(I)

(资料图片)

"This is..." The girl opened her eyes and saw a stone in front of her, with a staff-like object inserted into it.

But she heard a loud noise in the distance. She looked in the direction of the sound and saw a girl with deep blue hair fighting against a person wearing a white robe.

Apparently, the girl with blue hair was at a significant disadvantage. None of her ice or other methods seemed to be effective against the person in the white robe. Eventually, she fell to the ground and couldn't get up.

"She's struggling." Suddenly, a voice spoke to the girl.

"But... why?" She didn't usually pay attention to strangers, but this time... it was different. There was a familiar feeling in her heart towards the other girl.

"Only you can change this situation," the voice continued.

"Me...?" The girl was puzzled.

"Yes, only you."

"Can I...?" The girl wanted to say something, but the girl with blue hair seemed to have noticed her presence. She turned her head and seemed to be shouting something in her direction, but she couldn't hear what was being said.

The girl woke up from the dream. She usually couldn't remember her dreams, but this time it made a deep impression on her.

Especially the intense blue eyes of the girl in front of her.

"Who... is she?"

Located in the United Kingdom, Mestalia is a prestigious full-time magic school and a renowned high school in the magical community. Unlike the Clock Tower, which is heavily influenced by lineage, Mestalia is not a place where family background plays a significant role.

"Mmm..." The white-haired girl tightly wrapped in her blanket glanced at the time. "It's time." She yawned and got out of bed.

The girl had long, pure white hair that resembled snow from a distance. Her eyes were different from ordinary people: the left eye was red, and the other was yellow—a peculiar combination. Her facial features were as delicate as a doll.

The girl's name was Melino Rostar, the daughter of the famous Rostar family in the magical world. However, her parents had inexplicably left her a few years ago. No, her mother... well, now is not the time to bring that up. As the direct heir of the Rostal family's main line, she didn't possess outstanding magical abilities. Strangely enough, despite that, she received an invitation from Mestalia. So... why was she chosen?

She changed into her usual outfit for going out, a uniform consisting of a white top with black sleeves, a black skirt, and black knee-high socks. She always wore this outfit when going outside. It wasn't a uniform from any particular school, just something she liked to wear. She opened the door to her room and walked out. "Good morning, Miss Melino," said a white-haired man named Oberon, with a composed smile.

Oberon, wearing a white robe, was a close friend of Melino's parents. After their disappearance, he took over the Rostar family's estate and also assumed the role of Melino's magic teacher. He taught her various forms of magic, although it seemed that he hadn't continued teaching her Eulyphis.

"Good morning, teacher," Melino rubbed her sleepy eyes and said.

"Let's have lunch first, shall we?" Oberon pointed to the dining table.

"Oh... alright... by the way, what time does the school bus come?" Melino's tone still carried the grogginess of just waking up.

"It's at three o'clock, no need to rush," Oberron said with a smile.

"Okay... then let's eat first."

Objectively speaking, although Merino didn't like going out and socializing, she was still a 15-year-old girl who would be curious about such things.

What kind of classmates would she encounter? What kind of teachers?

Merino didn't enjoy socializing, but these questions still piqued her interest.

"Oh? By the way," Merino suddenly thought of a question, "where did you graduate from, teacher?"

"Well..." Oberon hesitated for a moment, "I didn't go through that kind of formal education system. After all, I'm an unorthodox magician."

"Oh... I see," Melino then earnestly asked, "Why... do you say you're unorthodox?"

"After all, I haven't even received the Clock Tower's evaluation," Oberon shook his head. The Clock Tower evaluation was equivalent to official recognition for a magician.

"Ah... alright, let's eat then." Oberon suddenly pointed at the clock. "It's almost time."

"Huh? Isn't it still a few hours away?"

Three o'clock arrived quickly, and after saying goodbye to Oberon, Melino headed to the designated location where the reserved bus would arrive.

"I can't believe that such a prestigious high school would still use buses, such an ancient thing," Melino murmured quietly.

"But... I'm still looking forward to... the future... maybe," she thought to herself.

However, she also had concerns. Being so weak... she would likely face discrimination.

She knew that in the world of magicians, discrimination based on differences in strength was severe, especially for someone like her who came from a prestigious family but had weak abilities. She would likely face discrimination even more.

But...

A new place, a new life.

What would it represent in the end?

(II)

After boarding the bus, Melino kept her chin on her hand and looked out of the window. She didn't pay attention to the people around her. It was her first time taking this kind of bus for an outing.

"This bus is so strange," Melino sat on the bus, and her biggest feeling was that this was no ordinary bus. It gave her a different sensation.

