I’m getting ready to run like an ostrich.

Suddenly, Iki comes out of the bushes like a cat. She’s holding a half-eaten banana in her right hand. 

She takes another bite and speaks with her mouth full, “Hamm… humm… olom… ulom…”

I say, “Princess Monkey, speak after finishing your banana.”

Iki quickly swallows and says, “Hey! Why are you taking so long? And who did you call Princess Monkey?”

I reply, “I came here to take a bath, in case you forgot. This lady here is scared to stay alone, so I was keeping her company.”

Iki smirks and asks, “So Princess Ina is scared to be alone at night?”

I startle. Princess Ina? The ghost from the lake story?

Ina replies calmly, “Yes, I am scared. Do you have any problem?”

Iki bites the rest of the banana and throws away the peel. She speaks again while munching, “Olom… humm… ulom… hamm.”

I sigh. “Can you please finish eating before speaking?”

Iki swallows and says, “Of course. I do have a problem. You can’t keep my familiar occupied.”

Ina replies, “I absolutely can. Your familiar doesn’t seem to have any problem with that.”

I hesitantly raise my right hand. “I have a question.”

Iki and Ina turn toward me and ask in unison, “What?”

Those four angry green eyes make me uncomfortable.

I hesitantly ask, “The Princess Ina you mentioned in your story… that’s actually you?”

Ina remains silent.

Iki smirks. “Princess Ina tends to get carried away with her fake stories. She’s always excited to tell made-up tales to someone new.”

I’ve been scammed!

Iki walks up to me and grabs my right hand. “Let’s go back to the room. I’m hungry.”

She starts walking while dragging me.

Suddenly, she slips on something and falls to the ground in a very dramatic way. I barely manage not to fall with her, and I try hard to suppress my laughter.

Then I notice the culprit, a banana peel. Yes. The banana peel she threw earlier.

I help her up and ask, “Can you walk, Princess Iki?”

She pulls her hand away and replies, “Of course.”

She takes one step and her legs give out again. She sits back down.

I sigh. I pick her up in a princess carry.

“Hey! What are you doing?!” Iki shouts.

Relax. I’m not going to toss you into the lake, Miss Villain.

I say, “Since your leg hurts, I’m helping you get back to your room.”

She scoffs. “That’s not helping. That’s your duty. You’re my familiar. Now take me to my room.”

Duty?

Maybe I should toss her into the lake.

I ignore my inner urges and start walking.

I leave the forest-like garden and head toward the academy hostel while carrying Iki. The hostel is divided into two buildings. One for students and one for teachers.

Just as I’m about to cross the field, I suddenly stop.

Someone is watching me.

I look around. No one’s there.

“Did I imagine that?” I wonder.

Iki asks, “What happened?”

I can’t tell her. She’ll think I’ve gone crazy.

I reply, “I was just thinking… how are you so heavy?”

She frowns. “Did you just call me fat?”

- “No! No! You’re so attractive that even the planet is making extra effort to pull you down.”

She stares into my soul silently, then says, “I’m not heavy. Hunger is making you weak.”

- “Maybe.”

- “Hurry up.”

We reach the stairs, and reality strikes me like lightning.

Iki's room is in the fifth floor. 

Climbing to the fifth floor alone is painful enough. Doing it while carrying this villain? Unimaginable.

“Why are you standing like a statue?” Iki snaps. “Move!”

This brat!

Finally, I reach her room.

That… wasn’t as hard as I expected. Maybe becoming Iki’s familiar really made me stronger.

I put her down at the doorstep. She walks into the room like nothing happened.

“What about your leg pain?” I ask.

She blinks. “What pain?”

- “You got hurt near the lake.”

- “Lake?”

- “I mean the pond.”

- “Oh. That pain disappeared before we crossed the field.”

- “Then why didn’t you get down?”

- “I didn’t want to climb the stairs.”

This girl! One day, I will toss her from the tenth floor.

I enter the room. The table is full of food. My stomach growls in protest.

“Sit,” Iki says. “I’m starving.”

- “Why didn’t you eat earlier?”

- “I couldn’t eat without you.”

- “Wow. Didn’t expect that much humanity from you.”

- “What? We don’t eat without our pet.”

- “Ah! Thanks for clarifying.”

We start eating. I have no idea what I’m eating, but it tastes amazing.

I sigh, wondering what my family back on Earth might be doing.

Suddenly, I remember, I left my clothes and towel by the lake.

I rush back.

They’re neatly cleaned and placed on the stone platform. Someone washed them.

Princess Ina, maybe.

I return to the fifth floor with them. Iki tells me to hang them on the balcony. I do.

Standing there, thoughts flood my mind.

Why am I here?

Why did I become Iki’s familiar?

God doesn’t do things without reason. So what’s mine?

Do I have a purpose in this world? Or am I just....

- “Dhruv! Why are you still standing there? Sleep already! I need to turn off the light!”

Yes, mother!

I really should toss her off this balcony someday.

I lie down on my bed.

A glass sphere hangs from the ceiling, glowing with magical light. Iki raises her hand and chants softly. The light fades.

Her bed is a little distance from mine, thankfully. I don’t trust that angry witch. There’s no guarantee she won’t attack me in her sleep.

Moonlight spills in through the window.

I smile at the moon.

My eyelids grow heavy.