Kael came back to the carriage, unaware of the gossip behind him. As soon as he stepped into his carriage, the 'whispers' in the air immediately stopped.
He glanced at Mary, then at the rabbit on her lap, then back at Mary. He squinted his eyes trying to see something.
The pair seemed to stiffen, even the rabbit seemed to stay still for seconds. He huffed and gave it no mind afterwards.
Kael's mood seemed to turn even more sour as he sat down. The driver pulled the cart, moving them again towards the dormitory.
Mary, able to pick up Kael's expression, asked carefully.
"Young Master, did something happen?"
Kael's sour expression was followed by a grumble. "Hah. I met a loser there. What bad luck. That filthy peasant's smell seemed to cling to me."
He shovelled his hand into his vest, taking out a small bottle of perfume and sprayed it all over himself. Way over the top if Shou had to judge.
"He's so dramatic…" Shou stood and whispered next to Mary's ears.
Mary's cheeks puffed for a second, holding her laugh again. But she soon gained her composure.
"Is it Arthur?" Mary asked with calm, already knowing who could make the Young Master's mood fluctuate.
"You can smell it too huh." Kael crossed his arm while looking out the window.
"Who's Arthur…" Shou whispered.
"It's a long story… later…" Mary whispered back.
Kael turned to Mary, hearing those whispers again. Some sense of jealousy crept up on him seeing the rabbit licking Mary's cheeks in his point of view. White never did that to him.
"Stupid rabbit." He muttered.
Shou snapped his head back to him. His eyes glaring fiercely. It's fine if he did not understand the word, but now he did!
What did you say you meathead?
"What. Aww, you look cute when you are angry~" Kael smirked, amused seeing the rabbit's ears turning flat again. He couldn't help but ruffle his head roughly.
Shou grunted, his paws flatly slapped his hand away, but Kael's strength was too much!
Shou could only grit his teeth, his paws clenched tight until his fur turned white.
He swore he would slap his face when he was sleeping tonight.
'3 years in the East, 3 years in the West, don't bully the young and poor rabbit!' Shou made a vow in his heart.
The carriage stopped in front of a large dormitory building with multiple floors. The driver and Mary help to unload the two luggages Kael brought with him and enter the building. The walls were painted white, with lamps of magic crystals lighting the hallway.
Shou looked left and right. This wasn't a dormitory, this was an apartment, a luxurious apartment!
They entered a lift powered by magic heading towards the 1st floor. Kael led the way to room 109. Shou watched curiously as Kael took his four pointed star brooch and placed it on the doorknob. Some sort of crystal in the doorknob lit up, a sound of 'click' was heard before Kael pushed the door open.
Shou was astonished to see that the door had such technology. They entered the apartment, and to Shou's surprise it was very spacious. With a singular bedroom, a window view from the living room, and a well equipped kitchen. There were a few items here and there, like the water kettle there, or that pair of shoes with dirty socks still in them on the rack. Shou closed his nose with paws after seeing those, already smelling it just from sight.
Shou hopped down from Mary's shoulders and started to explore on his own.
Kael just sat on the couch and let Mary and the other servant unpack his things in his bedroom and prepare the bed.
With nothing left to see, Shou returned to the living room. He saw Kael looking like he had done some heavy work all day long with his long face - when he literally did nothing all day except sitting in a carriage for an hour.
Shou shook his head, not understanding how he had such a sour face when he was living so well.
Kael looked at the rabbit, feeling a little irritated. He patted the empty space next to him, gesturing for the rabbit to sit next to him.
Seeing Shou ignoring him, he patted the space again.
"Here. Sit here." He slapped the space even more, the slaps were so loud even Mary in the other room could hear it. His voice contained his impatience.
Shou grumbled inwardly. If he didn't know better, he would have thought Kael wanted to slap him to a mush! He still hopped towards the empty space next to him. But Kael quickly took him into his laps instead and held him there.
Stupid… stupid Kael.
Shou cursed him inwardly. But his inner voice had some trace of shyness. He could never get used to being so close to him like this, not when he was sitting on this man's crotch out of all place.
Oh… why can I feel that under my belly? I am dying…
Shou wanted to hide himself in a burrow at this moment.