"It's powered by magic," the person next to her seemed to notice Melino's confusion and explained to her.

"Hmm..." Melino didn't expect a stranger to start a conversation with her. She tilted her head and looked at the person.

The person was a girl with pink hair, radiating a lively vibe at first glance. But... she didn't know her? Melino looked at the person with a puzzled expression. She was wearing a white lab coat that seemed to be worn by laboratory personnel, which appeared baggy and oversized on her.

"Oh, you're also a student of Mestalia, right?" the pink-haired girl suddenly asked Melino.

"Yes," Melino nodded lightly. She inwardly complained that it was obvious.

"What a coincidence! I am too!" the girl said with a smile. She extended her hand towards Melino. "I'm Dorothy! Dorothy Crain, nice to meet you!"

"Hmm... Melino Rostar," Merino didn't respond to the extended hand, but replied coldly.

She found it difficult to respond to such unexpected greetings.

"Oh? Melino, aren't you happy?" Dorothy looked at Melino and asked.

"Not really," Melino shook her head, maintaining her cold tone.

"Oh? Okay then. Let me introduce myself again!" Dorothy paused and said seriously, "I'm Dorothy Crain, and my hobby is magical technology. Nice to meet you, Melino."

"Hmm. Nice to meet you," Merino nodded.

"Oh~ You see, you're still so aloof."

"Do you think so?" Melino shook her head, looking at the somewhat inexplicable girl in front of her.

After about two hours, the bus finally arrived at its destination. "Oh, I have something to attend to, so I won't go to the main entrance for registration," Dorothy said to Melino.

"Alright, then I'll go by myself," Melino replied in the same cold tone.

"But this place... it's so big," Melino exclaimed as she stepped off the bus, overwhelmed by the vastness of Mestalia. In the center were two typical British-style buildings, surrounded by several two or three-story smaller buildings. The open space around them was larger than Melino had anticipated. It was said that these buildings were constructed before a certain New Self Mother even come to power... The thought left Melino feeling quite strange.

"The main entrance... should be over there, right?" Melino spotted an entrance in the distance, where a few staff members were standing, and walked towards it.

"Remember to register before entering the campus," a person standing there announced through a microphone.

"Register..." Melino approached and saw a form on a table. After explaining the situation to the person, she took the form and began filling it out.

Actually, the form didn't contain much information, just basic details like name and such.

However, when the person took the form, they frowned slightly. "Melino Rostar... Rostar..."

"Is there a problem?" Melino asked.

"Oh, no." The person placed the form on a nearby device and scanned it. "You can go in now. Remember to go to the auditorium on the ground floor of the building on the left. That's where the freshmen orientation ceremony is taking place."

"Thank you."

"Oh, by the way, here," the person handed Melino a small book. "This is the new student handbook."

"A handbook..." Melino took it and opened the book. "Mestalia admits 135 new students this year... divided into 12 disciplines..." 135 students? Melino raised an eyebrow. Wasn't secretive magic supposed to be taught here? How could they admit so many young magicians of the same age?

In reality, the book didn't contain much substantial information. It simply introduced the locations of various school facilities, such as dormitories and classrooms, and provided some basic school regulations.

"No entry to the underground level...?" Melino's attention was drawn to one particular rule. "Why is that...?"

Shaking her head, Melino thought, "Forget about it. I'll just go to the auditorium."

In the auditorium, Melino noticed that there were already some people present. Suddenly, she heard someone calling her name and turned around to see Dorothy.

"What a coincidence," Dorothy cheerfully ran over. "Meeting Melino here of all places."

"But isn't this orientation for all first-year students?"

"Huh? Is that so?" Dorothy seemed to have just thought about that.

"You knew all along, didn't you?"

"By the way, which dormitory are you staying in, Melino?" Dorothy abruptly changed the topic and asked.

"Oh... let me check." Melino took out the key she had just received. "Room 104."

"Wow! What a coincidence!" Dorothy exclaimed happily. "I'm in Room 103."

"Neighbors, huh..." Melino marveled at the coincidences of life. "But I wonder who my roommate will be..." after all, the school assigned two students to each dorm room.

"Quiet, everyone, quiet," suddenly, someone spoke from the podium.

"Oh, it's starting," Dorothy pointed to the man on the podium. He wore a neatly tied necktie, was tall and thin, and had a pair of black-framed glasses, giving off a refined vibe. "He's the headmaster."

"The headmaster..." Melino glanced at the man and suddenly felt a sense of familiarity, but she couldn't pinpoint where she had seen him before.

