As usual, that day, she sat at the back corner desk and stared out the window. Although the sun was shining brightly outside, it seemed as if no light was reflected in the seven-year-old girl's eyes.
Clara was brought to Weimar because her grandfather, her last remaining relative, worked there. Her parents were Seekers of Mysteries, and as often happens, they died while investigating another Mystery Domain. Clara wasn't very sociable with other children, but she did have a few friends. Her main friends were her parents. Despite their busy schedules, they spent all their free time with her. They were a very close-knit family who enjoyed picnics, games, reading fairy tales, and studying together.
Clara loved her parents, but now they were gone. She didn't stop loving books or games because of their deaths, but now none of it made sense to her.
Why do I need this now that they're gone? She thought.
To her, there was no longer any point to any of it.
Her grandfather loved her, but he was often busy with his own affairs. Clara didn't want to search for new meaning in her life. The girl herself didn't understand what she was doing all day or how she was living. She couldn't call it life.
On the day Clara stood at the blackboard during a small welcome ceremony for a new student, a tense silence hung in the classroom.
Her dark, gloomy appearance contrasted with how she introduced herself.
"I'm Clara. I've come to study," she said in a completely neutral tone.
The teacher praised her for her admirable goal, and the class nervously examined her, but Clara didn't care. After listening to the teacher until the end, Clara chose the farthest and most inconspicuous desk. After finally sitting down, the girl stared out the window and did not get up again. Classes had started a week ago, so it wasn't easy to fit into a new class. This was especially true for Clara. The students, apparently afraid of the gloomy, silent stranger, decided not to bother her. They didn't even exchange a few words with her. Clara continued to sit in the same place. Day after day, week after week, month after month. The days passed, one similar to other, and the landscape outside the window remained the same.
Apparently, this is life... Clara thought.
This continued until that very day.
The day passed as usual. The girl entered the classroom, sat down in her seat without looking at the students, and stared silently at the landscape outside the window. She was a little surprised because when she looked out the window, she saw a beautiful girl who was clearly entering puberty and a cheerful boy spinning her around in a disorderly manner. He kept running up to her and hugging her, and she hugged him back. The boy seemed to be in a good mood, and the girl was clearly pleased with his increased interest in her.
Clara glanced at them briefly, but didn't think much of it. After all, there was always a lot of commotion in the classroom during breaks, and she was used to ignoring it.
After watching the strange couple walk away, she returned her gaze to the blue sky, oblivious to the passing of time.
Finally, the whole class gathered, and the teacher stood up to make an announcement.
"Ahem... Children, I have some happy news to share with you. Starting today, our class will have another seeker of knowledge. Please be a little more forgiving with him because he is a year younger than you. He is eager to learn, and it's wonderful to see. So, please pay attention. Class, I present to you...". But before the teacher could finish, the classroom door opened with a loud bang.
*Bang!*
The students in the classroom jumped at the sharp sound and turned toward the entrance. Even Clara, usually indifferent, backed away in fear and looked at the new danger.
"..."
After a couple of seconds of silence, there was,
*Toot-toot-toot!* With the loud sound of a small whistle, a boy with slightly long, light-colored hair slipped into the classroom as if on butter.
He slid to the middle of the room, making a trumpet sound, turned around, and stopped with his back to the class. Leaning forward slightly, he hid his hands in his suit and held the attention of the entire class, who seemed to sense that there was more to come. He stretched his arms out on either side of him and began to raise them upward, maintaining a strange sense of anticipation. Reaching the climax, he turned to face the class and glanced around.
Surprise flashed in his eyes when he saw a tall, thin boy lazily looking at him from the back of the room. He wanted to shout, "Bean pod!" and point at him, but he restrained himself to maintain the atmosphere.
Finally, when his gaze met that of the student farthest from him, his considerable surprise turned into great surprise mixed with anticipation. When his gaze met the black-haired beauty's at the last desk, a cheerful smile appeared on his face. Winking at her, he muttered mysteriously, "This is what I call a spectacular entrance." Her eyes widened in surprise.
"This is what I call a spectacular entrance." With that, his arms flew open, and thousands of tiny, sparkling sparks lit up the entire classroom.