35 Amber Mountain (2/2)
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 refreshing 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, Maria-chan~!” 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.
”Hello, Ria!” smiled the Scarlet heir. Rose petals and bishie 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 embarrassment, 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, anticipating what events were in store for them tomorrow.