They were too busy to give me any attention. Or at least they were supposed to be.
âHmm.â
The reason why Iâve been groaning since this morning is below me.
The ladder was broken in half.
It must have broken when it was thrown down from the window. It took a lot of effort for the ladies to lift the big ladder.
Theyâve gotten a lot harsher since they havenât bullied me in a long time.
I picked up the broken ladder, gathered it to the side and cleaned up the splinters.
I went to class and left the repairs for after classes. If only the dormitory servants looked after me as well, then I wouldnât have to do all the work.
The bullying which had ceased began to increase a little every day.
âI heard you were shining shoes on the streets.â
I was suddenly approached by a group of students after school on my way back to the dormitory. They were probably my classmates.
Their lips were pursed, and their aura was unpleasant, but I couldnât ignore them when they were standing in front of me.
âWhy donât you show us how you did it?â
One of the boys put one of his feet in front of the other. He didnât seem like he was raised well from his words and actions.
âI can show you how itâs done, but Iâll charge you for it?â
I donât know where they heard this from, but I was doing business. They had no reason to treat me like a fool.
But the way I replied to them wasnât good.
Instead, they were happy and turned sour.
âCrawling on the ground and begging for money? How low can you get?!â
âPitiful. Alright, here.â
Another student threw a copper coin on the floor. I picked it up as it rolled to my feet, and they started laughing.
They have the wrong idea. I flicked the copper coin back at them with my thumb.
âYou should at least throw a gold coin.â
I slipped between them as their eyes followed the trajectory of the coin through the air and returned to the dormitory.
But the trouble continued after that.
After dinner, I was quietly preparing for tomorrowâs lesson in the attic when I suddenly felt something hit the back of my chair.
I turned around and saw someoneâs head at the entrance for a moment. Underneath the chair was a fish bone with some meat left on it.
They threw leftovers at me!
Rather than being angry, I was amazed that the daughter of a noble would commit such an act. Their bullying has become crude.
I looked down and saw girls by the ladder with their dinner plates.
âWhat are you doing?â
I asked in a fed-up tone.
âIâm giving you food. Isnât garbage a treat for you?â
A student with a red ribbon who I had met in the corridor after dinner replied.
Hmm, where did they get this information?
I had only told Alec about my past in detail, but I know he wonât tell anyone about it. It probably isnât the loyal Rock either.
Come to think of it, there was a waiter at the corner of the room at that time. If it had leaked from anyone then it would have been from him.
âWe had dinner together earlier. I donât need your leftovers.â
âDonât be shy. Thereâs still plenty left, so why donât you have some? I prepared this just for you.â
All of her friends took their plates and stepped on the ladder.
I quickly ran back, and they took turns throwing their leftover food at me. Donât waste food! Itâs time you stop being picky!
I had no choice but to use the bed sheets to block the entrance because I didnât want my textbooks and notebooks to get dirty and they finally stopped. I wish they had put a wooden door on the floor.
The messy sheet will have to be washed tomorrow.
I had to collect the rubbish that had hit the floor and walls and use a rag to clean up the juices. It had gotten late by the time I had finished cleaning and I didnât study as much as I had planned to.
Seriously, theyâre really annoying.
The boys and girls continued to bully me regardless of location and they only stopped during class. They still let me sit next to them in class.
They donât do anything to me when Alec is around, and their bullying isnât always in person.
âAlec, Iâm sorry but can you let me share your textbook?â
I asked Alec who was sitting next to me before class started.
âSure, did you forget yours?â
âIt wasnât in my room~.â
Last night when I came back to my room after dinner, the textbook I was going to use today was missing from my bag. They were now thieves. I want a wooden door and key at the entrance of my attic.
âDid you lose it? â
âYup, but Iâm sure itâll turn up.â
Iâll search the school building later since it wasnât at the dormitory.
Itâs definitely in a place where I can find it. Somewhere where they can show their ill will towards me.
Iâm slowly grasping their true nature.
