Volume 5 Chapter 33 A Night Without Each Other
Randy, who had handed over the mural 'poem' to Principal Lucius, was on his way home.
It should have been the usual route, but the sidewalk felt unusually wide, and the left side felt a bit chilly.
With this strange feeling, Randy naturally quickened his pace.
By the time he reached home, the sun had set, and lights were starting to flicker on in the nearby houses.
This was a familiar sight, but his house remained dark, which was different from usual.
"Oh, right. No one's here to nag me today."
Normally, Liz, Rita, and Harrison would be around, complaining about too much sauce or telling him not to be picky, but today, there was no one.
"Guess I'll just go grab some junk food outside!"
Muttering to himself, Randy turned on his heel at the gate and headed to a bustling diner on the main street.
With a skip in his step, he chose a particularly lively place.
It was a restaurant he had heard about from Leonardo, the leader of the Iron Falcon Steel.
Big portions, decent taste.
And most importantly, it was said to have a rich, bold flavor.
It was a place he wouldn't usually visit.
Even though it was still early evening, the cheerful voices of adults spilled out from the restaurant.
Wrapped in this unusual atmosphere, Randy couldn't help but smile.
As he stepped through the door, he was enveloped by the lively chatter and the scent of alcohol.
"Hey, what's today's special?"
The large sign displaying the daily plate caught his eye.
Nodding towards it, Randy flicked a coin with his thumb.
The middle-aged man behind the counter took the coin and silently gestured for him to take a seat at the empty counter.
Sitting down, Randy felt the buzz of excitement behind him.
At first, he was thrilled by the unusual vibe, but now he felt a bit unsatisfied.
As he fidgeted with the unfamiliar situation, a dish arrived in front of him.
With a 'thud' that seemed almost audible, a large plate filled with chunks of meat sat before him.
One bite and BAM! The flavor explosion hits his mouth.
The amount and taste are definitely on point.
No wonder it's so lively at this hour.
But even with such good food, Randy scarfed it down without enjoying it and left the place.
Dragging his still-numb left side, by the time Randy got home, the sun had already passed its shift to the moon.
In modern Japan, this time is often called family time (prime time).
Normally, Randy would be happily gathered around the table with Liz and Harrison, Rita, but the house he saw beyond the gate was still dark.
"Oh, the results are already out."
Holding the notice from the academy that was stuck in the mailbox, Randy opened the gate.
The high-pitched metallic sound of "creak" echoed through the unusually quiet street.
A sound he usually didn't think twice about felt way too loud.
The same sound rang out when he closed the gate, and as Randy couldn't help but chuckle and say, "Man, that's annoying," laughter spilled out from the neighbor's house.
Even without open windows at this time of year, the laughter was so clear──was it because they were having a good time, or was it just that everything around Randy felt too quiet?
Without needing to think about it, Randy let out an exaggerated sigh to drown it all out.
The small garden felt surprisingly spacious today.
With that in mind, Randy strode to the front door and swung it open with gusto.
"I'm home!"
He said it out loud for no particular reason, but of course, there was no reply...
Letting out a small sigh, Randy pressed the switch by the entrance to turn on the hall light.
As the hall brightened, he opened the envelope of the letter he was holding.
Walking into the living room, he pulled out the letter, and... it was pretty much what he expected.
"Yeah, I figured."
Even though he knew, seeing the multiple "failed" marks lined up made Randy smile wryly.
It was the usual... but for some reason, today those 3 letters felt unusually heavy on his shoulders.
That heavy feeling pressing down on him.
He crumpled the letter into a ball and opened the living room door.
What welcomed Randy wasn't Liz's bright smile, but a pitch-black living room.
Suppressing a sigh that almost slipped out, Randy turned on the lights and plopped down onto the sofa with a thud.
He tossed a crumpled letter toward the trash can he caught out of the corner of his eye.
Normally, he'd make that shot every time, but it hit the edge of the can and... fell to the floor.
──Thud.
Even the silly sound of the letter hitting the floor felt loud in the living room.
Randy stared at the letter lying on the floor for a moment, then stood up, saying, "Guess I'll take a shower".
He went through his usual routine to prepare for the shower, but when he reached the hallway leading to the annex, he suddenly stopped.
At the end of the hallway was a walkway that led to the annex.
Standing there, where he walked every day chatting with Liz, Randy looked toward the annex and muttered, "All alone, huh...".
"Alright. No one's here, so let's enjoy some moon-viewing liquor."
With a smile, Randy walked down the hallway... and found himself staring blankly at the empty bathtub in the annex.
"There's no water! No hot water!"
Of course, there wouldn't be.
No one was home.
He had just been out, so it was obvious there wouldn't be any hot water, but Randy had completely forgotten and slumped his shoulders in disappointment.
"Guess I'll just use the bath at home."
Muttering to himself, Randy grabbed a bottle of sparkling water from the fridge... but after staring at the bottle for a moment, he sighed and put it back in the fridge.
Still feeling down, Randy made his way to the bathroom, which felt smaller than usual.
After quickly showering, he emerged into the living room, shivering and hugging his shoulders, saying, "It's cold".
The living room hadn't changed at all.
The empty table and the crumpled letter still lay on the floor next to the trash can.
"Seriously, who's to blame... it's me──."
With a nonsensical comment, Randy picked up the crumpled letter and was about to toss it into the trash can... but then he suddenly stopped.
