Carnac
The building didn't look like much from the outside. Tucked between a bookshop and a tea house, the entrance was narrow, almost easy to miss. But the moment I stepped through the door, the space opened up.
Gold fixtures, marble floors. Displays of clothing that looked like they belonged in a museum rather than a store. The air smelled of old money and expensive perfume. Egyptian motifs were everywhere. Scarabs on the walls, hieroglyphics carved into the pillars, statues of gods watching from shadowed alcoves.
I stood near the entrance for a moment, looking around. The store was massive, bigger than it had any right to be from the outside. Aisles stretched in every direction, disappearing around corners and behind displays. I could wander for hours and still not find what I was looking for.
So I did the smart thing and asked an employee.
"Excuse me," I said.
He turned, his expression polite but neutral. "How may I assist you, sir?"
"I need men's formal wear. For a gathering."
His eyes swept over me once, quick and assessing. "Do you have a specific style in mind?"
Honestly, did I have anything in mind? "I'd just like to see the options so far, not anything currently."
"Very well, sir. Follow me."
As he walked, I noticed he didn't waste a single movement. Every step was deliberate, efficient, like he'd navigated these aisles thousands of times. His hands stayed relaxed at his sides, but there was something about the way he carried himself like he was ready for anything. I mean this was a place for magi, so they probably trained like shit for the handsy chucklefucks out there.
He led me through the store, weaving between displays and past other shoppers who looked like they belonged in a magazine. We stopped in front of a section I hadn't noticed from the entrance. Racks of suits in every color imaginable before my eyes. Charcoal, navy, black, burgundy, deep green. Hell there were even a few in shades of silver and gold that looked like they belonged on a runway.
The employee appeared beside me. "Would you like to look at another section, sir?"
Before I could answer, a voice cut in from behind us.
"That won't be necessary. I'll take it from here."
I turned around.
A girl stood a few feet away, with her arms crossed over her chest and blonde hair styled in perfect twin drills. She wore a sharp blue dress that probably cost more than some people's houses. Her eyes were the same shade of blue as her dress, and they were fixed on me with an intensity that would make a lesser man shiver.
Wait, wasn't that the Edelfelt heiress?
The employee's posture shifted immediately. He straightened, his neutral expression replaced by something closer to deference. "Of course, Miss Edelfelt."
He stepped back and disappeared into the aisles, leaving me alone with her.
Luvia uncrossed her arms and walked toward me, her heels clicking against the marble floor. She stopped a few feet away, her eyes sweeping over me, like she was appraising me.
"You're from Lord El-Melloi's class, aren't you?" she asked with anticipation.
I nodded slightly, looking at her suspicion. I still attend the General Fundamentals, but I plan on going there. Hell, I even attended some of his lectures myself.
"What's he like?" she asked.
If I were to be honest, as a person, he looked like he stayed up late playing video games and only went outside when needed. Like a teenage shut-in during high school.
As a professor, he was great. He knew his material inside and out, and he actually wanted his students to understand it, not just memorize and repeat. He gets jealous of his students' talents, but he doesn't give out bias or demean them. He simply wants them to grow to the best of their ability.
As a magus? In terms of talent, he was atrocious. A simple reinforcement spell might actually run him dry. Hell, even magi without a crest could perform several times better than he could.
But in terms of pragmatism and theories? He was unmatched.
"He's a terrible magus," I said finally. "But an incredible teacher."
Luvia's eyebrows rose. "Oh, well is that so?"
"Most people don't expect it. But it's the truth. He can't cast half the spells his students can. But he understands magecraft on a level most nobles never will. He knows why things work, not just how to make them work."
She studied me for a moment, her expression unreadable.
"That's a very honest assessment."
I shrugged. "You asked. What did you expect me to say?"
Luvia sighed. "Honestly, if I'm being honest, I can't stand him at all."
I blinked. That was... not what I expected after all her questions.
"Why?"
She crossed her arms, her expression shifting. "He's rude, for one. He has no sense of proper etiquette. He looks at family's magecraft and picks it apart like it's a specimen under a microscope and he doesn't care about tradition or lineage whatsoever.
he paused, her eyes narrowing slightly.
"And he's always tired. Always rumpled. He walks around like he hasn't slept in years, and yet he still manages to be the smartest person in any room he enters." She uncrossed her arms and waved a hand dismissively. "It's infuriating."
I watched her for a moment. She said she couldn't stand him, but she'd also just listed everything about him with the kind of detail someone only noticed when they were paying close attention.
"I think that's why people like him, actually."
Luvia looked back at me like I'd said something strange.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"He doesn't scheme behind masks, nor is he a stuck-up noble. He's honest with himself and the people around him. He doesn't care much for Clock Tower politics. He cares for magecraft at its core."
Luvia was quiet for a moment, her expression unreadable. Her arms remained crossed, but her posture shifted slightly into something more thoughtful.
"That's a very generous interpretation," she said finally.
"All these magi around here think themselves gods among men," I continued, "but they're just chasing the same dead end their ancestors chased centuries ago. Lord El-Melloi actually teaches. He actually wants people to understand. That's more than most of them can say."
Luvia's eyebrow arched. "Oh, and amuse me. What are you chasing?."
I paused. It was a fair question. One I hadn't really answered for myself out loud. This second life I've been fervently chasing Dark Matter and wanted to see how far I could take it. I wanted to see how far I can stretch it, but I also wanna see the future progress.
