𝐤𝐨𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞

よん

"Ma'am, do you really think that-"

"Are you doubting me, Ronald?" Novalee Mabelle interrupted the young student next to her, looking over at him. The Shinigami was silent for a moment as the two continued to walk down the long corridor. The only thing you could hear were their footsteps, accompanied by Novalee's sense in the form of a walking stick, which helped her walk. It had now been a good decade, perhaps even more, since the battle had taken place, and the Shinigami still suffered from the resulting wounds, scars and nightmares that the battle had left behind.

"I don't doubt you, ma'am. It's just-"

Novalee looked over to Ronald, watched him waving helplessly with his hands in the air, but not being able to find the words he wanted to use. She sighed.

"You don't have to stick to it, Ronald. As long as you do the job, I don't care how you do it. As a Shinigami, you will not be criticized for following the rules or not! As long as you do not actively interfere in human life and intentionally kill a person, everything is fine!"

Ronald Knox looked to his mentor and hurriedly she looked away from him. Although he did not say it, he knew that she had not only told him so that he would pass his next test. She had told him so he wouldn't make the same mistakes she had once made. Ronald did not know what had happened then; he only knew that Novalee blamed herself for it and did everything she could to keep her students from ending up the way she did.

The silence that had established between Ronald and the elder Shinigami slowly became unpleasant, but Novalee, with the best of her will, did not know what she could have said to end it. Ronald seemed to notice this, for the next moment he began to speak.

"So you're indirectly telling me to break the rules rather than follow them?"

Novalee looked to him again.

"Now that you say it. . . yes. I did. I hope that's not a problem?"

Ronald shook his head in a hurry.

"Not at all, ma'am!"

Novalee nodded again before she stopped. The young Shinigami next to her also stopped and looked questioningly at her.

In the meantime, they were located in one of the large halls that connected the individual lecture halls and facilities for the students. The young future Shinigami came from all sides, but each of them made a big bow around Ronald and the professor.

Novalee had overheard many conversations in which people complained that she was too strict and that she was too bullying the students. They complained that she was not as sociable as they had imagined under one of the two legendary Shinigami.

Admitting, Novalee really was hitting on her students. But only for the reason that they wouldn't make the mistakes that she had made herself. That they were prepared for vicious attacks and knew how to defend themselves. Novalee wanted to make sure the young Reapers were prepared for what they would expect in the field. But no one knew this.

The only people who didn't think so from the beginning  were William T. Spears and Ronald Knox. They were the ones who didn't leave her side when she had another mental setback. They didn't know exactly what had happened, just like the others, but they stayed with her.

Everyone had heard of the great battle between the legendary Shinigami, as the Reaper world had called him and Novalee, but no one knew exactly what had happened.

All they had was a mentally unstable Shinigami who quit the field service and settled here at the academy. Hardly anyone knew anything about her partner. Some murmured that he was dead, others were convinced that he was a renegade.

But that didn't seem to bother William or Ronald. They were there when Novalee wasn't well. They never once asked her exactly what had happened.

They were there because they wanted to be there.

The two didn't do it because they were hoping for an advantage. They were there because no one was there for them when they were still living their human lives.

"Thank you. . . Ronald. You're free to go. "

Ronald nodded and adjusted his glasses.

"Have a nice day, ma'am!"

Novalee nodded and watched as he mingled with the pack and disappeared.

With a sigh, Novalee turned to the left and walked towards her room with the help of her walking stick. The students made room for her when she came into their field of view, but by now Novalee had begun to ignore it and just to pass as quickly as possible so that she could finally be alone.

❀☯︎❀

"Ma'am?"

Novalee looked up and saw Ronald standing in front of her. His blond hair stood out - as always - in all directions. However, his green eyes seemed to be glowing today, probably because he had passed his final exam.

"What can I do for you, Ronald?"

Ronald shook his head.

"I just wanted to give you something. Thank you for always answering my questions and for being so patient!"

With these words he handed an envelope to the professor.

Novalee looked at him in surprise. She really didn't expect this. Carefully she accepted the envelope and opened it.

A small card fell into her hands. In it a dried and pressed forget-me-not.

Novalee read the words on the card curiously.

Forever at your side like a forget-me-not*
Thank you for everything.

Novalee felt a tear roll down her cheek. Hurriedly she wiped it away and got up. Horrified, Ronald looked at the professor and apparently wanted to make an apology, but she pulled him into her arms, which instantly made him silent. Noticeably overwhelmed, he returned the hug.

"Thank you, Ronald Knox!"

Gently Novalee loosened and smiled cautiously - which was immediately reciprocated by Ronald. It was rare for the black-haired woman to open up like that, and Ronald was glad she did it right in front of him.

"Miss Mabelle?"

Ronald and Novalee pulled apart and looked at the door of the office. Novalee's oldest student, whom she had taken under her wing like Ronald, and who also was on her side, William T. Spears, stood there and looked at her.

"William. What's going on?" Novalee asked and stepped up to him. She didn't like how upset he seemed. William T. Spears was never and under no circumstances disturbed.

"One of the newcomers is making... big trouble!"

Novalee narrowed her eyebrows. It was nothing new that some of the Shinigami, who had just left life as humans and returned to life as Shinigami, were prone to confusion and sometimes caused chaos at the Academy.

"And?"

"I think it's best if you take care of it, Miss Mabelle!"

The Shinigami raised her eyebrows, but reached for her modified sense. Something about the way William spoke and stood in front of her in the door frame signaled to her that there was definitely something wrong with one of the newcomers.

"What's the name?"

"Grell Sutcliff."

________________________

Forget-me-not symbolize, among other things, loyalty to people you cherish/love