**Chapter 105 – From This Side**
While the eight were in classes, the day of the four women followed a different rhythm.
Lysithea was the one who had the most free time.
As an official companion, she had no duties inside the academy beyond being available. She spent the entire morning walking through the permitted courtyards and corridors, always with an overly attentive gaze. Every time a group of students passed, she unconsciously searched for familiar hair, for known laughter, for any sign that they were well.
She saw almost nothing.
The classes took place in different buildings, and the schedules did not match the moments when she could move freely. Still, she waited. She sat on benches. She walked slowly. She observed the movement of the academy like someone who still did not know exactly what her own place was in that space.
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Mirella, on the other hand, had no time to spare.
From early on she was already in the basic instruction sector, helping organize smaller classes and reviewing training plans. The old scar on her shoulder pulled a little when she stood for too long, but she ignored it. The work was simple, repetitive, and strangely comfortable. Better than standing still thinking too much.
During a short break, she ran into Elara in the teachers' corridor.
— Did you manage to see them today? — Mirella asked.
Elara shook her head.
— Only from a distance, during the break. They were together. They seemed… normal.
Mirella let out a breath through her nose.
— "Normal" is a dangerous word to use with that group.
Elara almost smiled.
— I know.
The two stayed silent for a moment. Then Mirella returned to her duties and Elara continued on to the next orientation meeting for the new instructors.
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Graciela was in her own personal hell.
The academy kitchen was large, noisy, and, according to her, completely soulless. The seasonings were weak. The meat was cooked wrong. The assistants paid no attention. She spent the entire morning grumbling while working, correcting seasonings when no one was looking and threatening the assistants with a wooden spoon.
Even so, when the students' lunch time arrived, she found a way to appear near the back exit of the cafeteria just to see if the group was eating.
She saw them.
They were all at the same table, messy and noisy as always. Even Kuroe was there, quiet in the corner, but present. Graciela stayed only a few seconds watching. Then she muttered something about "at least they're eating" and went back into the kitchen before anyone could ask what she was doing there.
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It was only at the end of the afternoon that the four of them managed to truly gather.
The shared room in the companions' and staff building was silent when Lysithea entered and sat on the edge of the bed. Shortly after, Mirella arrived, taking off her coat with a sigh. Elara came next, looking more mentally tired than physically. Graciela was the last, still smelling of seasoning and wearing the expression of someone who had spent the day fighting the universe.
— So? — Lysithea asked, the first to speak. — Did anyone manage to find out anything else?
Mirella threw herself into the chair.
— I had a short break. I saw them from a distance on the training field. They were holding up well. The instructor even seemed impressed with a few of them.
— Joker and Harley? — Elara asked.
— Especially the two of them. And Kuroe too. She doesn't draw attention, but anyone who pays attention notices.
Graciela huffed, crossing her arms.
— I saw them at lunch. They were eating together. The food is still bland, but at least they didn't complain as much as I did.
Lysithea smiled faintly, relieved.
— I almost couldn't see them at all. I spent the whole day walking around like a lost soul.
Elara looked at her with a bit more softness.
— They're fine, Lys. Really. I would feel it if they weren't.
The room fell silent for a while.
Outside, the academy was already beginning to light up the night lamps. The distant noise of students returning to the dormitories came in through the half-open window.
Graciela was the first to break the silence again, her voice lower this time:
— Strange, isn't it?
— What? — Mirella asked.
— We spent so much time afraid of the future… and now the biggest problem of the day is the food without seasoning and the fact that we can't stay near them all the time.
Lysithea lowered her gaze to her own hands and smiled, tired.
— I prefer this kind of problem.
Elara nodded slowly.
— Me too.
Mirella stretched in the chair and closed her eyes for a moment.
— Tomorrow we'll try to see more of them. One way or another.
No one disagreed.
For now, it was enough to know that the first day had passed… and that, on the other side of the academy, the eight were still whole, together, and being exactly who they had always been.
Even from a distance, the family continued to exist on both sides of the courtyard.
**End of Chapter 105**