Karlin was hiding in the abandoned classroom on the third floor corridor of the main castle. He had Potions in ten minutes but he couldn't leave until the coast was clear. Which he had no idea when it would be. Curse Anastasia Romanov for being so obsessed with him. It wasn't as if he was the only descendant of Grigori Rasputin in the whole school. Well, he was one of two, but for some reason, she never bothered his grandfather as much as she ran after him.

Today was one of those days when she was in a bad mood. Therefore, she had begun taunting him, insulting his lineage, and being generally spooky. Karlin pretended that he was just annoyed by her antics, but in reality, he was just hoping the bullet-ridden apparition didn't find her way to his hiding spot.

When he was younger, he had thrown several tantrums, screaming at his grandfather to get rid of the ghost. Unfortunately, there was no way it was possible. Something about tied bloodlines and her final resting place counteracting mortal magic. It wasn't in the PIMRII History of Magic curriculum until seventh year so Karlin didn't know all that much about it. He wasn't even sure if he wanted to know about it. What he did know was that if Professor Nikonov tried to bring Anastasia in for a demonstration, he'd walk straight to the headmaster's office and get the whole thing called off.

Coming back to the present, he still couldn't be sure if she was gone. All of a sudden, he heard footsteps. Had Anastasia somehow solidified herself and was now coming to kill him? He paled at the very thought. However, mustering up the courage, he pushed the door open a crack to see who it was.

It was Suzume. Thanking his lucky stars, he revealed himself from behind. "Hello."

She shrieked, almost dropping her books. "Karlin! What are you doing there? You scared me!"

He ignored her question. "Have you seen a ghost flying around here?"

"A what?"

"A ghost. She's about our age, wears a ragged white dress. I think there are some jewels on it but I can't be sure. Also, she's transparent and riddled with bullet wounds. I'm not going to lie, she's terrifying. But don't tell anyone I said that."

Confusion flickered across Suzume's face but she didn't voice it. "… I don't think I saw a ghost on the way? I can't be sure though. I wasn't paying a lot of attention."

He hummed. "I'll take your word for it."

"What's all this about?"

He glanced around to make sure no one was there—he didn't need his fears revealed to everyone who studied here—before launching into an explanation. "How well do you know your Russian history? Namely the Russian Revolution, the Romanovs, all of that."

"That's a lot of Rs," she frowned. "But no, I don't know about this."

"Thought as much. The context is that the Romanovs were the rulers of muggle Russia some time ago. But they were terrible. I think. I'm actually not all too well-versed with this. They had a son called Alexei who used to bleed a lot. It was a muggle disease called hemophilia. Obviously, that disease could have been cured in a matter of seconds if they had the magic we do today. But they didn't. The most these royals had was an old sage named Grigori Rasputin."

"Rasputin?" Suzume interjected. "Like Ra-Ra-Rasputin, Russia's greatest love machine?" It was jarring change when she transitioned into English all of a sudden.

He baulked. "… sorry, what?"

"I'm not sure myself, really. Brandon taught it to me. He said it was funny, since we're in Russia." She started singing softly. "Ra-Ra-Rasputin, Russia's greatest love machine, there was a cat that really was gone... "

He could only gape at her. "I don't know whether I should be shocked that Brandon knows how to speak or appalled by the song. Why are they singing about a cat?"

She shrugged. "I don't really know. But it's supposed to be well-known in the muggle world. It's about a dude called Rasputin with… great lovemaking skills. He was said to have an affair with the Russian Queen."

"Alright, I think we are talking about the same Rasputin, and frankly, it's a little disconcerting." He frowned. "But back to the story. Basically, Grigori Rasputin was a wizard, one of the best of his time. He could never come up to par with our generation, but he was good for theirs. Anyway, Rasputin was smart and he used his magic to stem Alexei's bleeding. Not permanently, of course, and this meant that the royal family was dependent on him. As his influence on Russian matters grew, King Nikolai was urged by other politicians to let go of him because apparently, the rumours of the affairs were bad for royal prestige. He did so, and during this hiatus, Rasputin founded this school."

