“Yes. Stefan, I-I signed up for Professor Wallace’s class, just like you said. Because you told me L-Lionel Senior was taking that class.”
“What do you mean, Senior—we’re in the same year. Just call him Lionel.”
“O-okay. Still, though……”
It was not as if he was actually waiting for an answer, for Stefan paid no mind to Jaelin’s hesitation and moved right along to the next topic.
“Is this your last class today? Or do you have another one after?”
“J-just a moment.”
Jaelin took out the crumpled, folded schedule from her bag and unfolded it. The next class was a course called ‘The History of Magic,’ a liberal arts class in the afternoon.
Stefan quickly scanned the schedule in Jaelin’s hands and opened his mouth.
“Ooh. You’ve got a huge gap. When you have free time, go hang out in the club room! It’s a great place to kill time between classes. I’ve got back-to-back classes next so I have to go. See you later at the club room! Got it?”
Stefan, having spat all that out like a rapid-fire gun, left quickly without even waiting for Jaelin’s answer.
“O-okay. See you later.”
Jaelin also said her goodbye, but Stefan was already gone.
Jaelin awkwardly lowered her hand and, recalling the way, headed to the Student Union Building where the club room was located.
The club room was just as it had been a few days ago. By the window where sunlight poured in fully, a large telescope stood, and star-shaped mobiles and planetary orbit models were placed here and there.
A large sofa where one could rest was set in the center of the club room, and the area around it was decorated with plants, giving it quite a cozy and comfortable atmosphere.
It was a space that seemed to carry Stefan’s warm personality just as it was.
Approaching the telescope, Jaelin brushed its hard surface with her fingertips. The telescope, having soaked up plenty of sunlight, was warm to the touch.
It was fascinating that a cylindrical instrument, without even a magical formula engraved on it, could magnify the stars floating in the sky as if seen right before one’s eyes.
‘Next time, I should ask Stefan to let me look at the stars through this.’
Having looked around the club room, Jaelin carefully sat down on the sofa.
The sofa was incredibly soft. Softer even than Jaelin’s bed in her boarding house.
In the comfort that wrapped around her whole body, Jaelin’s eyes grew drowsy. Her body, which had been wound tight with tension on the first day, was slowly unwinding.
She was worried. At the Academy, they said, there were so many people with talents that shone like stars.
‘At the very least, I need to keep my grades high enough to keep receiving the scholarship……. Will I be able to do well…….’
Her thoughts gradually cut off under the pouring drowsiness.
‘I shouldn’t fall asleep…….’
Jaelin’s green eyes grew blurrier and blurrier.
She struggled with all her might to wake herself, but Jaelin could not hold back the surging tide of sleep.
In the end, Jaelin’s eyelids closed completely.
***
“What the—who are you? What are you doing here?”
At the rough, sharply ringing low voice, Jaelin’s eyes flew open.
It seemed she had dozed off. Someone was standing in the club room that had been empty just moments before.
Startled, Jaelin sprang up from the sofa.
A neckline and part of the chest left fully exposed because the buttons were undone, shirt tails messily jutting out above the trousers, a tie carelessly draped around the neck without even a knot tied in it.
A man in an attire that could by no means be called neat was glaring at Jaelin, his head tilted at an angle.
“Don’t you know you can’t use the club room if you’re not a club member?”
“I-I am a member here.”
At the man’s brow, twisting menacingly, Jaelin’s voice crawled in like an ant’s, even though she had done nothing wrong.
“This is ‘The Revolution and Dynamics of Stars.’”
“Yes. And……?”
It was a fact she already knew. At Jaelin’s answer, the man let out a long sigh toward the empty air and roughly swept back his thoroughly disheveled brown hair.
The man was acting as if something that could never happen had happened.
“‘The Revolution and Dynamics of Stars’ is the name of this club. You—did you really join here?”
“Yes. I-I did.”
Intimidated by the man’s irritable attitude, Jaelin shrank her shoulders and fingered her sleeve ends.
Just then, with the sound of the door banging open, Stefan made a noisy entrance.
“I’m here, I’m here! This body has arrived!”
It was so loud that the club room windows rattled.
Spotting the man standing before Jaelin, Stefan shouted as if delighted.
“Oh, Adrian! It’s been ages. How could you not contact me even once during vacation? I seriously, seriously almost died of loneliness. Boohoo.”
As Stefan wiped one eye and pretended to cry, one side of the face of the man called Adrian rotted away.
“I contacted you not long ago. Did you forget already?”
“All you did was grudgingly send me one reply to my question. And to the letter I sent asking you to take Professor Wallace’s class, all you wrote back was a single word: ‘Yeah.’ What kind of contact is that! A friend should—right?”
