"Yaaawn~ I'm so sleepy, Seir."
"Is that so.."
"You're sleepy too? Why are you so quiet all the time?"
"Just a little, I guess—"
A bright, delighted voice came down the hallway.
"Seir—"
Another girl's hand shot up.
"Something interesting."
"Oh — really!"
"Shhh~"
The two girls pressed their ears flat against the door.
"Aah — they're going to get to see their father!"
A whisper.
"Shoo, shoo."
The voice on the other side of the door was too muffled for the two children to make out clearly.
"You're going to see your mommy and daddy — you should be happier than that, Serena, Simon, Sam too."
"Yes, Sister Sylvia."
"Yay, I missed daddy so much!" a girl's voice rose.
"Daddy! Mommy!" two boys' voices came just as loud, not to be outdone.
A voice rang out down the hallway, and then the sound of a door opening.
"Here you are. Come down, now."
"Ah! Serena..."
"Simon..."
"My Sam..."
The voice was so hoarse and thin.
As though worn out by something.
Even though I've never quite understood some of these emotion much yet — those voices sounded like they were aching for each other so much.
The muffled sounds of parents and children lingered for a while before the door swung shut again.
"Ahem."
The clearing of a throat came together with a rhythmic clap of hands — Lady Mivelle.
"Oh, children, really. You may be behind closed doors, but I know perfectly well when a great many of you are peeking."
"...if you don't get to bed now, that's fewer sausages each tomorrow—"
"Ah, and now I've gone and spoiled tomorrow's lunch~"
"Sorry, Lady Mivelle," voices called from every room.
"It's all right. Off to bed now. And — most importantly — do put your effort in at Catalyst class tomorrow. Brother Sean has been so fit and firm lately, he so eager to teach that I have to change class table for him to teach tomorrow, haha~."
After that there was only a little chatter, but it amounted to the same thing each time — the children's excitement at a surprise that had brought three of them home in a single night.
---
The next morning, the noise was livelier than usual.
"Hey, hey, Seir! Any of those who got to go outside none aren't even thirteen yet!"
"I've got enough talent that Lady Mivelle set the bar at twelve for me — and if I really apply myself next class and the results come out well, maybe I'll get to see my mommy and daddy faster too!"
"Is that so.."
Sophie took my face gently in both hands.
"Hey! Can't you get even a little excited for them, you?"
"It's just — I don't have any parents to go and see, that's all."
"Oh — uh..."
Sophie faltered for a moment.
"Well, anyway! Hurry up and get dressed, let's go to Brother Sean's class!"
"Mm."
---
"You have to do better than this, Seth! What's the point of nothing but playing around? Don't you want to see your parents?"
"...sorry." His head drooped.
"Ugh! Then conjure flame from your Catalyst already, just once!"
The young instructor shook his head in disappointment.
Mother once said that the people who come to teach are usually full-grown adults.
If that's so, then Brother Sean is still terribly young to be one. By that measure.
"Good, Sasha."
"Almost there, Sonne."
He adjusted the boy's stance.
"Good Catalyst use comes from drawing out Latent flow efficiently. Your stance matters too — it helps you focus while you draw the power out."
"Very good, Sophie."
"Yes!" Sophie muttered to herself, then turned to look at Seir with a triumphant smirk.
Brother Sean still moved through the class with that stern, solemn bearing — even though every other time of day he was so kind. I don't like this sort of act at all—
"Whoa, Seir!"
"Wh-what is it?" Her voice pulled her out of her thoughts.
"Ahem."
"I'll noticed you didn't follow the instruction — but you've gone and exceeded it instead."
"That ice shard you made is beautiful. Go on, fire it."
I aimed the ice shard somewhere at random, without caring much. Who would want to take something like this seriously, anyway.
"Do it properly, Seir."
Sigh.
The ice shard was conjured and fired again.
Dead center.
"Very good. I won't scold you — we'll call it talent, this time."
"Next time, follow the instruction though."
"Yes, yes." That man is so tiresome.
Sophie was watching her with a look of stunned, envious astonishment.
"Hm?"
"Nothing."
"Not bad, Steve."
Sean glanced behind him, toward Seir, out of the corner of his eye for just a moment.
He let out a sigh.
Clap, clap. The sound everyone had been waiting for.
"Class is over. Go and rest for lunch. The afternoon's free — do as you like with it."
Finally. So boring.
Seir tucked her Catalyst into her skirt pocket and walked toward the canteen like everyone else.
A small hand reached up to touch her shoulder.
"Hey!"
"How did you do that!"
As if i know..
"I don't know... probably because of my mother and father, I suppose."
"As far back as I can remember, they were both very talented."
"Is that so! I'm so jealous!"
What is there about either of us to be jealous of..
---
"Next."
"Next."
"Next — ah, Seirrr."
"Is something the matter, Sister Sylvia?"
"Brother Sean tells me you did wonderful work in class today — so, how about this?"
"Sister will give you two extra sausages—"
"I don't take meat, sister."
"...oh." A pause. "What a shame that is~"
"Then can I take them in her place instead?!"
Sophie's such a glutton. But of course I'd let her have them.
Because it's Sophie.
Sister Sylvia's expression shifted, just slightly. And why do I feel this strange little tension all of a sudden.
"That won't do. Equality is what matters. You get exactly as much as you earn. For you, Sophie — you're talented, but not as much as Seir. The most I can give you is one extra piece."
"Awww... thank you, ma'am."
That same watered-down little line, like it's read off a script again.
---
Around the tables.
"That Seir girl must be sneaking off to eat some magical potion stuff! How else could she shoot ahead of everyone like that!"
"Yeah, every other day she just sits there quiet, never does a thing!"
"She must be bribing Brother Sean with sweets to teach her on the side!"
"The worst! And he's so busy as it is!"
These chirping anoyying birds, they're—
"Ugh, don't pay them any mind, Seir! Just a bunch of sore-loser."
"Mm, mm."
"But, hey, really — how do you do it? The talking-to-animals thing, too..."
A pause.
How complicated..
"I don't really know—"
A hand patted down on my shoulder, suddenly.
"Wellll, if it isn't the adorable one~"
Lady Mivelle's voice. Sugarcoated voice as always.
I turned to look at her slowly.
"Me, ma'am...?"
"Of course. I just wanted to come and praise you about today."
Mivelle stroked Seir's head, gently.
"You did so very well."
Sophie's face soured at once. Did I do something to upset her, I wonder.
"But it isn't you I came over for, Seir."
"It's you, Sophie — your reward!"
"Wh — what is it, ma'am?!"
Sophie's eyes lit up, the way they always did when she got something special out of me.
"You've done such wonderful work, dear. So I'd like to give you a reward, like so~"
"Once you can conjure an ice shard and fire it accurately... I will let you see your mother and father. And in return, you'll do one thing I ask of you. Shall we promise it, on Veranthos~?"
Lady Mivelle's halo brightened, just a little, alongside a strange, faintly pressing weight in the air. How unpleasant.
"Yes, of course, ma'am!"
A grin slowly crept across Sophie's face.
Lady Mivelle's halo dimmed again.
"Very good."
The rhythmic clap of hands rose once more.
"All right, children. You've all worked very hard today. Once you've finished eating, you may go up to the dormitories, or play until time's up — whichever you like!"
"Yes, ma'am!" the children chorused.