Bonnie

Bonnie was abandoned by her parents as a child and raised in an orphanage in Manafall, but, fortunately, Bonnie was a bright and lively child, and rather than grieving being abandoned, she quickly made new friends and created a happy new life for herself.

Bonnie was thirteen when she arrived at the orphanage, and she quickly took initiative and acted as a leader, solving problems and mediating disputes among the other children. Soon, all the other children looked up to her like an older sister, and at times, even the adults relied on her incredible sociability to help solve problems.

Bonnie taught herself wind magic to more efficiently handle household chores like laundry and cleaning. Her magic was so effective that she could finish all the orphanage's chores on her own in no time, which quickly made her both the most dependable and the most beloved person there.

Bonnie effortlessly handled all sorts of chores with her magic, and the orphanage director was forever grateful, but she also thought Bonnie's gifts could take her further, so she recommended her to Professor Rumeni Oh of the Callistra Lunaris Royal Academy of Wizardry.

When Professor Rumeni Oh arrived at the orphanage and witnessed Bonnie's magic, she was blown away. Typical first-year students at the academy could, at best, conjure a light breeze, but Bonnie's wind control, even when used for simple household tasks, showed a level of precision and understanding of the element far beyond her years.

Professor Rumeni Oh immediately sensed that Bonnie possessed extraordinary talent and recommended that she enroll in the academy, but Bonnie had grown attached to her friends at the orphanage, and unwilling to part with them, rejected the professor's offer.

Despite Bonnie's rejection, Professor Rumeni Oh visited the orphanage every day and encouraged Bonnie to receive a proper magical education. Moved by the professor's persistence and sincerity, Bonnie eventually agreed on the condition that her friends at the orphanage would receive financial support. Professor Rumeni Oh gladly accepted and even offered to cover all of Bonnie's tuition herself if it meant that Bonnie would finally enroll in the Magic Academy.

Unfortunately, Bonnie's life at the academy was far from easy. The other students came from wealthy aristocratic families and were unwelcoming to a poor, low-born student like Bonnie.

Bonnie tried to get along with the other students and make friends like she had at the orphanage, but she couldn't overcome the prejudice that the noble students held toward commoners. Professor Rumeni Oh, who had enrolled Bonnie in the academy, was aware she was struggling and tried to help, but it was impossible for a single professor to affect real change.

However, Bonnie wasn't one to back down easily. Even when Professor Rumeni Oh apologized for her struggles, Bonnie pretended to be fine and studied even harder to live up to her sponsor's expectations.

Bonnie studied hard to repay Professor Rumeni Oh for her support of the orphanage, and soon, her hard work paid off.

In fact, she was almost doing too well. Her perfect score on her first round of exams shot her to the top of her class, sparking jealousy and resentment among her peers. Rumors began to spread, baseless accusations filling the academy's halls. "There's no way a dim-witted commoner could actually get a perfect score. She must've cheated somehow."

Yet, despite her peers' resentment, Bonnie never lost heart. She believed that if she continued to enjoy her studies, one day, everyone would come to recognize her talents and accept her place there.

Alone once again, Bonnie was assigned a new roommate named Flare.

Flare was the last dragonkin descendant of the Scarlet family, once the most prestigious family in Solismenamus. In order to bring honor to her family, she had to become the top student in her class, so when Bonnie surpassed her score and claimed first place, Flare was struck by a deep sense of defeat. She couldn't believe she had lost to a commoner.

Determined to beat Bonnie at anything, Flare began challenging Bonnie to all sorts of contests: arm wrestling, staring, even rock-paper-scissors. But no matter what the challenge was, she always lost to Bonnie.

While Flare was consumed by frustration and her growing sense of inferiority, Bonnie was simply happy to have someone who wanted to play with her. She welcomed Flare's company and began to consider her a friend.

One day, Bonnie suddenly turned to Flare and thanked her for being her friend, but Flare, caught off guard, blurted out, "I've never considered someone like you a friend."

For days afterwards, Bonnie's usual spark was dim. At first, Flare tried to brush it off. Bonnie had just misunderstood their relationship! But the more she tried to ignore it, the more she found herself concerned. Finally, she had to admit to herself that she'd secretly enjoyed their little competitions all along.

After sorting out her feelings, Flare apologized to Bonnie and officially asked her to be friends, and Bonnie burst into tears and gladly accepted. From that day forth, they became inseparable companions.

One day, Flare asked Bonnie what she wanted to do after graduating from the academy. Bonnie, as carefree as ever, answered that she didn't care as long as she was happy. While Flare found this attitude naive, she was also genuinely concerned. She told Bonnie that coming from humble beginnings didn't limit her potential. Being at a prestigious school meant she had an opportunity to strive for a future worthy of her teachers' guidance and the friends she had made.

For the first time, Bonnie began to seriously consider her future... but having never thought about the matter before, she struggled to find an answer. To inspire her, Flare suggested they attend the Royal Knights' Parade together. She hoped that seeing Solismenamus's finest and most accomplished knights would help Bonnie find her own spark of ambition.

When Bonnie and Flare watched the Royal Knights' Parade, it wasn't the knights themselves that caught Bonnie's attention, but the military band leading them.

Although Flare had intended to push Bonnie towards joining the Royal Knights, Bonnie decided she wanted to become a musician. She formed a new dream: to join the Royal Military Band.

Flare tried to reason with Bonnie, she told her that it would be difficult to learn an instrument from scratch at their age, but once she realized Bonnie's resolve was absolute, she gave up trying to change her mind.

To prepare to join the military band, Bonnie began learning to play instruments, and quickly discovered that she had an innate gift for music, quickly mastering each instrument she tried. Flare believed that with such obvious talent, Bonnie would easily pass the audition.

However, contrary to Flare's expectations, Bonnie failed the very first performance exam. As for why she had failed, that was simple: Bonnie had played her own improvised composition instead of the assigned piece. In addition, Bonnie's original piece was... a chaotic tune that changed according to Bonnie's whims. Harshly put, it was basically just noise.

Nevertheless, Bonnie believed her music was better than passable, and to her ears, her original compositions were the most perfect sounds in the world.

When Flare realized it was Bonnie's own fault she had failed, she grew heated. How dare her rival throw away her dream over foolish pride?!

Moved by Flare's sincerity, Bonnie put their friendship first and, for the first and last time, set aside her pride. Just as Flare expected, she passed the military band audition with flying colors on her second try. But as she thanked Flare, Bonnie made one thing clear: she'd never give up playing her own music that made her happy. In response, Flare promised to join the Royal Knights, and when that day came, they would be together again.