Agatha of Malachite had done it; she had passed the final exams and kept her position at the Skyscraper Academy. Such an achievement should have filled her with joy as she had managed to reach the highest of the apex after being born at the lowest of the bottom, yet it did not.

  That, however, didn’t mean she was empty. If anything, she was drowning in happiness. Drowning was the truest and most correct of descriptors, for she had so much happiness that it threatened to kill her from an overdose of joy.

  For she had gotten the cutest girlfriend in the world.

  “Mmm, Agatha,” Christina Valasela, her new and lovable girlfriend – or Christie, as Agatha liked to call her – grunted and nudged her away. “It is too hot outside for you to be nuzzling me like a cat.”

  “But what can I do if I am not nuzzling you?” Agatha pressed her head against her tall and beautiful girlfriend.

  “Is it really that comfortable?” The redhead inquired with interest.

  “No, not really,” the dirty-blond girl responded as a matter of fact.

  “Then why do you keep doing it?”

  “Because I love you,” Agatha answered without hesitation.

  “Oh,” her red and cute girlfriend blushed and turned even redder than she was by default, also turning her head away in shame. “Mock sapphire…” She muttered under her breath.

  ‘Mock sapphire’ was the nickname that Christie attributed to her, both a reference to her pet mount and Agatha’s lone agate, but she usually used it to mean something akin to ‘dummy’. Which, in her defense, Agatha was kind of a dummy.

  “Blushing, eh?” The seamstress-in-training sneered in satisfaction. “Tell me, Christie, why are you blushing?”

  Agatha prodded at her big and cuddlable girlfriend, but the redhead turned her head to face her with a stern visage. That took the villager by surprise, and she instantly thought that she had crossed a line, something she wouldn’t want to do; the last thing she wanted to do was hurt Christie in any shape or form. She only wanted the porcelain doll to receive her love. Though it was true that Christie wasn’t as porcelain-skinned as before with all the training outdoors she had done. She was still several shades paler than Agatha, however.

  As soon as Agatha was about to apologize for teasing her that much – her mouth already open – Christie tilted her head downwards and plummeted toward the petite girl, covering her mouth with her meaty and pink lips. A moment later, the redhead plunged her tongue into Agatha’s mouth, which made the girl melt.

  The seamstress-in-training didn’t know how her passionate and expansive girlfriend did it, but every time she kissed her, Agatha would just melt into her long and thin arms. So passionate was the affair that it made her legs lose strength as it progressed, yet it was cut unfortunately short.

  When Christie separated her lips from Agatha’s, they did so with a satisfying and wet pop. A string of saliva hung between the two girls that inevitably collapsed once the tall girl stopped crouching, but that didn’t stop Christie from licking her lips to collect all the leftover saliva and then gulp it all down. The seductive gesture sent shivers down the dirty-blond girl’s body, leaving her aching for more.

  Yet again, as Agatha was about to open her mouth – though this time it was to beg instead of to apologize – she was interrupted. It wasn’t Christie this time, which the azure-eyed girl would have enjoyed greatly, but a knock on the door.

  “The time has finally come,” Christie uttered ominously, and at least for Agatha, it was truly a dreaded moment. “Come on, stand up. We need to move the luggage.”

  Christie was the first one to stand from the dormitory’s main bed, and she opened the door. Who awaited beyond it was a maid who promptly informed them that they had a carriage waiting for them at the academy’s entrance. A handful of days ago, Christie had received a letter from her family that the carriage meant to take her home would arrive soon, so the girls had just been losing – or rather, making up – time as they waited for the diligence to arrive as classes were already over and their summer break had started.

  “Can you carry the suitcases, Agatha?” Her gorgeous and demanding girlfriend asked after closing the door.

  “Yes, it should not be a problem.”

  In the last few days, they had packed all their belongings into suitcases, as not only would they need to take several of them back to Christie’s house for the overall travel, but they would also need to move out once they returned, as they would be second-year students and would receive better accommodations. Unfortunately, that meant separate dormitories, which was awful as Agatha wanted to spend every single waking and dreaming moment alongside Christie. Drunk in love wouldn’t start to describe her infatuation.

  Of course, the petite girl didn’t carry the suitcases as such. Not only did she not have much strength in her upper body and core because military exercises at the Skyscraper Academy focused more on stamina than bodybuilding, but also because the suitcases weighed almost twice as much as her. She did have a needy girlfriend, after all.

