The entire journey past the lakeside surrounded by snow-white daffodils unfolded like an oil painting through the small window. Ducks floated in the middle of the lake, and with each tiny paddle, the yellow light reflected on the deep blue water rippled.

It looked like the trail of a traveler carrying dyes who diligently crossed the stream, unaware that his pouch of golden powder had burst.

Clack, clack. The lantern transferring the village’s light swayed to the rhythm of hoofbeats. When I listened carefully, various sounds flowed in from the village.

The boisterous chatter of heavily intoxicated people, hearty laughter in front of taverns. Even the noise that would normally seem annoying felt romantic—this was truly a peace that had been absent for quite some time.

While enjoying the scenery, the journey from Mount Montena to Angelus University didn’t feel particularly long. The carriage, gradually entering the hillside path, safely arrived in front of Angelus University.

Perhaps because the academic conference was tomorrow, the school, lavishly decorated with fresh flowers and ornamental fabrics, felt somewhat unfamiliar.

As I got off the carriage, the coachman simply greeted me without further words and went on his way. After watching the carriage disappear beyond the hill, I walked steadily through the main gate.

System, who had suddenly appeared beside me and was walking alongside, said:

– It’s quiet.

“Indeed. Tomorrow this place will be packed with people, right?”

– Then you should return to the dormitory now.

“No. I’m not going to the dormitory yet.”

– Pardon?

“I need to stop by the research lab to clean up what I couldn’t do earlier.”

– Did Professor Asrein order you to?

“Huh? No way. He doesn’t ask me to do such things.”

That’s why I can do it with a happy heart. When I smiled brightly at the thought of working, System glanced at me with incomprehension before disappearing.

My footsteps toward the research lab were lighter than ever before. Since I hadn’t been to work for a long time, I should clean up as soon as I arrive. Surely Asrein wouldn’t still be in the research lab now that the sun had completely set. As soon as the building came into view, I checked the door cracks and windows first. Fortunately, the inside of the research lab was dark without any light.

The slightly strange thing was that the lab door was open. The rule is to lock it when leaving and entrust the key. Asrein wouldn’t forget such a minor detail, so did he know I would return to the lab?

“Excuse me…”

Setting aside my curiosity, I quietly entered the research lab. As I lit the candle in the desk candlestick, my surroundings gradually became clearer. The soft light illuminated the pile of documents stacked on my desk.

The correspondence seeking Asrein, even during the academic conference period, was abundant.

Tap tap, as I was organizing papers of various sizes into a neat row, a silhouette suddenly entered the corner of my vision. I instantly got goosebumps and froze in place, clutching the documents.

Should I turn around? What if I make eye contact with a ghost…

No, there’s no way such things exist. After debating internally dozens of times in a short span, I finally turned my head to the side. There, I saw someone sitting in a spot the candlelight hadn’t reached. Sensing no particular fear, I put down the documents I was organizing and cautiously approached the desk.

“Gasp…!”

The silhouette I had mistaken for a ghost was none other than Asrein. He was leaning back in his chair with his eyes gently closed. It seemed he had dozed off while evaluating theses until late afternoon. When I placed the candlestick on Asrein’s desk, his elegant face was dimly revealed in the flickering light.

Afraid of waking him, I held my breath, and the room became as quiet as a vacuum. I carefully observed Asrein’s sleeping form. As I had noticed before, he truly sleeps like the dead. How quiet could someone be that even their breathing wasn’t audible?

“…Huh?”

Wait a minute. No matter how quietly he sleeps, he should still be breathing. Sensing something odd, I stared intently at Asrein. Perhaps because the pale shadow had swallowed his face, he seemed to lack the vitality that a living person should possess.

Anxiety suddenly overwhelmed me. I hurriedly approached him and examined his complexion from various angles. There truly was no breathing. Moreover, his chest wasn’t slowly rising and falling—it wasn’t moving at all. No way. It can’t be. Just as my trembling finger approached the area below his nose…

Asrein’s eyes snapped open.

“Ahhh!!!”

Startled out of my wits, I jumped up and grabbed the desk. Suppressing my pounding heart, I exhaled heavily with a “huh.” Asrein quietly blinked, staring at me as I cowered like a pillbug. Despite my sudden appearance, which should have startled him, he remained perfectly calm.

