"So... you're a transfer student, Kordelia?" I asked as the three of us walked through the gardens.

"Mhm," she mumbled, nodding.

The pink-haired girl looked up at me with a slightly sheepish smile, nodding.

The two of us had just left the infirmary with Midori and we were now walking around the halls.

"I-I only just moved here over the weekend. I managed to find a patron to sponsor my education and she expedited my transfer here."

"Oh, that's cool," I replied. "Is it normal on Terra to be able to do that?"

Kordelia shook her head. "Not really. It was kind of unusual for the headmaster to give me an exception and approve of it."

Midori nodded. "Yeah. Usually transfers happen in between school quarters. Unless, you're a part of a very wealthy and important family or if there are extenuating circumstances, that sort of thing doesn't really happen. But, I can't say it's completely unheard of."

Kordelia looked down, blushing. She rubbed her arms nervously and let out a little sigh.

"So... I, um, wanted to ask... h-have either of you heard of a woman named Duchess Elenore de Rabun?" She asked, fidgeting nervously.

I glanced at Midori, who nodded.

"Oh yeah, I know her. Her son and I are acquaintances actually. She's an odd duck. She's got an... interesting reputation. Eccentric, but very effective," Midori said. "Why? Are you a fan?"

"N-No. She, um... s-she's the one who sponsored me," Kordelia whispered. She looked nervous, and I wasn't sure why.

"Wow, that's amazing! You're really fortunate, Kordelia," Midori exclaimed.

The girl seemed to relax and smiled, nodding. She let out another little sigh, but it was less shaky and anxious than before. "Y-Yes, I am very grateful. It turns out one of the friends I made here... well. It still moved too quickly for me to keep up. She just offered to get me connected out of the blue and I found out she was some bigshot heiress and her niece or something. It was a huge shock."

"You have a talent that got you scouted out of nowhere, then?"

The girl shook her head.

"Um, no... not that I know of. I'm just good at transmutational alchemy. Nothing exceptional. I tested in something like the 87th percentile, so... I mean, there aren't that many practitioners. I-I'm good, but not really anything special. And my family isn't anything special, and we don't really have the money for this. We were just... normal people."

Midori smiled at Kordelia and patted her shoulder reassuringly.

"Hey, that's nothing to be embarrassed about. You've got a talent that's gotten recognized. And that's great, right?"

"Oh! And I guess I was good at employing it for um. Pets and animals and stuff like that... Yeah. It's just... it feels like everyone around me is so much better. And, well, I don't want to disappoint that friend of mine," Kordelia mumbled.

"How'd you end up catching the attention of those clowns?" I asked.

She sighed and looked down, playing with a strand of hair. "It was an accident, I swear! I bumped into her in the hallway and she started calling me names and telling me to watch where I was going! And then she asked me who my family was, and... well, my mom is just a housewife and my dad is just a normal salaryman. They aren't nobility, or anything. We're not poor, but... we're nowhere close to the kinds of people that go to school here," she explained. "I guess that set her off and then she started following me. I tried to explain, but then they kept cornering me. And then she decided she'd teach me a lesson. It's... been a rough couple of days. And then today she ambushed me before I could leave for the dining hall. It's been... terrifying."

Midori nodded thoughtfully, scratching her chin. "Hmmm, well, that's understandable. You don't look like you come from their social strata, and I'm sure that makes it hard for you to fit in."

I chuckled. "Join the club. I mean, not Midori."

I waved my hand in front of my face, highlighting my features.

"I get you. I've had a few run-ins with her sort of crowd. It's a real problem," I said, sighing.

"Hey, if you ever run into trouble, just send me a text like you did today and I'll try and help," Midori said, before giving Kordelia a gentle smile. "You seem like a sweet girl. Don't worry about anything. Just focus on your classes and enjoy yourself. I'm sorry I wasn't there to stop them sooner. I'm glad I made it when I did."

Kordelia nodded. "M-me too! I don't know how much longer I would've lasted... That was the scariest moment of my life and I've been attacked by chaos beasts before."

"Well, they're probably going to stay away for the next little while," Midori said. She seemed to think for a moment and frowned.

Kordelia responded. "Umm... about the girl that stepped in for me. Did you two know her? She seemed familiar with you."

"That's Natasha, she's my junior and she's from the same alliance my family was in," Midori said. "I've known her since she was in primary school, basically. And she was a very close friend of mine."

