Akabane Sakura (Bonus Chapter)
After saying goodbye to Zhang He and Qiu, Skylar continued to wander around the Asia camp.
He saw some Persia sorcerers with turbans on their heads, which reminded him of Professor Quirrell from his first year.
Then he saw some wizards from South Asia and India cooking curry. The curry, with its many magical spices, was very fragrant, and Skylar could smell it from afar.
Skylar finally arrived at the Japan -owned camp.
He saw a large group of teenagers gathered together, preparing food by starting a fire in the Muggle way. All the boys were dressed in spotless, well-tailored suits and ties, their black leather shoes polished to a shine; the girls wore light-colored long dresses and casual high-heeled sandals.
Their attire meticulously adhered to Muggle dress rules, and from their appearance, they showed no signs of being wizards. However, the sight of them dressed in such formal attire, engaging in what resembled a picnic or camping trip in the countryside, gave Skylar an extremely strange feeling.
Skylar recognized the emblem of the Mahoutokoro Mahoutokoro on the tent. This magic school was very strict, as evidenced by how rigorously these young students adhered to International Statute of Secrecy.
It is said that their uniforms are enchanted, changing size as the students grow older and changing color as their knowledge increases.
Initially, the school robes were a pale pink. If a student achieved the best grades in all magical subjects, the robes would turn gold. If the robes turned white, it meant that the student had violated the Japanese Wizarding Code or committed illegal acts, a terrible disgrace that would result in expulsion from the school and trial by the Japan Ministry of Magic.
Skylar's arrival attracted a lot of attention. After all, almost all the wizards in the Asia region had black hair and black eyes, so the appearance of a blond boy was undoubtedly very eye-catching.
A tall Japan girl walked over. She looked somewhat like a female celebrity he had seen in a magazine before his transmigration, something like Xinheng Yui. Her clothes emitted a faint pure golden glow, making her stand out among the group of young wizards.
She spoke first, "Are you... Mr. Malfoy?" To Skylar's surprise, her English was surprisingly fluent!
"Yes, hello, Miss Akabane." The visitor was Skylar Akabane Sakura's pen pal since she was nine years old.
Since they became friends through letters, no matter how busy Skylar was, he would always make time to keep in touch with his pen pal every weekend. The two even exchanged photos on the day Skylar started school at the age of eleven, so although they couldn't be sure immediately, they were still able to recognize each other.
What surprised Skylar was her English. It didn't have the heavy accent that Japan used to have when they spoke English in his previous life. Instead, she spoke it very fluently, almost like a native Britain. Although the two communicated mostly in English in their letters, writing and speaking were two completely different things.
The two pen pals were excited but also a little awkward when they met for the first time. Skylar knew some basic Japanese, but fortunately, Akabane Sakura was fluent in English, so the two were able to communicate smoothly. It turned out that Cherry Moon had always longed to visit the Britain Wizarding World and planned to find a job Britain after graduation. That's why she had made a point of learning English and making pen pals in Britain beforehand.
Skylar took a sip of fragrant green tea and casually asked, "Cherry Moon (the two had begun addressing each other by their first names), do you also like Quidditch?"
Cherry Moon stuck out her tongue, giving a playful look. "Don't tell anyone, but actually I don't like Quidditch at all... It's just that I've always wanted to come to Britain since I was little, so when the school organized this trip to Britain, I was the first one to sign up."
Skylar was a little curious and couldn't help but ask, "To be honest, I've asked you this several times, but you've never answered. What's so good about Britain that it attracts you so much?"
A shadow of sadness crossed Cherry Moon's eyes. "Do you know? In the Japan wizarding world, even today, women still don't have a high status. No matter how hard I work or how good my grades are, once I graduate, very few departments will hire me. My only fate will be to marry a man and live the life of a housewife, raising children and supporting her husband..."
Her eyes shone with a strange light as she said, "I'm not resigned to this. I don't want this kind of life, so I must go abroad and decide my own destiny!"
Skylar's body trembled slightly. He seemed to see his own reflection in Cherry Moon. They were both people who tried to control their own destiny!
"Britain might not be as good as you imagine," Skylar said with a wry smile. "The major Pure-blood families tightly control the economic lifeline and wield enormous influence in politics. As an outsider, you'll likely face numerous difficulties if you want to do business in Britain..."
Cherry Moon gave a sly smile. "Isn't there you? Young Master Malfoy!" She then feigned a pitiful look. "You wouldn't just stand by and watch this poor girl suffer, would you?"
