Chapter 4

“...”

“... So, why are you here? I mean, I don't mind if you want to study or even just hang out, but wouldn't young girls hang out with equally young girls?”

Ayisa stood before Iris, the teacher leaning lazily on her chair. She had her legs crossed, her hands folded, her pen in her fingers. The pen clicked as she pressed it against her chin. She glanced at the other teachers. Two-thirds of the desks were empty, with the remaining filled by tired-looking teachers.

“... Am I… not supposed to be near you? The cur-”

In a single, blurry move, Iris covered Ayisa's mouth.

“Come with me for a sec.”

Iris took her outside. They found an empty spot in the corner. A potted plant blocked the view to the teachers’ office.

“Anyway, why are you here? Anyone bothering you?”

“Ah- it's nothing like that.”

Ayisa hadn't interacted with anyone at all, for that matter. She didn't see many people on her way here. Some did hang around in their school uniforms, but they didn't seem to be in a rush for classes. Iris had given her a schedule, and Ayisa wouldn't begin school until tomorrow.

The schedule for the day remained blank. There must be some kind of mistake.

“... So… what is it?”

“I don't have anything to do today.”

“... And?”

“It’s supposed to be like that?”

Iris nodded. “It’s a Sunday. You chill and do whatever you want on Sundays.”

“Really? Also... Aren't you supposed to be hungover?”

“Magic.” Iris smirked. “I'm surprised you know that.”

Ayisa held her forehead. “Some of these memories… they don't feel like mine. I know what I'm not supposed to know.”

“How ominous.”

“Maybe the curse-”

“Definitely not that.”

Ayisa looked up, expecting her teacher to elaborate. Iris shrugged.

“My powers have already nullified your curse. You can go wherever you want. Don't worry about it.”

“Bu- but how?”

The book mentioned nothing about nullifying curses. Could she be someone even more powerful than the writer?

Iris brought a finger in front of her lips. “Keep it a secret, alright?”

Ayisa nodded.

“Now off you go. You can go to town on Sundays. That reminds me, thank goodness you came here.”

She reached into her pocket and pulled out five slips of cash, handing them over to Ayisa. Ayisa stared at them, dumbfounded.

“... Money?”

“Go to town and buy whatever you want.”

“... Anything?”

“Anything.”

Ayisa stared at her teacher, astonished.

“Do you need me to accompany you?”

“No, I'm fine.”

She didn't want to bother Iris even more. The teacher showed her enough kindness, more than she could ever deserve.

“Alright, off you go then. Oh, remember to be back by seven, okay?”

Ayisa nodded. She bowed her head and headed out of the school. Iris hadn't shown her around yesterday, mainly because they were busy with the admission, but she knew the rough layout of the school complex.

The school sat on a hill, overlooking the nearby town bearing the same name. The southern side faced the town, while forests occupied the north. From the school gates, she could see most of the town along with the large walls that surrounded it.

She clenched the end of her shirt as she began her journey. How long had it been since she last entered a town? Despite her best efforts to look through her memories, she found nothing. Like before, everything from beyond her time in the forest was a blur. Heck, a significant portion of her memories within the forest was missing. She only remembered the last few years.

The town had been painted in bright colors, each building having its own. Red, yellow, white, blue. Something entirely different from the brown and green of the dense forest she used to call home. Students filled the street, chatting cheerfully with one another. No one seemed to notice her being there. She didn’t have to crouch beside trees, leap over branches, nor cut through leaves. Was this what life in the city was like?

What do students need anyway?

While it was originally built to support the school, the town had developed into a place of its own, Iris had said. It had many things unrelated to the students. The town had an inn, for example, even though all the students lived in the school’s dormitories. A clothing store, despite students not being allowed to wear anything but their student uniform in town. And a weapon shop… Would students here need weapons? Magic wands came to mind, but swords, spears, or axes?

Ayisa stopped in front of a weapon shop, admiring the various weapons on display. Swords lined the storefront, with various other weapons like spears and shields lining up behind them. Smaller items like magic wands, daggers, and pens occupied racks hanging on the walls.

“... Pens?”

She stepped closer. There were several, stacked neatly next to one another. They looked just like regular pens, not something sold in a weapons shop. She reached out but reeled her hand back almost immediately.

“Interested in pens, young lady?”

Ayisa squeaked when she saw the huge, muscular man who had arrived behind her. The man flashed her a bright grin, showing his perfect white teeth.

