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Edited by YiyuRu
"Stop it!" Ruka scolded the two boys as they glared at each other. One was fuming with rage, and the other had an innocent smile plastered onto his face.
Ruka sighed in frustration, walked up to the two males, and separated them, blocking them from killing each other with their gazes. "Over such a trivial matter? Have your brains evaporated?!" She yelled.
Akagi grumbled, rolling his eyes, while Hasegawa still kept that smile on his face, annoying Akagi to no end.
"It isn't trivial, mother. Clearly, this brat was trying to mock me," Young lord Hideaki muttered.
Hasegawa raised an eyebrow, "What makes you say so?"
"Ruka is right, it is indeed trivial," Yamato spoke, "You two fight like little kids," Helplessly sighing, he said, "Akagi, you could've asked if you wanted to call me by my name... It's not like you don't know it."
Yamato walked up to Hasegawa and Akagi, scrunching his eyebrows up a bit when he saw the amount of wounds they had. Somehow, they managed to fight each other without everyone else noticing. Likely, they used their own elemental powers.
Yamato called over a servant, "Get me some bandages, hydrogen peroxide as well." He said to the servant. They bowed, and hurriedly left to find the items he had requested.
It wasn't long until the servant returned with the supplies he had asked for. Yamato threw some bandages at Akagi, and focused on treating Hasegawa's wounds instead. Akagi's wounds were much less serious, only a few scratches at most. Hasegawa, on the other hand, had deeper wounds. He was sure that Akagi could bandage a few little scratches.
As the amethyst haired boy focused on treating Hasegawa's wound, forcing the young lord to hold his hand out so Yamato could wrap a bandage around it, Hasegawa began to pick a fight with Akagi again, "Hahaha, should've restrained your powers, young lord Hideaki."
"Shut the hell up, Hasegawa," Akagi spat.
"You shut up, too," Hasegawa retorted.
They both stayed silent.
The moment Yamato finished treating all of Hasegawa's wounds, a familiar, monotone voice came from behind him,
"Akira," She said. Yamato turned around, meeting the gaze of the physician with silver hair.
"Hello, Fuyu," He greeted the physician.
She smiled. "You have medical knowledge? When did you learn?"
"I studied it when I was younger." Yamato responded. It was technically true, as he had learned it when he entered college, and he still was.
"Would you like to be my apprentice, then? There aren't many people left with medical knowledge, and it would be beneficial if you assisted me," Fuyu suggested. "Don't worry about being lonely, as I have another apprentice as well."
Yamato glanced back at Ruka, Akagi, and Hasegawa, and then back at Fuyu, the silver haired physician.
"Do you not know? That is fine. I'll give you time to think. After you get your elemental test done, you can meet me at the town's hall," Fuyu said, "If you decide to be my apprentice, come with me out of town, to the place I live in. I'll teach you how to use herbs and medicine there, and I'll occasionally let you visit back here. However, if you get accepted into Solana Academy, you will only join school when the year is half done."
Yamato nodded. "I'll think about it."
A day later.
Yamato entered the school building of Solana Academy with Akagi alongside him. Young lord Hideaki decided to accompany Yamato to get his elemental test.
When they entered, the school was fairly busy. There was already a group crowded around the principal to see their results.
As we walked in, the principal greeted Akagi. "Welcome, young lord of the Hideaki family, and the newcomer. If you are here to take the elemental test, you can go off to the side and wait for me." He said.
The principal was a nice, old man with short light brown hair and a few streaks of silver in it. He always had a big smile on, accepting to everyone. At least, that was what Akagi had told Yamato.
They both stepped to the side of the room as instructed, when Akagi spoke.
"Hey, Yamato?" He asked.
"Yeah?" Yamato turned his head to face the other.
Akagi said, "Have you decided if you're going to be staying with us, or going with Fuyu instead?"
It did not take long for him to respond, "I have. I think I'll be going with Fuyu," Yamato said.
After all, I think it's best to continue taking classes on medicine. I barely listened to Professor Higanbana's lessons.
Akagi frowned a bit, but he nodded anyway, "Alright, I respect your decision, Yamato," He sighed.
Yamato nodded. "Thank you, then."
Shortly after, the principal called out to them both, informing them that Yamato was able to take the test now. Yamato briefly glanced at the young lord beside him, before walking towards where the test would be held.
The principal handed Yamato a glowing diamond, the color of pure white.
"Please concentrate and relax. Focus on the diamond in your hands, " The principal instructed.
Yamato looked back at Akagi nervously.
"I had to go through the same process. You will be fine, Yamato," Akagi said.
The amethyst haired boy hesitantly nodded, turning his head back to the crystal in front of him.
Closing his eyes, he tried to even out his breathing. It wasn't long until he started feeling.. light. Opening his eyes in curiosity, Yamato saw that black and dark purple mist had erupted from the crystal, dying the diamond with its colors.
The principal smiled, "Good, good! It seems that you have both a side element and a main element. Darkness, and healing..." The man was about to reject Yamato from the academy, but Akagi instantly shot him a sharp glare.
The principal stuttered, quickly changing his words, "You... you are accepted! Little one, you will enter the a...academy!"
Akagi gave the man one last glare, before turning away, leading Yamato out of the building.
When they got out, "Congratulations, Yamato," Akagi spoke.