"So you're saying Russia's greatest love machine founded Koldovstoretz?"

"… well, not exactly, but he did turn it into the school you see today. Since then, descendants of Rasputin have always had great influence over this place. Case in point: my grandfather, who is descended from him."

"Does this mean you're a descendant of Russia's greatest love machine?"

"Can you stop saying that?" He rolled his eyes, but there wasn't any actual anger behind his words.

"I'm sorry," she giggled. "It's just too funny. And what does this have to do with your ghost friend?"

"She's not my friend," he huffed. "Anastasia is a Romanov, daughter of King Nikolai and Queen Alexandra. She was Alexei's sister. The Romanovs were fatal for Russia, and their citizens revolted. They call this the Russian Revolution. The royals were executed by firing squad for their 'crimes' against the country. But Anastasia somehow survived. Rumour has it that the jewels on her dress protected her. She escaped and made her way to the island of Koldovstoretz where she died on the banks of the school. She's haunted this place ever since, blaming Rasputin for the fall of her family. That's why she has it out for me."

Suzume's eyes went wide. "Oh, wow. That's… a lot of history. Which I definitely haven't forgotten already. But didn't you say she's transparent? Why are you scared of her? What's the worst she can do to you?"

"She's scary, okay? How would you feel if a spectral apparition flew into your dorm while you're brushing your teeth and stared at you menacingly while you're trying to use the bathroom in privacy?"

"Fair enough." She shrugged. "I hope you're not planning on missing class for this though. I was looking for you on the way. I need help to get through this without blowing something up."

"Yes, yes, whatever," he waved her words away. "Just warn me if you see Anastasia anywhere."

"Can do."

With that the two of them made their way out of the corridor, Suzume still singing in English under her breath. "There lived a certain man in Russia long ago; he was big and strong, and his eyes were flame aglow. People looked at him with terror and with fear, but to Moscow chicks he was such a lovely dear…"

"Okay, that song is actually pretty catchy," he conceded after a moment.

"I know, right?"


Karlin barged into the foreign commons late one evening. "Where's Suzume?" was the only thing he asked.

Nikolaj was sitting there by himself, reading a book. He barely glanced up at him as he said, "I think she said something about going to the Quidditch pitch." His lip curled in distaste at the word Quidditch, which only served to baffle Karlin. Wasn't he from Durmstrang, the school which produced the legendary Viktor Krum? How could he not like Quidditch?

He didn't voice any of this out loud, opting for a "You mind looking at me when speaking?" instead.

Nikolaj didn't argue. Meeting his eyes, he said, "Quidditch pitch."

Karlin nodded, leaving the common room to go to the Quidditch pitch. As it turned out, Nikolaj was right. Suzume was on the pitch, although he could barely make her out. Firstly, the pitch was so big and it was hard to see till the other end. Secondly, Suzume was not flying on the trees he was used to picking out. She had brought out her broomstick and was zooming around the pitch on it.

A nicer person would have left her to it, but not Karlin. He knew he wouldn't be able to catch her attention from that far away. So, he pulled out his wand, pointed it at himself, and muttered, "Sonorus!" His throat began to feel itchy and swollen, a side effect of the spell, meaning it was working. "SUZUME!" he bellowed. The spell was strong, his voice boomed throughout the pitch. In hindsight, people inside the school somewhat near the pitch would have heard it too.

Suzume was clearly startled, almost falling off her broom. But she didn't, instead deftly maneuvering herself around and touching down on the grass beside Karlin. She was red and sweaty from exertion, but her eyes had a manic sparkle in them. "What?"

