friend chapter 21

“You can come in now.”

Inside, four Clouds sat in a row, their postures identical, which was, frankly, creepy. It was like some kind of bizarre cloning technique.

“Did you all have to synchronize your expressions, too?”

“….”

“Are you all collectively refusing to speak?”

“….”

“Silence is consent, you know.”

“….”

These Clouds were proving to be a challenge. I decided to switch tactics. I leaned in close to the Cloud on the far left, uncomfortably close. His manufactured expression didn’t waver, but I detected a flicker of something in his eyes. Jade wouldn’t have been so easily unnerved. Maybe this one was the real Cloud. I casually took his hand, and he let me, offering no resistance.

…Nope.

The flow of my magic remained unchanged. I had been confident about this game for a reason. I knew Cloud’s ability. He was also a character in That Duchess’s Poison, albeit with significantly less page time than me. He was the older brother of Lawrence, one of the male leads, and his backstory was quite interesting. Like the royal family, the Avery ducal family had an inherited ability: absorption magic. Through physical contact, they could absorb magical power. Cloud was the current inheritor of this power. So, if I held his hand, the flow of my magic should definitely change.

I took the next candidate’s hand.

Not this one either.

Next.

Still no.

And the next.

…Wait, what?

I had held all their hands, and the flow of my magic remained perfectly constant. I was confused. In the original story, Cloud couldn’t control his power. It was so potent that it involuntarily absorbed everything he touched.

“…This is bad.”

Had he somehow undergone secret training without my knowledge? More importantly, I was going to be stuck paying for this dinner. How was I going to get out of this?

“Alright.”

I’d just have to guess. I pointed at the Cloud on the far left, my choice based solely on the fact that I’d held his hand first.

“You’re the culprit!”

“…Correct.”

No way. Seriously? The other fake Clouds began to dispel their illusions one by one.

“As expected. Luna is a genius.”

“Aw, I almost had a chance to freeload off my junior!”

“…How did you guess? Don’t tell me you’ve held hands with Cloud before?”

Ignoring the losers’ comments, I did a little victory dance in my head. Yes! Money saved!

“Senior, wasn’t I great?” I held out my hand for a high five.

His normally composed lips curved into a slight smile.

“Yes.”

We slapped hands.

***

The next morning, we headed to the Greenfield Orphanage. Community service as part of the executive training? What a strange combination.

“Do we get volunteer points for this?” Volunteer points were a requirement for graduation.

“Lumina, you’re so refreshingly honest. I like it.” Hannah just laughed, completely dodging my question.

Right, so that’s how it is. Another form of unpaid labor.

“This orphanage is sponsored by our academy. Having the student council actively participate in volunteer work improves our public image. That’s why this is a mandatory part of the annual executive training.”

“This school is so corrupt….”

Seeing me groan, Hannah patted me on the back encouragingly. Ouch. She was surprisingly strong. Well, even though I wasn’t here by choice, I might as well make the best of it. I actually enjoyed being around kids. These children probably hadn’t had many opportunities for proper magic lessons. This was my chance to shine, to unearth some hidden magical talent.

“Now, if you draw the magic circle like this and infuse it with magic power… Ta-da! Water!”

“Wow, amazing!”

“I wanna try!”

The children’s eyes lit up as they clumsily began drawing magic circles. A few of them quickly succeeded in manipulating the water. The floor got a little wet, but who cared? These were badges of honor. This was so rewarding. This is why people teach kids. Looking at the children I was in charge of, I felt a warmth spread through me. They all possessed magic, but it seemed like none of them had ever used it before.

It’s a bit of a shame.

Their talents were being wasted because they lacked the opportunity to learn. Sending us here for a superficial show of volunteerism wasn’t enough. It would be much better if the academy assigned a magic teacher. I sighed and looked around.