  No, the way she carried her suitcases was with her pride and joy: a lone agate.

  Agatha popped the sapphire-looking agate out of the socket of her necklace and grabbed another from her pocket, then fused them together in the palm of her hand. She could have just recalled both of them and then summoned them whole, but she liked the popping sound of her necklace too much not to do it every time she had the opportunity.

  Carelessly, the seamstress-in-training chucked the whole and hefty agate on the ground, and before it collided with the floor, it was no longer a perfect sphere but a rectangular and thin platform the size of a prone suitcase.

  “Let us get stacking, shall we?” Agatha half-suggested half-commanded Christie to pile the suitcases because they were all hers. The petite girl only had a single bag to her name, after all.

  Even though the suitcases weighed a lot, her lone agate was still able to take off from the ground. Agatha had used the mystical discipline of lithorica to apply certain commands to her agate that made it obey her. Most people in her grade were limited to a single command per agate, but that wasn’t the case for her as she could fit three whole commands in hers!

  What she was doing was a rather advanced command sequence called series programming that made commands interact between them. The series in question was Speed Control Anchor, where each command had its properties and synergies. The Speed command launched an agate into a given direction with a burst of speed, the Control command allowed her to telekinetically control her agate, and the Anchor command allowed her to anchor the agate in place.

  All those three commands weren’t that interesting individually, but when put together, two synergies appeared. Speed Control gave the normally weak Control command far more potency, and the Control Anchor series made it so the agate didn’t remain locked in place, but that certain axes of movement could be liberated independently so the agate could only move in them.

  All three of those commands working together were what allowed Agatha to create a levitating platform that moved forward even when it was overburdened with half a dozen suitcases.

  Agatha and Christie marched to the academy’s lobby with the lithic platform lagging behind them. It was a bit tricky getting the platform downstairs as there were two ways of doing so. Either Agatha freed two axes of movement to move it diagonally, or she kept the platform going at the same height until it reached the bottom and then dropped it in one fell swoop. She took the latter option as doing the former would have allowed degrees of rotation to the platform and would have most likely made the suitcases drop. Huh, it seems like those trigonometry classes paid off, the future second-year student mused as she carefully let the platform drop three meters with a controlled burst of speed counteracting gravity.

  Christie, of course, didn’t realize the whole process or the thought that Agatha had put into it, and the petite girl liked it that way. There was a kind of warm satisfaction in doing so much but making it appear trivially. Having said so, she preferred making it to the carriage as soon as possible as her head was beginning to hurt a bit. While these last days had been tranquil and she had had the opportunity to relax, neither her body nor mind had yet recovered from the military excursion they had for their last final exam.

  It should have been an awful memory, but her fiery and all-encompassing girlfriend had made sure to occupy Agatha’s mind with only herself. The single-agate lithorist could only think of her recent near-death experience as a catalyst for the biggest happiness of her life now. Agatha had always believed that she would have never been fulfilled romantically in her life as her kind weren’t exactly seen in a positive light here – though it wasn’t like they were actively prosecuted like in the desolate sands of Secto – and she had resigned from any romantic life, just seeking her childhood dream of proving all her bullies wrong and becoming the world’s best lithorist.

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  Yet now…

  She was in a position to do both.

  Agatha of Malachite was the happiest girl in the world at the moment.

  ***

  Christina Valasela was immensely nervous, though she did her best to hide that fact. These last days were a hazy dream which she feared may be ethereal in nature, even if she had disproved those fears at every corner. She was living a life like those from the romance novels she loved so much.

  It was, truly, a dream come true.

  Whilst she couldn’t say she had ever expected that the shining knight beneath the armor was a woman instead of a man, Christie couldn’t say that mattered to her at all. That was how much her paramour shone.

  Agatha of Malachite was a lowborn girl from a mining hamlet, yet she shone far more radiantly than any other thing Christie had seen, let alone agates. Her sweetheart shone with such immaculate potency that even the crown in the heavens paled in comparison. Not only in light, but also in heat.

  If there was one thing Christina Valasela loved about her inamorata was that blaze. A fulgurating heat that far outclassed the midday sun. Christie just wasn’t infatuated with that warmth; she wanted to outright be incinerated by it. A kind of intoxication that would never fade away and only grow, and the redhead was only looking forward to it.

  The hotter it burns, the better. That was the only thing she could think about, even as they did something as casual as strolling down a corridor.