"WHAT WERE YOU DOING?" He realised too late that the spell was still in effect. Suzume clapped her hands over her ears at once, hissing. He cast the counter-charm immediately, feeling the itchiness subside. "Didn't realise. What were you doing?" he asked again, at a more sedate volume.

"I miss my broom. I was flying around on it before you came here, howling like a banshee," she quipped.

"Excuse me, you should be very glad to see me. I'm the most interesting person at this school." He crossed his arms. "But I'm not here to chit-chat."

"Why are you here then?"

He took a deep breath. "I was talking to Professor Nikonov right now because I needed to submit my Baba Yaga essay. He mentioned in passing that we'll be set an extra credit assignment on any of the wizarding schools. I want to do mine on Mahoutokoro so I'll need your help."

"Oh. What about us?" she asked, referring to the international students. "Wouldn't it be unfair to give us the same assignment if we're from another school?"

"I don't know about that. Maybe you'll have to do it on Koldovstoretz. Or some other school. I didn't ask. Are you going to help me or not?"

"Yes, I'll try my best. When do you want to start?"

"Now."

"Now?"

He nodded. "As of now, I'm probably the only one who knows about this. I want to get a head start on everyone else. My assignment has to be the best."

"Fūjin, you're so competitive," she grumbled with a sigh. "Fine. But you owe me for cutting into my flying time."

He scoffed. "We'll see about that."

He went back to the common room with her, and then waited until she had showered and gotten changed before bombarding her once again. They were both the only two there, Nikolaj having gone into the dormitory on seeing the two enter. Suzume came out of her dorm in a short while, wearing a pale green T-shirt and jeans, her straight black hair still damp from the shower.

"So," began Karlin, taking out a pencil and parchment, "let's start with the basics."

"What basics?"

He rolled his eyes. "Location, description, and the like."

"Oh. Makes sense. So, it's located on this volcanic island named Minami Iwo Jima. The school itself is on the top of the volcano."

He looked up from his scribbling. "Is it an active volcano?"

"I… am not sure," she admitted. "Write it down, I can send Katsu home to get answers."

"Alright." He wrote it down in a corner. "Isn't it a safety hazard? Having a school on top of a volcano, of all things?'

"No, see," she clarified, "there's a magical shield around it. It protects us from natural disasters. That's why things like earthquakes, and eruptions—if they even happen—don't affect us."

"Interesting. What does it look like?"

"It's… white." Seeing his face fall into an are-you kidding expression, she hurried on. "Made of Nephrite, I think. If you know what a pagoda is, that's what it looks like. The top part is covered by clouds because of how tall it is. Five stories, to be precise. The bottom is surrounded by cliffs and sharp rocks. You know, because it's a mountainous island."

"What about the history of the school?"

"… I think you'd fare better if you just went to the library about these things," she said. "Or, if you want, I can ask home for a couple of history books. Those would probably produce more results."

He tapped his chin with the end of the pencil. "You're right. I should be asking you about things that won't be found in a book instead. Like the kind of culture you have, student traditions, classroom environment."

"Uh, sure, I guess. Mahoutokoro puts a lot of emphasis on studies, if I'm being honest. Everything revolves around studies. The way you helped with my work here, that would have never happened back at home."

He didn't tell her his mouse had bullied him into doing it in the first place. Best to keep things like this under wraps. His reputation would take such a huge hit if anyone found out.

"It's more of an 'each to themselves'," she continued, "so there's not a lot of scope for friendship. Also, we do have houses—Seiran, Yosamu, Toppuu, and Shunrai. It's not like houses here though, based on skill level. In our school, they're randomly assigned. We have a House Cup which the best house wins at the end of every year. Most of the students don't care about their house though, they care about personal goals a lot more."

"Would you say your House Cup is like our School Cup?" he questioned. "We have the four student schools, and since we only have classes together, we have deep-seated rivalries among each other. At the end of every year, the students' grades and extracurriculars are evaluated."

"Yeah. Sort of. Except ours only depends on grades."