ââââ Well, Iâm going to look for my textbook. Thanks for sharing your book today.â
After school, I quickly gathered my things and left my seat.
âIâll help you.â
âNo, itâs alright. Iâm sure Rock will be angry if I ask you to help me search for my textbook.â
It would be fine if he was free, but we had homework assigned to us today as well. I donât want to take up any of his valuable study time.
â⊠Did something happen?â
Alec seemed to have sensed that something was wrong. He looked up at me.
âItâs nothing serious.â
I smiled and waved my hand, then I left the class.
Now then, where could it be?
I came to a corridor overlooking the courtyard as I walked around. There was no wall on one side of the corridor, so I could feel the refreshing early summer breeze on my skin.
But my ears heard a not-so-refreshing commotion.
A small boy was picking up scattered papers while two boys were standing beside him in a corridor on the other side of the courtyard. Their feet were stepping over the paper.
Huh? Are they bullying him?
Only the crouching boy looked familiar to me. I often saw his brown hair in the seat in front of me in class.
The other two boys are seniors. They had green gems on their chests. Those must be the magic stones that the school gives out to students who have already started their magic classes.
From the sound of their conversation and the occasional laughter, it seemed that the boy was being bullied for his less than noble appearance. They were asking him if he was the son of a concubine. Even though most nobles have blonde or silver hair, there were some who had different coloured hair.
The boy was picking up the scattered paper, but he wasnât able to remove the ones that had been stepped on and was constantly rubbing his eyes with his sleeve.
Well, what should I do?
I feel like helping him would have the opposite effect, but I donât know if I should turn a blind eye to this. I guess other students are being bullied too. Isnât everyone just too stressed?
Hmm⊠Alright, Iâll help him.
I stormed through the courtyard determined to help the bullied boy.
They finally noticed me when I stepped into the corridor.
âIf youâre bullying him because youâre bored, then why donât you play with me?â
The senpaiâs were puzzled, then they smiled unpleasantly again.
âWhat would you like to play?â
If I had Rille-neeâs strength, then I might beat them up.
But since I canât do that and it would be pointless to do so, what I proposed was a game.
âWell, I suppose I can show you some magic.â
I looked at the courtyard and said and the senpais were puzzled again.
â⊠What?â
âNonsense. You donât even have a magic stone.â
âI donât need magic stones for the magic Iâm using. How about it? Arenât you curious?â
Theo and the others were easily lured by this.
But the students at the Magic School, who are more mature than Theo and his friends, arenât as simple.
âMagic is like this.â
One of them said something with a smirk on his face, then the magic stone on his chest shone.
âEgress Sifa!â
Clear water appeared in the space beyond his outstretched hand as soon as he started shouting. I looked up in surprise and the mass of water grew larger and larger.
Then he swung his hand down and the mass of water fell on me and the boy.
A loud splash resounded in the area.
I felt a smack on my face. Cold drops ran down my skin, all the way to my clothes.
I stared blankly at the boys, who were laughing hysterically, âââ then I couldnât help myself but grab the collar of the boy who had just used magic.
âDo it again!â
I couldnât control my excitement.
Water just suddenly appeared in an empty space!
âHow did you do that?! Whatâs the theory behind it?! Where did the water come from!?â
âTeach me the incantation you just said!â
The boy, who was also soaked to the bones, approached the boy who had cast magic.
âHeat? Water? Didnât you use those words? Let me take notes since I want to decipher it!â
âOh, I see, so spells have meaning! Maybe I can learn about the principle if I can decipher it. Let me take notes too, please!â
I quickly searched my bag for a pen and paper. Fortunately, my bag wasnât that wet inside.
âWhatâs with you two?â
I let go of his collar and he backed away.
âWait! Show me the spell one more time!â
âD-donât come any closer. Youâre getting the water on me!â
Youâre the one who poured the water on us! They ran away. Tsk.
My curiosity wasnât satisfied but Iâm glad I got rid of them. Iâm sure Iâll learn about this in class anyway.
âAre you alright?â
I called out to the boy next to me and he shivered.
