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I’m sorry, Ned.

No! Don’t go!

[This is the only way. I will protect this child… Stella.]

You can’t. Please.

[If this child ever comes back… I hope you can protect her then.]

Please… Estelle.

[But we’re still classmates, right? At least fulfill my last request.]

“NO!”

The man who sprang up with a cry looked around.

A small room resembling a cabin, where a girl was sitting at a desk, flipping through a book.

“Looks like you’ve woken up… making quite the fuss.”

Ned, now awake, rubbed his eyes and checked his wounds.

“Did you heal me? …I owe you one.”

“No need for flattery… we’re already in the same boat.”

The being resembling a girl asked with a puzzled expression.

“By the way, the boy who left you like this must be strong… or was it just that he was too careless and got beaten?”

“The sage speaks in a rather rude manner.”

“A mage shouldn’t straightforwardly confront… you nearly died for real.”

Despite the girl’s scolding, Ned simply smiled innocently.

“Were you worried about me~? How kind of you…”

“Stop pretending. Do you think I don’t know why you’re so fixated on that guy?”

“Well… I was being sincere in my own way…”

“There’s definitely a resemblance… to your companion and former hero, Sirius.”

At her words, Ned’s half-closed eyes opened slightly.

“…Don’t even mention that guy. It irritates me.”

“You’re not denying it; you still can’t forget what happened back then.”

“If that guy had been there… Estelle wouldn’t have died.”

Seeing the immense pressure radiating from him, the girl made a bitter expression.

‘While hating, he still sees their shadows in those kids.’

“I misspoke; then what’s the next objective?”

Shifting the topic, Ned closed his snake-like eyes again and smiled.

“Then… how about we take this opportunity to head East?”

“East? That’s quite the sudden trip you’re planning.”

“I took quite a beating this time, so I thought I might take some time to recuperate… and also look for that ‘sword.’”

The girl made a sound as she tapped her head.

“Are you looking for another sacred relic… and you don’t mind clashing with the demon race?”

“That is the goal… who knows, Paimon might show up.”

“Well, putting that aside, your underlings have caused quite a ruckus this time.”

At this, Ned sighed.

“Those guys are a real headache; they just can’t be controlled… just as much as that girl would have sufficed…”

“You’re also quite the devil; you intentionally made that boy and girl meet, didn’t you? Thanks to this incident, those who bear resentment toward him will come rushing in.”

“Is having loyalty a problem? Well, if it’s that guy, he’ll manage somehow!”

Seeing Ned smile brightly, the girl turned her head away with an exasperated expression.

*

“Damn it.”

Lying on the bed, shielding my eyes with my arm, I stared blankly at the ceiling.

“My entire body aches; it’s infuriating.”

Every part of me throbbed, making it hard to even move.

I managed to return to the dorm early yesterday morning, but ended up tripping badly and falling hard.

Normally, I wouldn’t have such trouble, but it was due to overexerting my abilities in battle.

“I should have killed him back then…”

If I had just been a bit more focused at that moment, I could have finished him off.

No matter what happened, I had to kill that guy.

“That bastard…”

No. I want to believe it isn’t true, but there’s no way I could be mistaken about that face.

But why… why was he in that organization?

“I need to go to the academy…”

It’s almost time for the first period to end. Missing it once or twice is no big deal, but there’s a chance Serena will spill the beans to Stella, so I need to hurry.

Imagining what would happen if Stella found out what I’ve been up to was terrifying.

Just as I was about to get up, the doorbell rang, ding-dong.

What’s this? Is it a dorm employee here to clean? But they wouldn’t come this early.

Cautiously approaching the door, I peered through the small hole and saw…

“What the…? Stella?”

It was Stella, standing at the door with a serious expression.

*

“Nova, it’s me.”

“…”

“I know you’re in there. Open the door quickly.”

I could definitely sense her presence. But the lack of immediate response clearly indicated she was flustered.

If nothing was wrong, she wouldn’t be taking this long to open the door. Something must be hidden…

“What’s going on? Why are you, Stella, at the boys’ dorm…?”

