Lucky Rabbit

Pandy’s mouth opened, then closed again. “That… You mean, she’ll come to Knightmere now?” Her mind spun. How would this affect Clara’s relationship with the boys? After all, they probably weren’t all that interested in girls yet. Plus, they were supposed to have a little more time to mature before Clara was dropped into their midst.

She thought about Lian, Edgar, and Kaden, who were the only ones she’d met so far. Lian was pretty much exactly as he would be in three years, only not quite as much of a loner, and hopefully significantly less evil. So bringing Clara in now might actually be a good thing, at least in terms of what Pandy was beginning to think of as her own, personal DLC, where the heroine and the villain… No, no, she couldn’t think about that, or she would just stand there and make little squealy noises until Shifting Faces ran out of time.

Edgar was also rather less standoffish than he’d been in Gacha Love. Maybe by the time Clara got there in the game, he’d shut down as a result of girls throwing themselves at him? The current, more relaxed version Pandy had met so briefly would probably pose no challenge to a girl as lovely and sweet as Clara.

Kaden, on the other hand, was already a full-on tsundere – rude to everyone, even as he was making sure they had everything they needed. He had seemed a bit sister-obsessed when they met in the library, but surely he wasn’t actually that bad. After all, he’d only brought Eleanor up once in the entire game.

That left Bastian and Dorian, and Pandy couldn’t imagine Bastian, for one, being any less adorable as a thirteen-year-old than a sixteen-year-old. He was the little-brother type, and while that wasn’t Pandy’s preference, his scenes with Clara really were the sweetest of the bunch – and not only because he was always cooking desserts for her. Meanwhile, Dorian was probably just Dorian, and if he was even more obsessed with fighting than he was in Gacha Love, well, that was really no loss. Clara could do better.

But then there was Clara herself. Pandy had met her, and while she promised to be every bit as beautiful, graceful, and kind as she was in the game, she wasn’t there quite yet. She’d barely even spoken to her own sister, caught up as she was in spending time with her friends and planning the party for Thaniel. She certainly hadn’t acted like the kind of intellectual who would catch Edgar’s attention, or the strong but elegant lady Kaden was looking for. The good news was that she didn’t seem interested in knights or swords at all, so Dorian would probably ignore her. Did that mean she was most likely to end up with Bastian?

“-dy?”

Pandy blinked, focusing on Augustus’s face, which was far too close to her own, as he stared into her eyes with some concern. She took an involuntary step back, her voice cracking as she said, “Yes?”

“Do you think that’s a bad idea?” he asked, frowning.

“What? Exactly?” she asked, trying to gather whatever remained of her dignity.

“Bringing Clara here and putting her into a Small Group with Kaden and the others? Would it be better to place her with a group of girls, instead?” He leaned back, shaking his head. “I’m not certain why she would have been put with those four in the first place. From what you’ve said, their abilities and personalities don’t necessarily complement each other, and only Bastian is the same age.”

They were put together because those are the four handsomest, most talented boys in the school, she thought, but just offered a wobbly smile. “You’ll be their chancellor, so presumably you’ll think differently by then.”

Professor Beeswick had returned to his task, but she heard a distinct snort from his direction. When she looked down at him, he raised his brows, as if to say, We both know why, don’t we?What kind of book were you reading, eh?

Pandy could feel her cheeks flush, and she turned away from the dragon, focusing on Augustus instead. “I…don’t know what would happen either way. I mean, they’re all three years younger right now, and in a different school. They might not even like each other-”

The chancellor’s gray eyes danced behind his glasses. “I meant, would Clara be more likely to be stronger or help us locate Ismara if we put them together now? We are, after all, trying to prevent a war, not play matchmaker.”

Oh. He did know what kind of story it was. Well, that was…completely not embarrassing, because who cared? Pandy liked otome games, and- No, no, she definitely did care. It was one thing if the rather smug, all-knowing dragon guessed that she was an otaku, but she didn’t want Augustus to think she was one of those women who were obsessed with romance. She adored Gacha Love precisely because it was so different from a normal otome game!

Clearing her throat, Pandy tried to put on a serious expression. Fortunately, this was one that Ms. Wellington’s face was comfortable with, so it was fairly easy to do. “I know that. But if they do have to stop the demon army together, it’ll be best if they become friends first, right? And I’m not certain that putting them together just yet would help with that. In fact,” she bit her lip, thinking, “I’m really not sure bringing her in now is a good idea at all. A lot of things happen because she’s an outsider, a misfit. If she starts school early, she’ll have time to make friends.”

