Chapter -95
After bidding farewell to Chang He and Cho, Soren continued to wander around the Asian camp.
He saw some Persian wizards with headscarves, which reminded him of Professor Quirell from his first year.
Then, he also spotted some wizards from South Asia and India. Soren finally arrived at the Japan-exclusive camp.
He saw a large group of boys gathered together, preparing food in a Muggle way by starting a fire. All the boys were dressed in immaculate, tailored suits, complete with ties, and their black leather shoes were polished to a shine; the girls wore light-colored long dresses and casual high-heeled sandals.
Their attire strictly adhered to Muggle dress codes, making it impossible to tell that they were wizards just by looking at them. However, wearing such formal clothing while engaging in activities similar to a picnic in the countryside gave Soren a bizarre feeling.
Soren recognized the emblem of the Mahotokuro Magic Academy on the tents. This magic school had very strict management, and the way these young students rigorously followed international confidentiality laws was evident.
It was said that their uniforms were enchanted, allowing them to change size as the students grew older and to change color as their knowledge increased.
At first, the robes were a light pink color, and if a student achieved the best grades in all magical subjects, it would turn golden. If the robe turned white, it indicated that the student had violated Japanese wizarding guidelines or engaged in illegal behavior, which was a terrible disgrace. Not only would they be expelled from the school, but they would also face judgment from the Japanese Ministry of Magic.
Soren's arrival drew a lot of attention. After all, wizards in the Asian region were almost all black-haired and black-eyed, so a blonde boy was undoubtedly eye-catching.
A tall Japanese girl approached him. Her appearance bore some resemblance to a celebrity he had seen in a magazine before, someone named Shin-Haru Yui. Her clothes emitted a faint golden glow, making her stand out among the young wizards.
She was the first to speak: "Are you... Mr. Malfoy?" To Soren's surprise, her English was very fluent!
"Yes, hello, Miss Akabane." The newcomer was Soren's pen pal, Akabane Sakuzuki, whom he had known since he was nine.
Since they had met through letters, no matter how busy Soren was, he would always find time to keep in touch with this pen pal every weekend. The two had exchanged photos on the day Soren turned eleven and started school, so although he couldn't recognize her immediately, it was enough for them to identify each other.
What surprised Soren more was her English, which had none of the heavy accent typically associated with Japanese speakers; instead, it was very authentic, almost like that of a native British person. Although they mostly communicated in English in their letters, writing and speaking were entirely different matters.
As the two pen pals met for the first time, excitement was mixed with a bit of awkwardness. Soren understood some basic Japanese, but fortunately, Akabane Sakuzuki's English was fluent enough for them to converse smoothly. It turned out that Sakuzuki had long admired the British wizarding world and planned to find a job in England after graduation, which was why she had made an effort to learn English and establish a pen pal in Britain beforehand.
Soren took a sip of fragrant green tea and casually asked, "Sakuzuki, do you like Quidditch?"
Sakuzuki stuck out her tongue and made a playful expression, "Don't tell anyone, but I actually don't like Quidditch at all... I just really wanted to visit England, so when the school organized this trip to England, I was the first to sign up."
Soren was a bit curious and couldn't help but ask, "To be honest, I've asked you a few times, but you never answered. What is it about England that attracts you so much?"
A shadow crossed Sakuzuki's eyes as she replied, "You know? there are few things. No matter how hard I work or how well I perform, once I graduate, very few departments are willing to hire me. My only fate would be to marry a man and live a life of being a housewife, raising children..."
Her gaze revealed a strange light as she said, "I refuse to accept that. I don't want that kind of life, so I must go abroad and take control of my own destiny!"
Soren's body trembled slightly; he seemed to see his own shadow in her. They were both people trying to take control of their own destinies!
"England may not be as good as you imagine," Soren said with a bitter smile. "The major pure-blood families tightly control the economic lifeline and have great influence in politics. As an outsider, if you want to work in England, you will probably face numerous difficulties..."
Sakuzuki revealed a sly smile. "But you are here! The young master of the Malfoy family!" She then pretended to look pitiful. "You wouldn't just stand by and watch a poor girl like me suffer, would you?"
Soren exclaimed, "Ah."