"Was?" I asked. The wording Midori used was odd.

Midori nodded. "I told you once that a major Chaos Event took the lives of multiple people close to me. Natasha... she also experienced some pretty seriousl losses in the same attack. A lot of survivor's guilt to say the least. She feels like she can't face me. But, she doesn't know that the fact she survived and lived on means the world to me."

"I'm... I'm sorry," I said.

Midori shook her head. "Don't be."

"I-I don't know if it's my place to say anything..." Kordelia began. "B-but I'm really sorry about your friends and family... a-and, thank you. You speak of the Jo Loon Incident?"

Midori nodded.

"I know it's hard to understand, and I don't expect you to, Ikki," she said. She sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. "And it's okay. It was years ago now and I'm learning to move past it. But I don't think Natasha has."

"She's very kind," Kordelia said, "I didn't expect a complete stranger to jump in like that."

"Yeah, she's a sweetheart. Always has been. But... well. She's been struggling. I'd imagine she's been having a lot of trouble adjusting here too."

"How so?"

"She was fostered and sponsored by the side branch of one of the Old Families of Yue. She went to school with a lot of the blue bloods here, despite not being from that rung of society. But... her guardian lost her life in that same incident. And they cast her out of their wardship and left her to the streets."

"Oh no," I whispered. I felt terrible for her. "So, she was just... alone?"

Midori nodded. "The clan that had adopted her, the Voidwalkers of Mount Ouyu... are a prestigious family. They're one of the oldest houses in China. And they just abandoned her when she needed them the most. Against the wishes of the now-missing heiress of the house, no less."

Kordelia looked down sadly at the mention of Natasha's plight. She seemed to be empathetic with her.

"So... they were like her family?"

"Yeah. She's an orphan. But her parents were commoners with close friendships with the Void clan. They adopted and treated her like one of their own. Until they died. It's a tragic story," Midori said. She let out a deep breath, and her shoulders sagged. "But... I don't know what else I can say. I've tried reaching out, but she really threw herself into her music and changed all her contacts and everything. I know she hasn't been healthy about maintaining friendships and keeping in contact.."

"Hey, it's okay. You did everything you could," I reassured her. "You tried. And sometimes that's all you can do."

Midori nodded, and gave me a sad smile. "Yeah...

The mood was suddenly a lot more somber than before.

"I hope she'll be okay," Kordelia said.

"Me too. I just hope that someday she'll be ready to talk to me again," Midori replied.

"Thank you for stepping in," I said to Midori. "That's twice you've saved my behind."

"It's no problem," Midori said, shrugging it off.

Kordelia nodded in agreement with what I had said.

"I-I'm very grateful. Thank you," Kordelia said.

"Think nothing of it. I'd do it fifty more times if I had to," Midori said. "Anyway. I'm sure the both of you must be hungry after everything that happened."

"Eh, nothing I'm not used," I replied. "If anything I'm still concerned about Natasha..."

"Hey, you should probably focus on taking care of yourself too, Ikki," she chided, her brows furrowing in concern.

"H-Huh?"

She stopped in her tracks and turned to face me, putting her hands on her hips. "Listen, Ikki... you can't keep doing that. That was a seriously dangerous situation."

I chuckled nervously. She really reminded me of an older sister scolding a younger sibling for getting into trouble.

"Sorry."

"Ikki, seriously," Midori sighed. She put her hand on her forehead. "You don't know any magic and you're not a native-born mage. If I hadn't been around, you might've been seriously injured."

"I mean, you're not wrong," I replied. "To be honest, I was just stalling for time even though you didn't respond to my texts. I didn't want them to hurt Natasha and the girl. And I thought that someone had to do something. But it's okay, because you came."

"Look, Ikki... You don't need to try so hard," she said softly.

"I... I can't stand seeing people suffer," I admitted quietly. "I'd like to keep my head down but..."

"I know," she replied.

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We were walking through a garden now.

"In any case, you demonstrated some impressive reflexes there. Keeping up with a girl using wind magic. That was very impressive."

"Y-Yeah. I'm just glad she was telegraphing all her attacks, I was barely keeping up," I replied. "That blue-haired one was throwing bolts of energy at me and I don't even know what that other one did."

"Yeah.... speaking of which, what happened to that guy?"

