Letie awkwardly rolled her eyes in the silence and added.

“If it were a similar situation, I thought I might feel relieved… I didn’t intend to burden you, Miss Kana.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I got lost in thought with a guest in front of me. The content is heavier than expected and difficult to accept at once, so it was hard to respond immediately.”

Kana explained softly. Letie waved her hand lightly and replied.

“No, I was the one who rashly blurted it out because I was in a hurry. I’m more sorry.”

“It’s okay. I’ll answer your question first. I haven’t seen or experienced specific future events.”

After much deliberation, Kana chose to pretend not to know. Letie’s eyebrows drooped slightly, disappointed by the answer she had hoped for.

“…Is that so?”

“Yes. I guess I appeared that way because I have a cautious personality that assumes various situations in any matter, and sometimes my intuition is correct.”

“Ah.”

Letie moved her lips slightly. Kana waited for the female protagonist to stabilize before continuing.

“And the reason my memories from previous experiences are unclear… could it be that our activities didn’t overlap? I have a quiet personality both then and now.”

“…Hmm, maybe it’s just my problem.”

Letie sighed deeply. She felt embarrassed, thinking she had pointed out something irrelevant after speaking with confidence. Kana gently comforted her.

“No, it’s not that. You’ve been through so much; how could you remember everything? Even if those experiences have become nonexistent, we are getting along well now.”

“That’s really comforting. Thank you.”

Letie’s eyes curved gently. She was glad to be friends with someone good among her peers. She thought it was fortunate to have connected with Kana in her second life.

Kana smiled and responded humbly.

“Don’t mention it. Things worked out well because we spoke openly.”

“As expected, Miss Kana is kind. I understand why the Master of the Magic Tower feels the same way.”

Letie smiled warmly. Of course, she still thought her friend was much better when viewed purely as a person, setting aside backgrounds and personal feelings.

Kana blinked repeatedly.

“…Pardon?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

Letie evaded the question with a peculiar smile. Kana found it strange but didn’t press further as the other person showed no sign of explaining in detail.

After a few light conversations, their meeting ended. After Letie left, Kana moved to the garden as usual to meet the lower spirit.

* * *

Lena, who saw Kana heading to the garden again today, greeted her with a customary question.

“Miss, are you spending time in the garden again today?”

“Yes.”

“You’ve been visiting the garden frequently lately… Is there a reason for that?”

Lena asked cautiously. She was curious, although she was careful not to interfere or pry in a way that would make her lady uncomfortable.

Kana answered calmly.

“Ah, there’s something I need to do related to spirit summoning. I plan to spend a lot of time in the garden until I accomplish it. So, please don’t let anyone in while I’m in the garden.”

“Understood. But Miss, if someone does come, should I tell them you’re training in spirit summoning?”

Lena’s eyes sparkled. She was already exuding an atmosphere of support for Kana with just her gaze. Noticing this, Kana smiled briefly and snapped her fingers.

“Well, rather than training… Tell them I’m doing something important related to spirit summoning and can’t be disturbed.”

“Yes.”

Leaving the answering maid behind, Kana entered the inner part of the garden.

The lower earth spirit was among the flowers, and because they had met frequently, it didn’t hide from her like it did the first time.

Kana gently petted the earth spirit, which looked like a round button. The earth spirit repeatedly split a small stone and floated it like playing jacks while staring at her.

She played along with the earth spirit’s game and subtly asked her dependable partner on her shoulder.

‘Celia, what do you think?’

[There’s progress. It was favorable to us from the start. It’s just a bit shy and wary of strangers. If we put in more effort, it’ll come around. It might take some time, though…]

Celia trailed off. Since the probability of forming a contract was high, Kana took it positively.

‘That’s fine. Patience is one of the virtues of a supporting character.’

[As expected of my contractor. I’m happy about the possibility of a new friend, but… Are you sure you won’t be burdened by adding another contract?]

Celia expressed her worry belatedly. Kana laughed heartily and answered.

“Don’t worry. I can handle adding one more lower spirit. I’ve been training consistently, and thanks to your rank-up last time, my spirit energy has increased.”

[Great. Let’s do our best.]

“Yes!”

Kana and Celia worked hard to gently coax and play with the earth spirit.

