Chapter 35
'S-She's overdoing it!' Maria didn't know how to put a stop to her mother's madness; luckily s.h.i.+rone tried to lend a hand by speaking reason to the countess.
"My Lady, the ojou-sama will only be gone for a week. The number of clothes you're packing exceeds that length. I urge you to please put some back."
"No way! My darling Marichan will be away from her mommy for a whole week! I must make sure she has everything she'll need and more. It's better to be cautious than not to be!" the countess proudly stated, before engulfing her daughter in a tight bear-hug.
"Mommy wants to make sure her little cub will be safe and have everything she needs. Plus, I can't help but worry since s.h.i.+rone and Kuroka won't be tagging along with you. Ah, Mommy wishes she could tag along," tearfully sighed Countess Rosendrey.
Maria felt the back of her head pressed against her mother's bosom and a sweatdrop hung down from her head.
Since the purpose of this trip was to help students become more independent, more knowledgeable of their surroundings, and help improve their control over their magic, the academy had banned students from bringing along their aides, meaning Maria couldn't bring s.h.i.+rone and Kuroka.
Countess Rosendrey was overcome with distress when she became informed, and without restraint began overpacking Maria's luggage.
It took a long time before Countess Rosendrey could be reasoned with, and reluctantly, she removed all of the extra items she packed. The camping trip was the next day; the students were personally dropped off at a relaxing resort lodge located at the base of Amber Mountain. The location of Amber Mountain was miles outside the capital, close to the border of the south region.
Stepping out of the carriage and after saying goodbye to s.h.i.+rone and Kuroka, Maria spotted a lot of students scattered outside the premise of the resort. Most of them were laughing and chatting in groups when she heard a loud familiar voice called out to her.
"Maria! You finally made it!" Appearing in her sight, Maria was happy to see Mai, a tired Julian trailing not that far behind her.
Happy to be with friends, the three began talking about what to expect from the duration of this camping trip. Their conversation was only put to a pause when all of the homeroom teachers began to call for a.s.sembly. Once that was out of the way, a different teacher, who Maria never saw before, began speaking of the activity they'd be partic.i.p.ating in today.
"For today's first activity, students, your first task is to go out and bring back more than three edible items. You have until lunchtime to deliver them to the station where your homeroom teacher will be awaiting you." After announcing these instructions, the students were handed out baskets before scattering throughout the base of the mountain.
Maria, Mai, and Julian moved as a group and stumbled upon this broad field where a variety of berries were growing in the area. Walking closer, Maria spotted round blueberries, glistening raspberries, and bright red strawberries.
Crouching down on the ground, Maria set down her basket, plucking the fruits, and dropping them into her basket. Maria didn't want to fill her basket with only berries, so once she was satisfied with a certain amount, she picked up her basket and moved to a different location nearby.
Walking farther up ahead, a mile away from the berry bushes, Maria saw a large tree, its leaves basking in the sunlight, and hanging
Sensing another presence join her, Maria looked to her left and saw Julian. "Look, Julian! Oranges!" Maria happily exclaimed. The smile on her face, somehow, caused the timid boy to blush and look away.
'Ah, my heart is acting weird again.' Julian, for the life of him, could not understand why his heart always beat uncomfortably in his chest whenever he saw Maria's lively sweet smile.
'Could I be coming down with something? Oh no! Don't tell me I'm sick!' Julian was still too young to understand the depth of his feelings. His mind was jumping to the first reasonable conclusion.
Unaware of the thoughts going through her friend's head, Maria was distracted when she heard Mai's voice yell out from a distance. Following the sound of Mai's voice, Maria was confused when she saw no one in the area when Julian tapped her shoulder and signaled her to look up. Pointing her gaze towards the sky, Maria saw an average height tree standing before her and having climbed onto one of its big thick branches was Mai.
The blonde had her hand reached out towards a nest of eggs, collecting them and placing them inside her basket. Once finished, the girl jumped from branch to branch, before finally landing with her feet on the ground. Seeing Maria and Julian, the blonde proudly showed off her prize.