"What about Quidditch? You're obviously obsessed with it. How much importance does that get at Mahoutokoro?"

A small smile appeared on her lips as she reminisced about the sport she loved. "It's intense. Now that I think about it, the school seems to divide into two branches, one for the sports and one for the studies. If we manage to get into a team, we're expected to practice all the time, in any and all weather. The captains are very hard on us but at the end of the day, every team is a well-oiled machine."

The pair stayed there, discussing the Japanese school, until Karlin was satisfied with the information he had received.

"Thanks a lot. You were a great help."

"Not a problem." Suddenly, she clutched her stomach. "What's the time? I'm starving."

He snuck a look at the clock on the wall behind her. The hands were at 9 and 3. "Dinner's already halfway through. We can either go there as fast as we can and cram some food."

"Or?"

"Or," he grinned slyly, "we could go to my grandfather and get anything we want for dinner. Have you been craving any food in particular recently?"

She chewed on her lip. "Well, I haven't eaten tonkatsu since the first day I arrived."

He had to do a double-take. "Did you just say you were eating your owl on the first day?"

She laughed, a light and airy sound. "No. Tonkatsu. It's a pork cutlet of sorts. I actually named Katsu after it."

"… you named your pet after food? Do you know how disturbing that is?"

"I'm kidding!" she defended herself. "Katsu means victory in Japanese. It was just a lucky coincidence that it was also the name of my favourite dish."

"Riiiight." He raised his eyebrow. "I'm definitely not judging you now. Anyway, if you want tonkatsu, come with me. If I'm asking, Grandfather will get us anything."


"Okay, that's enough."

"What do you mean?" Suzume looked up from her work. They had been working on a Transfiguration essay on human transfiguration; and Karlin had been helping Suzume out—fixing her Russian, checking her facts, things like that. But now he was tired of it.

"Let's stop working on the essay. I need some fresh air."

"Thank goodness," Suzume slammed her text book shut, getting up from her seat with no argument. "I stopped understanding what you were telling me around half an hour ago."

"Come on. Let's go down to the lake shore. It's nice down there."

They got up from the common room, leaving behind the other students relaxing there. The huge castle was silent and empty since it was a weekend. Most students were either inside their student schools or had gone to Sevevskoy island. Thus, they walked through the corridors undisturbed.

"Watch out for the footprints."

"What?"

He pointed at the wet footprints on the ground. "You see those? They belong to these creatures called Kikirabos. They do all the castle chores in exchange for food and shelter. They're cousins of the Kikimoras but less violent."

"… you have creatures to do your chores for you?"

"Yes. How else do you think your bed was being made every morning, the commons were being cleaned, the food was being made?"

"I don't know… magic?"

He was thrown off by the seemingly simple answer. "Fair enough."

"But why should I avoid the footsteps?" She pouted. "I want to see these Kikimaros."

"Kikirabos," he took the liberty to correct. "Or Kikimoras. And seeing one is a bad omen. Trust me, there's people who have gone mad after seeing these things. There's not a living person who's in their right mind after an encounter with these."

"Oh, that's hardcore."

"You wouldn't say that if you actually saw one."

"Have you ever seen one?"

"Heavens, no! What, do I look like a lunatic to you?" Seeing her mouth open, he quickly added, "Don't answer that."

The lake was particularly pleasant that day. A soft breeze was blowing, tickling Karlin's hair. The water was calm, disturbed only by the ripples of the wind on its surface. A familiar earthy odour wafted from it. Mermaids jumping like dolphins could be seen in the far off distance, splashing each other's tails with water and having fun. Karlin liked this view. It was comforting. He had lived here all his life, and he wouldn't give it up for the world.

"Wow," she breathed. "This place really is pretty."

"I know. There's a reason why I love this school so much."

"I assumed it was blind loyalty. Which I feel like it still probably is, but you do you."

He gasped with as much sarcasm as he could muster up. "What do you take me for?"