Skylar let out an "Ah."
"Don't pretend. I've known about your family background for a long time. The Malfoy family, one of the most powerful families in all of Great Britain. You're the young master of the Malfoy family, the youngest Sir Merlin in Britain history, and a youth representative of the Medieval European Wizards Association, holding countless patents and investments... Well, why haven't you mentioned any of this to me in your letters? Hmph! You don't consider me a friend at all!"
Cherry Moon pouted her cherry-like lips, which, in Skylar's opinion, was rather... how should I put it, kawaii!
"Uh... if I tell you all this, won't it sound like I'm bragging?" Skylar scratched his slightly itchy scalp. "Besides, do you expect me to write in my letter: 'Miss Akabane, I'm actually a rich, handsome, and successful man. I'm famous, have status, own businesses, a house, a car, and have 30,000 Galleon in my bank account...'"
Cherry Moon chuckled, amused. "You're so funny!" Then she said, feigning seriousness, "Actually, it's not a problem with what you're saying. At least, doesn't that mean you can help me?"
"We've known each other for so long, helping you is no problem," Skylar said. "However, to be honest, the situation in Britain may be quite turbulent in the next few years. Perhaps you should consider coming later?"
Cherry Moon looked at him with suspicion. "Are you lying to me? I've read every issue of the Daily Prophet here. Britain has been peaceful for decades, hasn't it? How could these things you're talking about suddenly happen?"
"Sigh, it's all because of those Pure-blood families," Skylar sighed. "In Britain, discrimination based on bloodline has always been a deeply entrenched problem, and nobody is willing to make any changes..."
"I don't understand," Cherry Moon raised her question, "Why do you, a direct descendant of a powerful Pure-blood families, seem to be so opposed to the theory of Pure-blood?"
Skylar's expression turned serious. "The glory of Pure-blood has never been about the bloodline flowing in our veins, but about commemorating the contributions of countless ancestors to the development of the wizarding world. However, if we become fixated on a person's bloodline, many talented wizards may have their talents buried because of their birth, which is extremely detrimental to the development of the wizarding world—self-sufficiency, talent drain, stagnation... These problems may not be apparent in the short term, but in the long run, they will only cause the development of the wizarding world to stagnate, or even regress..."
Skylar's eyes shone brightly. "I've heard that both North America and Japan have long since abandoned the theory of bloodline and chosen meritocracy—I dare say that in a few years, not too long, the Britain wizarding world will lose its status as the strongest France, most likely surpassed by the United States, or perhaps by Asia country..."
Cherry Moon's eyes revealed undisguised admiration as she softly said, "You know what? The things you said and the tone of your voice just now reminded me of someone..."
"Oh? Who is it?" Skylar asked with a smile.
"In our Japan wizarding world, there was once an era where Pure-blood Supremacy prevailed, back in the tenth century. At that time, the wizarding world placed great importance on bloodlines. The three great clans— the Senju Clan, Uchiha Clan, and Hyuga Clan —respected each other and firmly controlled the power and resources of the wizarding world through their inherited magical knowledge. Ordinary wizards had no power to resist..."
"This situation only changed after the emergence of a great wizard, the greatest wizard in the history of our Japan wizarding world, much like Merlin in your Britain. He is the Grand Sorcerer Naruto Uzumaki. He rose from humble beginnings to become stronger, keeping his promise to himself and never giving up no matter what difficulties he faced. In the end, he succeeded—under his reforms, Mahoutokoro was established, the monopoly on magical knowledge was broken, and the Pure-blood ideology was never seen again."
Cherry Moon's eyes shone brightly, "When you were speaking just now, you really reminded me of Lord Uzumaki..."
"Oh, I was just talking nonsense. You flatter me." Skylar immediately became embarrassed.
"Really?" Cherry Moon stared intently at Skylar, then suddenly laughed. "The way you looked just now... you didn't seem to be joking..."
Cherry Moon took him on a tour of the camp and introduced him to some Magical Creatures unique to Japan, as well as let him try some Japan barbecue snacks, which Skylar found delicious.
The two sipped green tea and ate snacks while chatting and exchanging various interesting stories.
Skylar shared his research on invisibility magic with Cherry Moon without reservation, which greatly inspired Cherry Moon and made her develop a strong liking for her pen pal.
Time passed in this casual conversation. Seeing that it was getting late, Skylar took his leave. Before leaving, he did not forget to invite Cherry Moon to come to Britain for a holiday and promised to treat her well. Cherry Moon gave him a meaningful look and nodded in agreement.