever touching gesture you thought of, when I barely know a thing about this world?”

  Don’t put your expectations on me.

  I heard him exhale through his nose.

  “Sorry, I’m just… I hate being weak. Comparing my string attunement to everyone else’s. It feels like…”

  “Like what?”

  “Have you ever wished to be great at something? To be renowned at that thing? Become so great that your skill is indisputable?”

  “I have.”

  “But when you try to reach that goal, all you’re given is a fork while everyone around you gets a full table set, or even the entire kitchen?”

  “Are you using eating or cooking for your analogy?”

  “Um… cooking. I’m trying to say that while I want to be a great chef, all I’m given is a fork, while others have more.”

  “Sounds frustrating.”

  “Have you ever felt like that, Nolval?”

  I looked at the ceiling, pondering his question.

  I don’t recall a moment in my previous life when I’ve felt the need to prove myself against so many others. All I’ve ever done is focus on the goals I’ve set for myself and pursue them earnestly. If I felt I couldn’t achieve it, or something else took my interest, I’d do that instead, disregarding the effort (or lack thereof) put into achieving the previous goal.

  Perhaps I didn’t like the idea of being stuck in a cycle where I’m never happy, so I’ve blocked all paths I’ve felt would deny me that happiness.

  “Not that I can think of.”

  “Huh.”

  “Hey. All that talk about being chefs and how everyone had different starts. That’s how you feel about being a mage, right?”

  “Yeah.” He answered immediately with undeniable certainty in his eyes.

  Because you are someone’s most desired wish.

  “Is there any way I can help?”

  He looked at me, as his expressions shifted, deliberating my offer to help.

  We stared at each other. He stared blankly while I was beginning to wonder about the state of his mental health.

  Suddenly, a knock interrupted our staring contest. 20 minutes had passed.

  Already, huh?

  “If you don’t want my help, I can’t stop you. Just remember that if you summoned me with the intention of becoming stronger, I’m basically your best bet.”

  “I know. It’s just… your attunement is weird.”

  “Yeah… Mr. Draco told me that my power isn’t explainable under the conventions of magic, so I’m considering studying it so that I can fit the mold as a really strong mage, and not something that casually violates its principles.”

  “I could help with that. Although my practical score isn’t the greatest, I’ve gotten one of the highest written scores in this class.”

  “For magic?”

  “For magic.”

  “So we’ve got a deal? I help you improve your attunement. You help me understand the rules of magic.”

  Kiori nodded.

  I walked toward Mr. Draco’s office door, giving it three knocks. The moment I did, the yellow hue covering the entire room started to fade, reverting to a normal office.

  I backed away, and seconds later, the door opened, with Mr. Blonde entering his office.

  “Have you got everything sorted out? If so, wonderful. Now leave, I’ve got paperwork that demands my attention.”

  “Apologies.” I raised my hand, giving a slight bow. “Given the sensitivity of the topic, I felt that I’d need that soundproof barrier.”

  “Don’t apologize for that. You’re simply making the most of the options you’re given. Now, if that’s all you have to say, leave. Enjoy your 3-day break, Kiori, Nolval.”

  Kiori opened to say something, but I stopped him, sensing the agitation in Mr. Draco’s voice.

  I waited until we were far outside of his office to speak.

  “You’ll have to wait for another opportunity. He didn’t sound like he’s in the mood to talk.”

  “I’m still confused as to why you believe Evenicht’s reason for attacking you is justified. I’d be upset if a teacher attacked me for no reason.”

  “Well, what’s done is done. In any case, is there anything interesting to do in town? I’ve only known the school and dorms for basically all of my life.”

  “All your life, but you’ve only been-“ His face changed, getting the joke. However, instead of laughing, he only looked at me with pity. “I’m so sorry.”

  “Huh? What’s with the apologies?”