Chapter 34 - Chapter 33: Dormitory Rules
Mika arrived at the dorm room and immediately began checking the desk and chest of drawers assigned to him.
Watching Mika, Messerite kept talking non-stop.
Messerite had moved into the dorm two days ago, and it seemed he was terribly bored with time on his hands.
Taking a small bottle out of his own desk drawer, he offered one to Mika as well.
Inside appeared to be candy.
"I'll give you one. This candy is quite popular here."
"............There's no need for a return gift."
"It's fine. I'm not expecting anything."
Saying that, he placed a piece of candy in Mika's hand.
Looking at the candy in his palm, his own clothes came into his field of vision.
They were patched up in various places.
Looking at Messerite's clothes, he was wearing something quite decent.
Messerite let out a bitter smile.
"My parents run a trading company. We're fairly well-off."
This too seemed to have no ill intent.
Comparing his own appearance with his own, there was no air of mockery.
It felt like he was just stating a fact.
Mika tossed the candy into his mouth and opened the desk drawer.
There were four drawers in total.
Three were arranged vertically on the right side of the desk, and one wide drawer was above his knees.
It seemed only the drawer above his knees could be locked, but since the construction was simple, it looked like it could be opened easily.
Managing money is troublesome... This isn't reliable at all, and I need to think about what to do from now on.
There was a lesson taught to him by Ninetiana.
He couldn't trust his entire fortune to a desk lock like this.
Still, for now, he put the bag containing money into the drawer and locked it.
Of course, when putting it in, he hid it with his own body so Messerite couldn't see.
This wasn't security or anything, but a matter of manners.
Showing off "I'm putting money here" was a matter before trust even came into play.
Next, he looked at the chest of drawers.
It was a size for children, around 120 to 130 centimeters tall.
Even so, to Mika, it was a size he had to look up at slightly.
The chest of drawers was a type with a closet on the right side where coats could be hung.
The drawers on the left side had four tiers, and the top tier could be locked.
However, it was too high to see inside without placing a stool.
For now, he would think about the use of the top drawer later.
Mika threw his travel bag into the closet.
Organizing could wait until later.
"Did you hear the explanation about the dorm?"
Messerite asked.
"I was told to come to the room downstairs after lunch. Speaking of which, I think I was told to ask Messerite various things."
"I see. Well, shall I give you a quick tour of the dorm?"
He jumped up from the chair and headed straight for the door.
It seemed he was terribly bored with time on his hands.
If he could kill time, he seemed willing to do anything happily.
When Mika followed, Messerite headed toward the stairs.
"This is the boys' floor, and the third floor is for girls. The rooms across the stairs are for people who came to the academy last year. They are one year seniors."
Saying that, he pointed to the doors lined up on the right of the stairs.
"That is the toilet. It's quite clean, so I feel relieved."
The first door lined up on the right seemed to be the toilet.
Since Messerite opened the door for him, Mika peeked inside as well.
Six private stalls were lined up on the right, but there were no urinals.
Naturally, there were no washbasins like those for washing hands.
Mika couldn't help but grimace.
"Huh? You don't like it? I felt quite relieved."
This must be the hygiene concept of this world.
If you worry about such things, you won't get by in this world.
Before you go neurotic, you have no choice but to get used to it.
Returning to the stairs, Messerite pointed to the stairs leading to the third floor.
"You can go up to the third floor from here, but as I said before, it's for girls only. If you value your life, you'd better not go."
Messerite started saying something ominous.
"If you value your life"? What is that? The Cafeteria Lady also said it was dangerous earlier.
Would they all beat him up?
Mika didn't understand the sensibility, but he thought foolishly that maybe it was a reward in a way?
Seeing Mika's confused expression, Messerite lowered his voice to explain.
"Mages are precious. But we don't need those who commit serious violations. Those who are given great power, if they are malicious, are only dangerous to the country. So they are disposed of."
"............Disposed of?"
"I don't know the details myself. But there are rumors that such people have a different method of utilization other than as mages. ............Because mages are precious."
Mika shuddered.
To protect precious mages, disposing of the malicious ones among them wasn't incomprehensible.
But the method of disposal seemed to far exceed Mika's imagination.