"I am sure Alicia will like you." Kael suddenly muttered. His eyes turned a little softer recalling his classmate and his crush.
He already had little plan in his mind. Alicia always ignored him and avoided his advances and instead hung out with that loser of a peasant. Recalling that peasant again, Kael's patting on Shou's fur turned a little bit rougher subconsciously.
Shou grunted, his ears flattened in displeasure.
Why are you so rough! You are skinning me!
Shou turned his head and slapped his hand a few times.
Kael woke up from his daze and realised he might have hurt the rabbit. "Sorry."
Hmph… at least you know how to apologise.
Hearing Kael actually say sorry was a little surprising for Shou. At least he cared enough.
Mary and the other servant come out after half an hour. "We are done unpacking and cleaning your room, Young Master."
"Hm." He just acknowledged it and stood up. With Shou still in his arms he went to his bedroom and closed the door, wanting to rest. Meanwhile Mary rolled her sleeves, ready to clean the entire apartment. Being left empty for two months left some dust here and there.
Kael plopped down, his back resting against the soft bed with Shou lying on top of his chest. Kael looked up at the ceiling as various thoughts raced inside his mind. He felt a little nervous somehow, knowing this year it would be a little different. The subjects would be more serious. Their final year would start focusing on practical and real combat, and as a noble he would be tested on his commanding skill as well.
Kael patted the rabbit mindlessly. Shou can feel the rise and fall of Kael's breathing, and each beat of his heart could be felt through his entire body.
Shou felt a little embarrassed but remained quiet. He wondered what Kael was thinking about, seeing him staring at the ceiling.
Kael's hand stretched out to reach a file on the bedside table. He took out a thin stack of paper clipped together and browsed through them.
"Practical Combat at 8? Ergh…" He hated waking up that early. And not to mention it was a practical class.
Accepting the fate, he looked at the other documents, like the schedules for the whole semester and other things. A part of him felt a little anticipation of seeing Alicia tomorrow. He looked down at the rabbit, placing his hope on him to impress her.
The evening passed without much to note of. Shou noticed Mary was gone though, and he wondered if Mary had gone back to the Ashborne Estate.
In the evening Kael brought Shou to the Academy's canteen. It was near the dormitory area and took only a few minutes to reach.
While Kael was lining up, almost everyone that passed by Kael turned their eyes towards them seeing how white and fluffy the rabbit on his shoulders were. Few tried to make small talk with Kael, interested in the fluffy rabbit but Kael looked annoyed and bothered.
"Yea it's my rabbit." He said so blandly, his eyes looking at the person asking like he was an idiot.
"I see… he's cute…" The girl felt a little awkward seeing Kael looked annoyed with her. She didn't even dare to ask if she could pet it.
"Yea." He said without any care and ignored the girl. She just retreated silently.
Shou thought Kael could be a little nicer about it, but in a way Shou appreciated that strangers wouldn't casually touch him since Kael kept them away. He was grateful for that.
As the queue moved, Shou's eyes shined seeing the buffet style servings they had with staff scooping whatever these people pointed at. There was so much variety he didn't know what to choose from.
Kael turned to the first staff he saw about to scoop the stew out of the pot. "I have a familiar." He pointed at the rabbit on his shoulder.
The staff looked at the rabbit, as if doubting whether that could be considered familiar. The academy did not allow normal pets per the rules. But he would rather just do his job instead of arguing. He ordered someone in the back kitchen to get them a 'vege bowl', a term used for a bowl of vegetables for herbivore familiars.
It was really just random vegetables and fruits stuffed together in a steel bowl and was made quickly. Even then all the leaves and fruits were all fresh and crisp, a showcase of this academy's wealth and standing.
Kael brought his tray and the bowl in his other hand to an empty table, placing the bowl on the bench, a spot next to him. Shou hopped down his shoulder and looked at the bowl of food with appreciation, rubbing and licking his paws to clean them first before digging in.
A small arc appeared on Kael's lips seeing the rabbit 'wash' his hands first before eating. His rabbit had weird habits, didn't he? Using the toilet and even knowing how to flush. Now he even washed his paws before eating.
After dinner the two head back to their room. Shou wondered what tomorrow would bring.
The next morning Kael was woken up by the alarm. He grumbled, his hand searching for the noisy thing and found something soft. He kept pinching it trying to stop it from ringing.