* * *

Kiriel, who had been intermittently visiting the library while working, couldn’t find any satisfactory information.

No matter how much he searched, the information related to his strange dream was just a string of useless words.

His intuition fiercely whispered not to dismiss it as a mere idle dream.

When Kiriel roughly swept back his hair and snapped his fingers, the materials neatly piled up next to the desk.

His gaze shifted to the communication sphere on the desk. Kiriel unconsciously thought of a familiar person.

‘Come to think of it, I haven’t been in touch with Miss Kana lately.’

Usually, they communicated when there was a reason or when he approached her first, but it felt like it had been completely cut off. Kiriel recalled the last thing he heard from her.

‘She said she was doing something important related to spirit summoning, right?’

She mentioned that they may not be in contact for a while. It seemed she reduced personal communication except for important schedules or public duties.

‘There’s nothing I can say about that.’

What could he say to a spirit summoner training important spirit summoning? He understood her desire not to be disturbed when focused on an area of interest, even if it was frustrating.

At that moment, Kanto entered with documents.

“Master, more work has come in.”

“Ah, Kanto. Leave it on the desk.”

Kiriel gestured with a gloomy atmosphere. Kanto placed the documents on the desk and alternated his gaze between his superior’s face and the pile of materials next to the desk.

“Couldn’t you find the information you wanted?”

“Yes. This is the first time I’ve felt so stuck.”

Kiriel stroked his chin. Kanto hesitated for a moment before cautiously speaking.

“Well, they say dreams are manifestations of the subconscious. Maybe you had such a dream because Miss Round left a strong impression on you?”

“That’s possible.”

Kiriel nodded slightly. Kanto, seeing his superior still looking dissatisfied, gently asked.

“Is there something else troubling you besides the dream?”

“I haven’t been in contact with Miss Kana for a long time.”

“But wasn’t there a good reason for that?”

He knew well why, as Kiriel had repeatedly mentioned it regretfully.

Initially, it hadn’t been long enough to consider it a long absence, but the wise Kanto kept that thought to himself.

Kiriel frowned slightly and grumbled.

“Still. What kind of spirit summoning work requires that much? Even when I was honing my magic, it wasn’t like this.”

“Well, not everyone has the Master’s brilliant talent. She must be struggling in various ways.”

If that were the case, Kanto could deeply empathize with Miss Round’s feelings.

Although their areas were different, ordinary people tended to shut themselves off when faced with a wall.

Kiriel, with a serious face, said something uncharacteristic.

“Could it be that she had an accident while training in spirit summoning?”

“…Aren’t spirits close to nature and the most stable energy? You know that better than anyone.”

“Well, that’s true.”

Kiriel replied indifferently, resting his chin on his hand. Unable to watch any longer, Kanto advised him.

“If you’re really worried, why not visit her in person?”

“Miss Kana said she doesn’t like unannounced visits.”

“Then contact her through the communication sphere first, and if she doesn’t respond, go see her. When you meet her, explain that you were worried. If you speak sincerely, no one will dislike it.”

“I’ll do that. But first, I’ll handle the work you brought.”

Having made his decision, Kiriel quickly and efficiently handled his tasks. Despite his mood, Kanto felt relieved seeing him do his work diligently as usual.

After finishing his work, Kiriel contacted Kana through the communication sphere as Kanto had advised. Naturally, there was no response. Kanto muttered awkwardly.

“Uh, um. She’s not answering.”

“She must be busy. Try again.”

Growing anxious, Kiriel tried contacting her again. Unconsciously, he was behaving as others did towards him. Still, there was no response.

A stiflingly uncomfortable atmosphere enveloped the office in the Magic Tower. Kanto, feeling sorry for his superior, stiffened. Kiriel, feeling unfairly upset, pursed his lips..

“What is this? Others are eager to receive my calls even once…”

“You said you liked her straightforward attitude, unlike others.”

“…That’s true. I should visit the Round mansion.”

In the end, Kiriel used teleportation magic to head straight to the Round mansion, leaving Kanto behind. There, he encountered a maid with reddish hair.

Lena, startled to see him suddenly appear, met his eyes.

“Master of the Magic Tower? What brings you here?”