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Chapter 14
“Yeah. Stephan, I-I signed up for Professor Wallace’s class like you said. You told me Lionel… I mean, Lionel-sunbae was taking that class too.”
“We’re in the same year. Why are you calling him sunbae? Just say Lionel.”
“Uh, o-okay… still…”
Stephan didn’t seem to expect a response. Despite Jaylin’s awkward hesitation, he carried on with the conversation without pause.
“Is this your last class for the day? Or do you have another one?”
“Uh, w-wait a sec.”
Jaylin pulled out her crumpled class schedule from her bag and unfolded it. Her next class was a general education course titled History of Magic, which was scheduled for the afternoon.
After quickly scanning her schedule, Stephan spoke again.
“Oh wow. You’ve got a huge break. You should hang out in the clubroom during your free time! It’s a great place to kill time between classes. I’ve got another class coming up, so I gotta go. See you later in the East Wing, okay?”
Spouting words at lightning speed, Stephan left in a rush without even waiting for Jaylin’s reply.
“Uh, o-okay. See you later…”
Jaylin mumbled her farewell, but Stephan was already gone.
Feeling awkward, she slowly lowered her hand and began retracing her memory to find the student center where the clubroom was located.
The clubroom looked just as it had a few days ago. A large telescope stood by the sunlit window, while star-shaped mobiles and rotating planetary models were placed throughout the room.
A large, comfy sofa was set in the center of the room, surrounded by plants that gave the space a cozy and inviting vibe.
It was a place that felt warm and welcoming—just like Stephan’s usual personality.
Jaylin walked over to the telescope and brushed her fingertips across its hard surface. Soaking in sunlight, the telescope was warm to the touch.
Even though there weren’t any magic formulas engraved on it, the cylindrical device could supposedly bring stars so close they seemed right in front of you. It was fascinating.
‘I’ll have to ask Stephan to show me the stars with this sometime.’
While taking in the clubroom, Jaylin gently sat down on the sofa.
It was even more comfortable than her bed back at the boarding house.
Completely surrounded by warmth, Jaylin’s eyes began to droop. Her tense body, on edge from her first day, finally began to relax.
She felt anxious. She had heard the academy was filled with students who sparkled like stars, overflowing with talent.
‘At the very least, I need to maintain grades good enough to keep my scholarship… Can I do this…?’
Her thoughts slowly faded under the weight of her growing drowsiness.
‘I can’t fall asleep…’
Jaylin’s pale green eyes began to blur.
She struggled to stay awake, but the wave of sleep finally overcame her.
And just like that, her eyelids fell shut.
“Who are you? What are you doing here?”
A low, rough voice rang out, snapping Jaylin awake.
She must have dozed off. Just a moment ago, the clubroom had been empty—but now someone was standing there.
Startled, Jaylin shot up from the sofa.
The man glaring at her had a shirt half-untucked over his pants, a necktie loosely draped around his neck, and buttons undone to reveal a bit of his neck and chest.
It was far from a neat appearance.
Tilting his head, the man scowled at her with open suspicion.
“You know clubrooms aren’t for just anyone, right? Only members are allowed.”
“I-I am a member.”
Though she’d done nothing wrong, the man’s harsh tone made Jaylin’s voice shrink to a whisper.
“This is the Orbital Mechanics and Celestial Motion club.”
“Yes, I know that…”
Of course she did. But the man sighed heavily at her response, raking a hand through his messy brown hair in visible frustration.
He looked like he’d just heard something impossible.
“Orbital Mechanics and Celestial Motion is the name of this club. Are you really a member?”
“Y-yes, I am.”
Jaylin shrank back under his snappy tone, nervously fiddling with her sleeves.
Just then, the door burst open, and Stephan made a noisy entrance.
“I’ve arrived! The king has entered the room!”
He was so loud the windows rattled.
Spotting the man standing in front of Jaylin, Stephan raised his voice even more.
“Oh, Adrian! Long time no see! How could you go the whole break without contacting me? I almost died of heartbreak, seriously. Boohoohoo.”
Adrian’s face twisted in displeasure as Stephan pretended to cry and wiped away fake tears.
