Chapter 3

“…Did you hold me up just to say that?”

Reshu said, turning sharply away from Milian. She glanced at Florin, who was already on the sidelines, and said, “Let’s go,” before running toward the West Bell Tower as if escaping. She heard Milian calling, “Reshu,” behind her, but didn’t look back.

“I really hate that guy.”

Reshu, her face bright red as she headed for the West Bell Tower, panted and said. Florin patted her back, half playfully.

“Reshu, our cute Reshurka. I really think you need to ask yourself, ‘Why do I hate Milian so much?’ at least once.”

“Is there a reason for hate? I hate everything about him. I can’t stand his eyes, his voice, his way of speaking. I hate the way he treats people, and I hate that he talks to me at all.”

“Which do you hate more: running into Ozen in the hall or running into Milian?”

“Obviously Ozen.”

“Then which feeling is stronger: your fierce dislike for Ozen or your dislike for Milian?”

“Milian, of course. Actually, I don’t even hate Ozen that fiercely.”

“My friend, honestly, I enjoy watching you squabble with Milian. You don’t have to analyze every complicated feeling, but sometimes it’s better to face certain emotions head-on.”

“What are you talking about, Florin?”

“Well, as I always say, I’ve never seen you hate anyone else as much as Milian. Even when you say you hate him, you get defensive if someone badmouths him, and you only stare at someone slowly when it’s Milian.”

“I don’t like Milian Enokten.”

“Okay, let’s say you don’t.”

“I really don’t.”

Florin shrugged again. Because Florin acted so meaningfully, Reshu felt oddly ticklish inside. Milian Enokten, Reshu found herself mouthing the name silently.

But all she felt was stuffy and irritated. This couldn’t possibly be the feeling of liking someone, Reshu thought, shaking her head.

* * *

Sitting at the West Bell Tower’s stairs, the two began with their original purpose. With graduation approaching, they needed to sort their belongings, but everywhere else was too crowded, so they came here to sort things slowly in peace.

By sunset, both had finished sorting what to keep and what to throw away from the pile of stuff they brought. There wasn’t much, but since they were in the Magic Division, even the smallest items were complicated, so it took time.

“Once graduation is over, it’s over with Milian Enokten too.”

Reshu said suddenly, fiddling with a box.

“When we’re adult and working, I might run into him. Maybe I’ll need to use the connection of having attended the academy together. But this kind of relationship is over. Our daily life as student representatives, the endless rumors tying me to him—those days will never come again.”

Her grumbling voice was quite sharp. But her hands gently stroked the box, which contained eight years of school memories.

“You sound almost regretful….”

“Hm?”

“Nothing. Reshu, but even if you graduate like this, will you really feel relieved? By your logic, you’ve been tormented by Milian for eight years. Wouldn’t it be more satisfying to resolve those feelings before graduation?”

Florin said. Just then, Reshu was holding a small black doll she’d knitted as a freshman. It was simple—no arms, legs, eyes, nose, mouth, or hair. It was about half the size of her palm, and felt quite firm.

Florin’s words made Reshu think. She didn’t want to torment Milian too much, but if it was just a little mischief….

“Hmm? Isn’t that the curse doll you made before?”

Florin looked over at Reshu.

“It’s not really a curse. It’s a knitted doll from my hometown. If you make this doll while thinking of someone and secretly hide it in their room, something unexpectedly embarrassing will happen to them.”

“Who were you thinking of when you made it?”

“That brown-haired guy, obviously. I was grinding my teeth about something as a freshman, but now I’ve forgotten what it was.”

“Hmmm.”

“Well, compared to real magic, it’s just a folk tale. It’s really just for self-satisfaction.”

After deciding, Reshu put the black doll in her uniform pocket. It was too precious to throw away. It wasn’t a serious curse, and even if it was, it probably wouldn’t do much. If she put the ‘mischief doll’ in Milian’s room, maybe she’d feel a little better.

“Hmmm.”

Florin smiled meaningfully at Reshu.

