The girl standing beside her sharply inhaled. Then she murmured under her breath.

“Jens Will?”

She wasn’t the only one who heard it; whispers gradually spread around them. Aira frowned and strode forward.

“Where should I go?”

“The young master is currently meeting with the principal. We’ve prepared a reception room where he’ll join you shortly. Let’s go.”

Aira walked quickly, ignoring the gathering stares. She felt strange inside. Hadn’t he said he wouldn’t come?

She thought it wouldn’t matter whether he came or not, so why this queasiness?

Ah, it must be because she needed to probe him again. She needed to shake him up and break him down to discover the true wish hidden deep inside him.

Though she knew that meeting him more often would increase her chances of understanding him, Aira’s steps kept slowing.

How much trouble would she cause him this time?

Nevertheless, Aira had to shake him up again.

After signing several documents Kle handed her in the reception room and picking up a cup of tea, she noticed an open window.

Somehow drawn to the warm air, Aira went to the window and looked outside. The entrance ceremony had ended, and families were dispersing.

As she absently watched the scene, the school’s characteristically plain curtain swayed gently before suddenly billowing inward.

Pushing away the curtain brushing against her face, Aira turned around.

The door was open. The wind that had rushed in was now escaping through the doorway, fluttering the newcomer’s clothes.

Kle gave a slight bow toward the doorway, gathered his documents, and left.

Click. The door closed, and the curtain settled again.

Aira stared at Jens with wide eyes.

“First time seeing it?”

“Seeing what?”

“Me not in uniform.”

Jens, dressed in a frock coat, took one step into the room. But he didn’t sit down, put down his cane, or remove his hat—he simply leaned against the door.

“I’m off duty.”

“Heh.”

Aira burst into laughter despite herself. Jens frowned, not understanding what was so funny, but Aira couldn’t help it.

The idea that ‘the’ Jens Will was someone who worked shifts and had days off seemed so bizarre that she couldn’t stop laughing.

Perhaps it was because she’d only ever seen him in uniform. Seeing him in civilian clothes felt strange.

It seemed both ill-fitting and suitable at the same time.

He crossed his arms and looked at her.

“You look equally out of place.”

“Hmm. I never said you looked out of place.”

Jens observed Aira, who was still laughing. It was a peculiar sight he’d never seen before. He’d seen the cadet uniform countless times to the point of weariness, but to see an Imperial princess wearing it…

Though he had personally received her documents renouncing her royal status, Jens couldn’t erase the fact that she was a princess.

Just like those violet eyes resembling wildflowers couldn’t be gouged out.

And her hair looked completely unfamiliar. Imperial princesses were famous for their long hair. The flowing locks that once reached her ankles had been cut short at her ears.

Noticing where his gaze had stopped, Aira smiled and fluttered the ends of her short hair.

“Tell her I’ll definitely repay this debt someday. To Lieutenant—no, Ensign Schaefer.”

“Schaefer will soon face a court-martial.”

“Oh dear. I bear no ill will toward the Ensign. It was my fault to begin with. I hope you’ll put in a good word for her.”

“Whether the target is a prisoner or an asylum seeker, firing a weapon at will is the Ensign’s mistake, regardless of the reason. You just need to state your position.”

“That’s troublesome.”

Aira touched her ear with a genuinely troubled expression. She fidgeted with the almost-healed wound, seemingly uncomfortable with it.

Jens quietly moved his gaze from her ear and lowered his head. It was a harsh scar that didn’t match her face, which resembled a delicately crafted porcelain doll. Like a goblet with a missing tooth.

The stiff cadet uniform also didn’t suit her at all, looking like oil floating on water.

“Won’t you regret it?”

“What? Oh.”

Her face showed she understood what he was trying to say. But she didn’t seem particularly concerned. If anything, Jens was the one growing anxious.

Even though he was the one who first suggested the military academy, honestly, it didn’t feel like a good choice for her.

“I don’t know what you think about the Republic… but it’s certainly not a better refuge than the Empire.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

Jens straightened up, moving away from the door he’d been leaning against.

No matter how he thought about it, something felt off. He couldn’t bear this strange sense of dissonance.

