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StLQ Chapter 8 - Friends
🕑 Added 2025-08-10 11:11:23 +0000 UTCI woke up early the next day with a new plan in mind. I ate breakfast and thanked my mom for a delicious start to the day. Then I headed outside and huddled up in my winter jacket. I sat on the porch and waited.
Snowfall covered the dark morning. I’d be far too early if I left for school now. Some of my neighbors still had their lights off. The lone street lamp did its best to light the street. A layer of snow was forming on our front porch, which I’d plowed after coming home from school yesterday.
The door opened behind me. My mom snuck into her coat and asked, “Kai? Is something on your mind?”
“Yes,” I said. “I have an amazing plan in mind. You can’t comprehend this level of genius.”
My mom crossed her arms, giving me a sheepish smile. “Are you waiting for your neighbor?”
My head snapped toward her, surprised. “How did you know?”
“There’s a pretty mage girl living right next door,” Mom said. “I was wondering when you’d grow interested in her.”
“Mom, you can’t say that,” I said.
She laughed. “Joking, joking.”
I sighed. “We have a group project. Luna avoided me yesterday. But if I conveniently head to school at the same time as her, I can discuss our project for the whole duration of the trip.”
“I see,” Mom said. “Smart boy. Just don’t get in trouble.”
“Of course,” I said.
“And don’t just sit there,” Mom said. She handed me the snow-plow. “You’ll freeze if you go without moving for too long. At least make use of the time.”
I rolled my eyes, but a smile was still plastered on my face. I took the snow-plow and did as asked. Mom headed inside.
I kept my eyes on Luna’s house. Admittedly, I wasn’t confident in this whole ordeal—the goal of befriending Luna. But with Donovan’s scan failing to show results, I knew I had to find better leads on my own. The best way to achieve that was definitely to trick Luna into revealing more information.
My other lead was, of course, Johannes Longfield. The man who investigators originally deemed the culprit of the disaster. I had ideas on confronting him, but I felt like I needed a proper plan to interrogate him. I doubted Johannes was the main culprit behind this. He was probably an assistant, or he could have been framed into the crime in my original life.
The morning was still dark when the door to Luna’s house opened. Luna stepped into the snowfall with her head low.
I placed my snow plow down, pretending like I hadn’t merely been waiting for this opportunity, and ran to catch up with her. “Morning, Luna!”
“Mm…” Luna said, eyes pointing at the ground. “Morning…”
She shivered. Luna wore her summer jacket. Her hood was up and her hands were in her pockets. Her legs were bare above her socks, the cold gripping her legs beneath the skirt of her uniform. She walked fast, which made sense considering the outfit.
“Do you know cold resistance magic?” I asked out of genuine curiosity.
“Practicing…” Luna said.
“I heard it’s a hard spell to cast,” I said. “Difficult to the point that even experts struggle to use it. Enchanting clothes is far easier, but still difficult. I always thought it was easier to wear a jacket. Are you subjecting yourself to the cold to learn faster?”
Luna let out a long breath. A wavering, strangely stressed breath. “That method doesn’t work…”
I blinked. “Wait. So you just… don’t have a jacket?”
Luna didn’t respond.
“You do have a jacket, right?”
“It broke,” Luna said.
I paused. “Seriously?”
Luna didn’t wait for me. I ran to catch up. “You don’t own a jacket in this weather?”
Luna sped up the pace and turned away from me.
Poor girl, you’re actually shivering out here! What kind of parents do you have?
Without thinking, I unbuttoned my jacket one button at a time. The cold immediately bit through my uniform underneath. Hell, this weather was cold even with my jacket.
I ran after her and placed the jacket over her shoulders.
Luna flinched and let out a quick, “Huh?”
“Wait here,” I said. “I’ll be back in a minute. Don’t run from me, please.”
I left Luna there, then bolted back to my house. The cold pressed against any open skin as if icicles coated my skin. Never underestimate Lokora’s winters. Luckily, we hadn't gotten far. It only took me around thirty seconds to get back inside.
“Mom!” I called. “Urgent help required!”
“Kai?” Mom asked. The door to her office opened. “What is it?”
“Where’s my spare jacket?” I asked. “I know I have one.”
Mom blinked. “What happened to your main jacket?”
“I lent it,” I said. “Quickly, where’s my jacket? We’ll be late.”
“Your spare jacket is not thick enough. That’s why we bought a new one. Take mine today.”
She grabbed a thick red jacket from the closet and tossed it to me. Fourteen year old me would have definitely considered it too girly.
“Thanks!” I said, snuck it on, and bolted back into the winter. I ran at full speed, hoping Luna hadn’t disappeared again.
Thankfully, Luna stood where I had left her, confused and still shivering. The jacket covered her back, but she hadn’t slid her arms through the sleeves. The jacket was still open.
“Heh,” I said, catching my breath with my hands on my thighs. I looked up at her. “A brilliant solution. Now neither of us will freeze to death.”
Luna kept her eyes on me for the longest time so far. Which was around two seconds, before she turned away again. “Kai…”
“Yes, yes, no need to thank me,” I said. “Feel free to button it up. It won’t eat you.”
