Chapter 22
Evangeline placed her hand on her mask, noticing Mana's impatient trembling. With a mischievous grin, she slowly lowered her mask, revealing another mask beneath.
"Are you serious, Evangeline? This isn't funny," Mana exclaimed, her voice filled with annoyance.
Evangeline chuckled at Mana's reaction. "You should have seen your face just then. Maybe one day, you'll get to see what's under my mask," she teased.
"I hate you. But don't worry, I'll find a way to uncover your secret," Mana declared confidently.
"Good luck with that. Many have tried, but they've all failed," Evangeline replied, a hint of mystery in her voice.
"I'll be the first to succeed then. I have a question, though. Why do you have a scar on your belly? What happened, if you don't mind me asking?" Mana inquired, her curiosity evident.
"Perhaps I'll tell you when I trust you enough," Evangeline responded, leaving Mana slightly disappointed.
Quickly finishing their shower, they exited the bathroom and headed to their room to change into their school uniforms. As they prepared to leave for school, Evangeline realized they were not in the same class.
"Mana, if I recall correctly, we're not in the same class. How are we going to handle this?" Evangeline scratched her head, pondering the situation.
"You're right. It's all because of the principal. How are we going to manage?" Mana expressed her concern.
Just then, the principal's voice called out to them. Evangeline turned around to find the principal and Seiko standing nearby, the latter laughing upon seeing them handcuffed together. Evangeline gave him a disapproving glare, but it only made him laugh harder.
"Evangeline, Mana, so you're enjoying my punishment," the principal remarked, a smile playing on her lips.
"You're truly a demon for doing this to us," Evangeline retorted, her anger evident.
"You seem to be getting along better, don't you?" the principal observed, her tone slightly teasing.
"Evangeline, stop provoking her. We're no match for her. Madam Principal, how are we going to attend our classes? We're not in the same class, and I also have my duties as a member of the 12-member council," Mana questioned, trying to find a solution.
"No need to worry about that. I've already informed the teachers. From today, your two classes will be combined until I decide to remove the handcuffs. And for your council duties, perhaps Evangeline can assist you," the principal informed them.
They nodded in acknowledgment as Seiko hopped down from the principal's shoulder. With a snap of her fingers, the principal summoned a piece of paper.
"Here is your schedule for the next few days. If you two start fighting again, this time the punishment won't be limited to handcuffs," the principal warned, her gaze turning cold.
Feeling a chill in the air, both Evangeline and Mana grew apprehensive. They accepted the schedule and left for their first class—a magic class. As they entered the classroom, they noticed that most of the students were already present, except for the teacher.
"I suggest we sit over there," Evangeline pointed to the empty seats next to Megumi and Lily.
Mana nodded, and they swiftly made their way to the suggested seats. Megumi, noticing their arrival, questioned the reason behind the handcuffs.
"It's a long story. Remember when the principal called both of us?" Evangeline began explaining.
Megumi recalled the incident. "Ah, that's the punishment you received from the principal," she said, understanding their predicament.
"Not entirely. It's because of Evangeline that the punishment got worse," Mana interjected.
Evangeline smirked, ready to retort, but their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of the teacher. The room fell silent as the class commenced.
After two hours of learning about the birth of magic, they had a short 15-minute break. They gathered in the schoolyard.
"Finally, that class is over. I'm starting to get bored," Evangeline remarked, yawning.
Seiko, standing nearby, agreed. "You're right. It was quite dull," he said, also yawning.
Lily, however, found the class interesting and expressed her opinion. The conversation was interrupted by a group of elves approaching them. One of the elves questioned why Mana hadn't joined their class.
"Sorry, I completely forgot. I'll join you next time, but for now, I can't," Mana replied, raising her handcuffed arm as an explanation.
Concerned, another elf suggested that Mana was so infatuated with Evangeline that she handcuffed herself to her. Evangeline quickly rejected the idea, vehemently stating that she would rather die than be in love with Mana. Mana responded by hitting her on the head.
"No, it's not that," Evangeline replied, shaking her head in response to the elves' suggestion. "It's the punishment that the principal gave us, so don't worry."
Just as she finished speaking, the bell rang, signaling the end of the fifteen-minute break. The group of elves bid farewell to Mana and departed, leaving Evangeline and her companions to proceed to their sports class on the school grounds. As they arrived, Evangeline's attention was drawn to a man in his thirties with striking blue hair, vibrant green eyes, and a tall, muscular physique. He was dressed in sports attire.
"Hello, everyone! I'm Kaito Mashima," he announced with enthusiasm. "For your first sports class, we're going to play volleyball, and you'll have the opportunity to incorporate your magic into the game."
The students seemed excited, and Evangeline shared their enthusiasm as she anticipated the chance to release some energy. However, her excitement waned when the teacher addressed her.
