Before 9 months ago
Yugene went out early in the morning with Rin, the two of them wandering through the grounds of the academy.
After getting past that nightmare, Yugene began to enjoy the scent of incense, clay, cakes, and flowers. He ran his fingers along the smooth walls and felt the delicate grass beneath his feet, soft as silk. He watched the sunlight dance through the academy, slipping between buildings and gardens and illuminating the faces of the students.
Whenever Yugene and Rin passed by groups of students, they would overhear them talking about the fact that the two of them were orphans and about the mysterious incident surrounding them. Others simply stared in amazement, frightened by the unusual and distinctive appearance of their eyes.
Rin glanced around them, countless thoughts racing through his mind.
Why are they staring at us like this?
Maybe I shouldn't have come outside.
Is it going to stay like this?
Their looks are tense and unsettling.
Why doesn't Yugene care about their stares?
And why does it feel like most of them are staring at me?
Meanwhile, Yugene's thoughts were completely different. He was optimistic and amazed, paying no attention to the looks around him as he immersed himself in the atmosphere of the academy.
What a beautiful sight!
I suppose there must be some kind of supernatural power that reduces stress, because I'm no longer bothered by that nightmare.
I'm excited about the future. It looks bright.
These views are even more beautiful than the views of Aliso Village.
Yugene then smiled, and began walking faster, spinning around himself as he went.
In his mind, he imagined himself moving back and forth between two places: Aliso Village and the academy. He smiled as he became more and more immersed in the academy's atmosphere.
"Yugene, I think you should watch your step so you don't fall."
Rin's voice carried a mixture of concern and warning, but Yugene replied:
"Don't worry... Enjoy the place, Rin."
At that moment, Yugene lost his balance while spinning, causing him to fall to the ground.
"Ahhhhh! My head!"
Yugene rubbed his head with his eyes shut as Rin's voice echoed around him.
"Didn't I tell you to watch where you were going?"
Then, a female voice came from above Yugene. It was calm, yet confident, and carried a great deal of gentleness.
"Are you all right?"
Yugene opened one eye halfway and looked up at Reem, who was standing above him, her shadow covering him.
Yugene studied her carefully.
She wore an intricately decorated hijab, with a few strands of black hair showing from beneath it. Her eyes were green, and there were light-red patterns drawn across her hands. Her hands were wrapped around a white cat with one blue eye.
Yugene pushed himself up as Rin approached him, speaking in a reproachful tone:
"I warned him, but he didn't listen to me."
Yugene stood up and began dusting himself off, staring at the ground. Then he raised his eyes toward Reem, thinking to himself:
I remember she was with us yesterday, but I don't remember what she looked like because I was too distracted.
Yugene pointed at her hands with a finger and asked with childish curiosity:
"What are those patterns on your hands, and why do you wear that head covering?"
Smack!
Rin slapped the back of Yugene's neck, saying irritably:
"Instead of thanking her for asking if you're okay, you ask her some unrelated question."
Yugene glanced at Rin from the corner of his eye.
"But she only asked me a question. She didn't help me. Besides, it's just curiosity, nothing more."
Rin leaned his head slightly toward Yugene.
"If you read books instead of playing, you would know the answer."
Yugene scratched his ear unconcernedly.
"I'm not a bookworm like you."
"Hahahahahaha!"
Reem's laughter spread through the area, making both Rin and Yugene remember that she was still there.
"Are you two finished with your childish quarrel?"
Rin's ears turned red. He felt embarrassed, and his blood boiled with anger at the situation Yugene had put him in.
Meanwhile, Yugene turned toward Reem.
"You still haven't answered me. What are those patterns on your hands, and why are you wearing that head covering?"
Reem took one of her strands of hair and twirled it around her finger.
"These patterns are called henna."
"Henna?"
Yugene raised an eyebrow and tilted his head slightly in confusion.
"Yes, henna. It is a type of mixture made from extracts of a plant with the same name. It is applied to the hands in different patterns for a certain period of time, and then washed off, leaving these patterns behind."
"What is it for?"
"Nothing. Just decoration."
Yugene pointed at her hijab again.
"And what is this? Why do you wear it?"
Reem raised her eyebrows in surprise.
"You really don't know what this is?"
Yugene shook his head.
Reem's surprise only grew. Then she said:
"It's part of my religion."
When Reem saw the expression on Yugene's face, she realized that he didn't understand what she was talking about at all.
So she quickly gave him a brief explanation:
"In short, women in my religion are required to wear pieces of cloth called hijab. It is part of my religion."
"Doesn't it bother you?"
Yugene's voice was filled with confusion.
Reem shook her head.
"On the contrary. It's comfortable."
"Comfortable? How?"
Yugene's voice rose with even greater curiosity.
Reem answered:
"Because it covers my hair, so I don't have to style my hair in the first place. That saves me time. I can also use it as a cover to hide my face if there's dust or if an embarrassing situation happens and I want to hide my face. It also reduces inappropriate stares in public places, and people can't ask me to take it off because it's part of my religious culture."
Yugene's eyes lit up, glowing golden. He brought his face closer to Reem, his voice filled with wonder and curiosity.
"Wow! Does all of that come from just a piece of cloth? Can I wear one too?"
"Hahahahahahaha!"
Reem burst into loud laughter, and Rin did the same, covering his mouth with his hand to hide his laughter.
"No... No, you can't wear it."
Reem pushed Yugene away from her with one hand.
Yugene spoke with childish disappointment.
"Why?"
Rin, lying on the grass, answered:
"Because you're a man. Simple as that."
Yugene nodded and muttered under his breath:
"That's a shame... I was going to use it to steal some cakes."
Reem stroked the white cat's head.
"That's exactly why you can't wear it. You would ruin its reputation and create an image of criminals associated with it."
Yugene looked almost surprised.
"But I don't intend to create that image."
Reem closed her eyes after sitting down on the wooden chair in the garden.
"You may not intend to, but you could do it unintentionally. And people won't see your thoughts. They'll see your actions."
Yugene threw himself onto the grass.
"Okay, okay. This topic has become boring."
Rin lifted his head slightly toward Reem.
"Where's Farid?"
Yugene glanced at Rin with curiosity.
"Who's Farid?"
"The blond-haired second-year student we met in the office."
The words entered Yugene's mind as he tried to remember who Farid was. Then his eyes widened as he finally remembered.
"Ohhh! That person whose name is Farid... So, where is he?"
Both Rin and Reem shrugged, indicating that they didn't know.
Silence then spread throughout the area, mixed with the sounds of students in the background and the sound of the wind.
...
Meanwhile, on the other side of the academy, inside a large hall decorated in brown and adorned with golden details, golden waterfalls flowed on both the right and left sides.
Farid sat attentively on a smooth wooden chair as a teacher explained something, while beside him, a student slept on the steps.
Farid turned his head toward a window overlooking the academy and said in a calm, warm voice:
"What beautiful weather this day has."