Two years quickly flew by like nothing. While at the store, I heard two customers having a conversation.
One of them, a man with long black hair, told the girl beside him, "Have you heard of the Myriad Golden Flower Academy? Apparently, Lady Jinhua has finally become the current Headmaster."
The girl with short blue hair pondered over his words before replying, "Dad, if you want to tell me to enroll, just say it."
The man chuckled, and said, "Don't worry sweetie, I was just giving you a suggestion."
Charlotte and Michael approached me and whispered to me, "Hey! Why not enroll?"
I almost freaked out, but I somehow managed to keep myself calm.
I laughed dryly, asking them, "Why me though? Don't you two want to go too?"
Charlotte explained while Michael placed the books on the shelves, "You were always the curious type–unlike Michael and I. So, I thought: 'Why not let you enroll?' It doesn't sound bad right?" She added, "As for why Michael and I won't be going, this store needs us. So, go out there and learn whatever you wish!"
I felt a little overwhelmed but I replied, "I'll think about it."
A few hours passed and when my shift ended, I went out to the Plaza and sat at a bench, contemplating what I should do.
If I go, I will be separated from them but… books alone will not let me learn enough.
I raised my head, trying to clear my mind and I saw Miss All again. She seemed to like visiting Pervis a lot. I thought it may be because of her business but it's probably because she has someone important here.
She was walking, unbothered by the world around her.
A seed of envy grew inside of me, and I felt jealous of her. She had all the resources she could ever need.
And then, at that very moment, an idea hit me like a meteor. What if I join a Bloodline? The Academy allows for the promotion of a Nameless to a Bloodline member so I could theoretically do it.
I stood up with determination flowing through my body.
I started walking back home and passed Miss All, and that's when I realized that she was with someone, someone whom I had never noticed.
I turned to look at the lady and saw another beauty. Her long purple hair cascaded down to her neat purple dress. The smile she wore became brighter with her gem-like blue eyes.
The envy inside me grew but I just smiled and walked back home.
I was once again in front of our apartment's wooden door. My hands were shaking as I opened the door, my will slightly wavering.
When I opened the door, I saw Charlotte and Michael reading books like usual.
They immediately noticed me and so they walked towards me.
I bit my lip, ready to speak. I said with a slightly shaky voice, "I want to become a student of the Academy. I want to learn and see more of this world."
Charlotte and Michael smiled in tandem.
Charlotte handed me a small bag and explained, "I have already prepared everything for you."
Michael on the other hand, handed me a rough train ticket, "Here's the train ticket. I bought it a few hours ago. Your train is off tomorrow."
I hugged them both, tears flowing down my face. I said to them, "I… I will do my best out there! I will prove to the world that I, Elmer, a Nameless, am worthy of being remembered!"
We ate our last dinner together with smiles on our faces.
I took a bath and dressed myself in my blue pajamas.
I lay down in my bed, and spoke out loud, having a hard time sleeping, "Tomorrow is the day I leave and from that day onwards, I will have to do what I can to get promoted. What Bloodlines are good though?"
I stood up and searched for a recent book regarding Bloodlines. I read its contents and slowly decided, "The Instigation Bloodline doesn't sound good, I have no interest in law. The Longevity Bloodline… I can't even get promoted to it right? There's little to no one who has ever been promoted to this Bloodline."
I continued on like this until I found a perfect Bloodline, "The Literature Bloodline sounds really good. I love books and history and those just fit what the Literature Bloodline aims for. Great! Now I know what I want."
I then scratched my head, asking myself, "So, how do I get promoted? It must be somewhere within this book, right?"
After skimming through the book for a few minutes, he found the information he was searching for.
"So I get promoted after using a token given to me by a Bloodline member? That sounds strangely straightforward. Forget it, I'll think about this later. I need to sleep."
I closed the book and lay back down in the bed but I did not get any sleep at all. I didn't know if I was too excited or if I was too nervous. But either way, I couldn't let things go on like this, so I started walking around the apartment.
I went to the bathroom, feeling mother nature's call and just when I grabbed hold of the doorknob, Michael came out.
We stared at each other for a bit before I entered the bathroom and closed the door immediately.
After a few minutes, I came out and saw Michael waiting for me.
He handed me a glass of water and asked, "Are you thirsty? Is that why you can't sleep?"
"I don't know either. I think I might just be feeling somewhat overwhelmed by all of this."
"Is that so? Hmm… I've been meaning to ask you this but, do you like Charlotte?"
I almost jumped in shock. I stared at Michael before answering, "I… do."
He smiled, and replied, "You're still so honest."
"How… about you? Do you also like Charlotte?"
Michael laughed, explaining to me, "I always saw her as a sister although we aren't blood related. So, I'm your wingman, huh?"
"Don't say stuff like that so easily, she might reject me you know?"
Michael gave me a funny expression, and I don't know what he was trying to get at. He said, "She likes you."
"Huh?!" Puzzlement spread all over my face.
"You're still pretty dense."
"Shut up." I pouted.
Michael patted me on the back and said, "It's already quite late. You should be asleep by now. And you should probably tell her."
Michael left me alone in the living room. I sat there and muttered, "I guess if I never face the harsh truth, I will never grow."
…
Outside our apartment, Charlotte, Michael, and I were standing together.
Charlotte told me with a warm smile, "Remember, if you ever feel down, you could always come back home."
I smiled at her, and then I noticed Michael giving weird looks. What is he trying to say? And then I remembered.
I bit my lip, ready to hear a no. I spoke, unexpectedly confident, "Charlotte… I… I love you."
Charlotte stood there, frozen in place. After a few seconds, she smiled, answering me, "Then I suppose my yes is a reasonable reply."
"Huh?!"
"You said what now?"
"Yes, was it that surprising? Don't tell me you were expecting a no?"
"Kinda… wow, I might actually be luckier than I thought."
"Forget it. Even though I said yes, we still will have to talk through letters. You better send us lots, ok?"
"I got it."
Michael who was watching on the side spoke up, "If you ever need help, just send us a letter and we will reply back."
My smile widened, "Thank you!"
After talking for a few more minutes, I parted ways with them, determination gleaming within my eyes.
Not long after, I arrived at the train station and soon found my ride.
I entered the train and found a nice-looking seat right next to the window. It was dyed red and the window was dyed brown with a hint of orange.
I muttered to myself, "I hope things will go well from here on out."