Infestation IV / Soldiers, to War

For yet another day in a row, Mara did not show up for Professor Seris’s class. As far as I knew, she wasn’t the type to shirk her responsibilities, so I assumed she must’ve struck some kind of compromise with him.

Of course, the reason for her absence was clear: she was avoiding me. I hadn’t seen her since the day of our altercation in Professor Seris’s office, and I had no reason to believe that would change anytime soon. I felt guilty about it, but I didn’t know how to fix things. After all, I still wasn’t certain what made her react like that in the first place.

Sighing at my incompetence, I rose from my seat and stretched. Class had ended a couple of minutes ago, and the final students were making their way out of the room. I followed close behind them, waving goodbye to Professor Seris as I exited.

A lot had happened this week, so I felt exhausted despite it only being the late afternoon.

Maybe I’ll take a nap in my room. Shina and I need to hash out our investigation plan, but she still has classes for a while, so there’s time to kill.

As if to voice agreement, my body let out an uncontrollable yawn.

I don’t think I’ve taken a single nap since I arrived in this world, even when I was stuck in the infirmary. I could definitely use—

I felt a light tug on my shirt.

“H-hey, Everett…”

Never mind.

“You could call out to me when you’re approaching instead of being creepy about it, you know,” I said, spinning around to face the offender.

“It wasn’t creepy. I announced my presence after I pulled on you and everything,” Shina replied defensively.

“The order of operations there is key…” I muttered. “Well, whatever. What do you want? Don’t you have a class soon?”

She shook her head. “Not for about an hour. I just got out of Advanced Hvetorian Theory, and there’s a gap before my Counter-magic class starts.”

“What’s a ‘Hvetorian’?”

“You don’t know who Hvetori is? What kind of a joke education are you receiving? Professor Seris is failing the youth…” She shook her head disapprovingly, and I genuinely couldn’t tell if she was joking or not. “He was a groundbreaking figure in the development of modern magical theory. But none of that matters right now! Well, actually, Hvetorian Theory always matters, but I need you for something else.”

“Which is…?”

“I, um, wanted to start helping out in the investigation, and there were a few girls who stayed behind after class ended, so…” She stopped talking and looked at me expectantly, seeming to believe she’d made her point clear.

Maybe I was just dense, but I still didn’t get it. “What exactly do you need me for?”

“Moral support, obviously! I can’t approach them alone.”

“But they don’t know me. Won’t it just be more awkward?”

“They barely know me either. Come on, please.” Shina grabbed my sleeve again and was tugging on it, as if she were going to start dragging me with her.

I don’t want to do it either! I’m just as bad at this as you are!

Despite my mental protests, I knew I wouldn’t be able to turn her down. “Fine. But you still have to do most of the talking. You at least have some connection to them.”

As I grumbled my consent, Shina breathed a sigh of relief. “Alright, come on. It’s this way.”

Without letting go of my sleeve, she led me down a series of corridors toward her classroom. Although her expression was tinged with anxiety, her steps lacked any doubt as she marched straight into war.

She slowed as she approached a door, which was slightly ajar. Letting go of me, she pressed her back against the wall and slid over to the entrance. Then, she tilted her head to gaze through the gap, surveying the battlefield. I was just tall enough compared to her that I could do the same without our heads fighting for space.

Inside, I made out the figures of three students. As I suspected, I recognized none of them. The trio was happily socializing with one another, and the atmosphere was clearly casual. All things considered, the conditions were optimal.

“I think you can just go in and talk to them. They don’t seem busy,” I whispered.

“B-but… what am I supposed to say? Won’t it seem weird?”

You’re interrogating them! Of course it will! “Nah. You got this,” I lied.

“B-but—”

“Shina?” A voice called out from within the room.

Shina slipped away from the doorframe a moment later.

“They obviously saw you. Just go in already,” I urged her.

She shook her head incessantly, too shaken to act after being spotted by the enemy.

The trio of girls were muttering to each other in confusion, unsure of what to make of the situation.

I sighed. Am I really gonna do this?

“Sorry, Shina. You can yell at me later.”

“What are you—”

I grabbed her wrist with one hand and pushed the door open with the other.

“Sorry to bother you,” I said, laughing awkwardly. “Shina wanted to talk to you, if you don’t mind. Isn’t that right, Shina?”

I tugged on her arm, using so little force that she wouldn’t have shifted an inch if she showed any resistance. Despite that, she stumbled forward into the doorway.

Although her body had willingly moved, her mind had yet to catch up. Her eyes bounced between me and the three girls for several seconds before she realized escape was no longer an option.

“A-ah…” Shina let out a strange sound as she struggled to piece together what to say. “We’ve had a l-lot of classes together, so I just w-wondered what kind of magic everyone studies…”

Her question was rather direct, and it certainly wasn’t natural given the way we intruded into the conversation.

I get it, Shina. Doing this kind of thing is terrifying. What if they think you’re weird? What if they think you’re annoying? What if they reject you outright? It’s hard to convince yourself that trying in the first place is even worth the risk. And yet…

“What!? Seriously? You’re interested in us?”

“I’ve always wanted to talk magic with you! I’ve been impressed since day one.”

“I’m an incantation-user too. I’d love to get some advice, if you don’t mind.”

… people often aren’t as scary as they seem. You taught me that.

Shina’s posture was stiff as she approached the trio. As far as I was concerned, she was a magical prodigy, so it was no wonder her peers would be thrilled to talk with her.

Soon, she was inundated by the excited chatter of the three girls. I couldn’t comprehend the conversation due to all of the magical jargon being thrown around, but that didn’t matter. As a hopeless magic nerd herself, even Shina couldn’t help but forget her shyness and grow passionate as the discussion went on.

As embarrassing as it would be to admit, I couldn’t stop myself from smiling at the sight.

After some time, one of the girls turned and waved to me. “Hey, Shina’s boyfriend, you don’t have to stand all the way out there, you know. Come on, join us.”

“Wait, that’s one of the other Inheritors, right? What was his name again? Ev… something?”

“Everett. A-and he’s just a friend,” Shina said.

“Oh, don’t be like that. I have a boyfriend too; you don’t need to be embarrassed about it.” The girl who had called to me teased Shina for a moment before looking over again. “It’s nice to meet you, Everett. I’m Anita. Oh, and I don’t know if you care about magic too, but I’m pretty damn good at wind incantations. If you ever need some tips, I’m your girl.”

Honestly, after the kerfuffle in the hallway, I’d forgotten we were even here to interrogate them about their magical aptitudes.

But mages seem kind of eager to brag about that sort of thing, even if you don’t ask them. Maybe this investigation will be easier than I thought…

I knew I wouldn’t fit in, but obliging her request would be less awkward than leaving, so I walked up behind Shina.

When I reached her, I once again felt a tug on my sleeve. She wasn’t facing me, but amidst the chatter, Shina whispered, in a voice only I could hear, “Thank you, Everett.”

I wasn’t sure why, but it felt like my heart skipped a beat when I heard those words. And, as if wanting to make things even more difficult, she refused to loosen her grip on my shirt.

Though I tried as hard as I could to focus, I found myself too distracted to absorb much of substance from the ensuing conversation.