Perhaps because she was still half-asleep,

Emilia didn’t resist the hand stroking her hair. She simply lay there, accepting it.

Like a young child basking in praise from an adult.

---

*Stroke, stroke.*

---

"Hehe."

The serpent smiled softly.

Unlike his usual sharp demeanor, today he gently caressed her, savoring her drowsy, unguarded state.

He seemed to enjoy watching her half-conscious reactions.

---

For a moment, the scene continued with an odd sense of intimacy.

As if lifting from a fog, Emilia's mind gradually cleared, and she came back to her senses.

A faint sigh escaped her lips.

---

"…Ah."

Emilia flinched, quickly turning her head.

Her eyes, brimming with confusion, flickered as the boy withdrew his hand, satisfied.

With a serene look in his eyes, he watched her.

Emilia bit her lip, feeling the uncomfortable silence around them.

---

"……"

"……"

---

The awkward atmosphere lingered as Emilia's gaze darted around.

The serpent sat right beside her.

There were so many things she wanted to ask, but the words wouldn’t come easily.

The silhouette of him in that shadow-filled laboratory lingered vividly in her mind.

Perhaps… she was afraid of him.

---

"Oh dear… I wonder why you look so timid."

Whether he noticed or not,

the golden serpent merely shrugged with feigned innocence.

After a moment’s hesitation, the first question Emilia managed to ask was rather trivial.

---

"…What exactly happened?"

"While you were unconscious, reinforcements from Galimar arrived. Without delay, we returned to the academy."

"Then… what about that huge monster?"

"Surely, you already know."

His response was cryptic.

Unintentionally, Emilia swallowed nervously.

---

Just like back then… another deal, perhaps?

The vivid memory left an unusually strong impression on her.

---

"Don't be alarmed."

"As long as I'm here… you won’t be at a disadvantage, Lady Emilia."

She remembered it well.

The warmth that had embraced her from behind, followed by the shiver that coursed through her body.

The shadows that had danced at her fingertips were still clear in her mind.

---

"Even for a brief moment, I’ll show you a new world."

Emilia recalled the moment.

Whenever their hands touched, the world turned pitch black, leaving only darkness.

In the void, there was a single star.

A gentle, radiant fragment appeared before her.

The sole starlight lingering through the dawn, transforming into a dazzling, beautiful vision.

---

"It’s possible."

The sensation was unforgettable.

What she had felt—a sense of omnipotence—was like the power of a god.

If someone in the church had heard her, they might have called it blasphemy, but there was no other way to describe it.

What she experienced was nothing short of divine.

---

"……"

Emilia fiddled with her fingers awkwardly.

Her thoughts tangled in a complicated web.

Most of them revolved around the boy.

---

He was powerful.

Not someone she could assess with her own judgment.

At the very least, he was at the level of a professor—perhaps even rivaling the headmaster in strength.

The abilities he had displayed defied her understanding of what was possible.

---

"So, he’s been hiding his powers all this time…"

It was a curious thought.

Despite wielding such immense strength, he had concealed himself.

A cold instinct prickled down her spine.

---

"It seems you’re deep in thought."

"……"

"I understand. A lot has happened, after all."

His lips curved into a calm smile.

Watching the serpent behave as though nothing had changed, one question filled Emilia's mind.

She whispered it almost inaudibly.

---

"…Why?"

"Hmm?"

"Why did you save me?"

She couldn’t understand.

Why he would reveal his hidden powers just to protect her.

What was it that he needed from her?

---

Though they had formed a sort of deal, their relationship was, in reality, one-sided.

She had no choice but to comply.

The serpent held her weaknesses.

Even her first kiss had been taken because of that.

---

"You didn’t really have to save me."

It had been a choice that came with no benefit to him.

As someone who always calculated risks and benefits, she found it difficult to understand his motives.

Staring into his usual narrow-eyed smile, she was met with a mischievous grin.

---

"Hehe… it seems my efforts throughout the night have gone unappreciated."

"So why…?"

---

Her blue eyes, filled with confusion, wavered.

There was a profound sense of discord.

Why would he go to such lengths to save her, nurse her, and stay by her side?

What could he possibly see in someone like her, a mere discarded scrap?

---

‘I don’t get it.’

The warmth of his hand holding hers felt foreign.

As if it was the most natural thing in the world, his fingers were interlocked with hers, radiating a tenderness she couldn’t understand.

Maybe it was a little frightening.

Not knowing what the boy truly wanted from her.

---

"I learned that there’s no such thing as kindness without reason."

"Why do you always seek a reason?"

"Because if I don’t, I can’t survive."

"That’s a sad thing to say."

"It’s important to me."

"Hmm."

The serpent seemed to contemplate her words for a moment.

