It sounds strange coming from someone who's only experienced it once, but I miss having two-day weekends. At Marilyn Magic Academy, classes run from Monday to Saturday. I managed to survive this week, mostly because the lessons haven't fully kicked into gear yet. As for next week? Only time will tell.
Today is Sunday. Gloria barged into my room at six in the morning. Even for an early bird like me, that is far too early for a visit. I'm pretty sure the cafeteria hasn't even started serving breakfast.
Gloria's reason for coming over was to drag me along to Mika's meet-and-greet with some novelist... what was the title again? Anyway, it's the book Gloria described as a "blasphemy against the faith."
As it happened, I was in the mood for a stroll myself.
"Where's Mika?"
"We're heading to her room next," Gloria replied.
"Or should we grab breakfast first? It feels a bit rude to drop in this early."
Then what do you call coming here at this hour? A dawn raid? You should've brought an envelope!
"Well, I thought you might still be asleep, so I figured I'd hang out here for a bit," she added, as if reading my mind. Gloria hopped onto my bed. "Must be nice having a room this spacious. A huge bed all to yourself."
I pulled out a jar of cookies. Ever since Finix Djerin's visit, I'd started thinking about how to properly host guests. I had gone out to buy these cookies at a shop outside the academy the following day. It was right near the bookstore where the meet-and-greet was being held. How did I know? There was a flyer for the event posted right in their window.
"I have some snacks. Want some?"
"Whoa!" Gloria sprang up and sat on the edge of the bed. "Must be nice having rich friends."
Huh? What did she just say? I didn't expect her to think of me that way.
I handed her the jar. Come to think of it, I should probably buy some plates. And other cutlery. Maybe a stove if I can manage it. Then a thermos, a tea set... I wonder if I have enough money for all that?
"Martha," Gloria called out with her mouth full. "You seem to make friends so easily. I see you walking with different people all the time. I used to think your only friends were me, Mika, Nadisa, and Vera."
I sat beside her and took a cookie. "Well, they're my classmates. Of course I'm friends with them."
"I remember that fierce girl who got mad at the canteen. You're friends with her too, right? As far as I know she's in the Pure Magic major."
Aside from the canteen and library, I had run into Vladilena in the hallway. Gloria must have seen us. It was just a quick greeting. She'd even asked how Gloria was doing, so I assumed they had crossed paths after the canteen incident.
I asked, "Are you not friends with Vladilena?"
I knew the answer, of course. They were love rivals, after all.
"Not really. We bumped into each other once, and she just kept glaring at me."
What is Vladilena even doing?
"M-maybe she actually wanted to say hi... but, you know, she's an elite noble. She probably feels it's beneath her to speak first."
"You think so?"
"Yeah. Trust me."
Gloria gave me a skeptical look.
"Oh, by the way, Gloria. What kind of magic can you do?" I asked, changing the subject.
"I'm best at healing magic, whether it's magia naturalis or magia sacra."
"I wonder if I could learn that too?"
"Of course! Magia sacra healing is the easiest. You just recite the incantation like you're praying to God. You don't even have to overthink the meaning of every word. I mean, God is all-knowing. He'll understand even the strangest language."
"Can you show me?"
"Sure, but we need something to heal..."
"Hey, don't!"
Gloria was about to bite her own thumb. I quickly pulled her hand away.
"Just forget it," I said. "Look, it's already six-thirty. Let's go raid Mika's room!"
And so, we headed over.
"You're early."
That was the first thing she said after Gloria hammered on the door until she finally opened it. Mika emerged in her pajamas, hair a complete mess. She let us in with a groggy tone, looking like her soul hadn't quite returned to her body yet.
"It's not even seven. The event is at ten, you know!"
"What are you talking about? It's almost seven and you've only just woken up! If you lived in my hometown, your fields would be stripped bare by rats before you even got out of bed," Gloria scolded.
Mika yawned. "Oh, right. It's Sunday."
"Exactly! The rats are even more active on Sundays!"
What on earth are they even talking about?
"Honestly. Look at Martha—by the time I got to her place, she was already bathed and properly dressed," Gloria continued to complain.
"Hm? Not surprising. Martha is basically you, but the adult version."
Where did this sudden praise come from? I'm the same age as you guys, you know. Though, technically, my age before entering this world was about the same as Martha's current age.
"Are you saying I'm not mature?"
"I didn't say it."
This bickering was never going to end.
"Mika," I interrupted the chaos. "What kind of magic can you do?"
"Hm? For Magia sacra, I mostly rely on orationis, and maybe I'll chant a maledictionis if I'm forced to."
What are orationis and maledictionis? I didn't remember anything like that from the comic.
"What about magia naturalis?"
"Well, just the basic elemental stuff. Fire bursts, gusts of wind, water streams, earth manipulation... that sort of thing."
"Can you show me? Just one."
"The soul of the sun I desire, let my hand be ember, delivering flame afire!"
Mika flicked her right hand at the end of the spell. A flame appeared like a stove burner whose igniter was turned. Then fire floated above her palm.
I clapped. "Whoa..."
"Want me to show you a long-form incantation too?" Mika offered.
"Sure, sure. What's the difference?"
"You don't know? I thought everyone realized it once they tried. Err, simply put, the more spell elements, the more accurate the result matches what you meant."
What's the correlation between spell length and magic accuracy? That doesn't seem to line up.
"More accurate? Not more powerful?"
"Well, magic quality is influenced by diction," she answered.
"Hmm."
...I still didn't get it.
"Alright, that's enough, you two! It's too early for such complicated talk," Gloria cut in. "Mika, go shower! We're running out of time!"
"I told you, the event is at ten!"
"Not that! Are you planning to skip Sunday service?"
Mika jolted, her expression shifting as if she'd just remembered something important. She scrambled toward the bathroom.
I wasn't sure what I'd do if Gloria eventually asked me to join them for worship. I mean, even though this world is truly real, I still can't eliminate the notion this is just a world inside a comic I once read. I just can't give my faith to a fictional character.
Still, it was nice to see them hold so firmly to their beliefs.