I Start with a Bad Hand!

I was holding an item that cost as much as an entire Dietrich dress, one that Agatha had urgently requested to be retrieved if possible—a magical artifact made into an arrow. 

Feeling somewhat resigned, I explained the situation to Agatha, who surprisingly agreed to our plan right away but cautioned, “Just shooting an arrow is dangerous, take this instead.” She handed me the arrow she described. It wouldn’t pierce the target but could push it with wind magic, used often to knock down hard-to-reach lost items of students or to clean dust from places out of reach. When I asked how she knew about this, Agatha revealed she was in charge of handling such artifacts.

It was a luxurious way the academy utilized its resources. While I was cautious about using such a high-value item that I’d normally never afford, it was crucial for my plans. I needed to win at the upcoming autumn hunt, and it was uncertain if I could pierce the hide of my target, or even kill it, with my own skills. The enchanted arrow was necessary—if not with my strength, then with magic.

Buying such an artifact was too expensive for my budget, which is why I had started to tighten my finances to save up for more arrows.

Walking towards the clock tower with Klaus, I brought up the watch again. “You said that watch is important to Irene, right?”

“Is it… a keepsake or something?” I asked cautiously.

Klaus paused, then responded, “It’s not a keepsake, but it is a family item.”

“Is it… something from your parents?”

“It was my cousin’s watch. Now it’s her property.”

Right, a cousin is still family.

Suppressing a sense of deflation, I opened the door to the clock tower. The daunting staircase reminded me of past nightmares.

‘Do I really have to go up on all fours this time?’

‘Not this climb again…’

I sighed and was about to start climbing, leaning on the wall for support, when Klaus stopped me a few steps up, turned around, and sat down.

“Get on.”

“Huh?”

“It’ll be tough to go all the way up these stairs. You can ride on my back.”

This unexpected offer left me briefly speechless, but the pragmatic part of me knew it made sense. Accepting Klaus’s help would save energy and maybe a bit of dignity—it was an unusual alliance, but sometimes necessity bridged even the most unlikely gaps.

I watched Klaus’s sturdy back, hesitating for a moment. Was this alright? Normally, this kind of situation might have stirred up an odd atmosphere.

But Klaus was just Klaus. Irene’s brother. Despite his striking features, there was something endearingly simple about him. From head to toe, he radiated an earnest energy that seemed more fitting for public educational broadcasts or a rural soap opera. Remembering his innocent face, I finally entrusted myself to him. As he lifted me, I wondered if this was what it felt like to receive filial piety.

***

We had been ascending the stairs for a while when I realized that Klaus had been walking for quite some time yet maintained a calm breath. Moreover, he had been talking continuously as we climbed, a stark contrast to my previous struggle just making the climb. Envious of his ease, I struck up a conversation.

“You really have good stamina.”

…

“Is it from your fencing lessons?” I asked. Klaus then steered the conversation in a new direction.

“I actually wanted to take horseback riding lessons. But at that time, my sister was also taking them. She told me not to get in her way… so I just took fencing lessons. But when I actually got into the academy, this time she was taking dance classes.”

Understanding a bit why Irene would tell him to stay out of her sight, I threw another question his way.

“So what art classes are you taking?”

“Me? Choir!”

“Choir?”

Really? I asked, somewhat incredulously. Affirming it was true, Klaus soon began to sing a verse. His voice, low but refreshing, echoed through the clock tower. It was quite a nice voice, and I secretly hoped he would sing a bit more as I quietly stayed perched on his back. When Klaus finished, I tapped his back a few times as a substitute for applause. He seemed to understand perfectly, chuckling shyly, the sound vibrating through his back.

“Do you have a favorite song?”

“A favorite song?”

“Yeah, tell me.”

“We can sing it at the arts festival,” Klaus said, looking quite adorable. I could see why Irene might scold him verbally but didn’t genuinely dislike her brother.

Favorite song… I hated going to karaoke with coworkers intensely, but I quite enjoyed it with friends. However, I didn’t know any songs from this world. It seemed Dietrich wasn’t much into music. I finally replied, almost making an excuse.

“It’s a song you wouldn’t know.”

“It’s okay, then you can just tell me.”