I winced. "Well... they had Natasha tied up on that pole with some kinda magic and were tormenting her, so I thought I'd try to fast talk them and keep them distracted. And Natasha somehow broke out and tackled Chelsea. The first thing that came to mind for me was... well. He was sticking his head out and lined up like a football. So... I kinda. I don't know. Kicked him. In the head. I don't know if I hurt him bad. I feel really guilty about that one, to be honest."

Kordelia flinched. Midori's expression was more muted.

"Well... he'll probably live," she said dryly.

"I took him out of the fight immediately and made it a three on two instead of four on two," I said, feeling a bit sheepish.

Midori nodded slowly.

"Well, that was some excellent improvision. It's better to knock out a combatant early on if you're facing multiple enemies and you can do so quickly."

"Th-That sounds brutal, Midori," Kordelia squeaked.

She seemed shocked by Midori's words. She looked a bit frightened, as if the idea of hurting another person made her feel sick. I felt bad for her. I had gotten a bit too comfortable with the idea of fighting and survival. It was hard to think back to a time where the sight of a bully was something that genuinely scared me more than the unknowns of dealing with them.

"It's practical," she replied, shrugging it off.

I chuckled. "Yeah, I know... but... that's kind of a bad habit I've picked up. It feels like Terra is more politically treacherous than physical like back home. It's... I don't know how to describe it."

"Well, that's true. But the principles of war are similar," she replied.

"War...?"

Midori grinned. "It's like a game, isn't it? You win by knocking out the right players and maintaining the advantage."

I blinked.

"That's a morbid way to think of it," Kordelia said. She seemed a little disturbed by Midori's comparison.

"It's not a bad way to put it though," I said, scratching the back of my head. "But I guess I've never thought about it like that. I was always focused on the immediate situation."

Midori nodded. "You have good instincts though, Ikki. I found you guys when you landed that Ushiro Goshi on that ki user, and the way you handled that fight was great."

"Well... even if I was at an objective disadvantage I've got a bit of a mental block about hitting girls, so I tried to keep her at bay. But she kept trying to hit me like, faster than I could keep up with, so I figured I'd just lock up her arms. That way, I wouldn't have to punch her," I replied, rubbing the back of my neck.

I felt a bit embarrassed that Midori had watched me fight. It already felt like she wanted me to take up fencing or something.

"I was wondering about that," Kordelia said, tilting her head. "You took out the jerk holding me down and held your own against two girls using self-defense magic on you. And you didn't even use magic of your own."

"Magic I don't have," I said, shaking my head.

"Oh... right," she replied, her cheeks flushing red.

"Still..." Midori frowned. "Usually when someone uses an internal body enhancement ability they should have an advantage in a straight up slug fest against an opponent not using any. And no offense but..."

She didn't have to say it, I wasn't that good. And the wind user was just inexperienced enough that she couldn't overwhelm me. It felt like she'd had formal training in some kind of martial arts and self defense, but... it was almost like she she hadn't really fought anyone that wasn't in armor and with a weapon? Her distance management was really lacking and she stayed at the end of her punches.

"None taken. If the brunette was actually trying to hit me and didn't care about getting hit herself she would have done it. I got really lucky, to be honest."

Midori nodded in approval at my analysis. "Yeah... but I'd still say it was impressive that you managed to hold out like that against an enhanced opponent. Most people would have been overwhelmed instantly. So... you do know how to fight, huh?"

"I... don't like the idea of hurting other people, but... yeah," I said, nodding. "My dad taught me and my sister how to defend ourselves, and we were in the habit of keeping in shape. My sister and I would practice together sometimes and I had some friends who were really serious about martial arts and fitness so I picked up some things here and there, but that's it. I'd gotten into a few scraps here and there growing up where I did."

Kordelia's eyes widened. She was looking at me like I had just grown a third head.

"You don't like hurting people...?"

I winced. I'd soccer kicked a guy in the face earlier as my opening move, after all.

"I don't. Not really, I mean, that was just an adrenaline-fueled split decision, but I'd only ever fought people if it was really serious," I clarified.

I really didn't know what sort of threat he'd present, so I decided to take the one I could out of the picture if I could.

Kordelia cringed at that.

"That's so weird to me," she replied. "But it sounds like your family really cared about you."

I shrugged. "I mean... yeah. It was just my dad, my sister, and me and the world is a pretty dangerous place. So we were all really close."

Midori smiled. "Well, I'm happy to hear that."

"Me too. It sounds like your dad is a great man," Kordelia agreed.

I chuckled. "Well... he is. But... he can also be a real pain in the butt. My sister too, for that matter."