"Welcome to Mestalia... Good afternoon, everyone. I am the headmaster here, Belgamo Cavendish. We are about to embark on a six-year journey together."

The rest of the speech was the typical fare of an orientation, but Melino didn't pay much attention. After it ended, she and Dorothy headed back to their dormitories. Suddenly, a girl with deep blue hair intercepted them.

"Melino Rostar." It wasn't a question, but a firm and cold statement.

"Who are you...?" Melino looked at the girl with confusion. She didn't recall knowing this person.

But when she saw the girl's face, it suddenly clicked. It was the same person she had seen in her dreams.

"You..." the girl stared at Melino's face, making her uncomfortable. "You want to survive, don't you?"

"What...?"

(III)

"Do you want to live a good life?" The blue-haired girl asked Melino.

"What?" Merino felt like she had misheard.

"Do you value your own life?" She repeated the question with a blank expression. Before Melino could answer, she continued, "Is your life meaningful?"

"Are there enough people in this world for you to cherish?" She asked again.

"What... do you mean?" Melino didn't understand why the girl was asking such questions. She examined the girl's face, and her eyes, as clear as sapphires, instantly captivated Melino.

"If that's the case," the girl said, "please don't try to become someone different from who you are now. Just remain as Melino. If you don't, everything will come to an end. It will collapse in an instant."

"What are you talking about?" Melino didn't comprehend these words.

"Please avoid contact with any strange individuals and refrain from venturing into unfamiliar territories. The present is the best."

"What... are you saying?" Dorothy also approached, staring at the girl in front of them.

"I wasn't talking to you, Dorothy Crain," the girl didn't even look at Dorothy. "Only by doing so can you stay safe," she said while looking at Melino.

"Hey... you..." Melino was about to call out to the person, but she turned around and left, leaving behind the figure clad in a blue and white uniform.

Melino still didn't know the true identity of the girl, but...

"Now, is this current life the best?"

"How strange," Dorothy remarked as she watched the figure walk away. "Does Melino know her?"

"I don't know," Melino shook her head. "But it seems like... I've seen her in the dream?"

"Huh? In the dream?" Dorothy looked at Melino curiously. "Could it be... a lover from another time?"

"What... are you talking about?" Melino vigorously shook her head. "I'm seriously agonizing over this question!"

"Ah, forget it!" Dorothy waved her hand. "Let's go eat!"

"Um, should we go back to the dormitory and drop off our things first?"

"Let's eat first, okay?"

"Huh? Alright."

"But that girl from earlier, she was strange, but indeed very beautiful, wasn't she?" 

"Why are you still talking about that?"

After finishing their meal and returning to the dormitory, Melino opened the dormitory door with a mix of anticipation and uneasiness about who her roommate would be, only to find that there was no one in the dormitory at all. However, there were indeed two bedrooms.

At this hour... Melino glanced at the clock. Since it was almost nine o'clock and no one had arrived, it was probably assigned to her alone.

Melino suddenly felt a sense of loss.

"But the environment here is quite nice," Melino looked around. The furnishings in this dormitory were comparable to many hotels.

Since there was no roommate, she could choose either of the two bedrooms. After some thought, she chose the one on the left.

She lay down on the bed, her mind filled with thoughts of the girl's words. "What does she mean... why did she ask those questions?" Melino still didn't understand.

"But... she must be the girl from my dream, right?" Melino remembered the dream she had last night.

"But if she's also a freshman... then there's a chance to see her again, right?"

Although it was a nonsensical thought, Melino still wanted to know why she had said those things.

(IV)

While Melino was still immersed in her dreams, she was awakened by a rapid knocking on the door.

"Hey... Who is it? So early in the morning," she muttered as she put on her clothes and got up to open the door. It was Dorothy.

"What's up?" Melino asked, clearly unhappy about being woken up so early.

"Huh? Aren't we supposed to go to class?" Dorothy looked surprised at Melino.

"Oh... Is that so?" Melino quickly checked the clock and realized that she had less than half an hour left before the scheduled class time.

"Huh? Could it be...? Sleeping in is not a good idea," Dorothy said playfully.

"Ah, alright." Melino gave a wry smile. "Wait for me, I'll change my clothes."

After changing into her outfit for the day, Melino grabbed a small bag and left the room, still complaining in her mind about the early class schedule at the school.

"Oh, by the way." Dorothy suddenly stopped and turned back to Melino. "Melino, haven't you had breakfast yet?"

"Um..." Melino nodded slightly, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"Okay, then here you go." Dorothy took a bag of bread from her jacket pocket and handed it to Melino. "It's from the cafeteria for breakfast."

"Wha... You actually have the habit of carrying packed food?" Melino looked at Dorothy in disbelief.