“Which is a bad thing?” Augustus asked, brows lifting.

“It’s just not-” Not the way things were supposed to happen. But that was already out the window, wasn’t it? Pandy had saved Thaniel, and she was going to watch Lian for any signs that his magic wasn’t as Light as it should be. While it was never properly explained, she assumed he’d learned the method for summoning demons from a book, since reading was what Killian did best, other than killing people. Maybe she should drop a hint to Beeswick that he should tighten security over any such books? But no, surely Lian wouldn’t even look for books on Dark magic, since he didn’t have a brother to avenge and, possibly, resurrect.

“Maybe we could just have her come for a visit?” Pandy ventured. “Rather than sending Geraldine home for the Fall Festival, we could have the Reedsleys come here. I’m sure Captain Reedsley spends time in Knightmere for work, and I think Lady Reedsley would enjoy a trip to the city as well. It’d cost less to bring them here for a week than to sponsor Clara for a year of very expensive schooling. And how would you explain to her when she’s not welcomed back next year?”

Augustus waved that away. “Who says she wouldn’t be? And money isn’t an issue.” Seeing her look, he gave a lopsided grin. “The crown will simply have the school waive its fees, as it did for Geraldine. That leaves only the cost of clothing and supplies, which is relatively negligible.”

Relatively? Ha! “But you could see that it was already a struggle for them to pay for Geraldine’s things,” Pandy said. He’d been involved in the process of selecting the Reedsleys’ youngest child as a ready-made friend for the princess, after all.

Folding his arms, the chancellor nodded thoughtfully. “True. The answer, of course, is to have a mysterious benefactor pay for everything for both girls. Within reason, of course.” He cocked a brow at Professor Beeswick, who sighed rather theatrically.

“That can be arranged, I suppose. I expect you to do your share, though, Augustus,” the dragon said. He didn’t even bother looking up as he poked a tiny sliver of something into the gap between doorframe and wall. Seemingly satisfied, he began tapping the whole frame back into place, simply hitting it with his fist, without benefit of a hammer or other tool.

“You needn’t remind me, Beeswick,” Augustus replied. “The question is, what do you think we should do? Continue with our original plan, or depend upon Pandy’s expertise and bring the girl in for a trial run? She’ll have to be brought to Knightmere eventually, of course, but in theory, we have almost three years before things come to a head.”

“Except that whatever is going to happen with Princess Eleanor is obviously going to take place sooner. Possibly much sooner,” the dragon said, standing. Augustus nodded, but not as if he was really listening. In fact, it almost felt like they’d already made up their minds, and were only working through all of this out loud for Pandy’s benefit. Which was…a little bit irritating.

“And if you’re still supposed to become chancellor of Condor, then whatever is going to happen has to be so bad that it’s considered to be out of your control,” Pandy said firmly, settling her hands on her hips. “So yes, we need to do something soon, but I just don’t think bringing Clara in now is it.”

Both of them stared at her, looking rather as if a fluffy bunny had just hopped up and bitten them. It didn’t really hurt, but it was still a shocking thing to have happen. Though, wasn’t the main reason animals acted out of character because they had rabies, or distemper, or something like that? Pandy was pretty sure that was what the vet said when she-

“You’re right,” Augustus said, looking apologetic. He sighed, expression stripped of the levity that usually lurked behind his eyes and at the corners of his mouth. “At this moment, my priority must continue to be the well-being of Princess Eleanor. Both your involvement in recent events and the portents from two years ago indicate to me that you are linked to whatever is happening now. It would be remiss of me to base my actions on possibilities and may-have-beens. While I am certainly concerned by your claims, and, yes, hopeful that you can aid us in restoring communication with Ismara, I have to do what I believe is right at this moment, to keep the princess safe.”

“We are going to call in everyone you’ve named,” Professor Beeswick said. He, too, looked unwontedly serious as he turned to the chancellor. “But, Augustus, I do wonder if we’re pushing too hard, too fast. There are clearly forces at work here that neither we nor Pandora understand. What if, in bringing the elder Miss Reedsley here, we also bring her to the attention of those very forces? Perhaps Pandora is correct. This Clara certainly wouldn’t be the first student to start school in the second term, rather than the first. And bringing the girl in for a week would be far less likely to reveal our interest.”

