“We didn’t receive any advance notice either, otherwise we’d have definitely prepared a welcome party for you.”
“That’s really not necessary. After what happened at the banquet the other night, I’m already a bit…”
Flora gave an awkward smile, and Kate, seeing this, immediately understood.
The incident in Doron City had been the talk of the town—no one would be comfortable after such a thing.
Since Flora didn’t like these kinds of gatherings, Kate chose not to insist.
Still, the unexpected news that the main figure of that event would be attending Imperial Academy was a good thing for her.
At least, in the days to come, not many would keep pestering her about the Doron City affair. She’d finally be able to enjoy some peace and quiet.
With her spirits lifted, Kate became especially enthusiastic as she introduced the dormitory.
“The academy’s dorms are set up with twelve people per floor, six rooms in total. But with you joining us, there are only nine residents on this floor right now. Although everyone lives together here, it is the Imperial Academy after all—honestly, the environment and facilities are no different from a villa.”
Flora, who had been paying attention to the portraits in the corridor, couldn’t help but cast a confused look at Kate upon hearing this.
“Wondering why there are only nine of us? After all, we can’t just leave rooms empty forever. Not everyone likes sharing with others—if you apply and there’s a vacant room, you can have a single all to yourself.Though in that case, you might as well find a place off campus to live… Ah, here she comes.”
Kate lowered her voice.
Flora looked ahead to see a short, blonde girl with round glasses hugging a stack of books.
Her lips seemed to be mumbling something, and she looked rather drained as she walked past them.
Once the girl had gone some distance, Kate continued, “A real bookworm, but an honor student. She’s a commoner, her name’s Aiko. You’ll only ever see her in the classroom, cafeteria, library, or dormitory.”
As she introduced this classmate who seemed a bit out of it, there was no sign of dislike or disdain—just simple jesting.
Flora couldn’t help but feel more favorable toward this noble lady.
“She really doesn’t look like the type who would enjoy having a roommate.”
Flora echoed, quietly committing the name Aiko to memory.
Living alone, and with that unkempt appearance—her hair was a bit of a mess too—who knew what her room looked like.
Maybe she could find an opportunity to visit and see if she could get closer to her.
Since her time at the academy was the best chance to figure out how to resist Moria and her group, she wouldn’t overlook any possible help.
Before long, Kate stopped walking.
“Alright, this is the one. You have your key, right?”
Her assigned room was at the end of the corridor.
It didn’t look any different from the others, nor were there any signs of monitoring or listening magic devices in operation.
Her experience living in the villa had made her subconsciously check for any surveillance webs.
Once she confirmed it was safe, Flora opened the door.
Unaware of her caution, Kate stood by and introduced, “Aurora is an honor student in Material Magic. She hardly ever comes back to nap at noon—you’ll probably have to wait until evening to see her. She keeps things really tidy, just look~”.
It wasn’t a dorm divided into two separate rooms; rather, it was like an exquisitely decorated twin hotel suite, with beds placed facing each other on opposite sides—reminding Flora of her memories of college dorms.
The space wasn’t small; she could feel the effects of spatial expansion magic.
It was spotless, with a thin, plush carpet on the floor, seemingly unique to this dorm room.
To be honest, Flora couldn’t even tell the place was in use.
The two beds were made so precisely that even the fold lines on the quilts were identical—did Aurora have some sort of obsessive compulsion?
Before she could think further, her attention was quickly drawn to a potted flower by the window.
Kate was still chattering on about how Aurora would come back every night exhausted like a dead dog, sometimes even hugging her and begging for food in her miserable state, trying to prepare Flora mentally.
But Flora was already unconsciously taking off her shoes and naturally walking into the room.
Only belatedly did Kate hurry after her, just in time to see Flora stop by the window and pick up the flowerpot covered by a glass dome.
“This is…”
Seeing Flora’s interest, Kate didn’t hesitate.
“Aurora brought it back from a camping trip—not an especially rare flower, I think it’s called White Dots or something?”
She scratched her chin, trying hard to remember.
Clearly, this noble lady wasn’t interested in flowers or plants.
Flora smiled faintly and carefully observed the potted flower.
Kate, meanwhile, looked around the perfectly arranged room, feeling rather uneasy.
“She keeps things way too clean and symmetrical—it’s almost like she has a cleanliness obsession. I guess all students in Material Magic turn out a bit strange. You’ll have to be patient living with her.”
“Seems you two are really close. She takes such good care of this flower, and it’s blooming so beautifully… She must nurture it with magic every day.The glass dome on top is custom made too. To create such magical items, her Crystal Workshop really is impressive.”
Flora placed her hand on the glass, stroking it gently as she gazed at the cluster of blossoms inside, her eyes tinged with longing.
“This flower is called Baby’s Breath. Since she likes it too, I suppose I don’t have to worry about getting along with her.”
It was her favorite flower.
Because, it always reminded her of the sparkling stars in the night sky.
Not just a single star, but a sky full of stars.
Having someone with the same interests would make living together much easier.
Their previous encounter had only been a coincidence—she and Aurora didn’t know much about each other yet.
Now, by a twist of fate, they would be sharing the same dorm, and Flora had discovered that they liked the same kind of flower.
She had to admit, she was looking forward to her days at the academy even more.
Kate didn’t quite understand Flora’s words, but hearing her say this, she realized this half-elf with a special status truly was a kind and gentle person.
It was a good thing, after all, for her friend to have such an easy-going new roommate.
Of course, she didn’t forget the thing she most wanted to do.
“Since I’ve brought you here, does that mean my job is done?”
“Thank you for your help. But you really don’t need to be so formal with me—I said before, we’re classmates now, right?”
Flora replied with a smile.
Kate grinned and shook her student ID at her.
“Since you didn’t want a welcome party, and you wouldn’t accept my apology for that day, and now you want me to drop the honorifics—well then, Flora, I guess I’ll just have to ‘reluctantly’ help you turn this in at the registration office.”
“Hey, wait…”
Before Flora could stop her, Kate had already dashed out the door.
“On your first day, don’t even think about going to class! Unpack your things, take a good nap. I can tell you didn’t sleep well last night. Take this chance to get used to the academy bed—that’s the most important thing. Good afternoon~”
With that, the door closed.
Flora lowered her hand.
Such sudden and enthusiastic kindness was hard for her to accept without feeling uneasy.
Still, Kate’s words did bring her some comfort.
In the princess’s palace, she truly hadn’t slept well.
Compared to her life at the villa, that constant sense of being watched had become the feeling of a dozen eyes staring at her.
Now, in the academy dormitory—this room, so spotlessly clean and faintly fragrant, with nothing urgent left to do—Flora suddenly felt drowsy.
“A little nap will do.”
Not wanting to waste Kate’s kindness, she looked at the two nearly identical beds, hesitated for a moment, and chose the one on the left by the door to lie down.
The soft mattress and the scent of lavender made her senses fuzzy at once.
Even Flora herself hadn’t expected that, deep down, the fleeting sense of freedom would lull her so completely into a heavy sleep.
Even after the lunch break ended, she didn’t wake up.
Night fell, and still she didn’t open her eyes.
…
“Ugh… Another exhausting day, time to go straight to sleep. I’m living alone anyway, so I’ll just shower in the morning.”
The door opened.
The girl, weary after a long day, didn’t even bother to light the lamp—she dove straight into her familiar bed.
“How come it’s so warm? And so soft—do I own a pillow like this? Never mind, I don’t want to think about it.”
She cuddled up to the soft, warm plush toy in the bed, and quickly drifted off into a deep sleep.