It had already been about a month since the academy closed for break. A time that felt long if you thought about it, yet short if you didn’t. However, in that space of time, relationships between people tended to change quite a bit.

“Hehe, big sis, look! I drew you and Rion!”

It was similar to how a child, after losing their parents and being placed in an orphanage, could start to form new attachments with someone else.

Before long, Rion’s sketchbook was overflowing with drawings of me and her together, taking up almost all the pages.

So much so that whenever I came to visit, Rion would greet me more warmly than anyone else.

I felt the same way.

Even though I sometimes wondered if this was the right thing to do, I couldn’t push away Rion, who needed me, and I was increasingly growing attached to this little one.

I was worried it would turn out like this when we first met, but by the time I realized it, it felt too late.

Just as the drawings of Rion and me piled up in her sketchbook, the memories we shared accumulated to become something significant that composed who I was.

I gently stroked Rion’s head as she sat on my lap, showing me her drawings.

“Wow, you drew really well! Where is this place?”

“It’s the zoo where I went with mom and dad a long time ago. There were all sorts of animals here—”

When I asked, Rion’s face lit up as she excitedly started pointing to the animals drawn in her sketchbook, explaining each one.

While I listened with a proud smile, suddenly, Rion, who was fervently explaining the animals, took on a melancholic expression and muttered in a disappointed tone.

“I want to see Mr. Bear again… but now that mom and dad are gone, I can’t go…”

Rion said this and timidly looked at me.

From her gaze, I could feel what she was yearning for.

After hesitating for a moment, seeing her desperate eyes made me feel like I had no choice. I extended my pinky finger toward her and said,

“In the future, once we have time, let’s go to the zoo together. I’ll talk to the director about it.”

“…Really? You’ll take me to the zoo?”

“Really, really. I promise on my pinky. Next time, let’s go see Mr. Bear together.”

Affection is truly a terrifying thing.

Even though I couldn’t stay by Rion’s side forever, I couldn’t stop myself from giving her my affection.

But what can I do?

Watching Rion when she’s sad makes my heart ache too.

“Hehe, big sis is the best in the world.”

Seeing that child smile so brightly as if she owned the world while clinging to my pinky made me incredibly happy.

Yet, as I grew attached to Rion, I also worried that she was counting on me.

I wouldn’t be able to come as often as I did before.

“Hey Rion, from now on, I won’t be able to show my face here as much. But I’ll try to find time to visit sometimes. Can you be strong until then?”

When I expressed my concerns like this, Rion paused for a moment, then tore out the drawing she had just made and handed it to me.

As I tilted my head in confusion, Rion gave me a mature smile and said,

“It’s okay. You promised to go to the zoo with me. You always keep your promises. So, I’m giving you this drawing so you won’t forget about our promise.”

“…Okay, I’ll never forget.”

I carefully accepted the drawing Rion handed me, making sure not to crumple it, and nodded.

Tomorrow, the academy would resume normal classes.

It was time for me to go back to being a student of the academy.

*

“It’s been a while. It’s nice to be going to school with you, Scarlett.”

“Ahaha… Yes, indeed.”

I responded vaguely with a smile as Sylvia radiated warmth.

No matter how many times I took a limousine to school, I never quite got used to it.

It probably felt even more peculiar since I hadn’t been to school for about a month.

Even the uniform I thought I had finally gotten used to seemed a bit tight, perhaps because I hadn’t worn it in a while.

Maybe I gained a few pounds from eating well lately…

In any case, the feeling of going to school after so long was slightly strange.

It felt like the mood you get when returning to school after a vacation.

Though to note, the academy didn’t usually have breaks, so I thought this might be a feeling I wouldn’t experience again any time soon.

As I had such thoughts, we soon arrived in front of the academy.

Upon opening the classroom door, familiar faces greeted me after quite some time.

“Hey, Scarlett, have you been well?”

“It’s been a while. I’m glad to see you’re healthy.”

Waving back in response to Daniel and Andre, other classmates began to come up one by one to say hello.

