That night Selena found herself alone in her room, the soft silver glow of the moon filtering through the window, painting everything in muted hues. Kaori slept soundly nearby, her breathing calm and gentle. Selena gazed thoughtfully at the moon, her eyes distant as she mulled over the challenges ahead.
"I hope I can save Hajime this time," she whispered quietly to herself, feeling the weight of memories she wished she didn't have. "I don't want him to turn cold again. Even just a little warmth towards the others would be enough. Though honestly, I couldn't care less if he abandons this damned world entirely. Tortus is a disaster waiting to happen until we cut that corrupt god down for good."
Lost in her musings, Selena barely noticed when the door creaked open gently. A soft cough snapped her back to the present. She turned and saw Shizuku standing hesitantly in the doorway.
"Hey there, Shizuku. What's on your mind?" Selena greeted warmly, patting the bedside to invite her closer.
Shizuku moved forward, taking a seat beside her. Her brows furrowed slightly as she studied Selena's expression. "How are you? You've seemed distant all day. It's unlike you; usually, you're the one most aware of what's happening around us."
Selena chuckled lightly, waving away Shizuku's concern with practiced ease. "Silly, I was just focused on deciphering Ishtar's speech. You know, trying to get all the finer details." She deftly dodged the deeper implications of Shizuku's observation, unable to share the burden of future knowledge. Smiling mischievously, she winked playfully. "Why don't you sleep here tonight instead of worrying about me? I'm sure my bed is far more comfortable than yours."
Blushing furiously, Shizuku grabbed a pillow and threw it playfully at Selena. "You're impossible! As if I'd actually sleep with you!"
Their laughter carried into the night, dissipating the earlier tension. They chatted aimlessly, their conversations filled with trivial topics that slowly eased Shizuku's worries. When Shizuku finally left for Kaori's room, she was smiling, her mood visibly lighter.
The following morning, the group assembled to meet Captain Meld Loggins. Selena observed his rugged appearance, appreciating the stark contrast between his gruff demeanor and friendly smile. She stood at the back alongside Hajime, conveniently close to Daisuke and his friends, watching as Captain Meld handed out artifacts called status plates.
Selena glanced first at her own plate, noting her stats with confusion. Her eyes widened in surprise upon seeing her MAG stat displayed as 30, but something felt off. Squinting slightly, she noticed faint markings—almost as if someone had intentionally altered the number from an original "150" down to "30."
Her pulse quickened, but she forced herself to remain calm and turned to Hajime instead. When Hajime's eyes lingered uneasily on his status plate, Selena nudged him gently. "Want to swap and compare? Just to see if everything's as expected."
Reluctantly, Hajime handed her his plate, taking hers in exchange. The blood drained from his face immediately upon seeing Selena's stats, causing him to sweat nervously. Selena, on the other hand, felt a surge of relief mixed with a familiar pang of worry, seeing Hajime's Synergist job confirmed just as she remembered.
Captain Meld's booming voice brought Selena back to reality, enthusiastically explaining each student's stats. "Alright, next up we have Kouki Amanogawa. Let's see here..."
Kouki Amanogawa
Age: 17
Class: Hero
Level: 1
STR: 100
VIT: 100
DEF: 100
AGI: 100
MAG: 100
MAG DEF: 100
Skills: Element Affinity, Element Resist, Advanced Sorcerer, Swordsmanship, Superhuman Strength, Armor Proficiency, Foresight, Detect Magic, Language Comprehension
Kouki's impressive hero stats were predictable but felt wasted in Selena's eyes. Her gaze flicked to Ryutarou, whose eager anticipation radiated clearly as Meld read off his commendable Monk abilities.
"Next, Ryutarou Sakagami."
Ryutarou Sakagami
Age: 17
Class: Monk
Level: 1
STR: 80
VIT: 80
DEF: 70
AGI: 40
MAG: 20
MAG DEF: 20
Skills: Body Strengthening, Supersonic Step, Physical Resistance, Language Comprehension
Endou's humorous insistence on loudly presenting his plate brought a smile to Selena's face, prompting her to give him an encouraging thumbs-up, receiving a grateful wave in return.
When it was Hajime's turn, the class grew awkwardly quiet at Meld's explanation of the Synergist role.
Hajime Nagumo
Age: 17
Class: Synergist
Level: 1
STR: 10
VIT: 10
DEF: 10
AGI: 10
MAG: 10
MAG DEF: 10
Skills: Transmute, Language Comprehension
Quickly, Selena stepped forward, handing Meld her plate in an attempt to divert attention. Captain Meld, visibly confused, scrutinized the plate closely.
"Is something wrong?" Selena asked innocently, tilting her head slightly.
"I've never seen a job like this before," Meld admitted, clearly perplexed. "Your magic affinity is as low as Hajime's, too. Growing stronger might be challenging for you."
Selena Yamaguchi
Age: 16
Class: Shinobi
Level: 1
STR: 60
VIT: 70
DEF: 50
AGI: 80
MAG/???: 30
MAG DEF: 40
Skills: ????, Ice Affinity [+Water Affinity] [+Wind Affinity], ????, Judo, Dagger Skill, Sword Skill
The room fell into a stunned silence, curiosity and confusion rippling through the class as they all turned their attention to Selena.
Daisuke burst into laughter, mocking both Selena and Hajime loudly, thinking himself superior due to his higher stats. Just as Hajime's spirits were sinking, Aiko attempted to comfort him by sharing her own status plate, only for it to backfire spectacularly.
Selena sighed internally, her forehead meeting her palm in frustration. "I tried so hard to avoid this," she muttered under her breath, watching helplessly as Hajime's morale crumbled further, crushed beneath the unintended blow of comparison with his closest friend.
