"Great job, everyone," Ammy announced, standing in front of our classmates in the mostly empty gym. She had already changed back to her uniform, and she looked tired yet satisfied. "The concert was a resounding success thanks to all of your hard work."
Her words were followed by a round of ...
2022-05-19 14:56:27 +0000 UTC View PostAh. The long-awaited school festival of Blue Cherry High. It was a day full of bustle, and fun, and romance, and...
"Leo! Come quick, there's trouble!"
"Oh come on! I just finished fixing the lights! What is it this time?"
Angie visibly shuddered in response to my shouting, thou...
2022-05-17 08:27:04 +0000 UTC View Post"Ah, 'at hits th' spot!" the large knight sighed and put his half-empty keg back onto the table in the middle of the Knights' barracks.
"Drink responsibly," I noted between two gulps of my lemonade, and Duncan looked at me like he was the one tasting something sour.
"Just let him drow...
2022-05-12 17:10:39 +0000 UTC View PostNaoren's handshake was firm, yet not overbearing. I tried to make mine the same, though I wasn't sure I succeeded in the attempt. I've got a mark out of it either way, so I couldn't exactly complain.
"Goodbye senior, and thank you for your teachings!" the small girl at our side grinned ear-...
2022-05-07 16:24:00 +0000 UTC View PostNaoren's temporary office was situated on the top floor of the building, and it was about as unnecessarily spacious as expected. By the looks of it, it must've used to be the penthouse suite of the hotel, but it was thoroughly remodeled to serve its new purpose. That said, the room itself was fai...
2022-05-03 15:02:31 +0000 UTC View Post“I’m still not sure this is a good idea.”
“You worry too much, Dormouse. It’s going to be fine,” I told my dear assistant while lacing my shoes.
“I wouldn’t be worrying so much if you didn’t keep getting into hairy situations,” she shot back, and I couldn’t reall...
2022-04-27 12:30:07 +0000 UTC View PostOnce I asked the question of why the island had so many underground lairs and facilities. In a similar vein, now I had to ask how such a seemingly booming, the first world island nation had so many abandoned office buildings.
But then again, the vast, vast majority of the population c...
2022-04-23 17:48:43 +0000 UTC View Post"Good night!" Elly rose to her tiptoes and gave me a chaste kiss. "Don't forget the stage."
It took me a moment to realize she was talking about the stage for the school festival concert. I had no idea what I was supposed to remember about it, but I still obediently answered, "I won't. Also...
2022-04-14 19:09:31 +0000 UTC View Post"... Excuse me? Could you repeat that?"
I made an effort to sound calm, but Snowy still shuddered like I was scolding her.
"I... I didn't do it on purpose!" she burst out, and her panicked words flooded over me like water from a broken dam. "It just happened! I don't know why! I-I mea...
2022-04-12 14:29:28 +0000 UTC View Post"Haaaa!"
Josh lunged at me from a crouching position. The fingers on his left hand were bent like claws, while the ones in his right were balled into a fist he raised high. It wasn't quite a haymaker, but close enough where it was still clearly telegraphed. I took half a step back and used ...
2022-04-10 17:44:26 +0000 UTC View PostThe temperature in the room instantly dropped by a couple of degrees. Or was it just me? In any case, the question came right out of the left field and hit me with a surprise hook that left me reeling for a moment.
"The Conduit of the Grimoire?" I echoed my host in an effort to buy myself s...
2022-04-08 12:22:43 +0000 UTC View Post"Don't make a scene," Judy warned me sternly, then a brief pause later she rose to her tiptoes and gave me a peck on my cheek.
"... I'm not going to lie, Dormouse, I think I'm getting mixed messages here."
"It's for good luck," my other girlfriend declared, and pecked me on the other ...
2022-04-06 11:44:38 +0000 UTC View PostSchool, as always, remained a constant stake anchoring us into our everyday lives, whether there were any annoying tournament-arc shenanigans or not. Speaking of which, since I just reminded myself of the source of my current headaches, I let out an obligatory sigh and slouched even further down ...
2022-04-05 08:08:40 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello, Dear Readers.
Today's a mixed day. You might've noticed, but my Patreon took a pretty big hit this time. Part of it is due to the sanctions over the Russo-Ukrainian conflict. As it turns out, roughly 13% of my income was coming from there. Patreon notified me about this in early Marc...
2022-04-02 09:24:15 +0000 UTC View PostThe atmosphere in the hall was tense. Not quite as tense as a piano wire, but closer to a suspension bridge cable. The kind that wasn't likely to snap, but when it did, all hell would break loose. We locked eyes with Josh for several seconds, until I inhaled deeply, straightened my back... and dr...