A world without human rights. Just what kind of utilization would they be put to?
"If they disposed of everyone who violated rules, there would be even fewer mages. Unless it's a serious violator, they won't be disposed of that much. But entering the girls' floor is different. The ratio of male and female mages is almost half and half. If we can't protect the female students, half of the country's mages will be lost."
Mika was impressed.
He knew he knew so much about this.
"You're very detailed. Did you actually stay here since last year? Did you repeat a year?"
"Ahahaha, that's impossible. I told you, we're fairly well-off."
It seemed Messerite had gathered information after deciding to go to the magic academy one year ago.
For Mika, having someone knowledgeable nearby was a help.
In that sense, being roommates with Messerite was good luck.
"Well then, next is the first floor."
Messerite went down the stairs.
Upon arriving at the first floor, he pointed to the wide floor on the left.
"This is the cafeteria. Meals are served three times a day: morning, noon, and evening. Even after the academy starts, they say you come back here for lunch. I've eaten here a few times, and the taste wasn't bad. But there's no doubt they value quantity over quality. This morning I said 'I can't eat that much from the start,' but they piled it high anyway. Then I got angry when I left it."
"Ahahaha."
Seeing Messerite's exasperated expression, he couldn't help but laugh.
Forgetting the disaster that would befall him in an hour, let alone tomorrow.
"Besides this, I think that's all to see in the dorm."
Messerite passed the Cafeteria Lady's room and proceeded to the end.
"This is the bathhouse. The back is for girls, the front is for boys. If you enter, you'll be disposed of immediately. No need to say it, but."
Indeed, no need to say it, but Mika had something more concerning.
"The bathhouse is separated by gender?"
He thought there was no concept of separating bathhouses by gender in this world, but it seemed not to be the case.
"It seems there were times in the past when they weren't separated. But now it seems they are considering the girls. After all, they are future Mages, you know."
Messerite entered the men's bathhouse.
Mika followed behind.
"Actually, it seems mages are decreasing year by year. So the treatment is getting better. There are stories that in the past, so many gathered they couldn't fit into this dorm. But this year it's only six people."
"Isn't it seven?"
Mika corrected him.
"Is that so?"
"I heard that. Well, there might be changes."
When Mika heard, it was seven people.
But he couldn't say for sure that it hasn't changed since then.
Messerite continued the explanation without caring.
"It seems the bathhouse is prepared to be usable by evening. You can enter right after the academy ends. The staff does all the cleaning of the bathhouse."
"Staff?"
"They prepare the meals, right? They also do cleaning and laundry."
Everything is provided.
The changing room was old, but it seemed to be cleaned neatly.
The bathhouse looked wider and cleaner than a cheap inn.
The basic structure was the same, but there were no lidded shelves like in an inn.
"Even if you are a future mage, why do they do so much?"
"Probably because we have no choice. Us."
"No choice?"
Messerite made a dark face.
"If they do that much, it means there's something else they want us to do. Us."
He understood.
It meant focusing all of life on growth as a mage.
Mika also made an exasperated face.
"Well, that's roughly it for the inside of the dorm. It seems we aren't allowed to go to the school building yet. It's a battle against boredom for a few more days."
After returning to the room and resting a bit, it became noon, and he went to the cafeteria with Messerite.
Messerite had rated the taste as "not bad," but to Mika, it was a sufficiently delicious meal.
However, regarding the quantity, it wasn't as Messerite said.
The reason was that the Cafeteria Lady who was cooking mistook Mika for a girl and adjusted the portion accordingly.
Mika also deliberately did not point out the mistake and received it with a cool expression.
Ignoring Messerite's resentful gaze holding a tray piled high, he sat down silently.
After a lunch that satisfied both taste and quantity, Mika came to the room on the first floor as the Cafeteria Lady had said.
It seemed the Cafeteria Lady he met first was the dorm mother here, and several other Cafeteria Ladies were working as staff.
Messerite, who had taught him that, was now groaning on his bed in his room saying "My stomach hurts."
He advised not to lie down right after eating, but he didn't seem able to get up immediately.
Knocking on the door a few times and waiting for a reply, a reply came quickly.