As I returned each greeting, I spotted Mei, who had been the last person I saw, approaching with a slight smile.

“Hi, Scarlett. Has there been anything special during your absence?”

“Well, not really. By the way, I’m sorry for leaving abruptly when I dropped by your house last time. I had something urgent to attend to…”

“Oh, it’s fine. Thanks to you, I got private lessons from Rion. She asked me to contact you later. She wanted to discuss something about our promise.”

Oh, I remember that happening.

Nodding to Mei in acknowledgment, I took my seat.

Once seated, I scanned the classroom once more, and aside from the vacant seat of a classmate who no longer attended, the scenery looked somewhat similar to a month ago.

I was relieved to see that everyone seemed okay after the unfortunate incident.

Just then, as I mused about this, I heard the classroom door open,

And at that moment, a silence fell upon the classroom where the children had been chatting.

“… It’s been a while, everyone.”

Jessie had entered through the classroom door and greeted everyone, but no one could muster a reply.

It was probably because, like me, everyone was shocked at how drastically she had changed in the past month.

Jessie, who was once a kind and gentle friend, easily moved to tears.

With her thick, fluffy curls resembling sheep’s wool and being shorter than her peers due to her dwarven heritage, Jessie had been the mascot of our class, adored by all.

However, now her once sparkling eyes, which would shine even when shedding tears, were dull and empty, their redness filled with bloodshot streaks, and her vibrant orange curls were disheveled, as if some parts had been bleached and scattered haphazardly.

More than anything, her demeanor had shifted, making her seem like a completely different person.

I understood how shocking the death of family could be…

But compared to the state she was in now, the Jessie who had spent sleepless nights crafting my prosthetic arm now appeared almost like a heavenly being.

Now, Jessie looked like someone who had been broken.

“… Why is everyone acting like that? It’s not as if you haven’t seen me before.”

As everyone was stunned by her transformation, Jessie tilted her head as if nothing was wrong and asked.

Yet even though she seemed to act normally, her dark circles beneath her eyes and her trembling hands and feet assured me that she was not okay.

“… Jessie, are you alright?”

“… Ah, Scarlett. I’m fine. I just cut back on sleep to train.”

Unable to hold my tongue, I asked, and Jessie responded with a smile.

Of course, no one believed her.

She looked to be in a state of severe sleep deprivation at the very least.

It wasn’t just that she had cut down on sleep; she was probably almost not sleeping at all.

“… You’ve been training while cutting back on sleep? Since when?”

“Ahaha, not long… about two weeks?”

“Two weeks?! Are you crazy? Why would you push yourself so far?!”

It’s a known fact that even one week without proper sleep can drive a person to mental breakdown.

Let alone two weeks without proper sleep, compounded with physical training, would surely bring someone to their limit, both mentally and physically.

I didn’t know why she felt the need to push herself to such extremes, but I couldn’t just leave it like this, and when I shouted out of concern, Jessie responded cheerfully.

“Ahaha… To become stronger, I need to train hard, right? I started to feel like I was too weak.”

“Too weak? You’re already strong enough—”

“No. I’m too weak. I need to be much, much stronger. To take revenge on the witch.”

The moment she mentioned revenge, Jessie’s eyes gleamed with a fervor.

As I gazed into her eyes, I felt a shiver run down my spine.

Her gaze, once warm and gentle like a spring day, was now pierced with a manic intensity and obsession.

However, I couldn’t exactly claim to not understand her feelings, so I found myself at a loss for words.

During this, Jessie’s eyes drifted to the empty seat in front of me, and her lips parted.

“By the way, did you see? Yoon Si-woo has become a hero. I saw it on TV, and it looked super cool. People are saying Yoon Si-woo is going to defeat the witch.”

With the same look as those who prayed for Yoon Si-woo at the restaurant.

“Someday, I want to be a hero too and take revenge on the witch.”

Jessie said with a smile.

And so, the first day of the academy’s reopening began with the changed appearance of my friend.