Unlike her desperate voice when she said she didn’t want to go to the Empire or the Archipelago, now she spoke like someone who truly didn’t care about her own life.

Like someone who wouldn’t mind if her choice was wrong or if she died as a result. Like reading a book about someone else’s story.

Anger surged within him. No, there was no reason to be this angry.

It shouldn’t matter if she was difficult to understand. She would be someone unrelated to him anyway.

No, this was all because of unnecessary talk about guardianship and such.

“What’s your goal?”

“Huh?”

“What will you do after graduating from the academy?”

“What?”

“Will you continue as a soldier after your mandatory service period ends? Or will you look for another profession? Will you stay in the Republic?”

The princess didn’t even look at him, instead grabbing the edge of the curtain that swayed in front of her.

“What do you plan to do after surviving?”

“After surviving…”

The curtain pulled taut, without a single wrinkle. Her lips moved slightly, but ultimately she said nothing.

Jens, who had stepped forward to say more, flinched.

He had moved one step closer, so Aira’s face should have appeared larger, but instead it seemed smaller. Coming closer, he finally noticed her unusually small and thin body compared to her peers gathered outside for the entrance ceremony, and her sallow face.

The abnormal wartime situation, her uninhibited attitude, and her bold manner of addressing him had made him miss it.

Though he kept saying she was a sixteen-year-old girl, Jens felt he was finally facing the true face of this young princess.

Damn it. He had just asked a mere sixteen-year-old to recite her life plans. And to someone who had just escaped from a battlefield and changed countries.

Who was he to ask, when at sixteen he himself had lived without a thought for the future?

Jens clicked his tongue and stepped back. Seeing this, Aira pulled the curtain again.

“I apologize.”

“Huh?”

“I didn’t mean to interrogate you. Take your time figuring out your career path and what you want to do while you’re at school. Conifer surprisingly teaches solid fundamentals.”

“Hmm?”

The girl looked even more puzzled. Looking at her face, Jens mechanically stated his business.

“Don’t use magic.”

“Ah… If the Empire learns I can use magic, they’ll protest more strongly through official channels, which would be troublesome for you and the Republic.”

There was that dissonance again. Looking at Aira making oddly misaligned statements, Jens frowned with one eye.

“It shortens your lifespan.”

“…”

“Besides, if the Republic learns you have no qualms about using magic, they’ll treat you as a one-shot weapon with destructive power.”

“A weapon…”

“As a Republic soldier, could you refuse such orders? If you don’t want to die, hide the fact that your magic has manifested.”

“Right.”

Her face showed she wasn’t really listening. Jens pulled at his tie, which felt like it was choking him.

“Am I overestimating you?”

Even with his tie loosened, something still felt stuck in his throat.

“Perhaps you’re just an ordinary sixteen-year-old after all.”

Just like I was then.

But something triggered a change in Aira’s previously indifferent expression.

She looked somewhat annoyed—the most fitting expression he’d seen on her face so far.

She released the curtain with a flick of her hand and said:

“Lieutenant Commander, I don’t understand what you’re trying to say, but who plans their entire future? Do you know exactly what kind of person you’ll become or how you’ll live?”

After snapping at him, Aira frowned and turned her head sharply to look out the window.

“Ah, but perhaps you do know. The tracks laid before you must be clear.”

Jens clenched his fist. Though not meant as criticism, her words pierced him like a dagger.

Whether she knew how he felt or not, she continued:

“I don’t. I have a destination I want to reach, but there are no tracks on the path to get there. So I’d appreciate it if you didn’t push me with your lack of understanding.”

After speaking sharply in one breath, Aira stopped and caught her breath.

When she closed her mouth, silence fell over the reception room. Soon, having calmed her excitement, Aira carefully broke the silence.

“However…”

Aira spoke hesitantly.

“I’m sorry for barging into your life.”

Her voice was muffled as she bowed her head deeply.

“Once I achieve my goal… I won’t even be a small pebble disrupting your tracks. Until then, please bear with me.”

Though no one had opened the door, a strong wind seemed to blow in from outside, and the curtain obscured Aira’s figure.