When Mika entered, the dorm mother Cafeteria Lady and another girl were there.
That girl, probably the same age as Mika, had slightly reddish blonde hair that was impressive.
The reason was that it seemed unkempt, a bit messy, and she was looking down slightly so her eyes weren't very visible.
His consciousness went only to her hair, more as an impression of her head and neck than her facial impression.
She was wearing a dress full of patches, just like Mika, and was completely shrinking in an unfamiliar place.
"Sorry. I kept you waiting."
"Oh, it's fine. The Cafeteria Lady finally has some free time. Well, I'll explain about this dorm."
Saying that, the Cafeteria Lady led the two to the back of the room.
Various sizes of clothes were piled on the shelf in the back.
"We'll distribute uniforms and such to the two of you later, but before that, let me introduce myself. I am Trilens. I am the dorm mother here. My duty is to support you two in this dorm so you can work hard for the next two years. If you have anything, don't hesitate to consult me about anything."
Trilens patted her chest.
What can I say, she felt like a motherly woman with a big heart.
Since she takes care of many children, perhaps people like her are more suited for this.
"Well, first let's take measurements. Please stand straight there."
They were lined up in front of a pillar marked with height measurement scales.
"Rimliche-chan is 118 centimeters. Mika-kun is 114 centimeters."
It seemed this girl's name was Rimliche.
Wait, I'm losing to a girl in height!
He didn't know if this girl was bigger or smaller compared to other children, but she was clearly smaller than Messerite.
Could it be... I'm short...?
He hadn't thought about it much until now, but he felt dizzy at this shocking fact.
He depressed himself and rallied himself on his own, but showed none of it on the surface.
He watched Trilens, who was smiling and looking for uniforms.
"............Boy......."
A voice muttered faintly from the side.
When Mika turned around, Rimliche had her eyes wide open in surprise.
I couldn't tell because she was looking down all this time, but does this girl have quite big eyes? Maybe she'll become cute if she fixes her appearance?
Since she had messy hair and was looking down, it was hard to tell, but he felt it was a bit of a waste.
But values differ from person to person.
Not caring about appearance is freedom, if you want to call it that.
When their eyes met, Rimliche's face turned red in an instant, and she looked down even more.
She might be the type who is bad at interacting with people.
After that, he received a brief explanation about the dorm rules.
Wake-up time, meal times for morning, noon, and evening. Time to use the bathhouse. How to put out laundry, etc.
The time settings all had plenty of margin, so it seemed he wouldn't have to worry much or break them.
However, the curfew was 18:00.
Honestly, he thought "That's early."
If he just lived at the academy, there would be no problem, but Mika was thinking of earning some living expenses himself, so this curfew was strict.
But this was a dorm where 8 and 9-year-old children lived.
Even this was generous enough.
"When staying out overnight, submit a report. If you tell the Cafeteria Lady, she'll give you a form."
It seemed staying out overnight was allowed.
That meant from "Saturday noon" to "18:00 on Sunday," he would be free.
In reality, it seemed he could work properly for only this much in a week.
After that, guided by Trilens, he went to a shared well next to the dorm.
It seemed he could use this freely when doing laundry or such himself.
If he wanted to drink water, there was a water jar in the cafeteria, so he should use that.
Most of the children in the dorm seemed to use water bags and drink them in their rooms when thirsty.
In that case, he was reminded to exchange the water at least once a day.
It seemed every year there were children who fell ill from drinking water that hadn't been maintained for days.
Returning to the dorm, Trilens showed him the cafeteria, bathhouse, toilet, etc.
Although Messerite had shown him these places, Mika followed silently. There might be points of caution Messerite didn't mention.
But it seemed there was nothing special to be careful about.
However, she strongly reminded only Mika: "Do not go to the girls' bathhouse or the third floor under any circumstances!"
He asked what would happen if he entered, but Trilens only answered, "You will be expelled from the dorm."
From Trilens' appearance of not wanting to talk about specific things, he understood that the rumor Messerite had mentioned was not just a rumor.
While being guided by Trilens, Rimliche didn't say a word.
Rimliche's attitude of trying to keep a subtle distance from Mika gave him a slight shock.
A child's straightforward attitude rarely gives a subtle shock to adults.