The conversation continued until the three of us reached a small patio in a courtyard.

"U-Um... Midori?" Kordelia said. She reached out to stop Midori, looking nervous. She looked between me and Midori and then seemed to decide on something.

"Um, I-I know this is going to sound silly, and it's going to sound weird, but..."

She took a deep breath before she spoke.

"Um. Can I ask for your contact info, and... can we maybe hang out sometime?" she said.

I blinked in surprise, but Midori simply nodded and pulled out her phone. She smiled at the younger girl and extended her hand out, and the pink haired girl handed her phone over.

"Sure, that's no problem," Midori replied, putting Kordelia's contact into her phone.

She then passed it to me. "And here, I can put mine into yours, too."

I blinked in surprise again. Kordelia's cheeks turned a bright shade of red and she seemed flustered. I took her phone and put my number and contact information into her contacts.

I then passed the phone back to her and she looked up at me and gave me a small, shy smile. Her face flushed a little bit redder.

"T-Thank you," she said.

"Hey, it's no problem. I hope you have a great day," I replied, smiling back.

Kordelia gave me a small wave and a smile before running off. Midori chuckled.

"Aw, that was sweet of her. Anyway, Ikki... you're probably starving, right?"

"Yeah... I haven't eaten since this morning and I feel like my stomach is eating itself. But, uh... Midori. I think I want to check in on Natasha first."

"Oh... yeah, that makes sense. She seemed really shaken."

"Exactly... I feel terrible that I didn't notice earlier. I saw the bruising on her a couple of days back, but I didn't want to press the issue and embarrass her. Now that I know she's been struggling, I can't stop worrying."

"How long have you known her, anyway?" Midori asked. "It sounds like you're close. Did you meet before school started? Like, through Dior or something?"

"I, um, no... actually," I said. I didn't know why I was hesitating to share the truth with her, but I was.

"I've only known her for all of maybe two or three weeks, to be honest," I said. "She was just a girl in two of my classes and we kinda just hit it off."

"Really?" she asked, tilting her head. Her tone changed and she sounded more interested than before.

I nodded in confirmation.

"Natasha is a sweetheart, but she's kept mostly to herself since the big Chaos Event I told you about."

"Yeah... that makes a lot more sense," I said, sighing. "She's a really cool person. I like her a lot."

Midori nodded. "Yeah. I'm happy you met her, but I'm even happier you've been treating her nicely."

"She's an angel, really," I said. "She's so shy and earnest though. Practically paints a target on her back."

Midori chuckled. "She's a bit different than when we knew each other as kids, I think. She's grown more reserved. But I don't think I'd call her easy to bully by any stretch. I mean... she was just standing up for Kordelia. And you saw how she did it, right?"

I inhaled hard for a second.

Now that Midori brought it up, I was pretty shocked by how... slick she was.

She probably had a good twenty pound weight disadvantage and a five inch height disadvantage, but she'd gotten the better of the tall and athletic Chelsea wherever the brawl went.

And that was even without taking the whole magic stuff into account. Chelsea had been the first one to escalate the conflict to that point and had the element of surprise, and she'd just gotten completely clowned when the sparks literally started flying.

"Honestly, she'd might've been fine without me there. Maybe," Midori mused.

I stared at Midori. I didn't know how to respond to that.

"You really think so?" I asked. "It seemed like Chelsea was really pissed and had her all tied up. I felt terrified and stupid about what I was doing, but that's what made me jump in."

"I think she might have," Midori said. She looked thoughtful for a moment and scratched the back of her head. "The way you and Kordelia described it though, it sounded like you intervened?"

"Yeah... she was getting beat up and I decided I'd turn their attention my way to buy some time. And I was really nervous and I thought I'd be able to bluff and fast-talk my way to stalling them long enough to defuse the situation. But then she broke free from the restraints Chelsea had her in. I have no idea how she broke free of whatever spell was on her."

Midori laughed. "I guess we've got to be thankful you were there, then. Natasha would have gladly just taken the beating, but she must've dispelled it and broke out because you were there and they were going to attack you."

I balked at that.

"Really?! I-I mean, now that you mention it, she did seem like she'd rather just take it and be done with it," I said, frowning.

I couldn't believe that Natasha would willingly let them beat her up. It was ridiculous to think about. "I... I can't believe she'd do that. It's really sad that she thinks like that. I'd like to say I was the only one that stepped in, but she was already trying to help that Kordelia girl."