Later during that week, Selena wandered into one of the practice courtyards where Suzu and Eri were focusing on magic drills. Suzu's barrier spells flickered between stable and wobbly as she stumbled over her chants, slurring her words slightly and causing the magic circles to flicker and warp instead of forming properly. Eri's fire magic flickered in her palms, small flames sputtering and flaring unpredictably, unstable and dangerous before fading away as her own chanting faltered with mispronounced incantations, preventing the circles from manifesting correctly. Selena narrowed her eyes slightly, noticing Eri was purposely rushing her incantation – almost as if she wanted it to fail – but chose not to comment on it for now.
"Hey, you two," Selena called out, walking over with her usual casual smile. "Your forms are getting better, but your chanting is sloppy. Suzu, slow down and focus your breath between words; each phrase needs to be clear to stabilize your circle."
"Huh? Oh, Selena!" Suzu brightened, trying again, her words clearer as the barrier circle glowed slightly brighter.
Eri watched curiously. "What about me, Selena? My fire keeps dying out…"
Selena tilted her head, studying Eri's flickering flames with narrowed eyes. "You're rushing. You need to take your time and focus your enunciation."
Both girls nodded enthusiastically, chanting again with clearer diction as their circles solidified for the first time, earning quiet approval from Selena before she moved on.
She soon came upon Yuka and Taeko practicing near the outer courtyard wall. Selena watched them for a moment, noting the sweat building along Yuka's brow as she focused on her throwing stance, each dagger slicing through the air to embed into the target with a satisfying thud. Taeko's whip cracked harshly, the force vibrating up her arm, leaving her wincing in pain between each attempt.
"Remember to control your breathing between throws, Yuka. Exhale as you release the dagger," Selena said softly. "Your core guides the aim, not just your eyes."
Yuka blinked in surprise, turning to look at her with wide eyes, a faint flicker of discomfort crossing her expression. She shifted her stance uneasily, not expecting Selena to speak to her. "Ah—thank you, I'll try that," she said quickly, though her voice was strained with awkwardness.
She turned to Taeko, tilting her head in assessment. "Grip lighter on the handle. Whips aren't brute force weapons – let its weight flow from your wrist to its tip. Try a lower stance to balance the recoil."
Taeko also blinked at her in shock, her cheeks flushing as her grip tightened on the whip handle. "Oh—um, thank you, Selena," she replied softly, avoiding Selena's gaze. It felt strange having her attention when Selena had never really spoken to her before. She adjusted her grip silently, her shoulders relaxing slightly as she practiced again, the whip's crack sounding cleaner this time. Selena gave a small approving nod.
She stepped back, looking over the two girls – each standing straighter than when she arrived – and allowed herself a small, relieved smile before leaving them to continue their training with renewed determination.
As Selena left, Yuka lowered her daggers and glanced at Taeko, whispering, "Did… did she just talk to us?"
Taeko nodded, her grip still trembling slightly on the whip handle. "Yeah… she never talked to us back in Japan. I didn't even think she knew our names."
Yuka frowned slightly, a strange tightness forming in her chest. "Yeah… it felt… weird. Like she's a totally different person here."
Taeko swallowed, nodding silently as she watched Selena's retreating back, her mind swirling with uneasy curiosity.
One day, after training, Princess Liliana visited the group while they were sitting in the castle library, surrounded by towering shelves of books. She approached Selena first, offering a gentle nod of greeting. "Selena, I've heard your practical skills are exceptional from Meld. I hope the training isn't too stifling for you here."
Selena raised an eyebrow slightly but smiled politely. "I'll survive, Princess. But thank you for checking in. It's refreshing to have a ruler who cares enough to ask."
Liliana chuckled softly before shifting her attention to Hajime and Kaori. "I hope you three are acclimating well to your new environment. It must be difficult adjusting so quickly."
Kaori smiled softly at the princess. "Thank you for worrying about us, Princess Liliana. Everyone has been so kind despite how sudden everything has been."
Hajime shifted uncomfortably, his hands fidgeting slightly in his lap. "Y-yeah… it's… it's fine, I guess," he mumbled, avoiding Liliana's gaze.
Liliana's eyes flickered with concern toward Hajime before returning to Selena. "If there is anything you need, please let me know. I will do what I can to ease your burdens."
Selena inclined her head, then her expression softened with faint amusement. "We weren't what you expected, were we?"
Liliana paused, her gaze falling to the ornate rug beneath her feet before returning to Selena with a conflicted expression. "No… I mean, yes, you are all strong in your own ways. But… why would Ehit summon children to handle our country's problems? It feels… wrong to ask this of you."
Selena held her gaze firmly, a knowing smirk playing at her lips, but she said nothing, letting the implication hang between them.
The silence hung heavy between them before Selena leaned closer to Hajime with a small smirk, trying to change the mood. "Hey, don't look so down. I mean, how many guys get to have a princess come check up on them on their first week here? That's gotta be worth something, right?" she teased lightly.
Hajime let out a short, humorless laugh, his shoulders hunching further. "Yeah… I guess even a worthless Synergist can still get pity from royalty." His voice was quiet and self-deprecating, eyes fixed on his clenched hands.
Kaori frowned and reached out to gently squeeze his arm. "Don't say that, Hajime. You're not worthless. We're all figuring things out here… and besides, I know you'll find something only you can do." She gave him a small, encouraging smile, hoping to soothe his self-doubt alongside Selena's teasing attempt.
Liliana watched their interaction quietly, putting on a smile, but it flickered slightly with worry – a flicker that only Selena caught, reading the tension hidden behind her royal composure.