  "Jersova yalacabasca!" A female and honeyed voice cut through the nouveau riche’s mellow thoughts. “So, you are leaving?”

  “That is the idea, yes, Shayla,” Christie spoke to her classmate and former roommate, Shayla Belkadi. The dark-skinned Intaksolfani – though that was a bit of a tautology – was certainly a character with her pomposity and arrogance, yet that somehow made her well-liked. Especially considering I still do not know if that expression is a greeting or a curse… At least among her very reduced group of friends, which was still even bigger than Christie’s.

  But she didn’t need friends. Not anymore.

  She had found something way better.

  “Did you not live considerably far away?” The amber-eyed merchant’s daughter asked.

  “Considerably even falls short,” Christie giggled. “I live at the other extreme of the country. Agatha here, for that matter, does too.”

  Her radiant ladylove waved at their shared friend but didn’t say anything as she continued to push forward the slow agate platform of hers. It slightly oppressed Christie’s heart having her carry all her suitcases, but at the same time, that was the only real way they had to move the massive luggage unless they both wanted to end up as sweaty and slobbering messes by the time they reached the lobby. That doesn’t sound bad at all, though… the redhead thought, her imagination flying… elsewhere.

  “Will you make it to the academy in time for the start of the next year?” Shayla asked, which snapped Christie out of her thoughts. “That is quite the distance.”

  “Oh, yes. We will unfortunately be on the move during half of the break, but we will be able to make it to the academy with time to spare.”

  “Well, at least this coming year, no one will make a decision to change rooms without asking the opinion of their roommate.”

  “Really, Shayla?” Christie crossed her arms and looked at the dark-skinned girl in a tired manner.

  “What? Can a girl not hold a grudge?”

  “It has been a year.”

  “Nine months, and it makes no difference,” Shayla corrected. “Veronica has been a nightmare to live with. If anything, I am letting you go scotch free.”

  “At least you will be free from such hardships soon.”

  “Crown in the heavens, yes!” The Intaksolfani rolled her eyes and groaned. “I am going to take a short holiday on a nearby island soon, and when I come back, Veronica should be on her family estate, so I will not see that girl until the classes start again.”

  “You should try to be more… amicable with your roommate,” Christie suggested. Though she couldn’t deny that she had perhaps even been too amicable with her own roommate.

  “No, no one deserves my sympathy; they need to earn it. And Veronica has nothing of that kind. Having said so, farewell, Christie.”

  “Farewell, Shayla,” the redhead nodded and caught up to her mistress in a matter of seconds.

  Christie walked alongside Agatha, resisting the urge to grab her small and soft hand. Not only because it would have been highly indecorous, but because she doubted it would have been well received. Either from any passersby or Agatha herself. Better to take things slowly and play safely.

  Though if the subject was about not getting people’s attention, they utterly failed at that as the stack of suitcases taller than a person drew more than one eye to them. Without uttering a word, the two girls strolled through the lobby and outside the academy building.

  She had been nervous about seeing him, but now that she was about to, Christie felt like her sea of stones was going to pour out of her body. A whole year of training had gone by, but she didn’t feel like she had made much progress towards the one thing that brought her to the Skyscraper Academy.

  Controlling her agates.

  People usually had a handful of agates, between five and fifteen, though exceptions weren’t uncommon. Her swain was of them. And so was Christie. But she was far beyond the rule. Her body contained so many agates that she had never managed to see the end of her stones. Tons upon tons of chalcedony lay dormant in her body, and she was still unable to control them.

  And that scared her.

  Her goal of controlling her agates had become somewhat lost after not making much progress – even if with all the physical exercise she was now able to hold her agates for much longer than before – but as of late, she had gotten a boost to her morale. Christie wanted to control her agates not just so they didn’t hurt her, but so they didn’t hurt anyone. And she now had someone whom she wanted to protect with all her might.

  Each time she looked at Agatha, the muscles on her arms tensed up, becoming locked in place as she resisted an imperious urge to embrace the petite girl. That was everything she wanted to do: hug her darling until the end of time. Just the two of them, forevermore and after.

  And if she wanted to do that, she was well aware that she first needed to control her agates. Otherwise, Agatha would be in more danger because she was around her. That was something Christie couldn’t allow.

  Then the redhead finally looked forward.

  Who awaited at the bottom of the stairs of the academy’s entrance was her family’s coachman. An old, scrawny man who was surprisingly vigorous. Adrien.