2022-03-30 15:54:09 +0000 UTC View PostCritias had its own Chinatown. This wasn’t news to me, considering that’s where I first managed to track down Mountain Girl. However, I was still a little stumped by the literal pagoda in the city outskirts, where the Eastern Draconians set up their lodgings. Though again, the Dracis had a hu...
2022-03-27 12:25:49 +0000 UTC View PostMy eyes popped wide open as an ominous chill ran down my spine, and I reflexively sat up in my bed. Then I paused and glanced down at the blankets covering me, and my apprehension turned into confusion. What was I doing in my bed? Was I sleeping? Why was I sleeping?
Still groggy, I kicked o...
2022-03-23 21:12:42 +0000 UTC View Post"Okay, so now that we've all settled down, can someone please explain to me what exactly happened in the ballroom?"
"Not yet!" Angie objected. "We need to set Josh's nose first."
"Wait, is it that bad?" the guy sitting on the armchair I occupied just a few short minutes ago asked in a...
2022-03-20 19:57:55 +0000 UTC View Post"I must admit, I've always been rather partial to tea, as opposed to other traditional beverages," the bespectacled Draconian sitting in front of me mused as he held his earless cup in both hands, and I couldn't help but nod and raise my own cup in response.
"I can completely agree with the...
2022-03-18 17:29:48 +0000 UTC View PostHello, Dear Readers.
You've probably noticed, but I've been kind of inactive as of late. It's been a combination of working with my publisher on the second book, being sick (or rather, exhausted), and the whole Ukraine situation kind of screwing everyone over in this corner of the world. Th...
2022-03-10 21:36:55 +0000 UTC View PostOne-two-three, one-two-three, one-two-three. Left foot goes there, right foot goes there, rinse and repeat. Honestly, whoever invented the waltz had to be some kind of marketing genius, as I have no idea how something this simple could become the staple dance of ballrooms around the world. Elly w...
2022-03-06 13:46:49 +0000 UTC View PostHere's a question for the ages: Has anyone ever seen swords making sparks during battle? I don't mean the occasional blink-and-you-miss-it sparks, I've seen my fair share of those while sparring with the Fauns, and I even got scolded by Brang for damaging the weapons. No, I mean the ones that mak...
2022-02-27 18:42:22 +0000 UTC View PostThe silence hanging over the grand hall was unexpectedly chilly. I meant that literally; unlike the back entrance where we (and presumably most of the other guests) entered, the main doors opened to the outside, and the gusts of cold air coming in made everyone just a little apprehensive.
I...
2022-02-13 13:39:29 +0000 UTC View Post"Have I ever told you that I really don't like parties that much?"
"Only five times in the last half an hour," Judy responded flatly and fixed my collar again. "Here. Looks good to me."
"Wow. I never thought you would look that intimidating in a suit," Josh commented from the other si...
2022-02-10 20:46:04 +0000 UTC View PostAs I slumped down onto the barstool in front of me, I was met with a wide grin and a chipper, "[Do you require any refreshments?]" from the elderly Faun casually shining a shot glass on the other side.
"Please stop pretending to be a bartender and give me a bottle of soda."
"[Thine wo...
2022-02-07 15:36:42 +0000 UTC View PostThe space between spaces. The final frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship Leonard. Its mission: to find out where the bloody hell he was, and to figure out how to go somewhere else. Preferably boldly.
This noble goal was unfortunately made much more complicated by the fact that in...
2022-02-02 20:23:57 +0000 UTC View Post"Judy's dad is a policeman?"
In response to my sister's question, Judy exhaled a long sigh and told her, "It's complicated."
For some reason Snowy glanced at me at this point and let out a giggle, but before I could ask why, she returned to fluffing the cushions on the couch. I didn't...
2022-01-29 19:03:39 +0000 UTC View Post"Wow, Dormouse. You weren't kidding."
It was already Friday, the non-negotiable date of my non-negotiable dinner with Judy's family, and the first thing that hit me in the face upon entering their house was a wave of military-grade holiday spirit.
"It's a little excessive, isn't it?" ...
2022-01-28 18:19:14 +0000 UTC View PostThe ceiling was quite boring. I know, I know; it's a revolutionary observation that requires some time to digest, so let me stress this again. The ceiling was really, really boring. Unfortunately, I had little choice but to stare at it all morning, as I was too out of it to do anyt...
2022-01-25 17:15:48 +0000 UTC View Post"An auction?"
Judy sounded rather intrigued as she swiveled around on my chair, so I pushed myself up from the bed and answered, "That's what dad-in-law told me yesterday. It's something they just do whenever there's a big congregation of Eastern Draconians."
"So it's a tradition?" 2022-01-21 18:00:17 +0000 UTC View Post