Sincerely, Vanessa [EN]: Chapter 21

To My Teacher, From Vanessa (21/146)

“What? What is it?”

Lina, who was unpacking her own boxes, peeked over with curious eyes. Vanessa lifted a delicate scarf, instinctively hiding a note behind it.

She was puzzled by her own reaction but quickly dismissed it.

“It’s a scarf!”

“Wow, it’s pretty! Really pretty! It’ll be perfect for spring!”

Lina exclaimed. The slightly sheer, thin scarf had no pattern, but the soft sheen flowing through the fabric was incredibly dazzling. At the end, there was an embroidery of a bluebird, and something was written in small letters.

“Try it on, try it on!”

As Vanessa carefully wrapped it around her neck, Lina clicked her tongue, gently grabbed it to shape it, and tied it. The end of the scarf seemed to float slightly, almost ethereally.

“It’s really pretty. It’s like wearing a light cloud around your neck. If you wear it like this in the spring and tie your hair up, everyone will only look at you.”

“Funny.”

Vanessa glared playfully at Lina, who had flowing red hair.

“I’m serious!”

Lina made an aggrieved expression, but Vanessa already looked skeptical.

Lina pouted and ran back to her boxes, tearing them open haphazardly.

Vanessa carefully folded the note and put it in the front pocket of her pajamas.

She didn’t know Gide’s Hornir number [a magical communication device, like a phone], so she couldn’t contact him.

*I must thank him next time I see him.*

Vanessa turned her head to look at the next boxes.

Things sent by Lina, Chevati, and Evan. And there was something Lina’s mother sent, and oh, that’s Jenien’s handwriting. Wow, that’s really unexpected.

Milo Dotty’s house? Chevati’s family sent something too. I didn’t know I would receive gifts from so many different people.

And the rest seemed to be all from Teacher. There wasn’t a letter, but the familiar handwriting on the outside was enough to know.

「To Vanessa Rose.」

*Wow, how can I be so lucky?* Vanessa bit her lip tightly.

From Teacher’s gift box, which she opened with trembling hands, poured out books that Vanessa would be interested in, moderately sized magic stones, sweets that Vanessa would like, and small trinkets.

There were also things prepared by friends she met at the academy. Lina gave her pretty socks and a hair tie with lots of decorations, Chevati gave her a sweater that looked like it was hand-knitted, and Evan gave her a book that Vanessa had once said she wanted to read.

Vanessa could only blink, unable to even organize them. *What if this is a dream?*

Knock knock knock-!

Just then, someone knocked hard on the door. Lina ran to open the door, and Chevati, with a flushed face, rushed in.

“Vanessa! Thank you so much for the gift! Where did you get this?”

Chevati was holding a thin book with the signature of a famous magician, which Vanessa had asked Jenien for.

It was from Chevati’s most respected master of magical engineering, which she had found in Jenien’s study when she had secretly snuck in.

When Vanessa asked Jenien in a letter if she could buy the book, Jenien scoffed.

‘What money do you have? This is cheap anyway.’

Then he sent it right away, wrapped only once in paper without any packaging, which horrified Vanessa. *This precious thing!*

Vanessa sent her thanks several times, but was ignored each time. *Is it because I asked for another magician’s book?*

“Thank you so much.”

“No, I didn’t buy this… Sorry.”

“What are you talking about? You can’t even buy this! Oh my gosh, I love it so much!”

Chevati, hugging the book tightly, was so excited that her cheeks were red. The black eyes behind her glasses were flashing intensely.

“Ugh, bookworms. Let’s stop unwrapping gifts and go.”

Lina put on the fluffy earmuffs that Vanessa had given her. The dark pink earmuffs suited Lina very well.

“Let’s go!”

The three ran into the dining hall and ate the banquet food.

There were plenty of well-roasted chicken legs, pies, seafood dishes with lots of spices, and meat cooked with vegetables in broth, but they luxuriously filled up on sweet cake. It wasn’t often that they could eat a huge cake the size of a person with a fork.

They chatted and played by the lake, and in the afternoon, they had a meal at Seogote [likely a restaurant or cafe].

Other friends who were passing by and Evan joined in, and the laughter never stopped. It was the first time they were so tired from playing.

So that day was the best Saint Barando’s birthday [a holiday] in Vanessa’s life.

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

To my respected Teacher.

Teacher, did you have a happy Saint Barando’s birthday? It was the best Saint Barando’s birthday of my life.

Teacher, why do you give me so many things?

You sent so many purple Angie flowers that the inside of the dormitory was filled with the scent of flowers.

Thanks to you, the friend in the next room and the senior in the room next to that came to see them. I shared some, is that okay?

I put the remaining Angie flowers in a glass bottle and put them on my desk. Whenever I’m having a hard time, I turn my head and remember that day, which gives me strength.

But just one thing! It would be perfect if just the answer was more satisfactory.

I know it’s really undignified, but please forgive me for asking first.

Did you like the leather gloves I sent you? Does the size fit well? Are they warm?

I didn’t buy them with the money I received from you. I bought them with my own money!

I wasn’t going to tell you, but I’m working part-time at a cafe on weekends.

It’s definitely not because I don’t have enough money! You send me plenty of money for tuition and even spending money every month.

But I really wanted to prepare a gift for you with my own money.

Anyway, I saved up some money and ran to the shopping district near the academy. They said it was a good-quality glove made of the best Goth leather, so I bought it right away.

They said that completely black Goth leather is very rare and precious, so I hope I wasn’t deceived?

I engraved a magic circle inside and put in a very small magic stone, but I don’t know if the warming magic works well.

As you know, winter is coming soon, so I sent it… You have many better gloves than this, right?

