A Little Dragon and Her Exotic Lunchbox

"At least they had real elf fighters back then! Young boys these days can’t even shoot an arrow straight!"

"No one here can make a proper honey lembas. Atrocious!"

Whenever someone asked why she’d chosen to settle here if all she did was complain about it, she’d roll her eyes and declare, "Couldn’t stand the dwarves, dragons, fairies, beastfolk, demonfolk, and especially those repugnant humans!"

The old elven lady had long since passed away, leaving the cottage empty. Salix hadn’t particularly taken a liking to the grumpy elder, but she’d seen an opportunity. She petitioned the council to repurpose the cottage as a school, convinced it would serve the village well, especially after a recent "birth spurt" that had brought nearly a dozen new children into the community around the same year.

By creating a central place for fostering and educating these young elves, Salix hoped to strengthen their sense of community and companionship early on, helping them grow into the future heart of the village.

"So, Saya, this is the green cottage! The school I worked so hard to renovate and open just last year!" Salix beamed, gesturing proudly.

Saya tilted her head up at the cottage, her expression unimpressed. "It’s so small!"

"Um… well, yes, I suppose compared to your house, it does look small, but what matters is what’s inside! Come, Saya, let me introduce you to your schoolmates!"

As soon as Salix opened the door, they were met with an explosion of noise from inside the cottage.

The room was a whirlwind of children, most around Saya’s age, with a few older ones mixed in. Some were chasing each other, yelling, while a chubby elf boy munched on an enormous loaf of lembas, splattering jam across his mouth, clothes, and the table. At the back of the room, two boys were kicking a ball around, which smacked a blonde-haired elf girl in the face.

"Hey! Watch where you’re kicking, you idiots!"

"Sorry, Glenwyth! But you should really get a haircut so you can see what’s coming at ya!"

"W-What?! Why, you! Telorine! You’re the class monitor! Do something!"

"Alright, that’s enough!" Telorine sighed, trying to wrangle the chaos. "No ball games in the classroom!"

Saya’s eyes lit up when she spotted Telorine among the crowd.

"Alright, everyone! Playtime is over! Come over and sit down, please!" Salix clapped her hands, and the room immediately quieted down. Children scrambled to sit, although the chubby elf boy kept nibbling his lembas, completely oblivious.

Salix gave the boy a pointed look. "That means you too, Mellon!"

"Oh! Right, sorry, Ms. Salix!" he mumbled through a mouthful of lembas, cheeks stuffed like a squirrel’s.

Salix walked to the front of the room, Saya following close behind. It was only then that the children noticed Saya, their faces lighting up with surprise and curiosity. Telorine gave her a warm, encouraging smile.

At the back, however, one girl didn’t seem particularly welcoming. It was the red-haired elf Saya had met at the inn—a girl now glaring at her with the same suspicious intensity.

"Alright, everyone! I’d like to introduce you to our new classmate. Saya, would you like to introduce yourself?" Salix gestured toward the front, and Saya eagerly stepped forward.

She hadn’t known she’d have to make a speech, but she saw this as her big moment. She knew she had to nail it—after all, this was her best chance at making new friends.

"Hello, everyone! My name is Saya! I’m turning six this year, and I live up the hill in a big house with Ms. Suzhen. I like butter candies, and I also have a cat called Lion. Well, I thought it was a lion, but Suzhen told me it’s actually a cat, so I guess I have to call him that." She giggled, then added, "Oh, and I like going on adventures! So please be friends with me!"

Saya finished her speech with a big, hopeful smile. She was proud of how smoothly it had come out. Surely, she’d made a good impression.

But instead of applause or excitement, the room was quiet, a strange hush falling over her classmates as they exchanged glances, a mild confusion flickering in their eyes.

Finally, a boy raised his hand, looking at her with curiosity. "But… what are you?"

"What am I?" Saya echoed, perplexed.

"You have horns," the boy said, staring at her pointedly.

"Eh?" Saya blinked, genuinely surprised. She’d never thought much about her horns—they were just part of her. Her mother had them, Ivory had scales, and the elves had long ears. She’d assumed everyone was just different in their own way.

But now, she realized she was the only one here with horns.

"I know! She’s a demon!" the blonde-haired girl, Glenwyth, declared, "Didn’t we read that picture book? Demons have horns. She must be a demon!"

"W-What? But I’m not…" Saya stammered, glancing back at Salix in alarm.

"Now, now, children!" Salix intervened, "Saya is not a demon. Let’s all be quiet and give her a chance to tell us what she is. Saya, do you want to share with us?"

