Even though Jeffrey’s fate had been decided, Ashillya’s work was not over.

There was much left to do, from deciding how to deal with him to Siegfried’s undecided fate and the meeting with the Holy Kingdom still pending.

Despite the heavy workload, Ashillya entered her room without showing any signs of fatigue and exhaled deeply.

Although she had been moving non-stop, feeling like she had accomplished a great deal, there was still a mountain of work to be done. Looking at the brightly risen moon outside the window, Ashillya unknowingly muttered.

“Especially today.”

I miss you.

It wasn’t just because she was thinking of him while contemplating different matters.

Simply.

It was a night when she missed him.

***

Step, step.
Step, step.

I started walking through the academy as usual. Of course, the people around me were a bit different from before.

The biggest change was that Helena was not by my side. She had not tried to meet me since I returned from Duke Geyrus’s mansion.

Of course, I had expressed my desire to meet her, but that too was not accepted. She was clearly avoiding me.

“…So? What trouble have you caused this time?”

As I blankly watched Sylvia moving with excited steps, looking somewhat happier for some reason, I turned my gaze to the voice coming from beside me.

Whether she was displeased with being with Sylvia or didn’t like her own appearance following me on Marquis Degrosis’ orders, Pamela consistently had a disgruntled expression.

I smiled awkwardly and answered her.

“What do you mean?”

“From my long observation, when a girl who used to follow you around disappears, it’s usually because of you.”

“…I never dreamed you were so interested in me.”

“It’s orders. Can’t be helped, right?”

Despite hating following Marquis Degrosis’ orders, seeing Pamela faithfully carrying them out made me laugh.

She poked my side and urged me to answer as if she didn’t like even the sight of me laughing.

Of course, there was no way her delicate fingers could pierce my robust physique, honed by intense training.

“There was something that happened.”

Realizing I was avoiding answering, Pamela narrowed her eyes and glared at me, but I didn’t want to answer.

It was entirely a matter between Helena and me.

“…If you don’t want to talk about it, fine. It’s not like I was that curious anyway.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight of Pamela moving with her lips protruding, though I didn’t understand why she was sulking.

Pamela, Sylvia, Ashillya.

These three were not related to the original Felix, and they did not have deep connections.

But Helena was different. She liked the previous Felix and still likes him now. I simply didn’t want to bring up the story of her thinking she had lost someone more than a friend.

‘From the beginning.’

I still haven’t clearly answered who I am.

In such a situation, it wasn’t like I could say anything if I met Helena, but I still needed to apologize to her.

But since she wouldn’t meet me, there was nothing I could do.

“Felix! Hurry up and come!”

Nodding to Sylvia, who was jumping up and down and waving at me a little ahead, I had no choice but to move my heavy steps.

“You’re late…! We’re going to be late because of you, Felix!”

“… Don’t worry, we have plenty of time.”

Sylvia seemed to vaguely sense that something had happened between Helena and me.

So, she seemed to be trying even harder to show a bright appearance. It was probably to make me forget about the quarrel with Helena, even for a moment.

At her consideration, I couldn’t help but smile faintly and answer.

Sylvia nodded with a broad smile.

“Really? If Felix says so, then it must be.”

“…Why is she so cheerful again.”

Unaware of these circumstances, Pamela didn’t seem to like Sylvia’s particularly bright appearance recently, but Sylvia paid no attention to her.

Or rather, she seemed not to care about Pamela’s existence itself. Pamela, snorting at Sylvia treating her as if she didn’t exist, just shook her head.

In fact, it was obvious that it would have been the same situation even if Helena had been here, so I didn’t pay much attention to their behavior.

No, if Helena was here, she might have irritated Pamela even more.

“Felix…!”

“Hm?”

As I was walking and thinking about other things, I blinked slowly at the voice coming from beside me and came to my senses.

“What is it, Sylvia?”

“Um… what are you doing after we finish today?”

“Wow, in this situation…”

Ignoring Pamela muttering as if dumbfounded, I stared at Sylvia’s face. She cleared her throat and averted her gaze, but her cheeks were slightly flushed.

“Well, I don’t have anything particular planned…”

In fact, I was going to try to go to the dormitory to meet Helena, but thinking about it, that would probably make her dislike me even more, so I was about to give up on the idea.

However, that didn’t mean I wasn’t planning to do anything. I needed to continue writing the letters I had been consistently sending since returning from Duke Geyrus’s mansion and continue my thoughts.

As I trailed off in my answer, Sylvia’s expression suddenly brightened. Her appearance was already pretty, but when she smiled brightly, it really felt like she was shining.

“Then, can you spare some time after we finish today?”

“…Time?”

It wasn’t that I didn’t understand Sylvia’s words. However, understanding the meaning of her words didn’t mean I understood her true intentions.

What did she want to do with me? Sylvia doesn’t usually say such things to other people. Or to be more precise, she doesn’t say such things to men.

Sylvia was already quite popular. Plenty of guys would confess even if she stood still or greeted them, so if she said something like this, the other person might really start thinking about marriage.

Therefore, I asked back with wide eyes at Sylvia’s words.

“Ah, yes. I have some things I need to buy in the city… I was hoping you could help me.”

“Oh… was that it?”

I’m not sure if I would be of much help in buying things, but I thought it might be something extremely heavy.

As I nodded, finally understanding Sylvia’s words, she looked at me with a bright smile.

“Okay, if that’s what it is.”

There was no reason not to help.

Because Helena was also avoiding Sylvia because of me, she currently had no friends she could comfortably hang out with.

As I readily agreed, Sylvia nodded in response and opened her mouth.

“Let’s meet at the academy’s main gate after we finish!”

“… We’re not going right after?”

“Uh, um? I… I have something to prepare.”

“Ah, I see.”

I felt slightly puzzled by Sylvia’s severely flustered response to what I had just asked out of curiosity, but I didn’t think much of it.

For some reason, Pamela looked at us with disapproving eyes from the side, but I didn’t think much of that either.

Pamela never liked Sylvia anyway. The only person she tolerated was Helena.

“Then I’ll go first since I’m heading this way!”

“Okay, have a good class, Sylvia.”

I stared at Sylvia’s retreating figure as she waved goodbye with a bright smile, then moved on to my own class.

‘I wonder if she’ll be there today.’

Helena hadn’t been attending classes for several days now. Seeing her occasionally in the academy corridors, it was clear she was only avoiding the classes she shared with me.

It seemed she had already spoken to the academy professors, as there weren’t even any professors looking for her separately.

“…But why are you following me?”

“Don’t you have any thoughts at all?”

“What’s this nonsense now.”

Pamela spoke to me in a curt voice.

I didn’t understand what she meant, so I tilted my head and asked her back.

Pamela sighed deeply and pointed with her chin towards the corridor where Sylvia had left, saying:

“Don’t you have any thoughts when you look at her?”

“…Sylvia? What about her?”

“You and her right now…! Ah, nevermind.”

Pamela, who had been raising her voice as if frustrated, soon shook her head as if giving up and let out a deep sigh.

It was Pamela’s usual behavior of occasionally saying nonsensical things, but today, it felt like she had a lot to say but wouldn’t say it for some reason.

“What is it?”

When I urged her to answer out of curiosity, Pamela frowned and shook her head again.

“You wouldn’t understand even if I told you.”

Leaving only those words, Pamela disappeared, and I could only stare blankly at her for a while.

“… What’s wrong with her now.”