Kana’s eyes widened. Tomorrow, the focus was supposed to return to Letie and Richard, with Kiriel only appearing briefly later to handle the aftermath when an incident occurs.

‘Hmm, it would be troublesome if Kiriel interferes with the female and male leads’ scene. Should I accept his offer and keep him occupied instead?’

While Kana was weighing the situation in her mind, Kiriel emphasized with sparkling eyes.

“Yes, if I want to monopolize Miss Kana’s day, I’ll make time even if I don’t have any.”

He was the type of person who would really do it if he said so. It seems he regretted not being able to have fun due to being busy. He must be so desperate to ask her to hang out. Kana, unknowingly softening a bit, finally accepted.

“Well, I was planning to go out tomorrow… If you have time, please let me know.”

“Sure! I’ll come pick you up in the morning!”

Kiriel’s face immediately brightened as he answered enthusiastically. His eyes curved gently and his lips formed a soft arc, undeniably handsome.

‘Ah, he was planning to push through even if I had plans. Is he that happy?’

Kana inwardly sighed as she pressed her fingers to her temple. Letie and Evie exchanged glances while chuckling at the situation.

‘Anyone can see that…’

‘Right?’

Even without saying it out loud, the two shared the same thought. Meanwhile, Kiriel muttered with a bright smile, looking relieved.

“Then I should head back early too.”

“…Pardon?”

Kana snapped back to reality as if splashed with cold water. He was supposed to spend at least some time with Letie. Kiriel blinked at her startled reaction.

“Why are you so surprised?”

“Ah, you said you were just going to leave without enjoying yourself…”

Kana awkwardly trailed off. Kiriel blinked silently for a moment before answering as if it were obvious.

“You said you were going to rest, Miss Kana. So there’s no reason for me to stay, right?”

“…Ah, I see.”

At a loss for words, Kana racked her brain trying to find a way to bring the two together, but couldn’t come up with a suitable pretext. The one who saved her from this crisis was Letie.

“Tower Master, could we talk for a moment at the clock tower?”

‘That’s right, well done! You’re really reliable!’

Kana inwardly cheered for the female protagonist. Kiriel looked at Letie standing straight and asked indifferently.

“Lady Serade, is it important?”

“It’s something that could be beneficial for both of us. I don’t think you’ll regret hearing it.”

Letie was sincere, but Kiriel didn’t seem very interested. Afraid that the flow might go wrong, Kana quickly supported the female protagonist.

“Wouldn’t it be fine if it’s just for a moment?”

“I was planning to take Miss Kana back and then return.”

Kiriel shrugged. Whatever Letie had to say was none of his concern. Right now, the important person to him was Kana.

She looked troubled and glanced at Evie beside her.

“I appreciate the offer, but I was planning to return with Miss Evie. Right, Miss Evie?”

“Yes. We’ve also left our carriage at the central square’s carriage depot.”

Evie kindly went along with Kana’s words. But Kiriel wasn’t one to give up easily. He looked at the two standing side by side and suggested.

“Then I’ll take Miss Kana and Miss Reas to the central square together.”

“It’s alright. I’m concerned about troubling you, Lord Kiriel, and leaving Lady Letie alone.”

“It’s quick with teleportation magic anyway. I can leave Lady Serade with Kanto for a moment, take you two back, and then have the conversation.”

“Ah, that’s true. I’ll gratefully accept your kindness then.”

Kana accepted helplessly. Kiriel naturally extended his hand to Kana. When she carefully placed her hand on his, he held it firmly and then gestured lightly to bring Evie within the range of the magic.

‘Well, it was like this when he moved me and Alderaan simultaneously last time. I guess each mage has their preferred method.’

Unlike Evie who was silently surprised, Kana didn’t think much of it.

In any case, thanks to Kiriel’s teleportation magic, the two were able to arrive near the carriage depot in the central square in an instant.

Kana bowed her head politely to express her gratitude.

“Lord Kiriel, thank you for bringing Miss Evie and me here.”

“It’s nothing. See you tomorrow.”

Kiriel tucked a stray strand of Kana’s hair behind her ear as she raised her head. While she momentarily froze, he laughed cheerfully, waved his hand, and vanished suddenly.

Kana blinked and then fiddled with the pure pearl on her necklace.

‘[Alderaan, I’m sorry, but I ended up returning first.]’

‘[Why, was there a problem?]’

‘[I barely managed to salvage a situation where the star rating was in danger, and for it not to seem unnatural, I had to leave immediately.]’

‘[That can’t be helped. I understand.]’

Alderaan guessed it was related to Kiriel. She carefully asked her industry friend with an apologetic heart.