“Best in town, as long as you don't count the other districts,” he said with a loud laugh, reminiscent of a beast's roar.

Ayisa didn't know the districts in this town, but this was the only weapon shop in the immediate area, so maybe the beast’s- man's words held some truth.

“Are pens considered… weapons?”

Maybe some considered writing a form of battle? People utilized letters to send information to one another. Maybe a good pen with long-lasting ink guaranteed the contents would arrive at its destination without problems, reducing the likelihood of a misunderstanding.

“Anything metal can be used for magic, even that anvil over there.” The man pointed at it with his thumb. “Assuming you can carry that around.”

Ayisa lowered her eyes, looking at a tag attached beneath the pens. She winced.

“So, anything caught your interest?”

“... They're all too expensive.”

“Haha! Of course! Craftsmanship demands a fair price!” the large man said, slightly louder than before. He didn't seem to be angry, though. Maybe he had heard similar comments often before.

“So- sorry, I shouldn't be bothering you.”

The prices were out of reach, even with the money Iris offered. She stepped away.

“Nonsense. A customer is a customer, paying or not. Feel free to come back, even if all you want to do is look around.”

Ayisa forced a nod, then sprinted away. As she jogged, her stomach grumbled. She hadn't eaten anything since last night, when Iris took her to the school cafeteria for a meal. As she walked around, the sweet smell of bread caught her attention.

Following the smell brought her to a bakery.

“Welcome,” the lady behind the counter greeted.

Ayisa looked around, her eyes drifting across the many fluffy breads on display. They had a variety of stuffings like jam, cheese, and meat.

Each slip had the number one hundred on it. She assumed the numbers on the bread were in the same currency as her bills. They ranged from twenty to fifty, with plain bread being the cheapest and meat-filled bread the most expensive.

They all looked delicious, but Ayisa didn’t have any money. Her own money, at least. She received her funds for a purpose. Iris hadn’t told her what, but surely, she wasn't supposed to take ‘anything’ literally. What if Iris meant to test her? What if she must figure out what to buy herself? If that was what Iris meant, she shouldn't be using the money just because she's a bit hungry.

She tore her eyes away from the alluring bread, walking back to the road. As she walked, holding herself against the growing hunger in her stomach, she passed an adventurers’ guild. Maybe she could get a job there.

She walked in, surprised to see the people inside. Many students, along with grown men and women, crowded the place. They had various equipment, some having weapons as large as their bodies. Most of the people there had two weapons. Two swords, two spears, two magic wands, although some did have a shield with them.

“Umm, excuse me?” someone called out.

Ayisa jumped and stepped back, accidentally bumping into another guy.

“Watch where you’re going!” the guy shouted. Ayisa shrank, bowing her head in a repeated motion.

“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.”

The guy clicked his tongue and left. First day here and she’s already causing trouble. Could she really survive in this place? Maybe she didn’t deserve to be in this town. Maybe Iris was wrong. Maybe her curse hadn’t been nullified. Maybe not completely, and it had returned to haunt her and the people around her.

Realizing that, Ayisa sprinted out of the guild.

“Wait!” someone shouted, but she didn’t stop.

She charged through the door, sprinting through the streets, bumping into passersby.

“Sorry! Sorry!” she repeated.

She needed to get out of here as fast as possible, before she cursed another person. But she didn’t know where to go. She ended up somewhere next to the town’s walls. A dead end.

“Hey!”

Ayisa turned around, fearing scolding from someone she had disturbed. A girl with short hair caught up to her, panting heavily. Sweat flowed down her cheeks, her black-rimmed glasses askew.

“I… haven’t… practiced enough…”

She dropped to her knees. The sight of a student struggling so much naturally drew attention. Ayisa approached, trying to keep some distance.

“A- Are you alright?” she asked, fearful of causing trouble for this person as well. Maybe she already did.

The girl looked up. “... So I was right. I’ve never seen you at school. Interesting.”

“Intere- Interesting?” Ayisa was taken aback.

The girl groaned as she forced herself up. “Everything hurts, damnit.”

“Do you need medicine?”

Ayisa wanted to take her to Iris, but she quickly stepped back, waving her hands. “I- I’m fine. Don’t underestimate me.”

What would be the appropriate response at this point? ‘Good to know’? ‘Are you sure?’ Or should she just leave?

The girl looked left and right, eyes on the crowd that stared at them.

“... We should talk somewhere else. Follow me.”