“I did contact you. You already forgot?”
“You only replied once after I begged you to take Wallace’s class with me! And even then, all you wrote was ‘Yeah.’ One word! How is that contact? Real friends, you see—”
Stephan extended his fingers and began folding them down one by one as he listed points.
“—ask how each other are doing over break, check in on each other’s health, say they miss one another. That’s what normal communication looks like! Aren’t you curious what I did over the break? Adrian, you’re so cold.”
Despite Stephan’s chatter, Adrian’s face only grew colder.
“Not even a little curious.”
Crushed by Adrian’s cold response, Stephan raised a clenched fist in protest.
“Unfriendly, unloving Adrian—BEGONE! We don’t need you!”
“One more word and I won’t let it slide.”
Adrian muttered darkly, but Stephan ignored him and kept shouting.
“Ugly on the inside—BEGONE!”
Adrian’s face contorted with irritation. The air in the room grew tense.
“Enough.”
He swatted Stephan’s hand away.
“My ears are bleeding from your squawking. You haven’t changed a bit. You’re a year older—start acting like it.”
“Gasp! How could you say something so mean? Jaylin, did you hear that? He’s so cruel—I’m wounded!”
Stephan scurried over to Jaylin.
“And who’s this? A new member? Is that for real?”
“Yup! Ta-da! This is our new club member, Jaylin! Come on, say hi!”
As Stephan fussed, Adrian let out another sigh and rubbed his temples.
Adrian offered Jaylin a hand and introduced himself.
“Phew… I’m Adrian. Fourth year. Sword major.”
Jaylin reached out and shook his calloused hand.
“S-Sword… major?”
“Oh! That’s like a nickname! People in the sword department get called that sometimes. Adrian, this is—”
Adrian cut Stephan off.
“Don’t give me that nickname nonsense. Anyway, you. Introduce yourself yourself. He’s not your spokesperson.”
With a sharp glance toward Stephan, Adrian turned back to Jaylin.
“I-I’m Jaylin. Fourth year, majoring in Magic Design.”
Adrian crossed his arms, furrowing his brow slightly.
“Fourth year? I don’t remember seeing anyone like you before.”
“Ah, I just transferred this year. It’s normal that you haven’t seen me…”
Stephan leaned in close to Adrian and whispered conspiratorially.
“Ooh, so you do pay attention to who’s in our year! Acting like you don’t care about anyone—liar!”
“Touch me again and I’ll end you.”
Adrian growled and shoved Stephan away, but Stephan clung to him anyway.
“Jaylin, drop the honorifics with him. Did you hear how he talks to me? You don’t need to be polite to someone like this.”
Stephan jabbed his finger at Adrian like he was gossiping behind his back—except right in front of him.
“U-uh… but still…”
Jaylin glanced nervously at Adrian.
He still looked quite displeased. His sharp, upturned eyes were intimidating.
“Whatever. Do as you want. But why’d you even join this club? There’s nothing special here. It’s boring. Just me and him. We’re the only ones.”
“A-ah… because S-Stephan asked me to join.”
“And you actually said yes? What are you, a pushover?”
“Hey! What’s wrong with Jaylin joining?! If I hadn’t recruited her, this club would’ve been shut down! I told you we should’ve renamed the club! Who wants to join something with a stuffy name like Orbital Mechanics and Celestial Motion? A club name should be fun and approachable!”
“Yeah, well, your name idea was even worse.”
“What’s wrong with Stars in My Heart?! It’s poetic! Beautiful, even!”
“It’s awful. Sounds like something from ancient times. No one would’ve joined. You know why? I wouldn’t have.”
“Such cruelty… Jaylin! Which name do you prefer? Choose!”
Both boys turned to Jaylin at once.
Flustered by the sudden attention, she hesitated before giving her answer.
“U-um… I-I think both names are… kinda bad…”
Stephan’s face drooped in disappointment. Adrian just scowled like he didn’t care.
“Too many people just make things noisy. It’s annoying. This number is perfect. Anyway, that sofa? That’s my spot. Don’t use it.”
Adrian pointed to the sofa where Jaylin had dozed off earlier.