"Huh? What's the big deal? I just thought you probably haven't eaten, so I brought one for you," Dorothy shrugged.

"Huh? But... why..." Melino was about to ask Dorothy why she was taking care of her like this, considering they had only known each other for a day. But suddenly, Dorothy exclaimed loudly, "Ah, it's almost time! Let's hurry!"

"Oh... Okay." Melino followed Dorothy's lead and quickened her pace.

In the classroom, since it was the first class, everyone could choose their seats freely. Melino instinctively chose a seat in the back row, while Dorothy chose to sit in front of her.

"Why did you choose this seat?" Dorothy whispered to Melino.

"It's convenient for sleeping during class."

"Huh?" Dorothy looked at Melino in surprise. "You... you shouldn't consider such things, right??"

After a while, just as Melino had anticipated, the blue-haired girl who had stopped her yesterday walked into the classroom. As soon as she entered, she looked around, seemingly searching for something. Finally, she chose a seat in the front of the classroom.

The first class was math, and the teacher seemed focused on writing on the blackboard. Suddenly, he turned around and picked up the list of students' names from the desk. "Next... let's have student Isger answer a question. Rosatina Isger, please."

"Rosatina..." Melino heard this name and felt a strange sense of familiarity.

The blue-haired girl stood up, took the chalk, and walked towards the blackboard. "She..." Melino didn't expect her to be the one called "Rosatina."

"That's not the same person as yesterday..." Dorothy also turned around and whispered to Melino.

In no time, the calculations she made filled the entire blackboard. Then, she skillfully tossed the chalk into the chalk tray and returned to her seat.

"So impressive..." the whole class applauded her.

"Completely correct..." the teacher looked at the content written by Rosatina, appreciating her work.

"She's extraordinary..." Dorothy turned back and whispered to Melino.

"Yes... she is... but since she got the right answer, I'm surprised why she was asked that kind of question in the first place."

The second class was history.

"Strange... Isn't this a magic school?" Melino whispered to Dorothy.

"Yes, the practical classes in the afternoon teach practical magic, while the morning classes are mostly theory lessons," Dorothy replied.

"I see..."

"Didn't Melino check the class schedule?"

"Um... I'll check it when I get back."

Due to staying up late last night, Melino began to feel drowsy during class, and eventually, the drowsiness overcame her.

"Melino Rostar?" she suddenly heard someone calling her name. She opened her eyes and realized it was the teacher calling her. "Please answer this question."

"Hmm... What's the question?" Melino stood up, speaking calmly.

"Hmm..." The whole class stared at Melino.

"Please give a brief description of Trotskyism."

"Hmm..." Dorothy frowned. This wasn't the question the teacher had just asked, nor was it in the textbook. It was clear that the teacher wanted to embarrass Melino.

Melino, however, maintained her calm tone. "Trotskyism, represented by the theory of permanent revolution... Furthermore, even though the official evaluation is like this, I believe that Trotskyism actually has its merits..." Melino spoke for a full ten minutes before the teacher stopped her. It was evident that the teacher was embarrassed. "Stop... Thank you, Rostar, for your excellent analysis."

The surrounding classmates seemed completely immersed in Melino's speech, and when she sat down, they gave her enthusiastic applause.

"So impressive..." Dorothy was amazed by Melino's performance.

"Oh, but... it's time for class to end." The teacher glanced at the clock. "One more thing, our class needs a student in charge of health, whose main responsibility is to accompany classmates to the infirmary. Does anyone want to take up this role?"

"It's a thankless task..." Dorothy began to speak, but before she could finish, Rosatina raised her hand. "Teacher, I would like to take on this responsibility."

"Isger, are there no other students who have the same willingness?" There was no response.

"Very well, then let Rosatina Isger be our student in charge of health." The teacher nodded.

"Is it that casual..." Melino felt puzzled.

"If anyone needs to go to the infirmary to get medication, please go with Isger." The teacher said this and turned to walk out of the classroom.

"Oh... huh?" Melino suddenly remembered that she needed to go to the infirmary to get her medication. She had some heart problems, so she needed to take medication regularly. This was something she had specifically informed the school about before enrolling.

The school's response was, "After enrollment, please come to the infirmary on time to get your medication."

But after all, the school didn't ask her what medication she was taking.

How did they know what medication she needed?

Melino had never understood this.

At this moment, Rosatina stood up. "Melino Rostar." Her voice still carried that coldness."Please come with me."

"What... What are you going to do?" Before Melino could respond, Dorothy stood up. Dissatisfied, she said, "Nothing, just taking her to the infirmary to get her medication," Rosatina replied.

