Chapter Two: The Girl Everyone Avoids
(Part I)
Darkus had never considered himself an unlucky person. Perhaps unfortunate at times, but never truly unlucky.
He believed that fate was nothing more than a string of coincidences woven together by people's choices. Life was simple if one refused to complicate it. Stay out of unnecessary trouble. Mind your own business. Avoid attracting attention.
That had always been enough.
Yet the moment he stepped into Spēju Akadēmija... It felt as though fate had decided to laugh at his beliefs.
Out of the thousands of students filling the academy's corridors, bustling with excitement on the first day of a new school year, he somehow ended up colliding with the one person everyone seemed eager to avoid.
The girl they whispered about.
The girl they warned others not to approach.
The girl everyone called...
Bad News.
She stood before him with both hands clasped together, bowing repeatedly in apology.
"I-I'm really sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going!"
Her crimson ribbons bounced with every hurried bow while the tiny bells attached to them jingled softly, creating an oddly cheerful melody that contrasted with the solemn atmosphere of the academy.
Darkus let out a quiet sigh.
"It's fine."
He expected the matter to end there. It should have ended there.
Instead—
"...Pfft."
A tiny laugh escaped from the girl's lips. She immediately covered her mouth.
"S-Sorry..."
"...Pfft!"
Another one. Soon, she could no longer hold it in. Her shoulders trembled. Her cheeks puffed. Then, like a dam that had finally broken after years of holding back an endless river—
"Hahaha!"
Her laughter rang throughout the hallway.
Bright.
Unrestrained.
Completely shameless.
Students walking nearby instinctively turned toward them.
Darkus simply stared.
His expression remained blank, though a vein on his forehead threatened to pop. The girl continued laughing as tears formed in the corners of her eyes.
It wasn't the mocking laughter of someone making fun of another. Nor was it malicious.
It sounded... Free. As though she had not laughed this genuinely in a very long time.
Which somehow made Darkus even more conflicted.
Should he be annoyed? Or concerned?
He settled for the former.
"...Can you stop laughing for one minute?" His calm voice somehow carried more exhaustion than anger. The girl immediately straightened herself and raised both hands in surrender.
"I can!" She confidently answered before pressing both palms against her mouth.
She inhaled deeply.
One second.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.
"...Pfft."
Darkus closed his eyes. Another sigh escaped his lips.
"...Hopeless."
The girl gasped dramatically as if he had just insulted her entire bloodline.
"I'm trying!"
She protested while pointing accusingly at him.
"I really am!"
Her voice cracked midway because she was trying so hard not to laugh again.
Unfortunately...
The smile stretching from ear to ear completely betrayed her.
Darkus pinched the bridge of his nose.
"...Try harder."
He had already surrendered.
Completely.
The absurd exchange drew amused chuckles from nearby freshmen. Some covered their mouths. Others whispered among themselves.
A few even smiled.
For a brief moment...
The heavy atmosphere lingering inside the academy disappeared.
It almost felt... Normal.
Then someone recognized the girl.
The laughter ceased. One student took a step backward. Another quietly grabbed their friend's sleeve before walking away. More followed. Like dominoes falling one after another. The once-crowded hallway slowly emptied around them. Not because they happened to be heading elsewhere.
No. They intentionally created distance.
Within moments, a wide circle surrounded Darkus and the girl. Students who had been walking toward them suddenly changed directions. Conversations lowered into whispers. Eyes avoided meeting hers.
Darkus frowned.
He noticed it.
The girl noticed it too.
Yet...
She simply scratched the back of her head before smiling awkwardly.
"Hehe..."
The smile was small. Forced. Almost practiced.
Darkus suddenly realized...
This wasn't the first time. Nor the tenth. This had happened so many times that she no longer reacted to it.
It had become routine.
Even the newly admitted freshmen— students who had only arrived at Spēju Akadēmija this morning— already knew to avoid her.
