"Please teach me how to sacrifice and conduct a ritual."
Her voice was stern, and her already crinkled brows furrowed. She looked annoyed.
"Do you realize that that falls into black magic, and might lessen your lifespan?"
...huh.
I didn’t know that.
I didn’t even know how much time I had left!
She crossed her arms.
"Yes, I do."
Then, Shepherd massaged her temples with her thumb and pointer.
"And that you would need a living being to sacrifice. Do you know that too?"
...sort of.
That was something that the Bohemians were familiar with, right?
"Yes, Professor."
The instructor groaned slightly.
"...have you been hanging out with the Bohemians too much? I think I’ve heard that you’ve become close friends with them. Please avoid them as much as you can. Great students, not that great people."
Then, after packing up her things, with bad posture as expected of an old lady, she walked past me and left, earning a few students clinging to her arms in the process.
What could possibly have the Bohemians done that they’d earned such a bad reputation across the Colegio, across this whole floor?
...right. So they used one of their friends as a sacrifice. However, so far, they haven’t done that to me. Therefore I found no reason to enlarge the gap between me and the group.
From what I’ve seen so far, these Bohemians were curious, but they also had a heart.
Basilian Aquino Ramos was as sardonic as Braham, but cared too much. He cared for Solomon, for Sam, to a large extent. I could tell that even as an outsider. Though he was much too carefree, he had the ability to understand people, and that was all that was needed for the likes of him.
Samreah Aleyah Sinsuat, the shortest of all of the Bohemians, was short-tempered. One might say she was lesser when it came to intellect when it came to the group. However, that was totally wrong, for while she wasn’t great at understanding people like Basil, she understood herself. And that was all that was needed for the likes of her.
All in all, the duo complemented each other.
And if we added Jibril to the concoction...
Jibril, who was the embodiment of what a mage should be, was filled with wisdom. I was sure that, due to the consequences of wisdom and of age, inside that gentleness he imbued, was years of torture, suffering, and violence.
No one would ever come to know the cause of his gentleness, and the pain that hid behind it. He would never show it off.
"..."
I now stood alone in the classroom as the last of the students left.
Solomon...I still didn’t remember him.
At the great hall’s canteen, seated in my usual seat, I once again fed myself a plate full of yellow lumps of protein.
I presumed that my face was full of satisfaction, for the girl beside me spoke her thoughts out loud.
"...you really like eggs, huh."
When I turned to face her, I realized that this was the same girl who sat a few seats next to me every day.
That meant I ate eggs every day since the beginning of classes!
How embarrassing to be caught...
"Uh," I said, shoving my face into my hands. "...that’s right."
"Hey, it’s all right. Are you crying? Are you actually crying? Please don’t cry!"
Sniffling, I freed my slightly dampened face so that I could the girl.
She was shorter than me even though we were sitting, wore the same uniform as I had but with a skirt instead of slacks, and had a blond bob cut with bangs.
Her yellow eyes were similar to that of a cat as she looked at me.
She raised her arm to me.
"I’m Cecilia. You are?"
I was shocked.
"...is that your real name?"
I was reminded by the norm of this floor. Real names were not to be said out loud or in public.
I was reminded of my first set of companions, and suddenly felt glum.
When Cecilia nodded, I replied with a response that was equal when it came to information.
"Then, I’m Regulus."
She giggled.
"Well, your friends had caused some advocacy and protests in this school about real names..."
This sparked an interest in me.
"Do you mean the Bohemians?"
"You’re not friendly enough to have other friends. Unless you do, of course."
Ouch. That pierced my heart. Painful. So painful!
I was going to cry again...
"Wait! I didn’t mean that!
"Well I did, but..."
"Huhuhu..."
"Come on!"
At that point, I was only feigning tears since her reactions were so funny.
After a while, I settled down with only slight sniffles.
"...anyways. How did you manage to become friends with the Bohemians? They’re not particularly easy people to speak to.
"I myself shared a class with them and tried to befriend them, but...
"I was ignored."
I sniffled, wiping away a tear with the sleeve of my toga.
"...they kidnapped me and threatened me with drugs."
"For real?!" She shouted out loud unintentionally, earning the gazes of other students.
Two Bohemians, after their classes coincided then finished at once, walked along the corridor.
There was no one around to see them as it was night and the majority of the students had already gone downtown or off to their quarters.
With loud clacking noises from the school-issued leather shoes and heels, the duo could’ve almost been seen or heard due to the sound.
The night was chilly, adding to the eeriness of the situation.
Basil, with Sam behind, stopped in front of the library’s towering doors. Most of the doors of the Colegio were tall, nearing three to four meters tall. It was as though the structures weren’t made for humans, and more for taller creatures.
They looked around cautiously before entering. Basil turned the door knob and entered first. Then, Sam followed.
And I watched them enter, hiding in one of the green berry shrubs of the quadrangle.