𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧 | 𝘠. 𝘈𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘦

ᴾʳᵒᵖᵒˢᵃˡ

"How ...is...to sleep?"

"I... be gentle...sleep spell... extremely..."

"..Tried to be gentle...spider was in the way."

You felt yourself drifting in and out of consciousness, only catching bits and pieces of the conversation going on in the room next to you.

'Where...'

Your entire body felt heavy, and you had to resist the urge to go back to sleep. The smell of tea and fresh pastries filled your nose, but even half-asleep, you noticed that the atmosphere of the place you were in felt indescribably different somehow. You slowly opened your eyes, blinking a few times as you looked around.

In front of you was a table with a plate of pastries. The room you were in was similar to a dining room, but something about it was off, and you instantly knew you weren't in the human world.

'Is this a boundary?' You knew little about boundaries, but you knew enough to tell when you were in one. But the question was, who did it belong to?

"So you're awake."

You turned to see a familiar girl with green hair enter the room, a trey with a teapot and three teacups in her hand, but your lingering grogginess prevented you from remembering where or when you had met her. You squinted your eyes and tilted your head slightly as you racked your brain, trying to remember.
"The sleeping spell that was placed on you was really strong, you may be experiencing some grogginess," she explained, and as she spoke, you began to feel more awake and aware.

"Sakura, is she awake?" You heard someone else call, and you turned to see Tsukasa standing in the doorway. The sight of him made what happened at the roof rush back to mind, and you jumped up, reaching for your staff only for your eyes to widen when you realized it was no longer in your bag. 

The green-haired girl set down the trey before taking out the object you were looking for, and you glared at her.
"Give that back," you demanded, but she instead placed it back in her pocket.
"I'm sorry, but to make sure no one gets hurt, I'll have to keep this for the time being," she explained. "Please sit down, and I assure you that I will return it to you."

You turned to look at Tsukasa, who stood there with an innocent smile. As much as you wanted to resist, you knew you wouldn't be able to leave this boundary without the permission of the owner, so you reluctantly sat back down.

"Let's start over," Sakura said as she poured the two of you some tea. "I'm pleased to meet you Y/n L/n. Since you don't remember me, I'll just reintroduce myself. My name is Sakura Nanamine. I graduated from this school a few years ago, but I recently returned as a teacher in training. Like you, I'm a bound human. After making a wish, I consented to be in an apparition service."
"You're like me?" You asked skeptically, and she turned to smile fondly at Tsukasa, who was too busy stuffing his mouth with pastries to notice.
"Correct. I've been bound to him for some time now. He may act childish, but he's surprisingly dependable."

'I could say the same thing about Hanako.'

"So why did you bring me here?" You asked as Sakura took a sip of her tea.
"Well, as I said before, I've been bound to him for some time now, but as much as I want to, I won't be able to stay in this school forever, and he'll need a new assistant once I'm gone," she explained.
"Well, that's too bad," you said, crossing your arms over your chest. "I'm already working for Hanako."
"Yes, but do you enjoy it?" She asked, and you raised a brow.
"Why would I not?"
"Well, I don't mean to be impolite, but it can't be enjoyable to have someone constantly toying with your memories and emotions," she said, and you narrowed your eyes.
"What are you talking about?"