Hearing Voices is Pretty Normal for Someone Like You

“That’s it? I really thought they were going to expel us,” Charlotte said with a sigh.

“They can’t expel you without a trial.”

A chill ran down her spine after hearing that word.

“Besides, I believe it was because of us.”

“What do you mean?”

“Our status may have influenced their decision.”

“I see.”

The four of them walked through the long hallways. After everything that had happened, it was barely two o’clock.

Despite the gray sky, the academy was filled with a suffocating air.

Charlotte noticed Alysia was walking a little behind them. She kept her eyes downcast.

Suddenly, Zoe stopped. Charlotte and the prince did the same.

“Zoe?” she asked, confused.

Alysia, unaware of their actions, kept walking forward.

“Excuse me. Don’t you have something to say?”

Finally, she also stopped.

Not a single word came out of her mouth.

In front of them, Alysia remained still. Her silhouette made her look like a scolded puppy. She was holding her left arm with her right arm.

After a few seconds, she turned around.

“I apologize for all the trouble I’ve caused.” Her voice was low and muffled.

“Anything else?”

“No…”

She kept her distance.

“As they told us, I’ll join your party… But don’t expect us to be friends.”

Charlotte took a small step forward.

“Maybe not right now. But I hope someday we can be friends.”

Alysia avoided eye contact with her.

“Who knows,” she murmured almost inaudibly.

With nothing more to add, she continued her way.

“This is the last straw.”

“Now, Miss Zoe. Let’s give her time. We made some good progress, right, Miss Charlotte?”

“Sure!” She flashed a big smile.



After chatting for a couple of hours, Charlotte said goodbye to her friends. Every time she was with them, time flew by.

While she was crossing the long garden to her dormitory, a well-known voice called her.

“Charlotte, good to see you in better spirits.”

“Professor Alexander! I thought you were with the principal.”

“We’re already done.”

“I see. So what brings you here?”

“I wanted to talk with you.” His expression grew serious. “About something important.”

Charlotte swallowed hard, but stood her ground.

“What is it?”

“I need to…” He paused. “I need to buy some delicious pastry, but I don’t know which one. Could you help me decide?”

“What?”

He let out a mocking laugh.

“Very funny. I thought it was something serious.”

“It was a joke,” he said, as he wiped away his tears. “But it’s good to see you don’t cry that much anymore.”

“Thank you, I guess.”

Charlotte didn’t react, but those words were heartwarming. In retrospect, he was the only one who had trusted her from the beginning. She didn’t know much about Alexander, but in her eyes, he was someone she could trust.

“And how’s school?”

“Great! I made new friends.”

“How does Suri treat you?”

“She is really polite, and I’ve learned a lot from her.”

“Really? She told me you fall asleep in her classes.”

“And I made two friends.” She preferred to ignore that.

The garden was bathed in grayscale tones. Due to the lack of sun, the day seemed to be ending sooner than expected.

“Out of curiosity, how’s that arm?”

“I guess it's fine. Sometimes it hurts, but that’s it. And I was able to use Magica.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, I was able to sprout a flower.”

“I see. Have you tried to use it again?”

“Not really.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t know how to do it.”

“But you said you were able to use Magica.”

Charlotte explained everything about that time. Everything she felt, and how she was able to control her arm.

“So Suri helped you? I could ask her to train you.”

“Can she really help me?” Her eyes were sparkling.

“Sure, she is also your tutor.”

Her face lit up.

“Really? If she trains me, I could use Magica to the fullest. I swear I already connected with it. I already heard the voices."

The smile on his face slowly faded, and his skin prickled.

“V-voices…?”

“Yeah, I learned that Magica can be perceived in different ways.”

“And what do these voices tell you?”

“I don’t remember. It’s like an inner voice.”

“I-I see…”

He had to fake his smile. Charlotte kept talking, but his mind was repeating the words she had just said. Again and again.

A few drops of sweat ran down his forehead. He felt a chill run through his body, despite the warm ambient temperature.

“Voices? In her head? What does she mean?”

“Are you feeling alright? You seem kind of pale?”

“It’s nothing, Charlotte. You know it's getting late. You should go and rest.”

“Eh? If you say so.”

“Take care, Charlotte.”

“See you later, Professor Alexander.”

After he said goodbye to her, Alexander started feeling dizzy. He had to lie down on the floor. He began to break out in a cold sweat.

In that moment, Suri appeared. She had been hiding behind a tree before their conversation even started.

“Seeing you like that brings back memories.”

“No time for jokes.”

“I thought you loved jokes. Is it really bad?”

“To be honest, I don’t even know.”

“Looks like it is.”

“The important thing is that she’s under control.”

“What would you do if something happens? She’s your responsibility.”

“I’m aware of that.”

“Would you be able to kill her?”

Alexander remained silent.

“I thought so. Maybe it’s your punishment.”

“For what?”

“For seeing people as experiments, Alexander.”

The garden, which was already shrouded in the darkness of the cloudy night, was completely quiet.

“Forget it. It’s not my place to judge you.”

“Either way, I need to act now.”

“Always so clever.” She was being sarcastic.

“When is their next field activity?”

“The final exams of this semester.”

“That’s it.”

“What are you thinking? Remember, they are my students.”

“I just want to see her potential.”

“She is just a child, Alexander.”

“No, she is my winning hand.”

“You’re someone twisted.”

“And you aren’t.”

“Maybe…”

“Anyway, I need you to train her.”

“Why me?”

Alexander finally stood up. The garden was lit up with several orange Magica light poles.

“Because I know you care about her.”

“What if it doesn’t work?”

“Trust me. Everything will be fine.”

“For her own good, I hope you’re right.”

Back in her room, she remained silent with her eyes glued to the ceiling.

“Bastion? Are you awake?”

“I’m right here.”

“Did you see his reaction?”

“Whose, Alysia?”

“No, Professor Alexander.”

“Yeah, he acted strange.”

“Did I say something wrong?”

“Maybe that you heard voices—only a crazy person would say that. I think his reaction was appropriate.”

She rolled over in bed towards Bastion, who was placed on a couch.

“But I’m not crazy. I know what I saw.”

“Even so, it does sound crazy.”

“Crazy? You’re a talking staff.”

“That’s true.” He let out a chuckle. “Maybe it has something to do with that goddess.”

“You think so?”

“There's a chance… But you shouldn’t overthink it.”

She wanted to insist, but her mind went blank.

“Thank you, by the way.”

“Why?”

“I think Alysia was able to vent a little.”

“I hope so.”

“And the best of all is that I was able to see her again.”

Charlotte giggled. “How was it?”

“She looked astonishing as always.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” she said as she yawned.

“You should rest. Good night, Charlotte.”

“Good night, Bastion.”