Yamato nodded. "Let's find Fuyu," He said, walking straight towards the place that Fuyu had asked him to come to.
Shortly after, he pushed open the door of the town hall, associated directly with the government of the country. He was allowed in because he was followed by young lord Hideaki, whose family had a direct connection with the king. When Yamato entered, he was greeted with the sight of Ruka, Yuna, Fuyu, and Hasegawa welcoming him.
"We're here to have dinner," Ruka explained, smiling, "Here, we will say goodbye to physician Fuyu, who'll be gone for a period of time." Continuing, she said, "It will also be our goodbye to you if you decide to follow her, Yamato."
"Well, have you decided, Akira?" Fuyu looked up at the amethyst haired boy.
He nodded, "I will go with you."
"Very well, then." Fuyu smiled, "Let's have dinner first, and then we will take our leave."
There was a rather big feast, consisting of things that Yamato didn't even know the names of. However, it wasn't like he was that dumb; he still knew a couple dishes. The tteokbokki and sushi that Ruka had bought him, the macaroni and cheese that Ruka had bought for Yuna, and the muffins that Ruka had bought for Akagi just a few days before.
After they all ate, everyone decided to bid their farewells to the two, Yamato and Fuyu.
"I hope to see you soon," Yuna smiled as she spoke to Yamato. The amethyst haired boy nodded, "It won't be long."
"Hey, make sure to come back soon, really soon, okay?" Hasegawa called from beside the servant. Akagi nodded, agreeing with the raven haired male, "Don't forget about us."
Yamato lightly laughed, "Can someone forget that easily?"
"Fuyu, Yamato. I wish you two a good trip!" Ruka said.
The silver haired physician politely bowed to Ruka, speaking, "Yes, goodbye. We shall visit soon, when half a year is over."
And so, Yamato left alongside with the physician. Fuyu's residence was located outside of the kingdom that the king ruled, in a large, vast forest.
"My other apprentice is taking care of my residence at the moment," Fuyu said as they crossed the border between the king's land and the land where Fuyu's home resided, "I have already sent a letter back to him, informing him of my return."
When Fuyu finished talking, Yamato asked, "Is there a person who reigns over the land your home is in?"
The physician nodded, "There is. My home is in the kingdom of Yevaria, ruled by the lone Empress Bai Ren." Fuyu then added, "The Empress has not made a public appearance in a long time, so the citizens are more unrestrained than the kingdom we just left."
Fuyu sighed, her eyes closing, "But there is no need to be afraid of anyone attacking you. My reputation far exceeds the normal citizen, and there is no one who would dare to cause trouble with me."
Yamato let out a small hum of acknowledgment. It seemed like his assessment of Fuyu had been been useful- she was not a person without a large backing at all. As for how she and the Hideaki manor became acquainted, Yamato was unsure. Mizuki never said much about the Otome Game unless it was about one of the male leads, so Yamato was left clueless with the history of this world.
In the blink of an eye, four months passed.
Fuyu lived in a medium sized residence with rich soil, suitable for growing herbs. However, this advantage had been completely wasted, as a heavy blizzard started as soon as winter arrived. Most of the herbs grown by Fuyu died in the horrible weather.
Yamato glanced out the window as he sat, curled up on a couch, at the pure white snow that fell onto the ground in heaps, and instinctively wrapped the thick wool blanket around him tighter. He had never been a fan of cold weather.
Fuyu, on the other hand, was very much a fan of cold weather. Yamato had found out the moment winter arrived. The strange physician wore clothes that were no different than clothes worn in the summer, and neither did she get sick by it.
Yamato sighed, It seems reasonable. Her name does mean winter, after all.
The silver haired woman was busy writing down a medical remedy that she recently had improved, still paying no attention to the snow.
"You would wonder how Fuyu manages to deal with the cold so well," Yamato spoke.
"Fuyu has always been like that," A male sat beside Yamato on the couch, his slightly long dark brown hair, so dark it was nearly black, was tied into a small ponytail at the back of his head. His eyes, a dull shade of red, were sharp and narrowed, and two red horns grew out of his head. He spoke, "I've asked her how she could treat freezingly cold temperatures as a minor inconvenience multiple times, yet she never bothered to reply to me."
"Then you shouldn't bother, Shizuki," Yamato replied.
"I am aware."
Yamato looked back towards the window, where snow was continuously piling up, "If this blizzard continues any longer, I doubt I could return and attend Solana Academy." The amethyst haired boy said. "I promised my friends back there that I would return."
"It would do you no harm to stay here with Fuyu and I a bit longer, Yamato." Shizuki's voice always became more hostile whenever Yamato talked about anyone he met before becoming Fuyu's apprentice.
Yamato raised an eyebrow, "You attend the academy as well, right? You would also need to return and continue your studies there."
Shizuki shook his head, "I attend the academy, yes, but it was only because Fuyu forced me to do so."
Yamato uninterestedly played with the wool of the blanket, "We also need to deliver the herbs that we've grown."
He sighed, "But... we'd be doomed because of this blizzard. All of them have nearly died."
Shizuki stubbornly said, "Another reason to stay here instead of going back. No man would dare traverse through the blizzard just to find us because we missed a delivery."
The moment Shizuki's voice faded, a knock on the front door resounded across the room.
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