Shannon hadn’t actually forgotten Jacqueline.
After all, they’d exchanged names only yesterday.
Jacqueline’s boldness in shoving her face close and asking her name on their very first meeting was unforgettable.
She had simply wanted to pretend not to know her this time and have her pass by.
But judging from the girl’s personality, slipping away was no longer an option.
Shannon had no choice but to answer.
“I remember. Jacqueline Dogwood, right?”
“You remembered. Hehe.”
Looking at the orange-haired girl smiling brightly, Shannon could tell Jacqueline was the emotional type.
The complete opposite of herself.
“So, what do you want?”
“Huh?”
“I mean, why did you stop exercising just to come to me?”
“I just wanted to say hi… Uh, am I bothering you?”
“……”
Honestly, it was bothersome.
Shannon hadn’t come to the Academy to make friends, nor was she here to live comfortably.
She wasn’t planning to stay long anyway, so relationships were of no concern to her.
Maybe her face betrayed that thought.
Jacqueline started fidgeting nervously.
“We’re classmates, aren’t we? Um. So, you know… since we’ll be seeing each other often, I wanted to get along. Our dorm rooms are on the same floor, and we’re in the same classes.”
First-years had four mandatory courses, so Shannon running into Jacqueline often was inevitable.
One of their electives had even coincidentally overlapped.
Professor Winslet’s class.
…That thought hit Shannon like a slap to the back of her head.
Her expression changed in an instant as she asked:
“You’re taking Professor Winslet’s class, aren’t you?”
“Huh? Uh-huh, for now.”
She added another question, just to confirm the thought forming in her mind.
“Did you pass the test?”
“Uh, umm… yeah, for now?”
“I see.”
Shannon quietly narrowed her eyes.
She was surprised by Jacqueline’s answer.
She hadn’t expected a first-year like Jacqueline to have passed Professor Winslet’s test.
The skill test had been absurdly difficult.
And yet this girl had passed it.
Jacqueline’s presence as a mage, both when they first met and now, felt completely unrefined.
Rough, like that of a total beginner.
‘Could she be some sort of natural genius who relies on instinct?’
With that thought, Shannon looked at her again.
This time, her tone carried a hint of respect.
“Jacqueline, I have a favor to ask.”
“A favor? Sure! Just tell me!”
“You’re agreeing without even hearing it…”
A little uneasy, Shannon explained her situation.
How Professor Winslet had insulted her, how she had challenged him to a duel, and how she needed a witness who had been there that day.
Jacqueline answered without hesitation.
“Okay. I’ll help.”
“…You’re deciding that fast?”
“Of course. You just want to land a hit on that jerk of a professor, right? Then I have to help!”
“……”
Shannon was still doubtful, but at the same time relieved.
Jacqueline was far better than those cowardly professors who pretended not to know anything at the mention of Winter Winslet.
If it had been Shannon, she would’ve refused simply because she didn’t want to get involved in something troublesome, but Jacqueline didn’t.
Shannon said honestly:
“Thank you.”
“Aw, come on. We’re friends, aren’t we?”
Jacqueline grinned, lightly tapping her arm.
That level of casualness was something Shannon couldn’t keep up with.
Jacqueline asked:
“So what do you need me to do?”
“Just write down exactly what you saw and heard that day. What Winter Winslet said to me right after the test ended, and what I said back.”
“After the test ended?”
“That’s right.”
“Uh… hmm.”
Jacqueline’s expression suddenly turned awkward.
“What’s wrong? Is there a problem?”
Seeing her scratching her cheek embarrassedly, Shannon frowned.
“I, um… fainted back then, so I don’t remember anything.”
“What?”
Shannon’s face twisted instantly.
“You said you passed the test.”
“Well… yeah, I fainted, but somehow it still counted as a pass? So I can attend the next class. But as for yesterday, I don’t really remember…”
Shannon rubbed her face with both hands.
“Then you can’t write a statement.”