"Hmm..." Dorothy wanted to say something more but was stopped by Melino. "Okay, I'll go with you." Melino nodded.

But now she was even more confused. "How does she know that I... need medication?"

The two of them walked out of the classroom, with Rosatina in the front and Melino, who was much shorter, following behind.

(V)

Rosatina and Melino walked down the corridor, with Melino looking at Rosatina's cold expression and feeling that she should say something to her.

"Um... What's your name?" Melino tried to use this awkward small talk to ease the tension.

"Rosatina Isger," she replied with the same unemotional tone.

"Isger... It's a nice name," Melino thought for a moment. "Very pleasant-sounding."

"...?" Rosatina suddenly had a strange expression on her face, as if she was restraining something while biting her lip.

"Oh... wait... I didn't mean it that way..." Melino felt that she might have said something wrong. "I meant..."

"No, it's okay," Rosatina shook her head. "You can call me Tina."

"Huh?" Melino felt surprised. She didn't expect that someone she just met would want her to call her by such a name.

"Tina... ?" She still felt awkward, but when she called her that, she suddenly felt a sense of familiarity.

"I... No, it's nothing," Rosatina shook her head. She turned to Melino and said, "You're just an ordinary student. Always remember that." As she said this, she still frowned, but there seemed to be more concern than before.

"Um... Okay..." Although she didn't understand what conclusion this was coming from, Melino nodded. She did want to ask Tina what she meant, but... well, considering the other person's aura...

Maybe it's better to let it go.

In the infirmary, the nurse nodded thoughtfully after asking a few questions to both of them. Then she handed Melino the required medication.

It's really... Melino looked at the bag of medication in her hand and felt a strange sensation. It actually... perfectly matched her needs... without even asking her any questions related to her health.

It's so strange. Is this really a magic school?

Or perhaps...?

"By the way, where do you live, Tina?" Melino asked Rosatina. She usually didn't like talking to people, but for some reason, she didn't feel that way when she was around Rosatina.

"I don't live in the dormitory," Rosatina shook her head.

"Huh?" Melino felt puzzled. "Then...?" She was about to ask if all students were supposed to live in the dormitory, but Rosatina suddenly remembered something. "Oh wait, Melino, I have something to do. I won't accompany you back to the classroom."

"Oh... okay..." Melino looked at Rosatina and didn't say anything more.

After Rosatina finished speaking, she quickly walked towards the other end of the corridor.

Melino walked back to the classroom alone when suddenly someone blocked her path. It was the man who gave a speech at the opening ceremony, the principal of the school, Belgamo Cavendish. She didn't notice it that day, but upon closer observation, Melino realized that he was actually quite thin, giving off a feeling that he could collapse at any moment.

"Are you Melino Rostar?" Belgamo asked her.

"Yes... Principal, do you need something?"

"No... no... nothing," Belgamo shook his head, looking flustered. "Are you having a good day in school?"

"Uh... of course," Melino didn't understand why she was being asked such a question.

"That's good... If there's anything, remember to report it to the school authorities," Belgamo said and quickly hurried away.

"What... what... was that all about?" Melino felt strange. Due to her experiences in middle school, being questioned by the principal or teachers always gave her a sense of unease.

"Well..." After returning to the dormitory, Melino specifically sought out Dorothy and told her about what she had witnessed.

"That girl with the blue hair... she's really strange," Dorothy agreed, nodding.

"But it seems like she's not a bad person..." Melino said. "Yeah... that's true... and the fact that the principal approached you willingly... about something like this..." Dorothy rested her chin on her hand. "What on earth... is going on?"

"Who knows?" Melino stretched and yawned. "We'll just have to take it one step at a time." Maybe it was because Dorothy was so lively, but Melino felt that she could start to relax a bit after these few days.

"Yeah," Dorothy nodded. "After all, no one knows what will happen tomorrow."

"That's true," Dorothy grabbed Melino's hand, startling her. "We should eagerly await the possibilities of each new day, right?"

"Eagerly await, huh..." Melino gave a wry smile. Her past experiences didn't align with that sentiment, but as she looked at the girl in front of her, she smiled meaningfully and said, "Yes, after all, tomorrow is a word filled with countless possibilities."

"Yes, a tomorrow filled with countless possibilities. The beginning of everything should be remembered, right?" Dorothy joked.

"Probably no one will remember, right?"

"We'll remember, and that's enough!"

"Really..." Melino sighed as she looked at the girl in front of her. She was truly an inexplicable girl... but... this was just the beginning of her life at the academy...

Well, a very nice day, isn't it?

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