"Don't pretend. I already know about your family background. The Malfoy family, one of the most powerful families in all of Great Britain. You are the young master of the Malfoy family, and the youngest Sir Merlin in British history, as well as the youth representative of the European Wizards' Alliance in the Middle Ages, holding countless patents and investments... Why have you never mentioned any of this in your letters? Hmph! You don't really consider me a friend, do you?"
Sakuzuki pouted, and to Soren, she looked somewhat... how should he put it, kawaii!
"Uh... If I told you all this, wouldn't it seem like I'm bragging?" Soren scratched his slightly itchy scalp. "Besides, do you want me to write this in my letter: Miss Sakuziki, actually I am tall, rich, and handsome, famous, have status, own businesses, have a house and a car, and my savings amount to thirty thousand Galleons..."
Sakuzuki burst into laughter. "You are really funny!" Then she pretended to be serious and said, "Actually, what you said is not a problem. At least, doesn't this mean you can help me?"
"We've known each other for so long, helping you is certainly not an issue," Soren said. "But I won't hide it from you, the situation in England may experience significant turmoil in the coming years. Perhaps you should consider coming over a bit later?"
Sakuzuki showed a doubtful expression. "Are you trying to deceive me? I read every issue of the Daily Prophet here. England has been quite peaceful for decades, right? How could suddenly all these things happen that you mentioned?"
"Alas, it's still those pure-blood families causing the trouble," Soren sighed. "In England, discrimination based on bloodlines has always been a deeply rooted old problem. No one is willing to make a change..."
"I don't quite understand," Sakuzuki raised her doubts. "As a direct descendant of a powerful pure-blood family, why do you seem to oppose the pure-blood ideology?"
Soren's expression became very serious. "The glory of pure-bloods has never been because of the blood that runs through our veins, but because of the countless contributions made by our ancestors for the development of the wizarding world. However, if one becomes obsessed with a person's bloodline, then many talented wizards may be buried due to their background, which is extremely detrimental to the development of the wizarding world—treasuring one's own broom, loss of talent, stagnation... These problems may not seem apparent in the short term, but in the long run, they will only cause the development of the wizarding world to stagnate or even regress..."
Soren's gaze was bright and intense. "I've heard that both in North America and in your Japan, they have long since put aside bloodline theories and chosen to value talent—I'd dare say that in just a few more years, not too long from now, the wizarding world in England will lose its status as the most powerful magical nation, likely to be surpassed by the United States or possibly by Asian countries..."
Sakuzuki's eyes revealed an unabashed admiration, and she spoke softly, "You know? What you just said, both in content and tone, sounds like someone..."
"Oh? Who?" Soren asked with a smile.
"In our Japanese wizarding world, there was once a time when pure-blood supremacy was prevalent, back in the tenth century. At that time, the wizarding world placed great importance on bloodlines, with the Senju family, Uchiha family, and Hyuga family being the three most respected families, relying on their inherited magical knowledge to firmly control the power and resources of the wizarding world. Ordinary wizards had no ability to resist..."
"This situation only changed with the emergence of a great wizard, the greatest wizard in the history of our Japanese wizarding world, just like your Merlin in England. He is the great magic master Naruto Uzumaki, who rose from the weak grassroots level, honoring his commitments to himself, never giving up in the face of any difficulties, and ultimately succeeded—under his reforms, Mahotokuro was established, the monopoly on magical knowledge was broken, and the ideology of pure-bloods disappeared."
Sakuzuki's gaze sparkled, "When you were speaking just now, it really felt like Lord Vortex..."
"Where? I was just rambling, you're overpraising me," Soren felt embarrassed immediately.
"Is that so?" Sakuzuki stared directly at Soren, and suddenly she smiled, "The expression you had while talking just now didn't seem like you were joking..."
Sakuzuki took him to tour the camp and introduced him to some magical creatures unique to Japan, and they also tried Japanese barbecue snacks, which Soren found to be very delicious.
The two chatted while drinking green tea and eating snacks, exchanging various interesting experiences.
Soren shared his research on invisibility magic with Sakuzuki without reservation, which greatly inspired her and made her feel a lot of affection for this pen pal in front of her.
Time passed in such casual conversation, and when Soren saw that it was getting late, he took his leave. Before leaving, he didn't forget to invite Sakuzuki to come to England for a vacation, promising to treat her well. Sakuzuki gave him an ambiguous look and nodded in agreement.
***
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