I should have saved a little more money and bought more expensive leather. The texture and durability seemed very good, but… I’m suddenly losing confidence.

I’ll stop writing about things that are so obvious.

No, just one more word. I would be very happy if you could use them even once!

Okay, now I’ll go back to talking about my studies.

These days, I’m also auditing some classes that I didn’t sign up for. I’m trying to find out what I’m most interested in.

But in the end, I always come back to magic. It’s the talent that allowed me to meet you, so I feel even more precious.

Professor Guido said,

“Students with such great magical power like you might be better off not knowing the necessary conditions for executing large-scale magic.”

Why is that?

Anyway, I can now perform small magic quite well. I’m also pretty good at operating circuits through incantation magic or magic circles.

Recently, I even created a very weak barrier through incantation!

Sometimes I try to draw magic circles on machines designed by Chevati, but this is very difficult.

Even though Chevati and I put our heads together, the machine didn’t work well, so I contacted the great Jenien Pokis Polis Stargera for advice. Of course, Jenien only wrote one line in reply.

Do you know what the reply was?

‘Hey, you idiot! I told you to remove all the embellishments from the language you engrave on the magic circle!’

That’s really helpful. Right?

I’ll enclose a photo of me wearing the cloak you sent this time. Please say that the white cloak suits me quite well.

Lina tied the ribbon in the front. She says I look twice as good when Lina touches me.

Is it just my imagination that I feel like I have more to say even after filling two sheets of paper? I should stop here so that your eyes don’t get tired.

Please be careful not to get sick in the cold weather.

If you feel your hands are cold, try wearing Vanessa’s specially made leather gloves!

With a very blatant heart,

Vanessa Rose.

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

To Vanessa Rose.

I received the gloves well.

It seems difficult to grant your wish to use them only once. I have been wearing them every day since the day I received them.

So this was the secret in your last letter.

I didn’t know that you drew the magic circle inside yourself. It was engraved so delicately that I naturally assumed you had bought it.

The formation is excellently constructed, and warmth is well maintained throughout. Don’t worry, these gloves are the most precious of all I have.

I hope my sincerity is conveyed and that Vanessa’s heart is satisfied. Thank you again for the gift.

However, there was a very surprising part in your last letter, which was the part about working part-time at a cafe.

Please know that if my writing feels cold from now on, it is entirely because of you, Vanessa Rose.

As you know, the reason I sponsor you is to help my ward concentrate on studying without experiencing financial difficulties.

I would like to remind you again that there is no need to work part-time.

Of course, I understand that your intention was to prepare a gift. Thank you. But the sponsorship money is yours from the moment it is sent.

I thought that perhaps you didn’t know you were short on money, so I decided to increase the monthly sponsorship.

You are already investing a lot of time in classes, assignments, and exercise. If you waste even that short weekend on other work, it can put a lot of strain on your body. Please stop immediately.

I hope you won’t be upset, but listen to my words coldly and understand. It’s because I’m worried about your health.

It would be even better if you have already quit.

I regret having to reply to a pleasant letter with harsh words. I will always carry the gloves with me.

From your Teacher.

To my Teacher.

It’s the first time it’s been so difficult to start a letter. I crumpled it up and threw it away three times.

Please cancel the increase in sponsorship money. It’s already too much, and I can’t even use half of it properly.

Okay, the first start was that I wanted to give you a good gift, and I didn’t want to give it to you with the money I received from you.

I’m always just receiving from you. I hated that so much. I wanted to give you something as much as I like you. Something other than a good report card.

I’ve been having a lot of thoughts lately, and I don’t know if I can express them well. I don’t think I’ll be able to understand most of them either.

But I’ll try to write them down slowly.

I happened to catch your eye. You are like the best luck in my life.

I know I was very lucky. You are a very good person and promised to sponsor me without any conditions. Also, all my friends around me are precious bloodlines from influential families.

So sometimes I forget myself, who grew up in an orphanage. Cracked walls, peeling wallpaper, insufficient food, cold floors. Now those things seem like a distant story.

But I don’t think I should completely adapt to this life. I feel a sense of incongruity every time I talk to other friends.

Time will pass very quickly, and I will probably graduate. Then I have to go back to the cold society. That place is different from here.

Don’t think I don’t know.

I’m sorry to say rude things, but I know better than anyone that the outside is cold. The cold wind is most realistically felt by people who have no money and no family.

I’ve just come to think that I shouldn’t get used to the warmth of now.

Of course, I’m trying to seize the opportunity I got with your help.

But I won’t be able to enjoy such a comfortable start as soon as I go out. So I’m trying not to forget.

It’s not easy to recall my memories because the people who use the shopping district near the academy are very kind.

Anyway, I hope you don’t find this letter unpleasant. I’ve really written down my honest feelings. It took me a very long time to write.

I’m a little embarrassed. These are my innermost thoughts that I’ve never told anyone.

I haven’t quit my job yet. It’s been manageable so far.

I’ll quit when it gets too hard.

Vanessa Rose.

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

“The Danaan region has been subjugated of monsters and is currently being restored. However, the prosperity of monsters is extreme in Appenzell and Baraut. Therefore-”

Ronan poked Miguel in the side as he was speaking.

‘Why!’

Ronan shook his head and gestured to the front. Miguel took his eyes off the documents and raised his head.

The man sitting at the desk was wearing a large shirt, but because he had broad shoulders and a well-defined body, the clothes looked decent.

He was receiving light from the huge window behind him, and the sight was like he was wearing a halo sent by God as a decoration.

*Hm, his appearance is still the same.*

‘He’s handsome. But so what.’

‘Shut your mouth.’

Ronan whispered with a pathetic look. Miguel made a blank expression and scanned the man again. Only then did he realize that the man was not holding documents but a small letter.