Escolleia (8)
Escolleia Magic Academy, the second night.
'Rosaria Adeleheights Roton...'
Yuria thought about Rosaria.
'At first, I thought she was a fool...'
She wasn't shocked like other magicians when she created the mana sphere.
It was because she had already seen Rosaria's mana manipulation ability in the tower stacking game.
Rather, it was natural and she wasn't angry.
If Rosaria had been worse than her in practical skills, she might have been angrier.
Yuria was more uncomfortable because she lost in mana manipulation but won through other tests.
The one who prepared everything and the one who didn't prepare.
From the beginning, she was hurt by the fact that she gave points to Rosaria.
Yuria was a jealous girl.
If she didn't like something, she would throw a tantrum right away, and she wouldn't let even the smallest thing go.
As she grew older, her princess-like temperament hardened, eventually turning her into the most annoying character in the game.
For the first time in her life, Yuria felt a sense of competition through jealousy.
An insurmountable, pure monster.
Yuria felt that wall.
She didn't want to admit it.
She wanted to prove that her wall was higher, not looking up at Rosaria, but looking down at her.
Such jealousy and envy can be felt by anyone.
However, Yuria was a smart girl.
She knew that if she, who was called a genius, felt a wall, envy, and jealousy, her ability would end there.
She didn't want that.
So, Yuria approached Dolores and asked her to accept her as a disciple.
Dolores Jade, the woman who made her feel the wall for the second time.
A genius recognized by her father.
No, she was a genius who had to be recognized.
There was beauty in her fight.
'And she's also the teacher of the Roton family."
It was partly because she was overwhelmed by Dolores' overwhelming battle, but more importantly, she was Rosaria's master.
If they were under the same master, the conditions would be equal.
If the conditions were the same, she thought she could undoubtedly catch up to Rosaria.
Rosaria was her rival!
That's what Yuria thought.
'But... will Roton think of me as a rival?'
Rosaria was rude and self-willed.
She was a girl who acted on her own and didn't listen to adults, so Yuria was convinced that her evaluation was accurate.
However, Yuria couldn't help but revise her assessment as she continued to observe Rosaria.
Rosaria was pure and full of curiosity.
She knew so little that it was hard to think of her as rude.
She was, in a word, a lump of purity.
Otherwise, when Yuria asked Dolores to accept her as a disciple, Rosaria would have been on guard or even ignored her.
But Rosaria treated her purely as a friend and actively told her that she wanted to be together.
If it hadn't been for that, Dolores would undoubtedly not have accepted her for adult reasons.
She didn't want to admit it, but the biggest reason she could become Dolores' disciple was Rosaria's help.
She definitely didn't think of her as a rival.
'What does Roton think of me?'
Does she really consider her a friend?
Yuria glanced at Rosaria.
They were in the dormitory room they stayed in last night, and after dinner, Rosaria had dragged Yuria back into the same room, saying she wanted to sleep there again.
Yuria agreed to share a room with her under the pretext of observing her closely.
Reed readily agreed, and Zekehail nodded with tears in his eyes.
Having a peer friend who wanted to be together, regardless of affiliation, was undoubtedly a joy for parents.
Rosaria was sitting at her desk, looking intently at the paper.
It was the test paper she scored zero on.
She had asked for permission to take it to try again.
But what could a child who submitted a zero-point test paper know?
She rubbed her sleepy eyes and stared at it, but there was no way the answer would come out.
Yuria spoke to Rosaria, who was drooling again before going to bed.
"Um, Ro, Roton."
Rosaria turned her head at Yuria's question.
"Yes?"
"Why are you nice to me? I've been... nothing but unpleasant to you."
"Really?"
Rosaria tilted her head at her words, and Yuria's face hardened.
How had she taken all the things she had done so far?
Yuria muttered softly, biting her lower lip and glaring at Rosaria.
"I really don't like that part about you..."
"Huh? What did you say?"
"I'll allow you to call me Yuria, especially. Got it, Roton?"
Hearing that, Rosaria grinned.
"Then call me Rosaria too!"
"Fine. Uh... Rosaria."
Yuria, who usually spoke bluntly, awkwardly uttered her name.
It was so awkward that Yuria ran her fingers through her hair, clutching a handful of it.
It was the first time she had called someone by their name without any formality.
No, in fact, it was the first time someone had approached her as a friend.
Yuria, who was authoritative and didn't want to lose to anyone, had a completely opposite personality to Rosaria, who was pure in every way.
"I really don't like it."
But she didn't dislike it.
"Yuria, are you smart?"
"Of course! I'm a genius that's being watched at the workshop!"
"Do you know this? I don't."
"What is it? You don't even know this?"
"Yes!"
"Not knowing is not something to be proud of! A magician should be respected! So, you should always know everything! Understand, Rosaria?"
"Yes!"
Rosaria replied with a big smile.
Whether she really knew it or just answered it.
She flipped her red hair behind her ears and explained while looking at Rosaria's test paper.
"Now, this is how you do it..."
Yuria solved the problem that Rosaria had struggled with in an instant.
Seeing the correct answer, Rosaria looked at Yuria with amazed eyes and said,
"Wow, that's amazing!"
"It's not amazing. This is as easy as eating rice cake lying down!"
"I can't do this. Yuria is amazing."
Amazing.
It was a word she always heard in the Frenda family, but it was quite different when Rosaria said it.
Yuria, praised by Rosaria, smiled proudly and said,
"Hehe, of course! I'm a genius magician who is expected at the workshop! Feel free to ask me anything! This genius magician will answer everything!"
"Teach me this too."
"Here's how!"
Excited Yuria taught Rosaria the correct answers, and Rosaria exclaimed every time an answer came out.
They laughed and chatted without even realizing how deep the night was getting.