“Professor! You scared me.”

Raising my body that had practically collapsed onto the desk, I belatedly checked his reaction.

“…Did I wake you?”

When I gave an awkward smile, Asrein responded quite matter-of-factly:

“I wasn’t asleep to begin with.”

“Ah~ You were just closing your eyes… Wait, did you know I came in?”

“Yes.”

“Then why didn’t you acknowledge me?!”

“I was curious about what you’d do while I was sleeping.”

What does that even mean? Curious about what I’d do while he slept? No matter how I thought about it, it didn’t sound like a normal reason. Slightly furrowing my brow, I cautiously probed his reaction.

“It sounds like you were expecting me to do something…?”

“Not at all. Just that your gaze was quite intense.”

“T-that was because I was worried if you were sleeping well.”

“Watching over my sleeping face—I have a good disciple.”

“That’s not it!”

The corner of his mouth rising slightly was clearly infused with the intention to tease me. Of course, it would be a lie to say I had no desire to thoroughly examine his sleeping face… But there was a separate reason why I had stared so intently at Asrein.

After twitching my lips, I muttered with a sigh:

“Professor, it seemed like you weren’t… breathing. There was no respiration.”

Sleep apnea would indicate a health issue. As soon as I finished speaking, Asrein’s face hardened. This wasn’t the reaction of someone realizing a fact they hadn’t known before. Rather, it was closer to someone who had been “caught” trying to hide a secret. Cautiously, I asked Asrein, who had skillfully hidden his expression:

“Does this happen often?”

“It’s just a slight habit, don’t worry about it. It’s not serious enough for you to be concerned.”

“Still…”

“Thank you for your concern.”

Asrein concluded the conversation with a perfunctory greeting.

This was as far as it went. Though the physical distance between us wasn’t even a full step, an insurmountable line blocked the space between us. I thought we had grown much closer… But perhaps that was just my own delusion.

Suppressing my desire to probe further, I naturally changed the subject.

“The sun has already set, why are you still here?”

“Hmm. I lost track of time reading theses.”

“Have you been like this the entire time I wasn’t coming to the lab?”

His gaze, which had been fixed on me, subtly shifted away. No way, did this person pull all-nighters for an entire week? Standing deliberately in the spot where Asrein’s gaze had turned, I frowned deeply and called out:

“Professor!”

“You’re hardly in a position to lecture me.”

“What? Me?”

“I heard everything from Iris. She said you practically lived in the Magic Department’s practice room except when sleeping. Even skipping meals regularly.”

“That’s…”

“Anything to say for yourself?”

The roles had suddenly reversed. My confident demeanor crumbled, and I meekly clasped my hands together, making excuses:

“I had to train to handle Agnus, there was no choice.”

It was a somewhat unreasonable goal to achieve within the short vacation period. Of course, I was still far from handling Agnus skillfully, but fortunately, after many twists and turns, I had managed to complete the essence that couldn’t mix like oil and water.

While fidgeting with my interlocked fingers, Asrein remained silent. Out of nervousness, I glanced at him and met his narrowly opened eyes.

“Hmm, your magical power flow has certainly improved.”

“Right?”

“Though the scent of magical creatures has become stronger.”

“Ah… That must be because of Agnus. Haha, maybe I hugged him too much?”

His intuition was frighteningly sharp. I couldn’t possibly tell him it was because my essence had mixed with that of magical creatures. I let out an awkward, stilted laugh while scratching the back of my head. In response, a pleased smile spread across his otherwise stoic lips.

“Now you’re moving forward without my help.”

“Come on, I still have a long way to go. I need to work hard to even slightly follow in your footsteps, Professor.”

I don’t even aspire to stand side by side with him. I’d be content if I could just hold onto the hem of his garment for life. But Asrein’s thoughts were quite different.

“You’ll soon surpass me.”

“What? How could I possibly…”

“I’m merely staying in one season.”

There’s that face again. His meaningful words and resigned eyes lure me to the edge of a well whose depth I cannot fathom. But whenever I try to peer at what lies at the bottom, he mercilessly closes the lid.

“It’s gotten quite late.”

Just like now. And so, once again, I sit leaning against the desolate well, waiting endlessly. I quietly maintain my position until the heavy lid opens on its own. Thinking that it will open someday, I still develop a sudden desire to peek through the cracks.