Pandy felt a little thrill of something it took her a moment to identify as victory. When was the last time she’d felt like that? But Augustus was frowning, finally seeming to actually think about it, instead of politely acknowledging her suggestion while actually dismissing it out of hand.

At last, he nodded, and without a hint of reluctance, gave Pandy a half-bow. “I apologize, Pandora. It was an excellent suggestion.” Drawing in a long breath, he said, “Well then, what is meant to happen during the Fall Festival that might bring our goddess out of hiding?”

Pandy couldn’t help the grin that spread across her face. They’d listened! She’d stood up for herself and her idea, and they’d listened. Augustus had even apologized. To her! Of course, now they were both watching her expectantly, and she felt her confidence drain away, along with her smile.

“There are several things, actually,” she said. “But I think the most likely one is with Kaden and Edgar. Edgar tells Clara about this ancient tradition – he loves mystical and mysterious things, even though he doesn’t seem like he’d be that sort at all – where the king or queen of a country would go to the top of the highest mountain around and stay there overnight during the full moon just after harvest time. They’re supposed to take an offering in thanks for a bountiful harvest, or to ask for a better one the next year. Kaden overhears this, and-”

She stopped, eyes rounding. “He insists on doing it. At the time, I thought it was because he wanted to spend more time with Clara, and a night beneath the stars seemed terribly romantic, but it was probably because his family has always been able to talk to Ismara, but he can’t. He was probably grasping at straws, hoping that going back to an older tradition would help.”

Shaking her head, Pandy said, “Kaden, Edgar, and Clara pretend to go shopping on the night of the full moon, but actually, they all go to Celestine Point. Edgar is busy comparing the stars to the constellations depicted in the book, but Clara stays by Kaden while he prays. Then, when he starts to give up, she encourages him, they clasp hands, and-” And a beautiful light surrounds them, along with a sense of peace and love.

From the looks on the chancellor and dragon’s faces, Pandy had a feeling they knew exactly what kind of scene took place, but she ignored both their looks and the fresh heat in her cheeks and said, “Clara says she felt like something wonderful and powerful was watching over them, and she gets a boost to her healing Light magic.”

It was a great event, and one that worked for either Kaden or Edgar’s paths, so Pandy almost never skipped it, even though there was an alternative. With a sigh, she said, “Or she could just go to the temple and pray. Both Dorian and Bastian go to the Central District on the second day of the festival. Clara can choose to go with either of them. Bastian goes shopping, but Dorian goes to the temple, where he just,” she shrugged, “prays. When he lights a candle, Clara uses her Light magic on one as well, and gets the same kind of boost to her magic, though it’s focused on her offensive spells instead.”

“What happens if she goes with Bastian?” Augustus asked, a spark of genuine interest in his eyes. He didn’t look like he just wanted to know in case it would help them, either.

Pandy smiled. “It’s really sweet, actually. Bastian tells her all about the different recipes he wants to try with his new ingredients, and Clara tells him about a few of the things she grew up eating, and wishes she knew how to make them. They get food together, and walk around until they find a lost child, and have to help her get back to her mother, who’s frantically searching for her. It’s not really romantic the way the event with Kaden is, but they just look like they’re having so much fun, and Bastian lets the little girl ride on his shoulders, and she gets jam in his hair, but he just laughs about it.”

“In this ‘book’ you read,” Professor Beeswick said, smirking.

“Yes, all right, it’s a video game,” Pandy said, not quite able to look at Augustus, in case he was laughing at her, too. “But you don’t know what a video game is, so I thought it would be easier if I just said it was a book, but I’m terrible at lying, even about little things, and-”

“And that is nothing to be ashamed of,” Augustus said firmly, giving the dragon a quelling look. “The world could do with a few more people who are terrible at lying.” He smiled at Pandy, and she blinked. Why were the men in this world so unreasonably good-looking? Well, the women, too, for that matter, but it really was unfair.

Professor Beeswick looked between them, one brow lifting, and then took each of them by the arm and unceremoniously ushered them back toward the exit. “Excellent. And with that, this conversation is over, and the chancellor of this fine institute of learning,” he positively twinkled as he made a final verbal jab at Augustus, “insists I finish this extremely complex enchantment by tomorrow morning, so off you go. Good day.”

And, since neither Augustus nor Pandy were complete fools – no matter what those who had met Pandy in her previous life might say – they left.