Shou was screaming as his head was being bonked over and over again. He fought with the hand attacking him from above, slapping it away each time. Kael's hand finally moved elsewhere and found the real alarm and closed it.
His snore continued after seconds.
"This gorilla…!" Shou's eyes were already red from his sleep being disturbing and having to fight for his life.
"Damn you… Take this…!" Shou slapped his face with his paw over and over. Kael frowned, his hand tried to swat whatever on his face. But each time the damn furry thing keeps slapping onto his cheeks and nose.
His eyes snapped open as the sensation was annoying him akin to a fly buzzing without stopping. His eyes darted to the rabbit, his eyes turning red realising this rabbit was slapping him.
"You…" Kael's low voice sounded more of a threat.
Shou gasped in shock and quickly tucked his tail between his legs and ran off, afraid his butt would be slapped again.
Kael huffed in annoyance. He turned to the clock on the bedside. His eyes widened slightly, he was a tad late. Though he would make it to class if he didn't dawdle.
He sat up, combing his messy hair before getting out to wash his face.
He looked at the rabbit hiding in his rabbit bed. While he annoyed him this morning he supposed he should thank him for waking him up.
Half-sleepily he wore a track shirt and pants, yawning for a bit before picking up Shou and placing him on his shoulder.
Before Kael went out, he seemingly recalled something and turned to get to his locker again. He took a collar with an emblem of four-pointed star on them from his locker.
"You need to wear this. Stay put.".
Shou's ears flattened seeing the thing. It didn't fit his aesthetic at all. But he didn't have a say and reluctantly let Kael place it around his neck.
After adjusting it to fit, Kael nodded to himself. He picked Shou up and headed towards the canteen for a quick meal before going to the shuttle stop. Right on time, a shuttle came and picked up tens of students waiting in the area.
"Kael. It's been a while." A man with crew cut dark hair and a thin build greeted him as Kael came up. He was Kael's classmate.
"Hm. It is."
"You brought your pet here?" He looked curiously at the rabbit, his hand stretching wanting to pet him. But Shou quickly distanced himself, his paw putting it to a stop.
"He's my familiar. I just registered him yesterday."
"Huh? Haha… is this rabbit a magic beast? He looked like a normal rabbit to me."
"He can use magic, in fact. He just needs some training." Kael said with a hint of pride.
"Huh? What can this guy do?"
"He could control water elements."
"He's not a fish. How does that even work…" The guy was dumbfounded. It didn't adhere to the theory of evolution.
"Beats me." Kael shrugged. The two didn't have anything else to talk about after awhile, it was apparent the two were at most acquaintances that weren't exactly close friends.
Many onlookers casted curious glances at Shou and were overhearing the conversations. But it was morning, the first class of the semester too, and despite their curiosity no one had the energy to interact with Kael.
The shuttle reached the recreational area, with wide fields and a stadium at the opposite side.
Shou had his eyes widening, feeling the breeze and the expansive field of grasses in front of him. There was also a natural looking forest at the far end of the field.
Kael and the acquaintance get down the stairs towards the field and head towards a gathering of tens of people there.
Kael's half-asleep expression turned into a lightbulb the instant he saw her.
The smile on her rosy lips was like a candle providing warmth in a slight chill. The way she pull up her golden hairs with her hand, the headband in between her lips, her gorgeous blue eyes like jewels flickered under morning sunlight.
He felt his heart racing slightly from sheer excitement of seeing his crush after a long time. He straightened up his back, pulled his shirt a little, and walked with confidence towards the crowd.
He cleared his throat before calling out to her.
"Alicia, it has been a while." His voice was gentle, his smile was like a breeze. The few girls in the group fawned and squealed.
The guys already formed different circles to gossip on the usual drama unfolding. Because just as expected, Alicia's response was as usual.
"Mm." She just nodded perfunctorily and turned her eyes away. But then she actually turned her eyes back to look at Kael, making everyone in the crowd gasp in shock.
She didn't look at Kael of course. He was looking at the rabbit.
Her eyes had a light in them, her pupils dilated as if seeing something so cute she would eat it.
"I didn't know you had a pet." She spoke in a calm manner, her expression calm and polite. But this already made Kael so shocked.