“Can’t we work something out? Maybe if I try really hard to remember…”
No matter how hard she thought, she couldn’t recall something she hadn’t seen.
After a moment of awkward silence, Jacqueline brightened as if she remembered something.
“Oh, right! Rita!”
“Rita?”
“My roommate. She passed the test too! How about asking her to write the statement?”
Shannon looked uneasy.
“Will she cooperate?”
“Yeah, she will. We’re friends.”
Not really friends, but Shannon swallowed the remark.
The important thing was making the duel with Winslet happen.
“I’m counting on you.”
***
It wasn’t until the weekend that Shannon finally met the girl named Rita.
Neat clothes, braided hair, and glasses.
Rita was a quiet, composed girl.
But she didn’t seem meek; the intellectual curiosity shining in her eyes couldn’t be hidden even behind her round glasses.
Her gaze as she sized Shannon up wasn’t rude, nor cautious—just calm and confident.
Rita greeted her.
“Sorry to keep you waiting. I’ve been busy greeting people this week.”
“It’s fine. I’m just grateful you’re taking the time.”
“Jacqueline was relentless, you know. Kept saying, ‘You have to help! This is important!’”
Jacqueline cut in.
“Helping a friend and teaching that arrogant professor a lesson—it’s a win-win!”
“Of course, of course.”
It was early Saturday morning.
The three of them met at a café above a bookstore across from the Magic Studies building.
During exam periods it would be packed with students, but at the start of the semester it wasn’t popular.
Probably because of the slightly expensive prices.
Shannon took out her wallet without hesitation.
“Today’s on me.”
“What! Seriously?”
“I owe you both.”
“Aw, no need to talk about owing between friends.”
Even as she said that, Jacqueline’s eyes sparkled as she stared at the dessert models displayed beyond the glass wall.
“Wow, can I order one of those? I heard the one on the bottom shelf is their signature…”
“Go ahead, don’t hold back.”
“Gasp.”
Jacqueline covered her mouth dramatically.
For someone who’d been so brazen when they first met, her shy reaction now was amusing.
Jacqueline asked:
“I’ve been curious, Shannon—are you by any chance a noble?”
“Noble?”
Shannon shook her head.
She was from Karaf, a city-state.
A tiny administrative region like that had no land to grant noble titles.
Only great mages received respect in Karaf.
Shannon’s great-grandfather had been the leader of a powerful faction, so she’d been treated like someone above nobility in Karaf, but there was no need to mention that.
Instead, she asked Jacqueline in return:
“Why do you ask?”
“Hmm? No reason, just… I don’t know, your vibe? Or your looks—kind of elegant. Haha, but since you live in the dorms, you probably aren’t a noble.”
The Academy didn’t force all students to live in dormitories.
But in Langbart, the royal capital, no commoner could afford the outrageous rent and cost of living.
“But you’re definitely from a rich family! So generous! I’m so lucky to have a friend like you.”
“……”
Shannon didn’t bother correcting the misunderstanding.
“Ugh, this looks good, but that one’s so cute.”
Jacqueline stared at the wide variety of pastries, clearly struggling to decide.
Even though she looked guilty about letting someone else pay, she was seriously debating her choice.
Shannon, who hated wasting time on such things, made the decision for her.
“Just order everything you want.”
“Wow. You really think differently about money.”
Soon, their table by the window was filled with three drinks and a mountain of dessert plates.
Shannon doubted the three of them could finish it all, but it didn’t matter even if some was left.
The important thing was getting that statement.
“Alright, let’s get to work.”
Jacqueline raised her fork as she said that.
“I’ll cheer you on, Rita!”
“Sure. You do your best eating, Jacqueline.”
“Mm-hmm… Wow, this honey parfait is so sweet. Shannon, try it before it melts!”
Ignoring Jacqueline’s excitement, Shannon turned to Rita.
“It’s already been a few days. Are you sure you’ll remember? The more accurate, the better.”
“No problem. I have a good memory. Besides, it was hard to forget an incident like that, right?”
“…That’s true.”