The three friends spent some more time searching before turning in their baskets. After all the students turned in their baskets, lunchtime soon arrived. Tables were placed outside in a cool refres.h.i.+ng shaded area that was close to the sea—served for lunch were fruit-flavored ice beverages and fancy sandwiches. Maria had just taken a bite out of her sandwich when she felt two familiar presences join their table.
"Ohiyo, Marichan~!" Akihito was the first to greet Maria, taking a seat in between Mai and Julian. The person who sat in the unoccupied chair next to her was Richard.
"h.e.l.lo, Ria!" smiled the Scarlet heir. Rose petals and bis.h.i.+e sparkles consumed the background behind him. Such a scene brought forth a sweatdrop that rained down the side of Maria's face, thinking to herself,
'And to think he hasn't even evolved yet.' Maria imagined Richard as some unevolved Pokémon. Her expression grew frightened once she felt pairs of ominous gazes aimed directly at her; a cold shudder raced down her back.
'Even though I act nothing like the original Maria, how come I'm still a target!? I'm innocent, I'm telling you!' Maria found this whole situation unfair and very cliche.
'I got a feeling that sometime this week, some of these girls are going to stir up trouble for me.' Several different scenarios raced through Maria's head. 'I guess one can not escape the path of a villainess. Troublesome,' sighed Maria.
After lunch, the PE instructor instructed them to do some simple exercises such as push-ups, jumping jacks, and laps. "For magic to flow soothingly through the body, once must have a strong and healthy body. The same rule applies for those who wish to perform higher tier spells," said Ms. Abby.
Since today was the first day, nothing eventful took place. Night fell before Maria knew it. For the duration of the trip, students would be boarding at the lodge. The teachers had paired them off and showed them their rooms. At first, Maria was a little nervous about who she would be rooming with but was happy to find out Mai was her roommate.
After unpacking her luggage, Maria laid on her bed and couldn't resist smiling at the extra packages of sweets that were stored inside along with a message: To my dearest, Maria. Papa is so sad that he couldn't send you off on your trip, but he hopes this makes up for it.
'He may be a little weird, but he does have a good heart,' smiled Maria before briefly recalling the small item that rested in her pocket and hastily took it out. Feeling a little shy, Maria walked behind Mai and tapped her on the shoulder.
Mai was still unpacking her luggage when Maria grabbed her attention. Pressing a pause on what she was doing, Mai turned around, and amber eyes rested on a small pink square box thrust out to her.
"H-Here! A little something I made for you!" Able to sense her brown-haired friend's nervousness, Mai gently took the package and opened the lid of the box.
Upon opening it, amber eyes widened in shock at what she saw inside. "Wow, Maria! It's beautiful!" Displayed inside the box was this cute gold charm bracelet made using a variety of topaz crystal gemstones.
Hearing those words from Mai and knowing that the other meant them, a weight lifted off of Maria's shoulder. The nervousness she felt before dissipated and a smile overcame her face. "I'm glad you like it! T-This was my first time hand-making a gift and giving it to a friend." Maria's cheeks warmed from embarra.s.sment, feeling bashful for admitting such truth.
The idea first came to Maria months ago when she was staring at the necklace Mai had given her and realized she had never given the other girl a present. Soon after this thought entered her head, she took a trip to an arts and craft store that sold a variety of materials for crafting, including the tools and necessities one would need for crafting jewelry, and Maria brought a lot of items. Once home, Maria began doodling ideas of what piece of jewelry she should make for Mai.
Maria came up with the idea for using citrine topaz gemstones due to how much the color suited Mai's vibrant and confident nature. A girl whose aura glowed brighter than the sun; despite the tragedy of her past, she still possessed the willpower to move forward. Mai was the type of girl Maria envied yet also looked up to, the girl who deserves to be the heroine of her own story.
Removing the bracelet from out of the box, Mai immediately slipped it onto her wrist and hugged Maria. "I love it, Maria! This is my first time ever receiving a present from a friend."
Mai's heart was warmed at the gesture from her friend and couldn't help but feel a little teary-eyed. Quickly as the day had come, it had ended; all the students were in bed, antic.i.p.ating what events were in store for them tomorrow.