"To the Magic School. The train to the Magic School is arriving shortly."
Park Rain was waiting in Rain for the reserved train car earlier than anyone else. As soon as the train arrived, she was the first to board. Feeling the Braille sign with her fingers, she found her seat and sat down before anyone else.
'Good thing no one's behind me. Waiting an hour early paid off.'
As a visually impaired person, Park Rain often grew tired of the constant stares and kindness of strangers. Even when she was perfectly capable of doing things on her own, the overbearing help sometimes made her late. That's why she tried her best to avoid interactions with others. Soon, the train started moving, and as it entered a tunnel, she could feel the temperature suddenly shift.
'We must be passing through the tunnel where the seasons change.'
A loud voice came from the next car.
"Wow! The seasons are changing!"
It seemed the girl sitting next to her—Kim Dream—had woken up from the shout.
'Ugh… there's a noisy kid on the train.'
Outside the window, it was raining. As the train passed through the tunnel, the noisy kid rummaged for something and struck a match?! The smell of burning sulfur spread, and Park Rain felt unsettled.
'Wait, did someone just light a match on the train? Is that person crazy? Hold on... why is that flame bending at a 90-degree angle? There's no wind inside…'
"Wow! Look at this! I think we're almost there!"
"They say if you follow the direction of the flame, you'll find the professor who defeated the fire spirit!"
'That voice sounds like someone around my age… please don't let them be going to the same school as me…'
"Student! Put that match out! What are you doing lighting matches on a train?!"
The train staff rushed over to stop Esso, and then—unfortunately—he turned to speak to Park Rain.
"Hi! You're a new student too, right? I'm Esso!"
'He's not talking to me… is he?'
To her dismay, they were indeed going to the same school. She decided to keep pretending to sleep. Esso? Even his name looked like it was on fire, like burnt-out letters.
The pungent smell of the match ruined her interest in enjoying the seasonal shift outside the window, and she began to feel irritated.
"Yeah. I'm Kim Dream… Are we almost there?"
'Wait… my seatmate is also a student going to the same school? Ugh. I'll just get off last, slowly, after everyone else.'
"Yeah! Didn't you see? Any fire you light points toward the Fire Magic Professor!"
"This stop is… Dream School. We are now arriving at Dream School Station."
As the announcement came on, Kim Dream and Esso hurriedly gathered their things and got off the train. Once everyone had left and the train car quieted, Park Rain slowly stood and began gathering her luggage.
Choo choo!
As the departing train rumbled away, she tapped the ground with her wooden cane and headed toward the magic school. She despised it when people looked at her pitifully and tried to help.
She enjoyed this moment—being alone in the quiet train station, after everyone else had gone.
'Is it this way…?'
'I made it to the magic school on my own. Although, I did lose my sense of direction earlier and had to light a match to check the Fire Professor's location. I never imagined that noisy kid would actually be helpful…'
Soon, Park Rain stood at the end of the line of new students gathered in the school's central park.
"Welcome to the Magic School. Dream School is…"
'That must be the principal. He sounds like a Santa Claus type.'
"This is a school where you can sleep anywhere, anytime. Most of your lessons will take place in your dreams."
The students erupted in excited murmurs, delighted by the idea of freely sleeping, and Park Rain smiled without realizing.
'Lessons in dreams?! This is amazing! No wonder I was able to transfer here!'
"Now! It's time for campus assignments. Please step forward one at a time—"
The principal began assigning students to campuses. Soon, Esso's name was called.
"Esso!"
'I hope I don't end up on the same campus as him…'
As Esso stepped in front of a penciled drawing of an empty window, a sunny beach scene filled the frame. An assistant measured the outside temperature—it was over 30°C.
"Summer Campus!"
'Anything but summer. I really like spring. I'll definitely get assigned to the Spring Campus… Wait. I smell burning again. Did someone light another match? Is it that guy again—Esso?'
Esso lit a match, and as soon as the flame ignited, it soared into the air, shooting toward the Fire Professor like a blast of wind.
'Whoa… is this magic? The flame's flying through the air!'
The Fire Professor instinctively caught the flying match. Once it landed in her hand, the flame blazed more fiercely, directed at her. Dressed entirely in black with a bob haircut, dark clothing, and black gloves, she extinguished the flame with her gloved hand. The white smoke drifted toward Esso and thinned into a string that wrapped around his raised hand and lifted it.
Students began snickering at the sight.
'Why are they laughing? Is it my turn already?'
"Ah! Ow! That hurts!"
'Ah… they were laughing because he was being punished. Phew. That guy again… Please, just not the Summer Campus…'
"Now… our final student: Park Rain!"
Knowing she was the last, Park Rain confidently stepped forward, eyes closed, tapping with her wooden cane.
"Everyone, please note that Rain is visually impaired. No matter which campus she is assigned to, please support her…"
'What's this? Suddenly, it's getting hot… in front of me…?'
As she stood in front of the drawn window, the temperature radiating from it far exceeded any of the previous four seasons.
'Why is everyone murmuring? Did something happen? Did the Fire Professor do something?'
Sweat began to bead on her forehead from the heat and the buzz of anxious whispers among the professors.
'Can someone just explain what's happening?'
The principal quickly tried to smooth over the tension in his usual neutral tone.
"Summer Campus!"
'Wait. What? Summer?! Ugh!'