Leave a comment

The roof, which appeared green from a distance, seemed to be made of copper plates. Over the years, a layer of verdigris had formed on its surface, serving as a protective film against oxidation. It was clear that the roof was quite practical and had a long lifespan.

On the other hand, the roof of the noble dormitory, decorated with blue tiles, had gold trimmings when seen up close, and the white walls were also adorned with intricate details. Atop the roof was a small, semicircular structure with a grand decoration, which seemed to house a bell. The bell gleamed golden, perhaps because it was either well-maintained or newly installed.

“Even though they’re the same building, they’re so different…”

The difference in the amount spent on the noble dormitory and the commoner dormitory was stark, to the point of being impressive in a way. Both were four-story buildings, but the ceiling height was notably different, making the noble dormitory about one floor taller.

“The noble dormitory is impressive. But it doesn’t look very relaxing,” Alfe murmured.

“I think I’d prefer this one,” I replied with a shrug, turning back toward the entrance of the commoner dormitory, where Hom was already holding the door open, waiting.

“Thanks, Hom,” Alfe said as she noticed Hom waiting and rushed over to the door. As she approached, a large dark shadow loomed behind Hom.

“Leafa, Alfe, and Hom, right?”

The figure that appeared was a sturdy, kind-looking woman. She was a bear beastkin, with bear ears, human arms, and furry black bear legs peeking out from the hem of a long skirt with an apron.

“Welcome to Canalford Academy! I’m Ur Bears¹, the manager of this commoner dormitory.”
“We look forward to being in your care from today,” we all bowed our heads together to the friendly dormitory manager.

“My, my, how polite,” she smiled warmly, her round cheeks softening as she squinted her eyes. She then gestured for us to follow her inside.

“From today, I’ll be taking care of you all in place of your parents. Think of me like your aunt. Everyone here calls me Aunt Ur.”

Aunt Ur led us forward, her large body swaying as she moved. To the side of the wide dormitory entrance, there was a glass-walled room with a plate reading Manager’s Office.

“Thank you very much. So, um…”
“Yes, yes. You’re asking about the room keys, right? I’ve got them ready.”

As Aunt Ur spoke, she opened the glass window of the manager’s office and pulled out a key. Alfe, noticing that there was only one key, leaped up in excitement.

“We’re sharing a room, Leafa!”

While Alfe was brimming with joy, Aunt Ur furrowed her brow apologetically. Realizing that might not be the case, Alfe’s smile faltered as she waited for Aunt Ur’s next words.

“…I’m sorry to disappoint you, but the lottery didn’t go in your favor. You are in separate rooms.”
“Then, what about that key…?”
“Each room gets one key². If there’s ever an emergency, I’ve got spare keys that I can lend you,” Aunt Ur explained as she handed me a key labeled ‘Room 206.’

“Alfe, your room is on the second floor, Room 201. Your roommate is a cat beastkin named Farah Irminsul. She should be in the room now.”

“…I understand, thank you,” Alfe replied, her voice trembling despite the forced smile on her face. Having had her hopes dashed so suddenly, the disappointment was clear.

“Are you okay, Alfe?”
“…Yeah, I just got ahead of myself,” she said with a bitter smile, but her eyes were glistening, clearly struggling to hold back tears.

“Shall I trade rooms with her?” Hom asked, offering a solution.

“No, the rule is that attendants must share a room with their masters³. Even I can’t bend that rule, sorry,” Aunt Ur firmly declined Hom’s offer.

“Hom, you should stay with Leafa. Even if our rooms are separate, we can still visit each other. I’ll be fine,” Alfe said, wiping her eyes and managing a smile. It was almost as if she was trying to convince herself more than anyone else⁴.

“You’re right. For now, let’s head to our rooms.”
“Yeah. If you come with me, Leafa, I’ll feel a lot better,” Alfe responded, linking her arm with mine as she spoke.

It seemed like it was already decided that I’d accompany her, but I didn’t mind. If Alfe trusted me enough to rely on me, then I was more than willing to do whatever it took to make her feel at ease.

1. Silva: Hello My Bear (seriously, this author is really lazy with names x2).
2. Robinxen: This… this seems wildly incompetent? You mean to say that two students have to share a key? What if one of them is away or something happens to them? It’s not like this society has instant messenger to coordinate things, what if one has to return to the room? They have to bother the staff to get the emergency key? Who came up with this system?
3. Robinxen: Well that makes sense, wait does that mean Leafa just gets a room to themselves because they have someone with them? Also this rule existing in the first place seems really out of place for the COMMONER dorms unless both dorms share the same rules…
4. Silva: well, Alfe never have any friends other than Leafa, it ought to be time for a girl her age to make more friends.