After arriving at the School of Balancing, I separated from Emile and became a member of the girls' dormitory. Here, I met my three roommates, Aiyia, Wakaka, and a fourth-year senior called Eileen. Through my interaction with them, I realized that the world had a very low opinion of Emile. She was referred to as the "Crimson Demon," the "Red Lotus of Destruction." She was even portrayed as a character that could be used to threaten children, like, "If you don't behave, the Crimson Demon Emile will come and burn all your toys."
Aiyia and Wakaka were ordinary first-year students like me, but Eileen, the senior, was rumored to have graduated two years ago. She treated the three of us with a cold attitude, and even asked me, "What's your relationship with Emile?" She wanted to move her bed to the rooftop to sleep, even though I had only been in school for a couple of days. I decided to challenge her to a table tennis duel to win her over. Using my extensive table tennis experience, I defeated her, but it only exposed the grim reality that our dorm had four beds but only three of us living there(?).
After this incident, I found Emile and asked her what she had done to be so heavily rumored about, to the extent that she needed to disguise herself and use the alias "Emichan" at school. She took me to see the principal, but on the way, a series of unfortunate accidents occurred. It turned out that we were hours late for the scheduled meeting with the principal, Damia, the world's number one magician. That's when the curse magic of the world's first magician took effect.
After arriving at the destination, I had a discussion with Principal Damia, but received an ambiguous and perfunctory response. On the way back, I suddenly remembered that my two Dark Moon Direwolf pets had been in a deep sleep for a long time. So I went back to the principal's office and was told that if I could win the school's magic tournament, they could help me. And to my surprise, the specific format of the magic tournament turned out to be a table tennis competition (…).
With the help of my roommates Aiyia and Wakaka, and the approval of the principal, we actually made it to the finals, where our opponent was Eileen, our senior who lived in the same dormitory. Just before the final match, Aiyia and Wakaka made a mistake and it ended up being just me against Eileen. As I stood in front of the table, preparing to warm up, I was suddenly confined in a gray and oppressive space.
It turned out to be her innate skill, a hidden space where she could instantly move to when she wanted to escape something. Through gradual exploration, she could even bring other objects into this world.
Here, she expressed her admiration for Emile. Many years ago, she was called the "Natural Devotee," always willing to help others when asked, a good and reliable student, an ideal object of perfectionism, the daughter her mother was proud of.
Her father was one of the few survivors of the catastrophe caused by Emile called the "Crimson Apocalypse." However, he passed away due to old injuries a few years later. Eileen grew up under the pressure of her mother, who expected her to become a daughter she could be proud of. In response to such pressure, she always tried to meet the expectations of others, losing the ability to perceive her own desires. It was during this time that she encountered the arrogant Emile.
"Since I have forgotten, this matter has already disappeared for me. The person who wants revenge cannot defeat me, and the only person who can defeat me, Damia, doesn't want to harm me. Why should I be punished for something I don't remember by someone I don't know, and feel guilty for victims I have no memory of?"
With this logic that seemed very villainous, it completely revealed Emile's distorted worldview. Surprisingly, it struck a certain nerve in Eileen. After that, Eileen silently became a loyal supporter of Emile and even became the champion of the magic invention contest of that year. She said her wish was for the things she invented to be used by Emile.
Perhaps in her heart, Emile became a symbol of "self," just like that flying carpet, and she hoped that Emile would always fly high without caring about the opinions of others.
When she asked me about "why Emile looked at me differently," I was also taken aback.I don't really know why Emile is so good to me. From the beginning, I have been passive and following her lead. I don't think I have done anything to deserve special treatment, apart from my appearance being her ideal type. I can't think of any other reason. Even if I were to talk about my other charms, the only thing that comes to mind is being gentle and kind, qualities that any good-hearted person possesses.
However, the one thing I am certain of is that Emile's repeated expressions of fondness for me are not empty words. And my feelings for Emile have also developed and deepened during this journey. In terms of emotions, I will not lose to Senior Eileen.
Just as I was expressing my innermost feelings to Senior Eileen, Emile finally arrived and effortlessly took me away from Senior Eileen's secret space, as if it were as easy as getting out of bed in the morning and going from the bedroom to the bathroom to brush one's teeth.
Soul connection is a bond that transcends time and space. As long as Eileen's heart exists and corresponds to the coordinates of the original world, this connection cannot be severed.
In the end, Senior Eileen also acknowledged my expression and exclaimed "a perfect match".