Stefan spread his fingers wide before Adrian and folded them one by one as he spoke.
“What you’re doing during vacation, whether you’re healthy and well, and that you miss me—exchanging that kind of conversation is what contact means! Aren’t you even curious what I did during vacation? Our Adrian is so cold.”
Despite Stefan’s clingy manner of speaking, Adrian only hardened his expression further.
“Not curious at all.”
At Adrian’s clean, cold answer, Stefan clenched his fist and thrust his arm out toward Adrian as if in protest.
“Inhuman, Adrian, begone! Unaffectionate, Adrian, I don’t need you!”
“Just the first verse. Any more and I won’t let it slide.”
Adrian muttered through gritted teeth, but Stefan continued shouting as if he had not heard.
“Ugly, hollow one, begone!”
The face of the man called Adrian contorted, and the atmosphere turned irrevocably hostile.
“Move it.”
Adrian slapped aside Stefan’s fist, which was right before his nose.
“My ears are about to bleed, so do something about that noisy mouth of yours. Why haven’t you changed at all—months ago or now? If you’ve lived another year, act your age, seriously.”
“Huh. How can you say something so harsh! Jaelin, look at that, look at how heartless he is. I’m completely wounded.”
Stefan scurried over to Jaelin.
“Who’s this one, then? I heard there’s a new member—is that for real?”
“Yeah! Ta-da! Our club’s new member. This is Jaelin. Say hello, quick.”
At Stefan’s fuss, Adrian rubbed his brow and let out another sigh.
Adrian held out his hand to Jaelin and spat out his name.
“Hah, I’m Adrian. Fourth-year. Sword-wielder.”
Jaelin held out her hand and shook Adrian’s. His rough, calloused hand lightly grasped and released hers.
“What? Sword-w-wielder……?”
“Ah! That’s like a nickname! Around here, they sometimes call the swordsmanship major that. Adrian, this is…….”
Adrian cut off Stefan’s words and interjected.
“Nickname, my foot. Enough. You. Speak for yourself. Is this one your spokesperson or something?”
Adrian shot a glance at Stefan, then turned his gaze back to Jaelin.
“I-I’m Jaelin. Fourth-year, magical design major.”
At Jaelin’s answer, Adrian crossed his arms and slightly furrowed his brow.
“Fourth-year? Has there been a kid like this in fourth year? I’ve never seen you before.”
“Ah, I transferred in this year. S-so it makes sense you haven’t seen me before.”
Stefan pressed himself snugly against Adrian’s side and chattered away.
“Oh! Our Adrian! You act all indifferent, pretending not to care about people, but you knew exactly who was in our year!”
“You’re dead. Get off me this instant.”
Adrian threatened and shook Stefan off, but Stefan stubbornly clung to him and said only what he wanted to say.
“Jaelin, speak casually to this one too. You saw how he talks to me, right? No need to be so polite to a guy like this.”
Stefan jabbed his finger at Adrian as if openly badmouthing him.
“Hmm. Still, though…….”
As she answered, Jaelin studied Adrian’s face.
He had been wearing a thoroughly displeased expression since earlier. His sharply upturned eyes were fierce.
“Do whatever you want. Why did you even come in here, anyway? It’s a nothing club. It’s so dull that there are only two members—him and me.”
“Ah…… S-Stefan asked me to join.”
“And you just jumped right in because he asked? Are you a pushover?”
“Hey! What’s wrong with Jaelin joining? If I hadn’t coaxed Jaelin in, this place would’ve been gone starting this year, you know? That’s why I said let’s name it something other than ‘The Revolution and Dynamics of Stars.’ Who’d join a place with an academic name like that! A club name should be something friendly and easy to approach, I’m telling you.”
“The name you wanted to use was even worse.”
“What’s wrong with ‘The Stars Are in My Heart’! It’s completely poetic and beautiful!”
“Completely terrible. Is that ancient-era naming? With an ugly name like that, no one would have joined. Why? Because I wouldn’t have joined either!”
“How can you say something so harsh……. Jaelin! Which one is better! Choose!”
The moment Stefan’s words ended, both men turned to look at Jaelin.
Startled by the suddenly focused attention, Jaelin hesitated before barely managing an answer.
“Uh…… B-both seem kind of bad.”
Stefan’s face turned sullen. Adrian, as if it did not matter either way, scowled and spoke.
“I absolutely hate crowded, noisy places. What good is having a lot of people? This many is just right. Anyway, that sofa is my designated seat, so don’t use it.”
Adrian pointed at the sofa where Jaelin had been sleeping just a short while ago.
