Dear Starry Sky,

Forgive me for the late correspondence, my beloved friend. This is my first time looking after a sheep and many hours were spent researching on how to make Fiona the best sheep there ever was.

Mikaere bought me several sheep caring kits from his online store, and while four out of the ten items were of use, the others like sheep headbands and wool-dyeing kits affirmed my suspicion that Mikaere just loved buying the most useless things in the world.

Other than meticulously caring for Fiona, my own education has kept me busy. My hope for distance between noma education and myself was doused when Mikaere showed me this year’s curriculum. Math, science, social studies, history, English and herbology. Only in the evening was I to even touch the food processor! (Cauldrons are very 18th century, Snu.)

Mikaere laughed when he saw my crestfallen face. He said noma education was just as important as any lesson, and that I shouldn’t try to differentiate them.

I told him I understood and what he proposed was the best for my growth, but my tone was hardly convincing.

“Here,” he said and pointed at a shrub next to the decanter. The purple flowers hadn’t bloomed fully yet but it couldn’t be mistaken for anything else. It was the belladonna plant. He pointed at another shrub across from it, which looked identical to the belladonna.

“What are these?” he asked.

“Belladonna,” I said. “Atropa Belladonna, perennial herbaceous plant, in the family of Solanaceae, native to…”

“All right, all right, what about its other name?” he sighed.

I smirked. “Deadly Nightshade.”

“You may think that there are just different names for the plant, but we differentiate them based on how much ‘magic’ it has in its body. In this case, we call the one with stronger magic property as belladonna. Yet they are the both same plant,” he said. “You get what I’m trying to say?”

I cocked my head to one side. “I think so?” I assumed that he was trying to say potion masters were like the belladonna and the noma were the nightshade.

“Just like both the belladonna and deadly nightshade are the same plant, so are we and noma. It’s dangerous to think you are different from others, Lottie,” he said. “Having a sense of identity is a good thing, but you have to remember you’re human as well. We created the word ‘noma’ to help distinguish groups of humans, though it certainly wasn’t for comparison.”

“I wasn’t trying to say noma education was beneath me, I was just saying it may be prudent for me to put my focus on what makes us… us.”

“I know,” he said. “But by associating only with magic, you will be building a wall around yourself. That wall will rise and rise, and soon you won’t be able to leave the world you’ve created.”

Now, if I had my family and loved ones in my world, I don’t think I would mind how high that wall was. “That doesn’t sound so bad,” I said.

“Don’t be so hasty to limit yourself.”

“So… you want me to mix and mingle with everyone? Learn what they learn?”

“Exactly. You might not notice it but every bit of math, yes even calculus, will help you grow into the world.”

My trust in Mikaere warranted that I at least give his curriculum a chance. I will learn everything he believes is best for me, and on top of that, I will pursue the knowledge I seek without other people’s help. Only then can I earn the right to negotiate the terms of my education!

So I’ve started my curriculum of noma education and squeeze in my potion mastery in the evenings. If it wasn’t for Mikaere’s detailed and fun teachings, I think I would still be bitter about this whole thing. He takes his time in explaining and demonstrating, knows when to change pace and prefers the Socratic method of teaching. I cannot ask for a more perfect teacher.

Just the other day, we made a Potion of Hair Colour Change, then studied how to make interesting names for potions, then touched on the ancient history of spirits!

Oh, and about the creepy-black-veiled man, he hasn’t been around for a while.

Maybe he now knows his money will only be burnt to crisps here?

Your Studious Sister