  “Can you forgive me for what I am about to say?” Christie whispered in Agatha’s ear, which got a cute reaction out of the girl as she slightly jolted, much to the redhead’s delight.

  “Always,” her beloved responded without a hint of hesitation.

  She almost kissed her then and there.

  “Ah, Christie! It has been so long!” Adrien bombastically announced.

  The nouveau riche giggled softly, “It has been only nine months.”

  “Ten too many!”

  “If you are reacting this energetically already, I fear what my dearest father might do.”

  “Oh, yes. Mister Hasel is definitely desperate to see you. Expect a burning welcome.” There’s only one person that I wish to burn me, and it is not my dearest father, Christie kept it to herself. “And who this young lady might be?” Adrien’s gaze was directed at Agatha.

  “My roommate, Agatha of Malachite, a Third Stratum lithorist-“

  “Third Stratum!” In an uncharacteristic outburst, the old coachman interrupted her as his eyes shot wide open. “That is certainly something you don’t see every day, especially in someone this young.”

  Christie cleared her throat and continued. “…and my friend.”

  “Your friend?” The redhead nodded at Adrien’s inquiry. “Your friend!”

  “You sound… even more surprised about that than the Third Stratum, Adrien,” Christie responded with a frown.

  “Surprised? More like rejoiced! I cannot believe the young lady has gotten a friend!”

  “Adrien! You are embarrassing me!” The nouveau riche shouted as a redness grew on her visage, yet that only seemed to get a giggle out of her lover.

  “I can definitely see why you opted for just ‘friends’,” Agatha whispered roguishly on her ear. Though any chance of demure was lost as the petite girl had to stand on tiptoes to do so. Then she took a step forward and extended a hand to Adrien. “Agatha of Malachite, Christie’s roommate and best friend.”

  “Oh, best even,” the old man chuckled and accepted the hand. “Adrien, coachman of the Valasela House.”

  As they broke the handshake, Christie took a step forward. “Adrien, might I make a petition?”

  “But of course, I am your humble servant.”

  “Could we take Agatha to the estate for the summer break?” She asked sheepishly.

  Adrien looked at her directly and severely, and as soon as she thought she was about to get shot down, the man burst out laughing. “If I refused to bring your best friend to the estate, your father would have my head on a plate!” He laughed again. “Of course she can come with us!”

  Christie felt all the tension and nerves leave her body in a fell swoop. She tended to worry too much about stuff, especially needlessly as it was obvious that Adrien would have listened to her petition, but she really didn’t want to leave Agatha behind in any scenario. She would first prefer to remain at the academy and not see her dearest father for another year if that meant being with her.

  “That agate’s yours?” Adrien pointed at the floating platform whilst he looked at Agatha.

  “Yup,” her esteemed said casually, a type of dialogue that she didn’t use at all with Christie.

  “I see. Could you help me load the luggage?”

  “No problem,” the blonde girl responded.

  “Adrien, are you really going to make my friend work?” Christie pressed her hands against her hips.

  “Considering you are having her carry all those suitcases, I’m not sure the problem falls on me,” the coachman pointed out, which made the redhead blush.

  “Do as you please,” she pouted and walked inside the carriage.

  Christie thought that she had matured a lot during this year, yet now that she was talking with Adrien, she felt like a child again. Which brought her mixed feelings. On one hand, it was nostalgic. On the other one, she was no longer a child. And to achieve her goals, she needed to be an adult.

  A handful of minutes later, Agatha made her way into the carriage and sat next to her.

  “Everyone ready back there?” Adrien asked from the driver’s seat.

  “Seated and ready, we can depart, Adrien,” Christie answered, her mood having improved a bit after having been alone for a while.

  “Let us depart then! Prance forward, mighty steed!” The coachman shouted, even if he was just commanding a very mocking turtle.

  The carriage slowly started moving, and as it did so, Agatha grabbed her hand, which made Christie flinch out of fear of being detected by the coachman in the front.

  “Do not worry, I will not let us be seen~” Her… girlfriend said with the utmost coy and radiant of smiles as she whispered to her in a sultry manner that made Christie blush.

  It was just a bit of casual handholding, but Christie felt as if her heart was going to burst out of her chest. She felt so fulfilled in the rickety silence of the carriage as she looked at those dual sapphires with her red and green eyes, holding onto dear life to not pounce on her.

  Christina Valasela was the happiest girl in the world at the moment.

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