“...You’re an idiot.”
“An idiot genius, perhaps,” I said. “And you’re lucky my mom borrowed her jacket for me today.”
“Your mom lent you a jacket?” Somehow, that made Luna’s eyebrows rise.
“Of course. Yours wouldn’t?”
“I… haven’t asked.”
“You can probably ask Donovan for a jacket,” I said. “You’re his best student. He wouldn’t be happy to see you pass out in a ditch from the cold.”
“I’ll have to ask,” Luna said.
The street fell silent. The moment I stopped spouting words at a rapid pace, the conversation came to a pause. Luna was the least talkative person I’d ever met.
Again, small talk probably wouldn’t cut it, not with the time limit I had. I needed the big guns.
“Luna?” I asked. “I actually wanted to talk to you about a few things. Something that will take a bit longer to discuss. Would you like to become friends with me for a few days?”
“Friends?” Luna asked.
“Yeah,” I said. “We are neighbors, and we’re both studying magic, and I think you’re interesting. And cute. It only makes sense for us to be friends if you think about it.”
Luna slowed her steps. Her eyes were slightly wider than usual as she glanced at me. Her face, though it could have been from the cold, was slightly red. The stare stayed on me for a full three seconds.
Then she snapped her head back toward the World Tree and continued walking.
“I don’t have time for friends,” she said. “I need to practice. I might fall behind.”
“Fall behind?” I asked. “Aren’t you good enough to practically graduate right now?”
“Mother wants me to graduate with top scores,” Luna said.
“What if I become Donovan’s student as well?” I asked. “We could share classes. I’m getting better with magic by the day.” I snapped my fingers and cast a flame. Then I performed the fanciest spell I knew—I formed an icicle and shot it at the snow beside us. “Donovan hinted that I could earn a tutor as well. If we’re both learning, we can be friends, and we won’t have to sacrifice time.”
“I can’t,” Luna said. “Friends… I just can’t.”
She turned silent again. She wasn’t shivering in my jacket anymore, but she didn’t seem too fond of my offer.
I believed Luna was honest, saying she had no time. Seeing the spells she could pull off was enough of an explanation. Luna practiced magic. She only practiced magic, with every minute of her free time.
“You have a lot of homework, right?” I asked. “I could help you with that. I know a certain trick. Do you want to learn how to get less homework?”
The offer seemed to make her curious.
“I’ve used this trick for years,” I said, “but it takes some preparation. The next time you get an assignment from your tutors, learn more than they asked. Study the next lesson as well. But do it in secret. Don’t tell anyone that you’re ahead by a lesson. Just show that you’re on schedule. When the next homework hits, you won’t have to do it. Because you’ve already studied in secret. You’ll have free time.”
What the hell am I saying? I thought immediately after dropping the advice. I’d used the strategy often at work to gain more free time for myself and my own projects. When laying out the tip to Luna, however, it sounded quite idiotic.
Luna’s response thoroughly surprised me. Her eyes were fully in focus as she asked, “You do that too?”
I blinked. “Wait. You’re… already using my strategy?”
Luna’s face reddened. “Um, no? Don’t tell anyone…”
There’s no way… What kind of training does she receive?
“How many days have you saved up?” I asked.
“I’m maybe five lessons ahead…” Luna said. “Please don’t tell anyone.”
“I won’t,” I said. “I’m just surprised. I’m usually one or two lessons ahead at most. Five requires a lot of work.”
Luna looked nervous now, as if I’d uncovered some big secret. Something about her reaction wasn’t normal. When I used my strategy, I used it to fuck off for a day and to spend time on my own projects. Luna, however… she almost looked afraid. What kind of training did this poor girl live through?
I considered my next words for a bit, wondering if it was rude to say what I had in mind. “I’d still like to be friends with you. If just for a few days. There's a lot of things I’d like to ask and talk to you about. How about we spend one of our free days for a quick date?”
“It’s too risky…” Luna said. “Maybe I can come with you for a study date. But only if we study, so I won’t fall behind. Just promise to not tell anyone about… your strategy.”
“I won’t say anything,” I said. “I use the same strategy, remember?”
Luna’s head went back toward the ground. Something was definitely off. I knew Luna worked hard. It looked like she was forced to work hard. But this hard? Luna couldn’t even have friends.
“Today, then?” I asked. “A quick study date after school. I promise it will be worth it.”
Luna considered for a second. “I’ll ask my mother after school. If she lets me… I’ll knock.”
I eyed her, then nodded. That was probably the best I’d get from her.
The academy’s gates waited ahead of us. The clock said we were two minutes late. Luna didn’t seem to be in a hurry. She had often been late, I recalled. Teachers didn’t mention it, since she performed so well regardless.
Luna took off her jacket and handed it back to me. She glanced at me nervously, as if wondering if she should thank me.
She decided not to, and walked past the wardrobes, straight to class, while I was left baffled and confused at the door, wondering how my nonsensical rambles managed to get me in this situation.