He fidgeted as he returned to his senses and turned his freckled aace towards me.
âAh, hmm, ummâŠâ
âAre you hurt?â
He timidly shook his head.
I picked up the rest of the scattered paper and handed them to him. The ink had been splashed with water and the text on the paper was no longer illegible.
âTh-tha-thanksâŠâ
âYouâre welcome. Hey, can you decipher the spell he used?â
âHuh? Ah, un, noâŠâ
The boy was jumpy whenever I talked to him.
He was taller than me, but he looked small because he cowered himself and took a defensive pose, and he quickly turned away when our eyes met. What happened to the courage he had when he questioned the senpai just now?
Perhaps, is he scared of me? Iâm here to help you though.
âMatty!â
At that moment, a silver-haired female student came rushing from the other side of the corridor where the boys had run off.
She had her hair back and showed her nice forehead, and I remembered that she had stopped me from sitting next to her on the first day.
âMerry.â
The boy called out the girlâs name in relief.
She walked over in a long stride, raised her eyebrow at the soaking boy and shouted in a high-pitched voice.
âWhat happened!? I rushed over because I heard a weird noise.â
Then, she glared at me for some reason.
âWhat did you do to Matty? Donât tell me you bullied Matty even though youâre just a commoner?â
âWhy would I do that? Iâm wet as well.â
âShe didnât do it Merry. UmmâŠâ
The boy tried to defend me, but his voice was quiet, and he didnât speak well.
âDonât approach Matty! Heâll get bullied if heâs around you!â
The girl snorted, then she pulled the boyâs hand and they both left.
I hope the boy will clear up this misunderstanding later.
I thought it would be better to get changed even though I was in the middle of looking for my textbook, so I headed to the dormitory and met Alec and Rock just as I was leaving the school building.
I called out to them, and they turned around. They looked dumbfounded at first. I wonder why theyâre walking on the road leading to the girlsâ dormitory.
âWhatâs wrong?â
âI would like to ask you that.â
Alec pulled out a white handkerchief and whipped my wet head.
âThanks. I just had someone show me some magic.â
âMagic?â
âYeah, water magic.â
Alecâs expression immediately turned grim.
â⊠You mean they hit you with magic?â
âIt was interesting! Water appeared out of nowhere. I donât understand how the water just appeared! I asked him to show me it again, but he ran away.â
âDid you ask him to use it?â
Alec was once again dumbfounded.
âI guess I incited him at first. Iâm not afraid of water. My textbooks and notebooks are fine.â
â⊠About the book you lostâŠâ
I looked at Alec and Rock held out my textbook.
âAh, my textbook.â
âRock found it on top of a tree.â
âOh, so it was on top of a tree. I guess they thought I wouldnât be able to reach it since Iâm small.â
I smiled wryly. I can climb trees though.
âThanks Rock. You too Alec, thanks for coming all this way to deliver my book to me.â
So, this was why they were heading towards the girlsâ dormitory.
Boys arenât allowed to enter the girlsâ dormitory, but they can call the servant at the entrance or leave their package there. But Iâm glad I meant them while they were walking there since Iâm not sure if I would get this back if they did the above.
âWhen did the bullying get worse?â
Alecâs expression was cloudy. He already realised what was going on.
I wasnât trying to hide it. It just wasnât a big deal, so I didnât bother telling him. I smiled cheerly at him to let him know that I was fine.
âDonât make that expression. Iâm alright, itâs like an endurance contest.â
âAn endurance contest?â
âYeah. They think theyâre being bullied by me just like how theyâre bullying me⊠probably.â
âHuh? I donât understand what youâre saying.â
Alec is really a magnanimous person and, in some ways, a person with common sense. Iâm sure the bullies find my attitude intolerable.
âIâm not trying to be bullied. So donât worry about it, Alec.â
â⊠Is there anything I can do?â
âYouâve already helped me.â
I held up the book and thanked him.
But the gentle boy was still frustrated and worried. Hmm, what can I do to relieve his worry?
