Saryu's Character Story

Chapter 1

After years in school, all of my hard work has finally paid off. I'm now researching magical
pharmacology with my best friend—the slightly scatterbrained girl in glasses.

Everyone in our class approaches their research carefully.
That's because each month, the teachers look over our work and evaluate its merits.
Knowing this, I dive into my studies with gusto.

I'm good at focusing on the tiny kinds of details others tend to miss.
After a while, the others take notice of this talent,
and I'm eventually chosen to be our class representative.

But while I usually try to do everything myself,
my best friend is always reminding me to try and work with the others.
So I decide to give it a shot—for her.

Chapter 2

At first, everyone in the class seems to be enjoying themselves. But as the days go by,
the others start to get more and more worn down.

I find this terrifically disappointing,
because it's not a lack of talent that holds them back—it's a lack of effort.
But they soon begin to drop out of class.
One...after the other...after the other.

Eventually, the only students left are me and my best friend.
I can tell this stresses her out, but the harder she works,
the more nervous she gets—and her work soon begins to suffer.

One day, I turn to her and put a calming hand on her shoulder.
"Hey," I say. "You're going to be all right. We're almost through this,
so just stay focused."

Chapter 3

I can tell the lack of students disturbs my friend, but it doesn't bother me at all.
I've never needed outside sources for motivation,
and I won't ever give up on a task before seeing it through to the bitter end.

That's not to say this is easy, because it's not.
It's hard.
A task of this size split between two people is laughably hard.
But my friend and I put our heads down and keep going,
and somehow we come to the moment of the final experiment.

It all comes down to this: The two of us have to pour separate compounds into
our beaker at the same time. If we're off by so much as a drop,
all of our work will have been for nothing.

The moment of truth. My hands are slick with sweat.
Slowly, so slowly, we begin pouring our compounds.
But then my friend makes a sound—a tiny, almost imperceptible gasp—and our
potion immediately turns from a bright blue to a dark, muddy brown.

Chapter 4

Later that night, I knock on my best friend's door.
And while I know she's in there, she refuses to answer.
"Hey," I say finally. "Come on. We have to try again.

"Why?" she responds in a trembling voice.
"You're so good and I just... I don't understand any of this.
You'd be better off without me."

"You're right," I say bluntly.
"But me being so good means that no matter how many times you blow it,
I'll be there to pick you up. Now let's go."

The door creaks open and my friend's face appears.
She wipes absently at tears with one hand and puts her glasses back on.
Then, grasping her other hand, I drag her back to the lab.

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