There’s nothing stopping me from opening it. However, I refrain because if I force it open, our relationship might become irreversible.

I silently stared at Asrein as he rose from his seat and put on his jacket. Though he must have felt my gaze, Asrein didn’t look at me. As always, he skillfully returned the topic to square one.

“You’ll be busy throughout the academic conference, so shouldn’t you head back to the dormitory now?”

“What about you, Professor?”

“I’ll rest at the faculty residence, don’t worry.”

Hearing that he would rest, I felt relieved inside. I extinguished the candle and left the research lab with Asrein. I waited beside him until he locked the door, then politely greeted him.

“Then I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Afterward, as I was returning to the dormitory, I heard footsteps following me. When I glanced back, I made eye contact with Asrein, who was already closely following me with his wide stride. Why is he following me?

Is the faculty residence near the dormitory? No matter how I thought about the layout, there wasn’t any plausible building near the dormitory.

Puzzled, I tilted my head and walked a few steps before stopping. Asrein, who had been walking behind me, also stopped in place. What’s this? Could it be… is he escorting me? My happiness circuit, forgetting reality, worked diligently today as well.

Eventually, unable to contain my curiosity, I deliberately asked Asrein in a roundabout way:

“I guess the faculty residence is in the… same direction as the dormitory?”

I hoped my eyes didn’t betray my expectation. Fortunately, seemingly not catching my intention, Asrein responded nonchalantly:

“Don’t you know where it is?”

“No, I’ve never been there.”

A short sigh of “Ah” came in response. Thanks to that reaction, I realized. They were just in the same direction. Unlike my bad premonitions that always hit home runs, my happiness circuit always swung and missed. With a slight twitch at the corner of my mouth, I murmured softly:

“…Of course…”

As I continued toward the dormitory, I felt increasingly embarrassed the more I thought about it. Eventually, not just my face but even my ears became hot with warmth. In the dark night, ironically, only the path to the dormitory was brightly lit.

Afraid Asrein might notice, I pretended to fix my hair while covering my reddened face. All I could think about was escaping from his sight.

Finally, I arrived in front of the dormitory. I bowed my head to Asrein, who was still following behind.

“Take care on your way back.”

I was about to enter when a soft voice held me back.

“Tae-oh.”

When I looked up, Asrein had already approached to just one step away. Oh no, in my moment of carelessness, I had shown my flushed face that hadn’t yet cooled down. I thought he would mock me for whatever misunderstanding I had. But Asrein spoke solemnly without a trace of humor:

“Just in case you didn’t know, the faculty residence is beyond the library.”

“Pardon? What does that…”

The kind explanation felt somewhat out of place. When I frowned in confusion, Asrein smiled lightly. Though I didn’t understand why he was smiling, the gaze directed at me was so tender that my heart was helplessly swept away.

Moonlight filtered through the clouds drifting in the sky, gently illuminating him. It felt like we were the only two people in the world.

Eventually, his hand touched my earring. The touch that brushed against my neck and shoulder tickled, making me unconsciously hunch my shoulders.

Nevertheless, he didn’t withdraw his hand. Instead, he stroked my highly sensitized nape with the back of his hand. I couldn’t help but be intoxicated by the subtly wafting scent of sweet flag and ink.

“Sleep well.”

With that, Asrein departed. It was like a midsummer night’s dream where the heat wouldn’t easily dissipate.

Since it would be embarrassing if anyone saw my thoroughly reddened face, I trudged up the stairs. Then, suddenly, from the third-floor staircase, I looked out the window. A spire that wouldn’t normally be visible was protruding from behind the main building.

Though it wasn’t clearly visible in the darkness, the only such architectural feature on campus was the library.

Yes, only the library. The library… which is in the opposite direction from the dormitory.

“…Ah?”

Belatedly recalling his words, my mind went completely blank.

‘Just in case you didn’t know, the faculty residence is beyond the library.’

I thought he was just informing me of its location. So I stupidly just stared. Even now that I understand the implication, I still don’t know why Asrein took the long way around to escort me. 

It might have been simple kindness. But the problem was me, attributing meaning to the act of escorting me such a short distance.

“…This makes me have expectations…”

I tightly closed my eyes while clutching my nape, where I could still feel his touch.