I 3

My highschool teacher in the past world once got so angry and slammed the electrical network model I had made on the table. Some pieces hit my face. I didn’t know if they left some cuts here and there then. It definitely did since it was the first time I had such faint wounds on my face when I touched it at home. “I’m home”, said my dad who seemed to be surprised to see me in the bathroom, he didn’t expect anybody home at all, which matters nothing as he has dinner alone. As I was doing homework and mom finally came home, dad took a bath then went to sleep. I had no chance to ask him how to do a proper electrical network model, although I was sure he would have explained things in a way that doesn’t involve my level anyway. Electrical engineering is to him what book-reading is to me. Except that my simple joy of life doesn’t translate into something that gained me a favor with coworkers or help with my magic now. “Useless imbeciles like you…” is a cliché phrase my own teacher loves to scream at us. I truly cannot make a proper electrical network model, I couldn’t sense what was appropriate and what was not. Like if your spirit doesn’t resonate to it you just can’t do it well. Many such souls when they came to the city found that about themselves as a daily reality.

“Goodbye Harold”, “Thank you,” the man says, then turns to my dad before leaving, “that’s a good boy you have here.” My dad smiles back and has some last words with him. I keep trying to practice the magic I have read from the books. Even when I can’t perform them, I have managed to gain an incomplete overview of how many kinds of magic there are. Ultimately all that matters is the end result anyway, I don’t see the need to remember the names, even though I have been trying to learn them. “Regitus Magna? That’s a weird name, why do you even remember it anyway?” My mom seems puzzled, my dad raises his brows, “Well, in case you haven’t known yet, although it would be weird if you don’t, is that you don’t even have to call the name of the spell you are casting.” It’s pretty much a morale boost for yourself and to scare off the enemies, as long as the spell being used is not one that enemies if knew beforehand could flee or prepare some counterattack. I don’t remember if I said “I know”, but their faces still seem puzzled. I check out my fingers as the flow of magic runs through the arm to the hand, magic is just a part of being in this world. By the time all the practice I have been doing seems repetitive enough, I switch to sword-wielding. My dad leans out from his room, then my mom, to see what I’m doing. “Well that’s… diligent…” I also heard that from my past world’s dad who occasionally said that even if I messed up the electric wires, then I have to move on to the more advanced circuits, I don’t understand why do I have to keep doing all these, like asking somebody who doesn’t know a foreign language to speak in that language, then you keep praising and telling them to speak, then give them almost zero point and keep telling to keep doing that. Math was tough, luckily I did it a bit above the average, enough to get into the university and went on to choose a major. “…is your name right?” “I am.” “I was finding my room and your name was beneath mine. Guess we are gonna be roommates from now on.” I nod, he continues as he finds his bunk, “Say, how do you find the math entrance this year?” “I didn’t even check other years.” “So little interest, this guy. Well, I find it’s relatively tame except for the third hand-writing question. Although it’s not like I really did well at others, I still managed to do most of it. I got 74. You?” “65.” “That’s not a small feat, unless you are majoring in math. You should really hear the endless cries other students are having now.” “I don’t know other people…” “Well, so we are gonna brace for another 4 years of studying, if we can even graduate soon.” “Yeah, regardless we still have to study.” “In just the next 4 days. They don’t wait for anybody, do they?”

“Urgh… I can’t handle all this much soba. Sorry for the… smell.” “It’s okay, I have to prepare for tomorrow’s presentation anyway.” “A never ending run for all of us. Except for the literature major, he seems chill.” “He has gone home?” “Finished his exam a week ago.” He sighs, “…I miss playing soccer back in my school.” “I have never played sports myself.” “What did you do back then?” “Read all sorts of stuff. Not much to tell, although it helped kill time.” He giggles, “If only I did read a lot as much as you did.” “I wasn’t reading anything special.” “I mean to broaden my interests. It’s like your world’s horizon is limited when you only have one thing to do all the entire life. It was fun playing soccer, but I shouldn’t have just played it all the time. Pass me the stack of documents.” I throw them into his bunk. “Thank you.” “Are you sure you can finish your assignment project?” “Says somebody who stays up with me until 2AM.” “My assignment has clear criteria to be finished. I suspect yours doesn’t.” “Sort of. But I’m almost done with mine… I think. Still,” he yawns, “what kind of stupid rule is that you have to turn off your lights after some hour? You think we should open the lights a bit just to have our tasks done or at least before the guards come here?”