Oh, it's just because she's a girl and a boy is a bit embarrassing. It's not that she dislikes me. I'm not hurt!
The guidance ended with a slightly awkward atmosphere, and they returned to the dorm mother's room.
"How many sets of uniforms and sports clothes do you need?"
Trilens asked.
"Can I get many?"
"For uniforms, many kids take two sets, and for sports clothes, about four. But some kids say they wear them even in the dorm and take more."
It seemed they often get dirty during academy classes, so everyone seems to take them with plenty of margin.
She said if they tore or became too small to wear, they would exchange them.
Mika looked at his own clothes.
Without needing to confirm again, they were full of patches.
If he could wear them as casual clothes, he really wanted to do so.
"Two sets of uniforms should be fine for now? Can I get six sets of sports clothes?"
Mika spoke without hesitation.
Without any particular concern, Trilens prepared clothes for Mika.
The sports clothes included short-sleeved shorts, long-sleeved shirts to wear over them, and long pants, and the uniforms added up to a mountain of quantity.
"Can I take these now?"
"Yes, that's fine. Since the Cafeteria Lady's explanation is finished, you can do whatever you like."
"Yes, thank you. Rimliche-san, please take care of yourself from now on."
When Mika greeted lightly, Rimliche hesitated but nodded.
Returning to his room, Messerite was still lying on the bed.
"Welcome back... Wow, that's a huge amount."
Messerite slowly sat up.
"She said I could wear them as casual clothes, so I got extra."
"Oh, indeed. Mika, maybe you should do that."
Messerite said it without any ill intent.
He might be the type who says everything honestly.
Mika decided to try on the uniform immediately.
If the size didn't fit, he would have to exchange it.
It was better to finish such things early.
The uniform was a white shirt, a dark blue robe, and pants.
The robe with sleeves was open in the front and could be tied and closed with a string.
There was also a belt tied around the waist over the robe, so it didn't look baggy.
It looked quite stylish.
Or rather, putting this on made him feel like he had suddenly become a mage.
Could this be the feeling of a cosplayer?
"Oh, not bad. It suits you. ......If you can fix that."
Messerite pointed.
The sleeves of the robe and the hems of the pants were way too long.
"Cafeteria Lady, did she get the size wrong?"
"......Why don't you ask?"
Messerite whispered, "I think it's probably not that..."
Mika tried changing into the sports clothes as well.
The short-sleeved shorts were a bit large, but there was no problem.
However, the long-sleeved shirt and long pants still had excess sleeves and hems.
Helplessly, he folded the sleeves and hems and decided to ask Trilens.
When Mika went to the stairs, Rimliche was going up the stairs to the third floor.
Like Mika, Rimliche had received a large amount of uniforms and sports clothes, and she was unsteadily climbing the stairs.
He almost called out to her for a moment, but stopped himself there.
Mika couldn't go up to the third floor, so he couldn't help.
If he spoke carelessly, she might lose her balance and fall.
For now, Mika decided to watch silently.
Rimliche managed to reach the landing despite her unsteadiness and took a breath.
Then, she gathered her strength again and climbed the stairs.
"......The rules are the rules, but this is a bit pitiful."
He couldn't help but feel something about not being able to help the girl carrying large luggage.
But he understood "for their safety," so he decided to accept it honestly.
He couldn't help but think "Then just divide the dorm honestly," but there must be reasons for that.
Mainly the budget.
If they built a new dorm, there would be construction costs, maintenance costs, labor costs, and so on.
Various costs would be incurred.
He went to the dorm mother's room, but Trilens was not there.
Hearing voices from the cafeteria, he peeked inside, and Trilens was chatting with the kitchen Cafeteria Lady.
"Um......"
"Oh, Mika-kun. What's wrong?"
When Mika called out, Trilens came to the entrance.
"The size of the uniforms and such I received seems to be too large."
When Mika said that, Trilens let out a bitter smile.
"Ah, I should have said this earlier. The ones I gave to Mika-kun were the smallest size. I'm sorry, but can you endure it?"
It seemed this was the smallest size.
Yes, I am confirmed to be short!
He cried inside his heart.
Mika, who expected his own future growth, was so.