Saya looked back at Salix, confused but determined. She thought hard, then puffed up her chest with confidence and announced, "I am Saya!"

The room fell silent, and for a long moment, everyone just stared at her. Then, a giggle burst from one child, followed by another, until soon, the entire class was laughing. The laughter quickly escalated into a chant: "Demon! Demon! Demon!"

Saya shrank under the sudden barrage of teasing, her eyes widening.

It wasn’t until Salix’s firm voice boomed over the chorus that the room fell silent again, their laughter cut short. Salix placed a reassuring hand on Saya’s shoulder, giving her a gentle squeeze.

**

The rest of the morning passed without anyone mentioning Saya’s horns again—though they hardly had the chance. Salix moved briskly from one lesson to the next, giving lecture after lecture, and the children were either busy taking notes, whispering to each other behind her back, or dozing off entirely. Saya, meanwhile, was left wide-eyed with confusion.

Today's lesson was on the alphabet—a concept entirely new to Saya. She had many books in her room, but they were all written in block-like characters. Her mother had taught her some of these symbols, so she knew the language she spoke could be represented in writing.

However, as she watched Salix draw unfamiliar letters on the board, her mind began to spin. These alphabets looked very different—curvy and intricate, as if someone had randomly scribbled circles and loops across the blackboard.

Saya tried glancing at the other elves’ notebooks to get a hint, but each time, they would pull their books away, casting sideways glances at her.

Finally, lunchtime arrived.

The elf children eagerly assembled their desks to form a large table, sitting around it and unpacking their lunchboxes. Saya, too, looked forward to this moment. Suzhen had promised her a special lunch, and Saya couldn’t wait to open her lunchbox to see what was inside.

“Alright, children," Salix said, clapping her hands, "you know the drill. Before we eat, we need to express our gratitude to Aria. Saya, you can just watch for now if you don’t know the prayer.”

Some of the children exchanged looks, casting sideways glances at Saya. Soft whispers reached her ears, just barely audible, “A non-worshipper? I knew it… she’s a demon…”

Saya couldn’t help but shrink slightly, but before the whispers could escalate, Telorine shot a sharp, disapproving glare at his classmates, silencing them.

That’s when Salix began to lead the children to their prayers.

When the prayer ended and everyone opened their lunchboxes, Saya was thrilled, eyes widening as she uncovered the delightful feast Suzhen had prepared. True to her promise, Suzhen had made two sesame-sprinkled rice balls, but there was more. The sides of the box held Peacobeak wings marinated in soy sauce, a familiar scent that reminded Saya of home. Thinly sliced carrots and garden-fresh cabbage, stir-fried to perfection, accompanied the meal, their aroma still enticing even after sitting for hours. Saya’s mouth watered as she prepared to dig in.

But just as she was about to take her first bite, she felt eyes on her. She looked up to see the entire class staring at her, expressions ranging from curiosity to outright disgust.

“W-What is that smell?” one of the boys muttered, nose wrinkling.

Saya glanced around, bewildered. The other kids were holding identical lunches of plain lembas. She had tried lembas before; it was nice, but it didn’t compare to the flavorful meal in front of her. She didn’t understand the reaction, but before she could say anything, Glenwyth, the blonde girl from the inn, dramatically pinched her nose and sneered, “Ugh… is that what demons eat?”

Then, one of the boys came over, yanked her lunchbox, and took a sniff. “Ew! This is disgusting!” he exclaimed.

Saya felt her cheeks flush with anger. "Give it back! Suzhen’s food is delicious! You just don’t know how good it is!”

But Glenwyth gave a smug smile, crossing her arms. “If you’re a demon, then your sense of smell is probably weird,” she taunted.

Saya’s fists clenched. She had no vendetta against demons, but the way Glenwyth kept saying it made her feel like an outcast. “I’m not a demon! Take that back!”

“Oh yeah? Then why do you have horns?” Glenwyth snapped, giving Saya a little push. “Demons should stay far away from me.”

“C-Cut it out…” Telorine tried to step in, but Saya was already pushing back. “I’m not a demon!”

That only seemed to make Glenwyth angrier. She pushed Saya hard, and Saya stumbled to the ground. “Go eat your demon food, you freak!” Glenwyth sneered before storming off with two of her friends in tow.

Saya stayed on the floor, crying, while Telorine knelt beside her, trying his best to comfort her. Tears blurred her vision, all the excitement of her first school day turning into heartache.