He tightened his grip on it, which was about to slip from his hands, and plopped back down onto the sofa with a thud.
In the now silent room, Randy opened the crumpled letter again.
No matter how many times he looked at it, the result didn't change.
"Ugh..."
Randy let out a pitiful sound and stared up at the ceiling.
"What's up with this..."
Randy muttered while staring at the ceiling, feeling completely lost.
He had told Lucius, "If we extend it, it'll just drag on," but honestly, with results this bad, tomorrow's retake was looking pretty shaky.
So, he thought about studying now... but he just couldn't find the motivation.
It wasn't just that studying was hard.
Randy believed that the atmosphere in this house was what helped him push through the subjects he struggled with.
There was Liz and Ellie, who were always there to teach him.
Harrison, who would mercilessly tease him if he did poorly.
And Rita, who would make late-night snacks while keeping an eye on Harrison.
Randy felt deeply that it was because of them that he had managed to keep going, even with the things he disliked.
"Just 5 more minutes──."
Randy whispered as he closed his eyes.
The bright light shining through his eyelids made him think, "Wow, that's bright," as he rested a letter on his face.
If he went into the retake like this, he was sure to fail.
Plus, Liz wouldn't come to pick him up for at least ten days.
So, he thought, if he could just pass by then...
But that thought made it even harder to lift his heavy body.
──"Good luck on the retake!"
──"How many times will it take to pass?"
Suddenly, he heard the voices of the two.
Pushed by their words, Randy opened his eyes and lifted the crumpled letter.
The letter, now backlit and shadowy, somehow looked clearer than before.
"Oh, one subject passed."
He noticed that one subject had passed: 'Magic Theory.'
Unlike elective subjects like 'Magic Practice,' this was a core subject.
It was one of the subjects Randy struggled with, right after math, but somehow, he had barely passed.
"Oh right, Ellie and Liz were taking turns teaching me yesterday."
He remembered the faces of the two from last night when they solved problems together.
Ellie, laughing, said, "You should be able to do this," and Liz, celebrating like it was her own success, said, "That's correct!" Remembering their faces made Randy smile softly as he shifted his gaze back.
He crumpled the letter again and tossed it into the trash.
This time, Randy stood up with a slap to his cheek, saying, "Alright, let's do this," as he tossed the neatly crumpled letter into the trash.
He turned off the lights in the living room and the hallway, heading to his room.
Striding up the stairs, Randy reached his room and immediately sat at his desk, focused and scribbling away with his pen.
...That night, as the hours passed and the neighboring houses fell asleep, only the light in Randy's room shone brightly.
* * *
Now, let's rewind a bit to when Randy just got home...
Liz and the others had also arrived at their lodging for the day.
Cedric and Miranda went to the fanciest hotel in town.
Catherine, Leon, and Liz, along with Rita and Harrison, settled for a mid-range place.
With someone as famous as Cedric, staying in a cheap inn was out of the question.
It was for security reasons, but also because he had a role as a spokesperson for Braubelg.
That's why Cedric wished Liz could stay at the fancy hotel too, but Liz turned him down, saying they didn't want to splurge since they were paying for themselves.
The girls shared a room, while Harrison and Leon stayed next door in a 2-person room.
Of course, Harrison and Leon took turns keeping watch in front of the girls' room.
So now, everyone was in the girls' room for a meeting about security, but Liz looked downcast, prompting Rita and Catherine to ask her.
"What's wrong? You seem a bit off."
"Yeah, are you feeling okay?"
Rita tilted her head, and Liz smiled, saying, "Thanks, but I'm fine," reassuring them there was no real issue.
"Then what's with the long face?"
Catherine sighed and Liz scratched her cheek with a wry smile, saying,
"I'm just a little worried about Randy. I wonder if he did well on the retest. If he didn't, will he be able to study properly?"
As Liz spun her worries, Catherine frowned, saying,
"If you're that worried, why not just go see him? Just teleport over there"
Catherine, with a look of disbelief, smiled and asked,
"Is it okay? Can I go see him?"
"Sure. He's waiting──."
"That's not okay!"
Suddenly, Harrison interrupted the conversation, and everyone turned to look at him.
"It's not okay. You can't go see him."
Catherine pouted and asked, "Why not?"
"If you want to see him, just go. Plus, you can help him study."
Catherine's point was valid; she was worried about the possibility of failing the retest.
Still, Harrison shook his head.
"No way. You all are underestimating Randolph Victor."
Harrison, looking unusually serious, continued, saying that Randy would definitely manage on his own.
"Sure, he hates studying, but he has more determination than anyone else. He's probably feeling down right now without Miss Elizabeth, but he'll definitely pick himself up and catch up. That's just who he is."
With a smile, Harrison said, "Please believe in him," and everyone turned to look at Liz.
After a moment of silence, Liz quietly nodded and said, "I understand".
"I can't keep relying on Randy. I'll get stronger during this trip, even if it's just a little."
With her fists clenched, Liz smiled as Harrison said, "Let's surprise him.".
"Alright, we'll be waiting by the door."
Waving his hand, Harrison urged Leon to head outside, and Liz bowed her head.
She quietly stared at the closed door for a moment before suddenly looking out the window.
"Randy... do your best, okay?"
* * *
"Oh, the answer sheet is misaligned... well, it's just practice, so I'll count it as correct."
The night is still long.
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