“Hmm… finally done with all that practicing huh?” my mom Diana taps her lips, pondering. “My head just aches a bit,” I respond before thinking. “Are you okay?” She looks a bit worried. “It’s fine. It just passed. I think I can continue practicing now.” Her lips purse a bit, “Nice to see you being so diligent, but why even fret it though? We aren’t exactly telling you to push it hard…” she glances at Richard, my dad, “aren’t we?”

If I try to answer it would just lead to further questions, would it? Why do I not? It’s simply just obligations, which they don’t seem to be telling me. I have yet to know of the obligations I have to do in this world. In the meantime… Let's stick to whatever I can to improve myself.

My parents look at me a lot when I get to the classroom. Whatever they are thinking, I say goodbyes to them and get into the class. I eventually notice how other classmates have it harder to focus on whatever the teacher wants to convey to us, and some of them even get weirded out by what I have to say. I don’t know how to respond to them decently, I have been through schools and universities in my past world after all. So far, how they organize classes here is similar to my past world. Although, is it just me or the lectures seem to be broken down better than what I had? Regardless I shall have to fulfill them all as expected of myself. The teacher looks at me with eyes of intrigue, or worrisome, then after whatever she tries to do, she just stops. “Say, do you have any request, like further materials or something else you would like to do.” “I’m fine.” Although it seems to make her uncomfortable, I decided to read in advance the next lessons on textbooks.

There’s a class of Sword Training in which students all learn to practice using their swords. As first graders we are only allowed to use wooden swords, fair enough. My movements are clumsy and the classmates love to laugh at that. There’s no end to their staring, although more like they are wondering why do I still keep practicing when I’m that bad and the teacher already told people they can rest until the end of the period now. One. Two. Three. In the past world I have never practiced wielding a sword before, or fighting anybody at all. I conjure in my own mind what it would like to have an opponent, and how to defeat them before they defeat me. One. Two. Three. Their sword slashes diagonally, I try to make steps to slash upward, from any angle that could help me deflect the attack. One. Two. Three. Three steps of foot, over and over. A kick, not from me or my imaginary enemy, but my classmates, “What the heck are you still doing over there, it’s irritating just stop!” “Sorry, I will stop.” “You think apologizing alone is enough to make it?” They begin to hit me with punches which I try to shield them with my arms or dodge, but as of now my body’s agility is still way too weak for that. “Why don’t you even try to fight back with your sword, huh?” They laugh and begin using their swords to fight against me. That caused enough of a ruckus to make the teacher intervenes, “What are you doing?!” and proceeds to pull those students by the ears. “What a gutless guy, he doesn’t even have any gall to fight back.”

“Hmm, did something happen to you today?” “Huh?” “Your face, let me see,” my mom leans nearer to my face and touches on where their punches hit. I don’t know what to answer, it’s nothing much anyway. “So well, we are gonna have dinner soon so you may want to take a bath now,” I nod and go to bathroom. One. Two. Three. Hit. I conjure the image in my mind, my opponent and myself. As I return to the dining room I see my dad entering from outside, “Dear, you are home now,” he nods to my mom, “Say, can I bring Ryle with me to see our upcoming guest today?” “Oh you are talking about…” He nods. He gives me some glances but he seems to be surprised by anything else from me. I wonder if I should ask. “So well, there’s somebody I’m gonna come and see and bring them here and well… You don’t mind if our family has another member, don’t you?” “No.” He blinks, “I don’t mean me and mom are gonna make another baby, though that could be a nice thing,” mom hears that and has an amused smile, they look at me, the silence prompts me to say “Yeah”. Silence again. “Well, I guess that’s good to know, so… You are coming with me tonight.” “Yes.”