"An idiot." Standing at about half a foot shorter than him, she reached up to pat his head. "There, there, no need to get outraged about the truth."

He didn't dignify her with a response. They stood there, taking in the sight for a while, until they were interrupted by a gaggle of giggling girls goggling them. He wouldn't have noticed if it wasn't for their shrill laughter cutting through the atmosphere.

One of them walked up to them. "Hi, Karlin!" When he didn't say anything, trying to figure out why they were there, she took her cue to continue in that annoying singsong voice. "Are you and…" she stared pointedly at Suzume, "her dating?"

A mortifying quiet ballooned in the air, which was suddenly broken by the loudest of snorts from Suzume. "Me… and him? Goodness, no," she spluttered out between laughs. "Why—what—"

Karlin ignored her, focusing his gaze on the uniformed girl standing in front of him. He didn't even know her name. He had gotten the gist of why she was here, though. This was just one of the several instances where random people asked him out, and he inevitably crushed their hopes and dreams. However, feigning ignorance, he asked, "Why, what do you want?"

"Just wanted to make sure. But Roza wanted to know," she jerked her thumb at a giggly brunette with curly hair standing a little ways off with the rest of her friend group, "since today's a weekend, would you like to go on a date to Sevevskoy with her? She's a wonderful girl, very sweet—"

He cut in before she could go on to list all of her friend's so-called good attributes. "No. I'm not. You can tell her that I don't date beneath me."

"But you don't date anyone!"

"Exactly. I think that conveys the message."

With clear disappointment mingling with rage on behalf of her friend, she walked back to her group, shaking her head emphatically. The rest of the girls shot him glares tinged with various degrees of reproach, but none of them tried to change his mind.

"Was it necessary to be that harsh?" Suzume asked.

"Yes. If I let her off too easily, she wouldn't leave me alone for a good while."

"… and you enjoy being mean."

"That too." He smirked.

She gazed after the girls who were now making their way, off in the distance, into the school. "She was really pretty, though," she stated suddenly. "That girl. Roza, I mean, not the one who did the asking."

He shrugged. "If you lean that way, then sure. I'm not attracted to girls."

"Oh. You like guys?"

"No."

Her eyebrows creased. "Then what do you like?"

"Trees."

There was a moment of silence, during which Karlin was about to think she didn't understand his joke, a reference to their constant Quidditch banter—trees versus broomsticks. "See, that's funny because—"

But then she burst into peals of laughter, clutching her stomach. "Yes, I know why it's funny. Is the world ending? I didn't know you had it in you to make a joke."

The corner of his mouth titled in response. "Enjoy it while it lasts."


The school semester was coming to an end. Each of the exchange students had found some sort of companionship in the castle, be it among themselves or with others. If they were asked, they'd say that they had come to like the old castle where they had been living for the better part of the year. By then, even the hard-to-impress Luis Rivera had only good things to say, a truly remarkable feat.

Suzume Shimoda was no different, as she had told Karlin multiple times about how much she was going to miss the rambling European-styled walls, the commons and dorms they called their space, the classrooms and teachers. And the grand Quidditch pitch. Especially the Quidditch pitch. "Mahoutokoro's one will seem so small compared to yours. I can't believe I'm going back in only a few days."

The last weekend of the year meant it was the last time they could go to visit the quaint old island of Sevevskoy. Karlin and Suzume, like most of the other students, had decided to make the most of it.

"I need to get something that will remind me of this place once I go. Maybe a Rasputin figurine," Suzume joked. "I'm going to miss Russia."

"And its trees, I hope."

"… and its trees. Broomsticks are vastly superior though."

Karlin shook his head in disappointment. "Seems like you learnt nothing during your stay."

They went to the postal office first, much to Karlin's annoyance. Apparently, the dreaded Katsu had taken a liking to Russian owl treats, needing Suzume to stock up on them. And, of course, the post office was the only place that sold those treats.