‘[Thank you. Then, could you possibly stop by the clock tower and check if Kiriel and Letie are together? I’m worried, even though Kiriel probably won’t break his word. You can head back after checking.]’

‘[I can do that. I’m nearby, so I’ll check and let you know. Any other changes?]’

‘[…It looks like I’ll have to take care of Kiriel tomorrow. I’ll keep track of things as I go, but the plan might change a bit.]’

Kana sought his understanding in advance. Although it’s said that a supporting character’s attitude is to respond appropriately to situations without saying anything, when more than two people were involved, it was better to inform them about changes in advance.

‘[It seems like a situation where it’s difficult to keep distance. I’ll keep that in mind too.]’

‘[Thanks, Alderaan. I’m really glad to be working with you.]’

‘[It’s nothing.]’

Kana was finally able to put her mind at ease hearing her industry friend’s generous response.

Evie, who had been observing her companion’s concentrated expression, casually spoke up as she saw her sigh in relief.

“Miss Kana, I went along with what you said earlier, but did you actually bring a carriage?”

“No, actually I just walked here.”

It was easier to check things while walking. Evie suggested to her companion who was smiling sheepishly.

“Then I’ll take you back. No matter how strong you are, it must be tiring to walk after what happened.”

“Thank you, Miss Evie.”

“It’s nothing. You willingly kept me company when my plans fell through and helped catch the pickpockets, so this is only natural.”

Evie smiled warmly.

Thanks to her kindness, Kana was able to ride in the Reas family’s carriage. On the way to the Round mansion, Evie spoke first.

“Wow, today was really eventful in many ways.”

“It sure was.”

“I didn’t expect the Tower Master to be so proactive…”

“It’s probably because the pickpockets fled to where the Tower’s mages were gathered.”

While Evie felt a disconnect with the Tower Master’s behavior that was far from his well-known image, Kana brushed it off casually.

In the quiet atmosphere, Evie carefully asked while observing her.

“Miss Kana, are you perhaps uncomfortable with the Tower Master?”

“What?”

“Earlier, you seemed a bit tense and cautious…”

Evie trailed off. Unlike the Tower Master who was openly friendly, Kana was lukewarm and cautious.

As always, her attitude was polite and gentle, but there was also a sense of drawing an appropriate line and keeping distance.

Kana pretended to ponder for a moment before giving a suitable excuse.

“Well, I’m just being careful. Even if we’ve built a rapport through frequent official meetings, it would be troublesome if I carelessly crossed a line and ruined our relationship by being too familiar.”

“Ah, I understand.”

Evie suddenly remembered Kana mentioning that she was shy. If they were also often involved in official matters, it made sense.

While they exchanged occasional small talk, they arrived in front of the Round mansion. Kana got out of the carriage and said goodbye.

“Thank you for bringing me. Please get home safely, and I hope you can rest well after the shocking events of today.”

“Yes, you too, Miss Kana.”

Evie responded with a smile and left. Kana stared blankly at the departing carriage before entering the mansion.

‘…Judging by the fact that the star rating didn’t decrease, it seems the flow wasn’t disrupted. But it’s unsettling not being able to check directly. I guess I’ll have to wait until Alderaan informs me.’

After washing up and changing clothes, Kana sat on the bed and tightly grasped the pure pearl on her necklace with a slightly anxious heart.

She briefly considered sending a spirit for reconnaissance, but the possibility of getting caught was high due to Kiriel’s keen senses, and it would make communication with her industry friend difficult, so she gave up on the idea.

* * *

After taking Kana and Evie back with his teleportation magic, Kiriel returned to the clock tower. Kanto, who had been keeping watch, tactfully withdrew.

Letie spoke while looking at the Tower Master’s face, which clearly showed his annoyance.

“You’re here. Let’s go to the clock tower first.”

“I hope this won’t take long.”

“Don’t worry. As if I would take up too much time from such a busy person.”

Letie shook her head with a dry laugh. Kiriel used his teleportation magic silently while keeping some distance from her.

They instantly reached the top floor of the clock tower. Letie chuckled at the suddenly changed scenery.

“Is this allowed?”

“It doesn’t matter since I’ll do the same when we go down. Besides, there’s no one here now.”

Kiriel replied indifferently and snapped his fingers. Even though there was no one around, he cast a sound-blocking spell in case of any conversation.

Letie nodded at his consistent attitude, both then and now.

“Ah, yes. Do as you please.”

“So what did you want to talk about? I hope it’s not something trivial.”

Kiriel narrowed his eyes and sized up the other person. Despite his rather cold attitude, Letie spoke up firmly.

“It’s something I wanted to discuss privately with the Tower Master.”