"Evangeline, I'm afraid your magic beast is not allowed to participate," Kaito Mashima declared.
Evangeline sighed, acknowledging the teacher's rule. She called out to Seiko, urging him to descend from her head. Seiko's expression conveyed his disappointment.
"I'm sorry, Seiko, but it's the teacher's decision. Perhaps next time," she said, gently stroking his head.
"There's no need to console me like a child," Seiko retorted before leaving to join the teacher.
Kaito Mashima assigned the students to different teams, placing Evangeline, Mana, and Lily together. To Evangeline's surprise, their opponents consisted of Megumi, a girl with black horns who appeared petite with her brown hair and black eyes, and a tall, blonde-haired girl with silver eyes reminiscent of dragon eyes.
"Now that you're all set, the first team to reach eleven points wins. You may begin," the teacher announced.
Evangeline suggested, "Lily, why don't you serve first? We can't execute a proper serve due to the handcuffs."
Agreeing with the suggestion, Lily positioned herself to serve. She sent the ball flying, and although the opposing team easily retrieved it, Megumi's light magic propelled the ball back with great force.
"It's finally my turn to shine," Evangeline declared, her determination evident.
However, in her excitement, she momentarily forgot about being handcuffed to Mana. When she lunged to intercept the ball, it inadvertently struck Mana's face before bouncing to the ground.
"Oops, sorry, Mana. I didn't expect the ball to hit you," Evangeline apologized, scratching her head sheepishly.
True to form, Mana responded by hitting Evangeline on the head. Before an argument could ensue, Lily intervened.
"Don't start arguing now. This is not the time. You need to coordinate your movements to avoid a repeat of what just happened," Lily advised, attempting to maintain peace.
Evangeline and Mana reluctantly heeded Lily's words, temporarily setting aside their disagreement. It was now Megumi's team's turn to serve. The blonde-haired girl with dragon-like eyes prepared to serve, her hand radiating a yellow glow reminiscent of the sun. With a swift, powerful motion, she unleashed a remarkably fast serve. Evangeline and Mana exchanged glances, instinctively understanding what needed to be done. They managed to synchronize their movements as if they had been playing together for years. This time, Evangeline successfully retrieved the ball, allowing Mana to utilize her magic and send it soaring back, ultimately touching the ground on the opposing team's side.
"We scored a point!" Evangeline exclaimed with delight.
The game continued, and after twenty minutes of intense play, Evangeline's team emerged victorious with a score of 9-11. Evangeline couldn't help but gloat in their triumph.
"Yeah, we won! How does it feel to lose to us, Megumi?" she taunted, laughter filling her voice.
Megumi, undeterred, retorted, "You won't be so lucky next time, Evangeline."
Mana interjected, reminding Evangeline not to mock their opponent. "Stop laughing at her, Evangeline. It was a good game, Megumi," she said, extending her hand in a sportsmanlike gesture.
Lily chimed in with her observation. "I can't help but wonder if this is truly your first time working together. It feels as though you've always played this well as a team."
Evangeline glanced at Mana, who suddenly clutched her head and collapsed, unconscious. Reacting swiftly, Evangeline managed to catch her before she hit the ground. She attempted to rouse Mana, but to no avail. Concerned, Lily rushed to inform the teacher, who arrived promptly.
"What happened here? Why is Mana unconscious?" the teacher inquired, alarmed by the situation.
Evangeline replied, her worry evident, "I don't know. She suddenly fainted, and I'm not sure why."
The teacher instructed them to take Mana to the infirmary immediately. Unable to leave due to the handcuffs, Evangeline remained with Mana, anxiously waiting for help. Shortly after, a woman in her twenties with vibrant orange hair and piercing blue eyes entered the infirmary.
"Please place her on the bed," she requested.
Evangeline followed her instructions, gently laying Mana down.
"What happened to her?" the nurse inquired, concern etched on her face.
"She passed out on the sports court," Evangeline explained, her worry evident.
"I see. You may leave now. I'll take care of her," the nurse said reassuringly.
"I'm sorry, I can't leave because of the handcuffs," Evangeline explained.
"Oh, I apologize for not noticing," the nurse acknowledged.
Suddenly, the principal burst into the infirmary.
"Jade, I need you to come with me immediately," the principal commanded urgently.
The nurse swiftly rose and followed the principal, leaving Evangeline alone with Mana. Suddenly, Mana stirred, reaching out and embracing Evangeline tightly. The gesture, however, became overwhelming as she squeezed so tightly that Evangeline feared her bones would break.
"Mana, please stop. You're going to break my bones," Evangeline pleaded, but Mana continued to hold on tightly. As she regained consciousness, her eyes turned green instead of their usual red, and she smiled at Evangeline before removing her mask and kissing her.