"Of all places, why do we need to go there?" he whined as she tugged him into the store. "I could have just gotten my grandfather to buy whatever you wanted." An owl flew over his head. He shrieked. The workers simply gave him an unimpressed once-over. "I don't like it here. Can we please go?"

Suzume groaned. "If you're going to be a baby about this, you can wait outside."

"I am not being a baby!"

"These post workers seem to think differently."

He crossed his arms in a huff. "I hate you."

Once that was done—and it couldn't have been done any sooner—they could finally go to the fun parts of the island. Smirnov's Sweets which sold every kind of chocolates and confectionaries imaginable. It even had a ton of food imported from other countries. Any kid in Russia would admit that a branch of Smirnov's was the best place to go. Then, they went to the joke shop. Karlin bought himself a stash of Self-Erasing pens, just so he could mess with annoying people who asked him for stationery. They made rounds around the island, making sure they didn't miss any place they wanted to go to, until they decided to call it a day.

And then, all too soon, farewell day arrived.

The foreign students were given a fancy send-off, with banners and cheers in a massive banquet mirroring the one held when they came. All the Koldovstoretz students assembled in the Assembly Hall to see their new friends off. There were tears and hugs from the students. Sacha had begun weeping on Suzume's shoulders, thanking her for carrying their team to victory (Karlin was compelled to object—he had obviously done the most work—but the moment didn't seem right). Sonechka was batting her eyelashes at Nikolaj and trying to wheedle his address out of him. Talita and Imani were both locked in the fiercest of hugs with two other girls. Even Luis and Brandon were smiling and laughing along in their own groups.

It was a merry yet bittersweet occasion. And Karlin felt… sad. Was that the right word? When he first took on the mantle of the foreign liaison, he did it for the status, because it would look good on his resumé. He never expected to make friends. Well, one friend in particular.

He didn't approach Suzume during the banquet, letting her say her goodbyes to everyone else first. The liaisons would be seeing the abroad students off at the lake bank before the six had to go back to Leningrad Oblast with the teachers, so he knew he had time to bid her farewell. Still, he had gotten used to having the Japanese Quidditch nutter around. It would feel strange when she was gone.

Finally, after all the feasting was over and done with, the liaisons and the students met outside the school, on the docks. Deputy Headmaster Krupin hadn't arrived yet, so they had time to talk to their international counterparts.

The three of them, out of courtesy, started with the students they had not been assigned to. Khristina's eyes had welled up at the very beginning. By the time she arrived at Talita, she had almost begun crying. Pavel was a lot more put-together, but even he threw himself into a hug with Nikolaj.

Karlin addressed Brandon first. "I'm not going to lie, when I first saw you, I thought you were a complete crybaby."

"Gee… thanks?" Brandon muttered, unsure of his words. He had grown a lot more confident over the year, a side-effect of living with the catty Spanish boy they called Luis. Obviously, it had nothing to do with the numerous times Karlin had berated him to grow a pair.

"I wasn't wrong." He shrugged. "You're a little better now. Best of luck at Ilvermorny, Brandon."

He didn't wait for Brandon to respond. It was simply a formality, after all. Honestly, he probably felt more of a connection to Luis, and he couldn't stand that guy. Besides, it wasn't as if Brandon was particularly fond of him either. Pavel had been a better liaison to him.

Finally, he turned to Suzume. And as luck would have it, he didn't know what to say. What did one say to… well, their only friend on the day of her farewell? Karlin didn't know how she had become that big a part of his life, especially since they had definitely got off the wrong foot at the beginning. But he was beginning to realise that life had a funny way of going about things.

"So…" he began.

"This is it, then."

"It is."

Her lips quirked in a smile. "Don't tell anyone, but I'm going to miss you and your constant grumbling when I'm gone."