* * *

All around the academy, there were barriers preventing unauthorized entry. To Reshu’s eyes, there were some weak spots, but she’d never exploited them before.

This was her first time. The front entrance of the boys’ dormitory was surrounded by a magical barrier, allowing only dorm residents and those with special permission to enter. No matter how skilled Reshu was, she couldn’t break through the front barrier.

But in the middle of the wall leading from the front to the side entrance, where two barriers overlapped, there was a small distortion—just enough to slip through. Reshu decided to go through that wall. The barrier was a bit tricky, but the physical wall was nothing.

“Hmm? What’s a girl doing here?”

Shortly after sneaking through the wall, Reshu ran into the dorm supervisor in the boys’ dormitory hallway. She didn’t panic and recited the excuse she’d prepared.

“I came to get something. I lent Milian Enokten a magic tool, but he threw it somewhere in his room and forgot about it. I need it urgently, but Milian can’t come here right now, so I got special permission to come and find it myself.”

The fact that she’d entered the dorm without being stopped by the barrier was proof enough that she had permission. Plus, Reshu had been a model student for eight years, never causing trouble. The supervisor didn’t doubt her and offered to escort her to Milian’s room.

‘I was originally going to hide as soon as I got in and use an invisibility spell.’

Still, it was fortunate she wasn’t suspected. Reshu obediently followed the supervisor up to the top floor, where the senior students’ rooms were.

“Here we are. I’ll head downstairs now.”

Once the supervisor left and Reshu was alone, she slowly opened Milian’s door. For some reason, her heart was pounding a little.

Milian’s room was a single. It was a privilege reserved only for the student representative of each year. Reshu, finding it lonely to be without a roommate, had given up that privilege and shared a two-person room, but the quiet Milian had not refused his single room.

Unlike the girls’ dormitory, the boys’ singles were furnished with dark ebony wood. The unique, deep scent of the glossy wood lightly tingled the senses.

As expected, Milian’s room was neatly organized in every corner. His school and outing uniforms were hung perfectly on hangers, and not a speck of dust could be seen.

Only the desk was an exception. As if he had been absorbed in something until just before leaving, all sorts of books, notebooks, and writing utensils were scattered across it. Geometry, the history of magic, literature—there were more open books than one could count. Reshu simply couldn’t understand how anyone could study three or four subjects at once.

‘Wait, this isn’t the time for this.’

Lost in looking around Milian’s room, Reshu snapped back to her purpose for coming. For the charm doll to work, it needed to be hidden in the room ‘without being noticed by the other person.’

As she’d expected, because everything was so well organized, it didn’t look easy to find a place where Milian wouldn’t notice.

Looking around, Reshu opened the desk drawers. The first and second drawers held only neatly arranged pens and stationery, with no space to hide the doll. But when she opened the third drawer, she saw something completely different.

It was filled with things Milian clearly cherished: thick, well-used notebooks, a fountain pen too worn to use but carefully kept, and various objects big and small. There seemed to be just enough space to hide the doll.

As she tried to push the black doll into the deepest part of the third drawer, Reshu felt something catch on her fingertip.

‘What’s this?’

Without thinking, she pulled out an envelope. There seemed to be a thin sheet of letter paper inside. Since the seal wasn’t broken, maybe he hadn’t opened it yet—or perhaps…

‘A letter written but never sent…?’

Reshu, without realizing it, flipped the envelope to see the front. There, the addressee’s name was written—the name of the person Milian hadn’t been able to send the letter to.

‘To Reshurka.’

For a moment, Reshu’s face flushed hot. She felt as if she’d seen something she shouldn’t have. Milian had only called her ‘Reshurka’ formally during their freshman year. Was it written then? What could be in a letter that Milian wrote but never sent, yet kept all this time?

‘Come to think of it, what was the reason for making this doll…? That happened back in our first year, too….’

Distracted, Reshu didn’t notice the approaching footsteps. Normally, Reshurka Celestien would never make such a mistake. When she heard the doorknob turn, she quickly stuffed the letter and doll back into the drawer and stood up. But it was too late.