"Like I said. I'm happy you've been treating her well, Ikki," Midori said, giving me another one of her 'older sister' smiles.

I nodded. "She's a good person. She doesn't deserve that kind of treatment. She was trying to do the right thing. I wish there was something more I could have done. Or that I'd realized sooner."

Midori patted me on the shoulder.

"But trust me. Everyone who truly knows her, sees her. But she doesn't see herself, and she won't open up. I can't blame her either. Her parents went missing. And then her adopted family, the Void clan, abandoned her. And that was right after the biggest tragedy of her life. All her closest friends, and the members of the clan she treated as her own younger siblings... It was brutal. Most of the main family was wiped out in defense of the city. Most importantly her guardian and the members of the clan closest to her."

I sighed. "That's horrible."

I couldn't imagine what Natasha was going through.

How much it must hurt, to know you had lost everyone close to you and then be rejected by those you thought would be there to protect and support you. To know that you had nobody left in the world.

My chest tightened and my stomach knotted up.

"Then... Caroline... that's what she was referring to."

It made sense. I didn't know much about any Void clan or anything, but the raw, visceral anger Caroline had for Natasha was personal. I'd thought they were close school friends or something, but the details here felt strongly connected.

"Oh? You know of Caroline? You know what, at this point I'm not surprised," Midori said.

"Ah, no... I mean, not directly," I replied. "I... kinda got into a pissing match with her right after orientation."

"You... what?" Midori said.

"I called her out on some snobby elitist nonsense after she wrecked some school property. And then she tried to pull some intimidation magic bullshit and tried to make me grovel. So I told her to fuck off," I explained.

Midori just blinked.

"She tried to intimidate you using her powers?"

It looked like Midori's entire image of the world had been turned upside down. Her eyes were wide open and her mouth hung slack. It was as if she couldn't comprehend what I was saying.

"I think she was trying to make an example out of me to try to impress some of her friends."

"Sorry. That doesn't sound like the girl I remember at all. She's usually a bit better mannered. Maybe it was a mistake."

"I mean... if you're talking about a Caroline that's Asian, knows Natasha intimately well, is the same age as Natasha and I, has an athletic build, purple eyes, and has long silky black hair... then I can say for sure I know who you're talking about," I explained.

Midori sighed. "I guess time does change things... oh what has happened to those two. I can't imagine how Caroline changed so much."

"Yeah... I don't get it either," I said. "But she was pretty pissed about Natasha, and she definitely has it out for me. We ran into each other again and we exchanged some words. She's... a really sore subject for Natasha, isn't she?"

"She is," Midori said. "They used to be best friends and inseparable."

"I managed to guess that much, I think. I didn't know it was this serious. Or... how personal it was," I admitted.

Midori nodded. "Yeah, I can imagine that it would be hard to understand the history between the two of them."

"Still... do you know how Natasha copes with stress like what we just went through? I noticed she's pretty bad about answering texts sometimes."

"Her violin, probably," Midori said. "She's probably going to spend a long time practicing today, I imagine."

"Her violin, huh?"

"Yeah. Music was one of her coping mechanisms after she lost her friends and family," she replied. "Practicing in general. It's meditative for her. She's a creature of habit."

"That makes sense... but, I'd like to talk to her in person and make sure she's okay. Is there a way we could find her?"

"I don't think so," Midori said.

"Are you sure?"

She nodded. "She's a slippery one when she wants to disappear. If you really want to talk to her, you can probably catch her in the morning tomorrow once she's cleared her head."

"Damn, alright. That makes sense, though."

Midori nodded. "Well. You're going to still try, aren't you?"

I blushed. Midori had a knowing look in her eyes that told me she already knew the answer.

"Yeah," I said.

Midori smiled and pulled out a lunchbox from her backpack and handed it over. It was a small, blue, tin container.

"I packed an extra. You can take this, since I doubt you're gonna have time to get your own. Just return it later, okay?"

An extra...?

"Really? Thank you, Midori," I said. "You really are like a big sister, you know? That's super helpful."

Midori blushed and chuckled.

"You really know how to flatter people, Ikki," Midori teased.

She winked at me, and then walked away.

I watched as Midori's tall form vanished into the hedges, her dark ponytail shining brightly in the afternoon sun.

I let out a sigh and turned around to leave.

"A creature of habit huh?"

I headed off, making my way for the campus gates.

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