Where I lived in the past world have never had snow, even though those places have always been chilling to the skin, with the occasional cold breezes. I follow my dad, footsteps leaving prints on snow. Night in any world is just similar, when there’s no light there’s no color to see. Here it only has about three dominant colors: blue, white, black. Yet once I spotted the figure ahead me, it feels like the colors on that figure are very lively in this darkness. Then that figure moves toward me faster, appears to be a female of my same age, her mouth gasps, her face adorable – like a kid who would absolutely be pampered by any random passerby just out of the sheer cuteness of her young face, the features suggest she shall be the top once she grew up if she even wants to compete against every single beauty model (does this world have such things though)? The little figure runs toward me, arms hold me tight. My dad looks at us with an expression of surprise as well as bemusement. On her eyes… are some tears? “So anyway, let me introduce you two to each other. Ryle, here is Regina. Regina, this is Ryle.” I nod and hold my hand to her, “My name is Ryle, glad to see you.” She makes a warm smile, “My name is Regina, glad to live with you from now on, ah-“ “Yeah right, I told you that she’s gonna be a new member of our family from now on, haven’t I? Right, Ryle?” I nod. “Whatever you need, just ask me.” Her eyes flash something, before her mouth transforms into a smile that seems to have some tinge of amusement, “I’ll be in your care then.” “So well,” my dad continues, “let’s go home now.” I walk side by side with Regina, who occasionally gives me a look, and surprised by how much I look at her, “What is it? Is there anything on my face?” “Sorry.” I look away, she tries to suppress a chuckle. But when I don’t look at her then I can feel her gaze onto my face, and her eyes seem like she has a lot to say but has yet to be able to say it.

“So, we are sleeping together in the same room,” she says, with a touch of amusement, “Yeah.” On different beds however. I wonder if she wants to have some chats or wants to sleep now, she gazes at me in silence so I ask just that, “Do you have anything you want to talk about?” “Erm, maybe I do, what do we talk about though? Say… what have you been doing lately?” “Practicing sword-wielding and magic, reading books.” She lets out an exasperated noise, “You? Reading books?” then covers her mouth, “Sorry I just…” her head-scratching suggests she doesn’t know what to respond , “Anyway, what kind of books are they?” “No particular thing, I just read what I like.” “Mostly storybooks and fictions?” “Some of them.” “I also love reading books too, though at this rate, it’s hard to have anything to brag about.” Her meaningful smile is something I can’t find any way to interpret. Then her smile turns amusing, the tone of that childlike and youthful voice doesn’t change a bit however, “You say you practice sword-wielding and magic, how is it so far?” “Hmm… not much, I’m not really good at them.” “…that’s candid.” Silence.

One. Two. Three. Hit. One. Two. Three. Hit. “Ryle? Will you practice this soon?” That’s not the voice of my mom, but Regina. “Yeah.” “Can I watch you?” “Go ahead.” One. Two. Three. Hit. One. Two. Three. Hit. “Did you have a good sleep yesterday?” Regina responds, “Me? It was good. I had some very sweet dreams.” “That’s good to know.” One. Two. Three. “You are not asking me what I dreamed of last night?” “Well, I wouldn’t pry if you don’t want to tell…” Her face looks a bit disappointed, “…though you are not wrong, it’s just hard to talk about them.” She moves toward another tree, hand hovers to draw some imaginary lines in the air, her hair swaying, her eyes almost shut, a surge of wind blowing up around her surroundings, leaves and branches of the trees swaying. That seems to be a very high class magic, and yet she uses it so casually. She flashes me a faint smile. “That’s nice”, I say. She smiles wider with crinkled eyes. “Breakfast is done, you two. Come in!” “Of course, Mrs Diana!” Regina pulls my arm with her and runs into the house.