That was Academy City's main goal. To make progress to the future, but I won't ever compromise on children's lives or experimentation. But recreating something like Tree Diagram is still something I plan on doing. I raided a lot of science facilities and the diagrams and models still stick with me to this day.
"The future," I finally said. "I want to push progress in technology using magecraft. Space elevators, artificial satellites, colonies on other planets. Things that actually move humanity forward instead of digging through old books chasing a door that's probably sealed forever."
Luvia stared at me.
For a moment, she didn't say anything and her arms still crossed, but her poster shifted slightly with intrigue.
Then, without a word, she turned and walked toward a display case near the back of the section. She pulled out a black suit made with fabric that seemed meticulously cared for and shoved it to me.
"Try this on." she said, holding it out to me.
Wait what? What about our conversation we were just having?
She eagerly pushed me into the fitting room, not even giving me the chance to respond to her.
"Go on," she said. "You can talk while you change."
I stumbled forward, catching myself on the doorframe. "This isn't—"
"The longer you take, the longer I wait." She gave me a look. "And I'm not known for my patience."
I opened my mouth to argue, but she just pointed at the fitting room door.
I sighed and stepped inside, pulling the curtain shut behind me. But I wasn't going to talk to her while I changed. Just a big fuck you to her.
After a few minutes I finished changing. The suit fit perfectly, the jacket sat clean on my shoulders, the pants hemmed exactly right. It felt like it was specifically made for me.
I stepped out of the fitting room and saw Luvia with her arms crossed, scanning me from head to toe.
"Well?" I asked.
She walked around me slowly, her heels clicking against the marble floor. She stopped in front of me, reached out, and adjusted my collar slightly.
"It obviously looks great, it being something I chose out myself." Then she paused, tilting her head. "Oh, you look alright as well, I suppose."
I stared at her for a brief moment, surely she wasn't as shameless as to say something so outrageous. It must be my ears playing jokes on me.
"Did you just..." I started.
"I said what I said." She stepped back, arms crossing. "Well, you can thank me later. Remember the name Luviageliita Edelfelt, because you now owe her a favour."
…
Man, why do I always have to deal with the shameless women?
First Touko, now Luvia. Was there something about me that attracted this type? Why couldn't more women like Ringo be in my new life.
I sighed and looked at myself in the mirror one last time. The suit was good. Better than good. But the price tag attached to it was going to both financially and metaphorically haunt me.
I just sighed looking at Luvia's back as she strutted away. Honestly this whole journey was more trouble than it was worth. I only needed to get a suit and go back home, why did I even need to meet her. I just facepalmed at the whole situation in all its glory.
"A favour," I muttered under my breath. "She picks out a suit and suddenly I owe her."
The employee from earlier appeared beside me, holding a garment bag. "Shall I pack this for you, sir?"
"Yeah. Thanks."
He folded the suit with practiced efficiency and placed it in the bag. I paid, wincing at the total amount and walked out of Carnac with the garment bag swinging from my hand.
The street outside was busy now, the afternoon crowd filling the sidewalks. I pulled my coat tighter against the cold and started walking back toward the Clock Tower.
But then I ran into someone I didn't expect to meet in the slightest.
"What a lovely afternoon to run into you, Lady Reines," came my voice, dripping with false sweetness.
Standing a few feet away was a small girl with honey blond hair. Her name was Reines El-Melloi Archisorte, looking especially pleased with herself. The girl trying to make herself as small as possible was Gray, the professor's disciple.
"What brings you out here on this lovely afternoon?" I asked, trying to sound as polite as I could.
"Oh, Teitoku," she said, her smile widening. "Me and Gray were going to the place you just left." She pointed at the bag with the Carnac logo on it.
I looked down at the garment bag, then back at her. "Ah. Well, enjoy your shopping."
"Oh, we will." Her eyes flicked to the bag again. "What did you get?"
"Just a suit. Nothing more, nothing less."
"Oh, why'd you buy a suit all of a sudden?"
It's really none of your business, Lady Reines, is what I'd like to tell her.
Instead, I forced a smile. "Personal reasons."
"How vague." She didn't look convinced. "Well, I suppose I'll find out eventually. These things have a way of coming to light."
"I'm sure they do."
She studied me for a moment longer, then asked a question, smiling evilly. "Oh, Teitoku, me and Gray are on our way to Carnac to get her some new clothes. Would you like to accompany us? A man's opinion would give us a different perspective on our clothing."
Behind Reines, Gray was shaking her head, making an X symbol with her arms. Her expression was somewhere between mortified and desperate.
I looked at Gray's silent plea, then at Reines's expectant smile.
"I appreciate the offer, Lady Reines," I said carefully, "but I really should be getting back. I have research to do."
"Nonsense." She waved a hand. "Research can wait, this is important."
Gray's X symbols became more frantic.
"I'm not sure I'd be much help," I tried. "I don't know anything about women's fashion."
"Then it's time you learned." Reines's smile didn't waver. "Consider it an educational experience."
I opened my mouth to argue, but she was already turning toward the store.
"Come along, Teitoku. We're wasting daylight."
Gray dropped her arms, gave me a look that was equal parts apology and despair, and followed.
I stood there for a moment, the garment bag swinging from my hand.