Alicia… she's speaking to me…!
Shou felt like puking seeing Kael's expression. He swore he could see a tail poking out from Kael's butt and was wagging left and right like a dog.
"Yes. I brought him a few weeks ago. O-oh, he can use magic too. And he can do a lot of tricks." Kael gulped a mouthful of saliva after saying all that without a pause.
Dammit, I feel so nervous.
"Tricks?" Alicia seemed very interested.
"Yeah! Watch." Kael picked Shou and placed him down. He squatted on the grass, and held his palm out.
"Shake."
Shou's eyelid twitched, his ears turning into an aeroplane already. This stupid-
He still placed his paw on his hand. Inwardly he was tired of his nonsense.
"Oh my…! So smart…" Alicia almost lost his composure, her cheeks flushing red, her hands clenching tight at holding herself together. The people gathered around them like they were watching a show.
Kael saw how amused Alicia felt, and excitedly he asked Shou to roll next.
Shou looked at Kael with dissatisfaction. After being told twice, Shou rolled. But it was clear he had no energy in it.
"Wow… can I… shake…" Alicia spoke out, feeling hesitant. She stretched her hand towards Shou wanting the rabbit to shake her hand.
"White, shake her hand." Kael's words turned almost commanding.
Shou glared at him as if wanting to smack Kael to pieces. He looked at Alicia in annoyance, spitting saliva on the grass below with a 'tuih' before tapping her hand for only a moment of contact and pulled away. He even wiped his paw on his fur as if it was dirty. But no one seemed to notice the meaning of his actions. He hated being treated like a show.
"He shook my hand!" Alicia's voice broke in excitement.
"He is smart right? He can use water magic too." Kael's smile became wider seeing Alicia for once, smiling at him. Or rather at his rabbit but this counts too.
"Really? Water magic? But…" She seemed skeptical, because a rabbit had the farthest relation to aquatic environment for it to be able to use Water magic.
"I was surprised when I tested him. Come on." Kael took his water flask and poured a little over palm.
Shou finally found an outlet, an evil grin appeared on his lips.
I had enough of this!
With both his paws, he pointed them on the water. The water in Kael's palm exploded and splattered right onto Kael's face. It gave Kael a sense of Deja Vu.
Everyone burst out laughing, some snickered. Alicia chuckled seeing Kael's embarrassed expression.
"You…! Come here!"
Whoops! Shou turned around and ran off quickly, his heart filled with satisfaction.
"You stupid piece of-!" Kael cursed and chased him around, while his classmates laughed seeing the usually mighty heir of Ashborne acted wild chasing his pet.
Alicia chuckled slightly seeing Kael looking energetic and wasn't so pretentious. For once, after years, Kael's image on her eyes changed slightly, as if seeing a new side she had never seen before.
But everyone's chatter and laughter suddenly came to a stop. Kael who's chasing Shou in circles slowly realised everyone seemed to be silent.
What's going on?
As he turned back, a two meters tall bald man with bulging muscles was looking at him with a fierce gaze.
"Ah? Sir Maxwell…" Kael forced a smile seeing the fierce stern teacher.
Oh I am fucked…
"How old are you now?! Playing like a kid?! This is embarrassing! 100 push ups, down now!"
"Yes Sir!" Kael quickly got down and pushed up frantically. Shou just sat there, frozen, afraid he would be punished too.
Maxwell turned his fierce glare to the rabbit. Shou was screaming inside, his body hair standing on end. He felt like he came back to his school days when his teacher asked him to stand up for not doing his homework.
He ignored the rabbit and began instructing the others to run around the field for warm up. As everyone was busy, his scary figure walked step by step towards Shou who was left alone.
Shou was frightened silly at the moment. His paws closing his head, his body shaking seeing the man coming closer and closer.
N-no… don't hurt me…!
The hand reached out to him, as if wanting to grab his life. Just then…
"So cute…" The low voice from the fierce bald man made Shou freeze. His giant hand rubbed onto Shou's paws gently.
The bald man's hand quickly snatched a tall grass at the side with a flower head and waved it left and right.
"Come on bunny… come on…"
He looked at the bald man in disbelief. Didn't you just scold Kael for 'playing' around. What even…