Scratch, scratch. And chomp, chomp.
For a while, only the sound of writing and someone chewing filled the air.
Shannon barely touched her tea, watching Rita write.
Reading the upside-down letters didn’t hinder her.
“Hmm.”
The statement was surprisingly accurate.
Her claim of having a good memory wasn’t a bluff.
Though Jacqueline, peeking over her shoulder, kept complaining.
“Didn’t Professor Winslet say something nastier there? Like ‘trash!’ or ‘idiot!’”
“Jacqueline, you were unconscious then. I remember it correctly.”
“But it’s Professor Winslet! You could make him sound even worse.”
“Sorry, but this is an official statement.”
“…Please, just write it as it is now.”
With Rita’s steady handwriting, the statement was completed without issue.
“Here, read it.”
Shannon flipped through the pages and nodded.
She’d been watching the whole time, so verifying was quick.
“Yeah. No problems.”
“See?”
Adjusting her glasses, Rita smiled faintly.
She had asked for the statement without any questions or complaints, but now her curiosity finally surfaced.
“I wrote the statement, but are you really going through with it? Dueling that professor?”
Shannon frowned slightly.
She’d heard this question too many times in the past week—it was getting tiresome.
“Why? You think I’ll lose?”
“I’m not saying that. I just wonder if it’s really something worth going that far for.”
Not worth going that far?
Those words pricked at something deep inside Shannon like a needle.
She replied sharply.
“What do you mean by that? You know what he said to me. You even wrote it down. Are you saying I’m overreacting?”
Now she was glaring at Rita.
Rita raised both hands, trying to calm her down.
“I didn’t mean to upset you. It’s just…”
“Just what?”
“It feels like… you’re pushing yourself into this. Like, there were ways to avoid taking things to the worst-case scenario—a duel. But you didn’t, almost like you want to fight him.”
“……”
“That’s just how it looks from the outside.”
Shannon couldn’t find a proper rebuttal.
So she could only say:
“Don’t talk like you know me when you don’t.”
“You’re right. My apologies.”
Before the tension could get worse, Shannon tucked the completed statement into an envelope and stood.
Jacqueline grabbed her arm.
“Where are you going now? It’s our first weekend since entering! Want to hang out? Maybe tour the campus?”
“Sorry. I’m busy.”
“Even on a weekend?”
“I need to prepare for the duel.”
“For the duel…”
Shannon looked back at Rita.
“Whether I want to fight him or not, one thing’s for sure—I’m not planning to lose.”
Jacqueline turned to Rita.
“What about you, Rita? Got plans today?”
“I’m heading back to the dorms. I need to review and prepare for classes.”
“What! Studying on a weekend?”
“If you don’t want to regret it during exams, you should get ahead now.”
“It’s our first weekend, though…”
Jacqueline pulled a long face but eventually followed her friends back to the dorms.
However, none of them would be returning to their rooms just yet.
Someone stopped them in front of the first-year dorm building.
“Hey? You three are first-years, right?”
“Yes, we are.”
“Damn, where were you going this early? Skipping out already?”
“…?”
“Go to the backyard of the dorms right now.”
“Why?”
“Why? Are you questioning a senior?”
“……”
“All your classmates are back there, so get moving while I’m still being nice.”
The upperclassman gestured, shooing them along.
Since he was practically blocking the entrance, the three decided to go.
As they approached, they heard shouts and loud voices in the distance.
Jacqueline tilted her head.
“Is this some kind of welcome party? Like a barbecue?”
“I doubt it.”
When they arrived, Jacqueline was greeted by a scene far more shocking than a barbecue party.
Instead of a well-prepared roast pig, naked men and women were lying facedown in a row.
All of them first-year students, wearing only their underwear.
On the other side, a fully dressed man was dumping buckets of water over them.
“This is holy water, you brats! Be grateful and drink up! Hahaha!”
Splash!
“What the…”
While Jacqueline stared in shock, Rita let out a long sigh.
“It’s not a welcome party. It’s a hazing ritual.”