He took her friendly banter in stride. Less than a year ago, he probably would have flipped out over it, but now, he recognised it for what it was: a joke between friends. "And I suppose I'll miss you too. Even if you can't appreciate how great I am."

"I think that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

"Yeah, well," he fidgeted with his fingers to allow himself a momentary pause, "since you're leaving, it might be the last."

Her eyebrows creased ever so slightly. "Hey, now, we'll still write to each other, won't we? I'll need tips on how to get my way back home when I won't have you to do it for me."

"… you want me to voluntarily approach an owl, just so I can write you letters?"

"It's not like you wouldn't have done it anyway. You can admit it, I won't judge," she teased, nudging his shoulder with her own.

"Alright, fine. I may have been planning on it," he confessed. "I wouldn't approach an owl, though. I would get some younger kids to do the actual sending. Then I won't have to go to that dreadful place. The owlery." A shudder ran through him at the thought.

She chuckled. "You're never going to change."

"I like to consider that a virtue," he boasted good-naturedly. "You know…" he added, "now that I think about it, this may not be the last you see of me."

"What do you mean?"

"This exchange program prompted further international cooperation among different schools. If I'm right, it means there's going to be a lot more inter-school events in the future. And who knows? If my grandfather ever goes to Japan for something, I could always tag along. He was saying something about visiting foreign schools next year."

"Wait, really?" The sparkle in Suzume's eye was unmistakable. She sobered her expression almost immediately, settling for a fake groan. "That means I'll have to put up with you again. On the other hand," the sparkle turned to a glint, "you'll be in my home. Which means I'll have the right to force you onto a broomstick."

"Never."

Their banter was interrupted by the arrival of the teachers, led by the deputy headmaster. It was the liaisons' cue to step back and let the teachers take the students back across the lake. Pavel and Khristina did so immediately, but Karlin lingered for a moment.

"Goodbye, Suzume. Hope to meet you once again."

"You too, Karlin. Take care." He thought that was the end of it as she made a move to leave, but then she stopped, as if considering something. She turned back to him, a genuine smile on her face, and held out her arms.

"What?"

"A hug."

"No."

She raised an eyebrow, as if saying 'really?'.

"Fine. Just this once." She bounced over to him again, and hugged him. He went rigid for the first second—not used to the feeling of having someone other than either of his grandparents hugging him—but then, he put his arms around her too.

Upon pulling away, Suzume grinned. "See you! And say bye to Molotov for me!" And with that, she joined the rest of the abroad students climbing onto their sea serpents.

Karlin went back to Pavel and Khristina waiting at the top of the port stairs. Strictly speaking, they were supposed to go straight back to their rooms—it was bedtime—but none of them wanted to. The three stood there, watching the six students disappear into the horizon.

Finally, after the specks in the water were out of sight, Khristina sighed, palming her cheeks to remove all traces of her tears. "Oh, I'm going to miss them! I hope we can visit them next year. I'm definitely going to write—"

Karlin stepped away, not in the mood to listen to her whining. It totally wasn't because a lump had formed in his throat as reality finally sunk in. To take his mind off things, he began to wonder if his grandfather would let him keep his room permanently. The Vizantiya boys' dorm sucked anyway.

But even that was interspersed with painful pangs. The friendship he had forged was too strong to let go of that easily.

And a fleeting realisation came that he wouldn't have it any other way.


(A/N): I was bored and found this in my Google Docs again, so I was like why not post it? Anyway, that's done and dusted (though I do have an idea for part four so we shall see). But yeah, obligatory apology because I'm not really satisfied with the ending but I'm too lazy to fix it.

Once again, a huge thank you to rysarium for letting me use Suzume in this very random and very self-indulgent AU. Also thanks to GreenWithAwesome who wrote A Conspiracy of Ravens without which both Karlin and Suzume would never exist. And of course, to the ACoR discord server: y'all are cool, I guess.

Aaaaand I don't think I have anything else to say, so bye!

— Llama