Nova responded, sounding just woken up from sleep.

“What’s the issue that you’re still in your room instead of heading to class? Did you oversleep?”

“Yeah… I went to bed a bit late yesterday. I was about to leave now.”

“Got it; just open the door for now.”

Then, a noticeably flustered voice came through.

“I… I’ll be there right away, so just wait… What’re you doing here anyway? Aren’t you going to class?”

“I’m going with you, and it’s no big deal if I don’t attend.”

“Are you saying it’s okay to skip class? This is why geniuses are like this…”

“Stop chattering and open the door right now, or I’m breaking in.”

“Ah, okay! I’ll be there in a moment; just wait a little!”

“Uh…? Ahem… I understand! I’ll wait.”

Then I have no choice; I’m not a pervert or anything wanting to see that…

I genuinely came out of pure concern… really, I did.

Clink-clink.

“Are you not ready yet?”

“Just give me a minute! Why are you rushing me?”

“Then get dressed quickly: 3, 2, 1.”

“Hey, hey, wait! Why are you counting so fast!!”

Before I could open the door in disappointment… no, fortunately,

Nova opened the door and revealed herself.

I almost smashed the innocent doorknob for no reason.

Nova looked… surprisingly fine.

On the surface, that is.

Wasn’t there blood everywhere? Or was that someone else?

“What’s with the outfit? Why are you bundled up like that?”

“Hmm? Ah, I think I caught a bit of a cold…”

“Really…? Are you feeling very sick right now?”

Her face was flushed, and she looked like she had quite the fever.

I tried to check her temperature by placing my hand on her forehead, but suddenly Nova backed away from me.

“…? What’s up, Nova?”

“What… what do you mean…”

“I have to check your temperature, so come here and take off that eye mask too.”

Even if she just woke up, she should have removed the mask while getting dressed.

How could she forget to do that?

Nova attempted to distance herself from me, but for some reason, her reactions were slow.

“J-just wait a second!”

“Why are you acting so strange since earlier?”

She was oddly sweating; she really seemed to be in pain.

“I need to go to the bathroom for a minute; it’s urgent.”

“What? You can go without having to say anything; who’s stopping you?”

Sighing in relief, Nova hurried into the bathroom.

If she’s that frantic, she should have just said something; saying she needs to use the restroom is natural.

I sat on the bed beside Nova’s bed and looked around the room.

“So this is where Nova stays…”

I had been here before for her birthday party, but it felt new being here alone.

Well, considering we’re dating? Being alone in a room together might not be too bad?

Anyway, I’m really envious this guy gets to have this big room all to himself. After that demon monster incident, someone dropped out, and now he’s alone, huh? So envious.

“Isn’t it a bit too big for just one person…?”

This is supposedly the best academy in the continent, and even though it’s a double room, it’s really spacious.

There’s even a separate room for the kitchen; honestly, it’s better than a typical five-star hotel.

But wouldn’t Nova feel lonely living here alone? If only the teleportation barrier wasn’t set up, I could just teleport right here…

“…! What am I thinking?!”

Ah, no… thinking about this isn’t that bad.

Isn’t it normal for kids my age to secretly sleep over at friends’ places?

It’s definitely a bit weird between genders, but at this point, I was originally a guy, and…

There’s no way Nova would do anything weird if we slept together, right?…

Yeah, I should think about breaking the barrier next time.

If I’m learning a new magic spell, surely the Master wouldn’t scold me.

In fact, I’d be praised for my constant desire to research—right?

“Then why is she taking so long…?”

It’s already been ten minutes, and she still hasn’t come out; I can’t even hear any sounds from the bathroom.

Is she feeling really sick…? Just then, standing in front of the bathroom door,

Bang!

A loud crashing sound echoed from inside.

I jumped and opened the door, calling out.

“Nova! What’s going on? No… va…?”

As I opened the door, what met my eyes was blood streaming down the drain,

with Nova, clad in her academy uniform, collapsed, covered in crimson.

 

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