ââââ Say, Alec. Actually, I can use magic.â
I tried saying and Alecâs expression changed immediately.
âI was called a witch at my old school, so Iâm not afraid of being bullied in the first place.â
âWhat do you mean by that? Have you already learnt magic?â
âI made it. My magic doesnât need magic stones. Do you want to see it?â
I asked him like I had done earlier with the two boys. Alec was puzzled but he eventually nodded.
I guess you canât win over curiosity.
âWait in the lounge. Iâll get it ready.â
I quickly gathered the materials I needed after changing.
There were still students in the lounge. We were at our usual spot.
On a small round table were three teacups and a teapot with warm water in it. This was all I needed for experiments.
âAre we going to drink tea?â
Like Alec had asked, it looked as if we were going to have a tea party, but I had already prepared something for that.
âThis is my magic tea. Watch.â
I poured the tea into the cup on the far left.
The two boys were surprised to see a bright blue liquid, that was a similar colour to Alecâs eyes, coming out of the teapots.
âIâve never seen blue tea before.â
âReally? Then Iâll do another colour youâve never seen before. HmmâŠâ
I held one hand over the pot because it wouldnât give off the right atmosphere if I held it in a normal way.
âRutoe.â
I chanted âchangeâ in Mitoan and poured tea into the cup in the middle.
âIt changed to green!â
Alecâs sudden shout attracted the attention of all the students around us.
It wasnât just him. Even Rock leaned forward to look at the cup which instantly changed to a dark green colour. Itâs interesting to see changes in an experiment, isnât it?
âHow did you do that?â
âI tried changing the colour with magic.â
I said nonchalantly.
Rock snatched the teacup from me and examined it, but the water inside was still blue.
âWhy hasnât this changed colour?â
âI made it so it only changes when you pour it into the cup. Iâll do it again.â
I took the teacup back from Rock and poured into the third cup.
This time, it turned bright purplish red.
â⊠Wow.â
Alec picked up the third cup and looked at it in admiration. This was a happy reaction.
âIs this really magic?â
âIsnât it amazing?â
I put my hands on my hips and puffed out my chest.
âYeah, itâs amazing. What kind of magic is this?â
Alecâs innocent question reminded me of the little kids in the downtown school and I couldnât help but laugh.
âIâm sorry. This isnât magic.â
âItâs not?â
âThe secret is in the herbs and the cup. The herb I used for this tea is silk that grows in the courtyard. It doesnât taste good. But you can use it in ointments.â
I pulled a herb out of my pocket and placed it on the table.
The leaves are flat and purple.
The colour comes from anthocyanin. Anthocyanin is a pigment found in many plants including eggplants and blueberries and is often found in super foods.
âThis herb can change colours when you extract it and mix it with something else. The first cup has nothing in it, the second has baking soda and the third has lemon juice. I put it in the cups beforehand.â
The baking soda was for stomach-aches and Gis-nee had some left over. I borrowed the lemon juice from the kitchen.
The extract is acidic, making it reddish and alkaline, making it greenish. The intensity of the colour can be adjusted by changing the amount of baking soda and or other ingredients.
In primary school, I used to make gradations using purple cabbage. It was fun. Itâs still quite fun to do it now.
âDonât tell such foolish lies.â
Rocked seemed a little angry by the trick. This meant that he enjoyed it.
âWere you surprised? I can do a lot of magic like this. So, Iâm fine, Alec.â
âWhat?â
âI know how to do a lot of things. I have a lot of ways to fight.â
I pointed at my head and smiled.
âThis is what I meant by âdonât worry.ââ
Iâm a scientist. I donât say things without evidence.
Alec finally relaxed.
âYou want to try an experiment, Alec? You can make seven colours with this if you try hard enough.â
âThat many? Okay, Iâll give it a try.â
The waiter brought us new cups and I spent the rest of the evening experimenting with Alec and Rock.
The people around us didnât dare to approach us and were jealous. They started glaring at me again when I left, but thatâs fine.