It felt a bit embarrassing to call him here… But I felt slightly guilty towards Klaus, who had spontaneously carried me on his back and even sang for me. Throughout the climb, I had mostly watched his one-man show. Plus, I had secretly hoped for a moment to sing at a karaoke, which I couldn’t go to.

Eventually, I searched through the playlist in my head and found a song that wouldn’t be embarrassing to sing in this situation, and wouldn’t seem odd. Trying to suppress my embarrassed feelings, I sang the song, though I stopped midway through the first verse.

Somehow, the more I sang, the more I remembered my friends who used to add mismatched choruses to this song every time we sang it in a karaoke room.

After finishing the song, I awkwardly cleared my throat with a couple of coughs. Klaus, who had been quietly listening, began to excitedly exclaim how good it was.

“It really is the first time I’ve heard this song. How did I not know about it?”

Hearing this, I thought quietly to myself,

‘Of course, it’s a song from where I used to live.’

This song was one that a friend who only listened to chart-topping hits had forcibly plugged into my ears… and now, it had become a song only I knew in this world.

“Did you create this song?”

At Klaus’s question, I paused to think. Even if I said I did, no one would know… But feeling guilty, I eventually decided to evade the question.

“Just… something.”

Wow, impressive. Klaus began to say something again, but his voice gradually faded, and I was left to my thoughts.

In this world, I was the only person who knew this song. Whether it was a ridiculous vibrato or singing rounds with arbitrary beats, there was no one in this world who could follow along.

It wasn’t just this song. Even the songs where I knew exactly when to add a vocal riff or where to snap my fingers, all those memories were now solely mine in this world.

A bitter feeling washed over me, and I buried my forehead into Klaus’s neck, which was wrapped around by my arm. For Dietrich, and for me, it felt right to get out of this situation soon.

***

“What if you fail? You’d have to go back and pick up the arrows again, is that okay?”

I tied my hair, which was fluttering in the wind, up. Following the light reflected by the sun, I tried to locate the crow. Unbothered, the crow was still holding Irene’s platinum watch in its mouth, hovering near the window as if looking for the invisible Klaus.

Maybe this crow was smarter than Klaus. Seeing how it knew how to annoy people.

“Don’t worry, I think I can go up and down at least ten more times.”

A chuckle escaped me at his confident reply. I readjusted my stance. Right, if we fail, it’s Klaus who has to go back for the arrows, not me. There was no need for nerves. With that thought, I shook my hands off and pulled the bowstring towards the crow. The idea of seeing the power of an arrow made from a magic-infused artifact did make me a bit nervous, in truth.

I had to wait for the crow to pass near a dense bush so it couldn’t retrieve Irene’s watch even if it dropped it. I slowly tracked the flying crow with my bow as it glided over the bush. Thwack—I released the arrow, and it sped towards the crow. Just before it hit, the arrow vanished as if hidden by some invisible veil. Then, as if enveloped by an unseen curtain, a powerful gust pushed the crow.

Startled by the sudden change in wind, the crow flapped its wings erratically and soon dropped the pocket watch. It safely landed in the thick bushes.

‘I hit it.’

Stunned by my own success, I leaned against the railing of the clock tower to confirm it was really a hit. Soon, however, Klaus warned me of the danger.

‘I’m pretty good at this, huh?’

The thrilling vibration of the arrow flying and hitting its mark sent a tingling pleasure through me.

The crow now seemed flustered, circling above the bush. Before someone else could take it, we needed to retrieve the watch first. In a rush, I grabbed Klaus’s arm and urged him.

“There’s someone passing by, wave and ask them to pick it up for us!”

Quickly, quickly! At my urging, Klaus took a deep breath and shouted to someone passing near the bush. His voice was impressive, and shouting from the top of the clock tower turned out to be more embarrassing than I thought. I quietly stepped behind Klaus, letting him take all the attention from the startled onlookers.

Luckily, it seemed someone had heard Klaus’s call and stopped. I peeked from behind Klaus’s back to check if the person understood his signal.

…The light reflecting off the artifact made me squint. But the real sparkle was elsewhere. The brilliantly shining blonde student visible even from this distance was the only one of his kind at the academy.