Maika Bell

The hallway outside Dorm 4 smelled like lavender and old wood, with golden sconces casting soft light on the stone walls.

Nola walked behind Cain, still dazed, with each step echoing with the weight of what had happened in the Headmistress's office.

Watanabe no Tsuna. The name pulsed through her like a second heartbeat.

"I hope you got your toothbrush and stuff. Normal shops are a long distance from here and online deliveries are delivered at a nearby village's post office."

"Here we are," he said. "Room 3, Sun Tower. Your new home."

He smiled, then knocked twice before pushing it open.

Bright warm yellow light spilled out. The room was cozy with two beds on opposite ends, each with a desk and a floating shelf above. 

One side was already cluttered with books, snack wrappers, and a colorful patchwork quilt thrown across the bed like a flag of chaos.

And sitting cross-legged on that bed was a tiny blur of energy.

She looked up, her bright hazel eyes peeking out from under a cascade of wild fiery orange hair. She was grinning at them and Cain smiled back.

Her cheeks were dusted with freckles, and her orange hoodie was so oversized it swallowed her hands.

When she smiled, it was like sunshine exploded in her face.

"OH! You're here! Finally! I thought I would not have any roommates until I got a notice yesterday."

She jumped off the bed and she barely reached Nola's shoulder bouncing across the room like a chipmunk on caffeine.

"I'm Maika. Maika Bell. You must be Nola. I was wondering if my new roomie was gonna be cool or cursed or weird, and you look pretty cool so that's already a win."

Nola blinked, taken aback by the sheer force of the girl's excitement.

"I… uh, yeah. I'm Nola. Nola Makinoshi."

"Awesome. I call dibs on the snacks, you can have the window bed," Maika declared.

Nola actually laughed, the sound surprising her own chest. It had been days since anything felt normal enough to be funny.

"I'm fine with the window bed."

Maika grinned like they'd just signed an agreement. 

She flopped back onto her bed, her arms spread. "So. Is it your first day here? Or… you've been here before and relocated from another room?"

Nola shook her head, setting her small duffel on the edge of her bed. "Just got here."

"Same! Well, almost the same. I have been here for three days but I'm not officially undiscovered yet."

Nola tilted her head. "Undiscovered?"

"I haven't got to know my will yet," Maika explained, popping a grape into her mouth. "You know, the whole 'legendary figure echoing in your soul' deal. That's what the Initiation is for. Tomorrow's the ceremony. Most of us first-years will go through it."

Nola felt her stomach twist. "Mine already showed up."

Maika's eyes widened. "Wait. No way. Who?"

Nola hesitated. For some reason, she didn't want to say it too loudly.

"Watanabe no Tsuna."

The room went silent.

"…Who is that? Sounds like a cool Japanese name though."

Nola nodded.

Maika slowly sat up, the grape bag forgotten. "Okay, okay. That's kind of badass? Like… ancient Japanese samurai level? What happened? Was it during class? Or—?"

"In the Headmistress's office."

Maika's eyebrows nearly shot off her face. "She let you intiate in her office? That's like… unheard of. You must be someone special, hehe. Was it scary?"

Nola thought about the sword, the silence, the way Tsuna had looked through her like she was transparent. 

"Yes," she said simply. "But also… no. It wasn't the kind of fear that made you want to run. It was the kind that made you want to rise."

Maika opened her laptop, already typing. "Okay wait. Now I have to look him up. I barely know anything about the dude. We're talking about some folklore level history here."

She pulled up a page full of old paintings and Japanese scrolls, images of a tall man with long hair and a curved blade held with both hands.

"This one says he cut the arm off a demon named Ibaraki-dōji. Damn! Pretty hardcore."

Another tab opened. "And this one says he swore an oath to protect the innocent from demons. Dude. You got a literal ghost samurai bodyguard."

Nola cracked a smile. "You're a tiny bit weird."

Maika grinned. "Thank you. I take that as a compliment. So, what's it like, having your Will show up early?"

Nola's smile faded a little. 

"It felt like… like someone handed me a mirror I didn't want to look in. But when I did, I saw something stronger than I thought was possible."

Maika blinked. "Whoa. Deep. But boring, no. You are pretty uptight, missy. Come on, be loose."

They sat in silence for a few seconds, the only sound being the hum of Maika's laptop and the faint breeze from the open window.

Maika glanced over. "Do you miss anyone?"

Nola's eyes flicked to the ceiling. "My brother."

"You guys close?"

"Not really. Not anymore. He left our house 5 years ago to study here."

Nola swallowed the ache that bubbled up again.

"He said he'd call every day."

"Good brother," Maika said simply. "My mom's a botanist. She already sent me a picture of a spider lily and cried over voice message."

Nola laughed again, the warmth of it easing some of the tightness in her chest.

As the night settled around them, Maika lit a small charm stone and placed it on the shelf between them. It cast a soft, amber glow that made the dorm feel more like a mystical place.

"I hope I get a Will like yours," she said after a while, yawning.

"Someone strong. Someone who knows who they are."

"You will," Nola murmured, already under her blanket, watching the shadows shift above them.

"I'm not so sure," Maika whispered. "But I think I'm glad I met you first."

Nola didn't answer right away.

She just smiled into the dark.

"Yeah. Me too."