The Distant Trail Of Ciara Badvia

The Saria Magic Academy
Part 5: Secret Revealed

THE DRAWER IN HER ROOM

“Hm? You’re not going with them? Did I disturb you guys?” Ruth asked, wide-eyed.

The heavy tension in Tyril’s shoulders was finally released. She let out a deep sigh and slowly looked up at Ruth, who was about a step up on the staircase, her expression softening. “No, not at all. If anything, I should be thanking you.”

“Huh? What did I do to deserve that…? Oh, well. Ah, but if you want to thank me, how about we hang out on our next off day?”

“Um… No, that’s a bit…” Tyril shook her head slightly, feeling exasperated at how he made advances so casually.

Ruth gave her a frown. “Come on, is going with me really that unpleasant? That hurts…” he said lightly, not sounding particularly hurt. “By the way, those girls from earlier were pretty cute. Not as cute as you, but—ooh, I have an idea. What if we all went out with some other friends? Introduce me to them next. We’ll all have fun together.”

“No, they’re more…” Her voice was barely audible at this point, and she wondered if he could even hear her. Puzzled, he looked at her and waited for her to continue.

Still, Tyril’s words failed her. It was ultimately Ruth, now looking impatient, who spoke first. “What? Can’t introduce friends to sketchy guys like me?”

“No! That’s… that’s not it. I’m not friends with them.”

“Huh. Really?”

“Yes. I don’t even know their names.”

“I see…” Ruth replied absentmindedly, a hand on his hip and an eye where the three women had gone. He didn’t say anything else, perhaps lost in thought.

Tyril couldn’t bear the silence any longer and decided to leave. “Well then, I have something to attend to,” she said, and surprisingly, Ruth waved her away without a fuss.

“Ah, yeah. See you later. Let’s hang out next time!”

“Um… Someday, for sure.”

“Yeah, that day will never come!”

Tyril bid him goodbye and rushed up the stairs.

Her heart was in shambles, and she couldn’t calm it down. If she made it to Forster’s lab, would she even be able to simmer down and rest there? Doubtful, but in the end, she couldn’t think of any other place to go and headed there anyway.

*****

Tyril knocked on the door of the research lab and was met with silence. The door, too, was locked, meaning Forster and Dyne were not inside. That was the first time this happened for her.

It was normal for this sort of thing to happen, of course, but it did her anxiety no favors. As though to flee, she hunched her shoulders and forced herself to find another destination.

The bench near the school where figs—no, someone might come by. An empty classroom… But I don’t even know when classes are scheduled.

Her mind raced to decide on a place to pass the time, yet she was coming up empty. In the end, her thoughts and feet led her back to her room in the student dormitory. Once inside, though, she knew she wasn’t going out again today.

Tyril unlocked the door. “I’m back,” she said softly, but Misty was nowhere to be seen. There was no sign of anyone else there. She sat on her bed and placed the packaged sandwich on her desk. Hunger gnawed at her, but she didn’t have the appetite to satisfy it.

Today’s events were weighing heavily on her heart.

Being met with such open hostility was a rare—and new—experience. The silent pressure she had to endure during and after class drained her. Then there was that recent exchange… Tyril was worn out and beaten, down to her very core.

It was almost like everyone around her turned hostile. Like they’d tossed her into class after stripping her bare. Her body couldn’t stop shaking.

I wonder, did that stranger yesterday already hated me to begin with? Uncovering my secret and exposing it all in public—was all that just to put me in trouble? Was all this calculated? And are those girls part of the plan and gloating somewhere right now? But why go through all this effort?

The more she thought about it, the more paranoia consumed her. Her once clear mind grew heavy and clouded. Tyril stopped thinking and buried her face into the pillow.

Suddenly, a thought popped into her head. Tyril opened the desk drawer, revealing white linen used as a wrap and tied with a red ribbon—one of the few belongings she brought along from her home, though the chance of it being useful was unlikely now.

She retrieved it, gently pressed it against her chest, and her heartbeat began settling just a little. A smile naturally crept onto her face.

“I’m so pathetic…” Tyril murmured to herself.

Vanilla, Forster, Dyne, and Misty—in this lonely room, the fact that she found comfort in something like this during their absence was as heartwarming as it was pitiful.

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For more from the author, visit:

Narou: https://mypage.syosetu.com/1258514/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/inui_takafumi

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Glossary: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_D4XF1ID8j7zti3pG-fqtcd0h0T9aZHK_CXsCrr5gwY/edit?usp=sharing
Revisions: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jS9QeSLaJfl6P_-Gl-zAY0dnKPep3or9fUl-HPukc9g/edit?usp=sharing