After the brutal and gruesome execution of her dignity as a whole, Claire pondered over the possibilities in the girls' room.
'So... where could I possibly be? The matron mentioned something about 'Chuunins' earlier. Familiar, but I can't exactly put my finger on it. It's a strange feeling—in a way, I feel... dumber? Smarter? A complete paradox. It's like I'm me, but at the same time, I'm not really me.'
Claire tapped her pen on the notebook frantically.
'I'm Satou Claire. I'm six-years-old, and I have lived here all my life. Yet, I remember another life, one where I dedicated myself to... Kendo? Yes, Kendo,' she groaned in frustration. 'I can't even think straight, for god's sake. I'll just leave it for now, and refamiliarize myself with, well, just about everything.'
She glanced around the room. Bunk-beds, worn-out toys, shelves with books... A couple of her siblings sat cross-legged on the floor, sorting through a deck of playing cards. Upon squinting her eyes a little, they were...
'Huh. They got a bootleg version of UNO here—pretty nice.'
Dismissing it, Claire stood up and started looking for one specific person.
'If I remember right, she should be just around... Aha, there she is.'
In a corner was another girl, lying on the ground happily drawing in a sketchbook. She had long, blonde hair, bright amber eyes, and wore a black long-sleeved shirt with shorts.
This was Yokka Hibana, one of her few friends at the orphanage.
Claire quietly approached her.
"Ne, Yokka-chan. What are you drawing?"
Yokka looked up with a smile, proudly showing off the sketchbook.
"I'm drawing flames, lookie look at them! Don't you think I'm getting better?"
It was impressive, to say the least. They didn't exactly have good drawing materials, and she had to make do with the dull colored pencils and cheap paper, yet... the layers, the shading, and the smooth lines...
"This is really good."
"Thought so! Anyway, ya wanted something? Maybe you wanna play? I'd be down to play some Ichi with the other girls, or just go hang out with Ren," she said, faking a tear. "He must be sooo lonely out there without us!"
'...Right, the other one. Ren's my other friend.'
"I just wanted to spend some time with you, that's all."
"Really?! Well, that's way better than Ichi anyway! You're always tryin' to learn, and I really want in whatever it is, so... I'm glad. Come sit, next to me!"
Yokka Hibana was... awkwardly social. Despite being tucked into a corner, she was like a butterfly in constant movement, always flitting around and making her presence known whenever possible.
Through the conversation, Claire discovered that they had approximately three months before being allowed to take part in the admission exams for the 'academy.'
When she heard the word 'academy,' the first thing that came to mind was a Harry Potter-like school, filled with magic and spells. She couldn't think of anything else, because how could you, faced with a world that's apparently fantasy-themed? Imagine being able to summon sharp blades of pure mana through cryptic chants, or hurling—
"—fire! When I enter the academy, I want to learn all about the fire element! Don't you want to see just how bright fire can burn? Or just how fast it can spread? Orange, yellow, red, blue, even purple flames! Isn't that exciting, Claire-chan?!"
"...Yeah? I also think that fire is pretty cool."
There was something unsettling about the way she ranted about fire with such energy. Did she have a little pyromaniac in her hands?
Eh, she'd still support her. As long as she didn't torch the surrounding ecosystem.
That would be, uh... really bad.
As far as Claire has learned, there's elements. And if there's elements, there's gotta be some fuel required to use them. Mana? Ki? Chakra? Nen? What would it be?
'Come to think of it. My gut feels unusually warm—from what I can recall, this feeling isn't exactly normal for... 'me.' It's like something is locked away, but I don't know what it is. I'll probably find out when I get the chance, though.'
Either way, she had yet another hint of where she was.
Chuunin. That was clearly from... Naru-something. Academy, a place where you can learn the stuff you'd expect from a school, except you add magic to the equation. Then, elements: Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, and Lightning.
And finally, chakra.
"Like the matron said, they'll teach us all about chakra and the really cool stuff it does. I'm also excited to learn about chemistry and all that stuff!"
Chakra.
Everything clicked, but Claire still wasn't sure about it. She thought she'd have to go outside and confirm for herself where she truly was.
That said, if she somehow happens to fail the admission exam for the academy, she'd get sent to a civilian school instead. Same contents, except nothing about chakra. It would be like a school from the modern world, one that wasn't shaping you to be a soldier.
'...Soldier? Where'd that come from?'
She frowned at the word.
In a way, it made sense. Why else would you give children the ability to harness elements and wield actual weapons? That was clearly for ulterior motives. You don't train people like that for free, just so that they can play around.
You're training them to fight. To... kill.
It's not like she was naive to the thought. She may have never killed anyone before, but no one would want to end the life of another for the sake of it.
That was plain fucked up, especially training children specifically for that.
She could simply just go to a civilian school instead, to not have to walk down such a path.
Yet, just considering it gave her... a bad feeling. She knew something bad would happen in the future, but couldn't exactly remember what.
'Damn these memories, man.'
"...Um, Claire-chan?"
She was snapped out of her thoughts, and looked up at Yokka.
"What is it?"
"Well, you seem to be thinking really hard. Is there anything you're worried about?"
'Huh? I thought I maintained a normal expression. Am I bad at acting, or is she good at reading people? Either way, scary!'
"It's nothing, really. I just haven't slept enough today, that's probably about it. I think?"
"Hmmm..."
Yokka squinted at her, holding her chin in mock suspicion.
"Go to the bathroom, then! Washing your face always helps when I'm sleepy."
"...Sure."
//////
Splash.
'The migraine still isn't gone. I really hope it doesn't last for the next few days.'
She leaned against the sink for a moment, breathing in slowly as she took in the reflection of herself in the mirror.
Facing her, was a young girl. Brown medium-length hair with bangs swept neatly to the side, and eyes of deep crimson. She wasn't sure exactly how much her height was, but she assumed it would be somewhere around 120 cm, give or take.
Her clothes consisted of a simple, plain black shirt along with some trousers, and slightly worn-down sandals.
'It feels kind of weird… seeing a face that's supposed to be mine, yet feels like it isn't. Like one of those edgy self-insert characters. And don't even get me started on the transition from 3D to 2D. It's way too weird.
Either way, think... what am I supposed to do now? My mind is practically at its limit, and I don't think I'll be able to maintain consciousness for much longer. It'll arouse suspicion if I just go to sleep when it's still not evening.'
Her forehead throbbed in response. It felt like it was boiling to her—the only reason she managed to stand this long is due to her inherited pain tolerance from her life as a martial artist. Otherwise, she'd be long knocked out cold on the ground.
Or warm. It was literally a fire inside her head, after all.
"So much for a healthy body," she muttered. 'That goddess is definitely a fraud. How can you not include mental resilience? What does having a healthy body even imply? For all I know, she could've been fucking around with me for kicks and giggles, pretending to give me something 'useful.' She didn't even bother telling me the goddamn second gift, and—'
Another pulse. She pressed even harder against her forehead.
'I seriously cannot go any longer. I have to return to the room. If anything, they'll just pass it off as a serious fever—I just need to pray that they actually have some kind of medical staff around here, otherwise, I'm pretty much done for. I haven't heard of people dying from high body temperatures, but... that's still a scary thought.'
Claire took the hand off her forehead, and turned to look at the door.
'...Yeah. I'm definitely passing out on the hallway.'
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