Almost as if someone had warned them beforehand. Almost as if it were one of the academy's unwritten rules.
His curiosity quietly stirred.
Why?
Why did everyone call her Bad News? What had she possibly done? Had she broken academy rules? Caused an accident?
Or...
Was there another reason entirely?
The questions surfaced one after another inside his mind. But just as quickly, he buried them.
Curiosity invited involvement. Involvement invited trouble. And trouble... Was precisely what he wished to avoid.
He wasn't here to become someone's hero, nor to unravel mysteries. He came here seeking something far simpler. A peaceful life.
Unfortunately, peace seemed to dislike him.
"They're doing it again." Her voice broke the silence. It carried a playful tone, yet beneath it Darkus caught something strangely fragile.
"What?" He asked despite hearing her clearly.
She looked toward the retreating students.
"They think bad luck is contagious." She shrugged casually. "I've gotten used to it."
Darkus remained silent.
Smiles could deceive. Voices could lie. People could pretend. But eyes... Eyes rarely betrayed the truth.
For the first time since meeting her, he looked past the exaggerated expressions. Past the endless laughter. Past the theatrical movements.
What he saw wasn't a cheerful clown. It was someone desperately pretending not to be lonely. Someone who laughed because silence hurt more. Someone who smiled because she had forgotten how not to.
Before he could ask another question—
The academy bells chimed.
Not loudly.
Not forcefully.
Instead, the sound spread gently throughout the enormous campus like ripples flowing across a tranquil lake.
One by one, conversations faded. Footsteps slowed. Doors closed.
The entire academy seemed to breathe as one.
"The Opening Ceremony..." someone murmured.
Students immediately began making their way toward the Grand Session Hall.
Streams of uniforms flowed through marble corridors adorned with ancient murals depicting warriors, dragons, celestial beasts, and kings whose names had long been erased from history.
Darkus silently joined the crowd.
To his mild disappointment, the girl naturally walked beside him.
He glanced sideways, "Why are you following me?"
She tilted her head innocently.
"I'm not."
"...You are."
"I'm walking."
"...Beside me."
"There are lots of people."
Darkus looked around.
There was enough space to fit several carriages between them.
"...There's literally an entire hallway."
She blinked. "Oh."
Then she smiled brightly.
"I guess we're just destined."
Darkus almost tripped.
"No."
"Aww."
"No."
"You're denying fate."
"I'm denying you."
She dramatically placed a hand over her heart.
"That hurts."
"I'm sure you'll recover."
"I don't know..." She sighed exaggeratedly, "...It feels fatal."
Darkus stared at her for several long seconds.
"...You're unbelievable."
She grinned.
"I get that a lot."
For reasons he couldn't explain, he felt the beginnings of a headache, and somehow, he had the unsettling feeling that this girl—
This walking disaster called Bad News—
Had no intention of leaving him alone anytime soon.
Meanwhile, hidden behind the towering marble pillars lining the corridor...
Several upperclassmen silently watched the two.
"...She's talking to someone."
"Again?"
"No..."
One student's expression slowly stiffened.
"...Look carefully."
The group fell silent.
Their gazes shifted toward Darkus.
"...That's the new transfer."
"...Poor guy."
"...Should we warn him?"
Another student slowly shook his head.
"It won't matter."
"Why?"
His eyes remained fixed on the laughing girl.
"...Because once Bad News notices someone..."
"...Something always happens."
Far above the academy...
Beyond the enchanted towers...
Beyond the drifting clouds...
Something unseen quietly stirred.
For only a heartbeat...
The countless magical barriers surrounding Spēju Akadēmija shimmered.
Then... They returned to silence. Neither the students, nor the professors, nor even the guardians stationed atop the ancient wall noticed the brief disturbance.
Only a single raven perched upon the highest spire slowly turned its head toward the academy.
Its crimson eyes glowed faintly. As though it had sensed...
That fate had finally begun moving once again.
—End of Part I—