After a brief silence, he spoke as though reaching a conclusion.

---

"If you truly must have a reason… I suppose I can give you this one."

The boy murmured softly.

---

"Because I hold you dear, Lady Emilia."

A gentle voice, caressing her ears.

An answer that veered far from anything she had anticipated.

---

"...What?"

A question mark floated above her head.

The boy’s sweet voice continued, as if explaining something obvious.

---

"At first, I didn’t think much of it."

Calmly, he continued.

"I thought it was just a passing connection. Our first meeting, after all, was a mess."

He seemed to be recalling that moment.

The day they had first crossed paths.

---

"I thought you were difficult."

"…I was difficult."

"I even thought we’d never get along… but gradually, my thoughts changed."

"……"

"Thanks to the new path you chose."

The serpent’s eyes curved into a soft smile.

Emilia held her breath, listening intently.

---

"At first, I wanted to understand you, then I wanted to watch over you… and now, I want to protect you."

So that you can write your own new story.

I want to be by your side to give you strength.

In that cherished fairy tale I once loved, I hope to write your name, Lady Emilia, beside mine.

---

"This time, you’ve changed."

A fresh air filled the room.

Emilia’s face had already flushed a deep red.

The sudden confession had caught her off guard.

---

"……"

Though Emilia was endlessly inexperienced in matters like this, the meaning was unmistakable.

It was a moment when the knowledge she’d gained from books finally proved useful.

---

This was clearly—

Yes, it was *that* kind of confession.

The kind of words where a man professes his love to a woman…

Caught off guard by his words, the girl was completely thrown.

---

"W-w-what… why… so suddenly…?"

Her mind went completely blank.

Unintentionally, Emilia blurted out a flustered reaction.

---

"W-why would you say something like that out of nowhere?!"

"Didn’t you ask?"

"Y-yes, but…!"

She had asked why he saved her, yes.

But she hadn’t expected it to lead to *this*.

Nervously biting her lip, the room, which had felt oppressive moments before, now brimmed with a fresh, new energy.

The serpent replied calmly.

---

"Our deal… what I told you back then, I meant it sincerely."

"……"

A deal.

Finally, Emilia understood what he truly wanted.

Some of his words resurfaced in her memory.

---

"All I ask is that you continue living for my sake."

"So that I can keep watching your story… staying by my side is more than enough."

That was what he had said.

In exchange for saving her, he had wanted her by his side.

Though his words held no ulterior motives, Emilia had no way of knowing that.

And so, she misunderstood.

She convinced herself that the boy standing before her… was in love with her.

---

"I… I…"

Her heart pounded.

Perhaps because of the unfamiliar situation.

Her pulse raced in a strange way.

Trying to calm the heat rising in her face, she hesitantly expressed her thoughts.

With a hint of worry.

---

"I’m… not sure I can do this well."

She had learned that emotions don’t always go as planned.

Though she’d promised to stay by his side, she wasn’t sure if her heart could align with his.

It was uncertain.

---

"As I mentioned before, I don’t have any experience in these things… I don’t know if I can meet your expectations."

But.

---

"…Still, I’ll try."

After all, he had saved her.

If she owed him her life twice, the least she could do was make an effort to fulfill the deal.

At the very least, she’d try to like him.

---

"I may not meet all your hopes."

"I understand."

"I’m really clumsy."

"Everyone is."

"If that’s alright with you… I’ll give it my best."

Emilia murmured softly.

The serpent, momentarily dazed, let out a faint chuckle.

---

"Hehe… that makes me happy."

The boy affectionately stroked her hair.

This time, she didn’t pull

 away.

She simply lay there, eyes shut, accepting the warmth.

---

"……"

"Hehe."

---

In truth, the two of them perceived the situation entirely differently.

Though Emilia had spoken with deep resolve, to the boy, it merely sounded like she was promising to help him sincerely.

As the misunderstanding between them deepened—

---

"Ugh… my head hurts."

A voice suddenly mumbled beside them.

Following it, they turned their gaze to see green eyes blinking open.

---

"Wh-where am I? There was a monster…"

The girl with disheveled pink hair looked around in a daze.

Suddenly, her gaze met the two people watching over her.

---

"You’re awake, Miss Regia."

"Ah, it seems you’ve regained consciousness, commoner."

"…Huh?"

Regia was bewildered.

One person she had thought dead.

The other had been on the brink of death with her.

As her sleepy gaze cleared, her eyes began to shake with recognition.

---

"My lord? Lady Emilia…?"

Tears welled up in her eyes.

Her voice trembled as she murmured a soft question.

---

"…Am I dead, too?"

"……"

"……"

She seemed to think she was in the afterlife.

Tears began to stream down her face.

---

"Oh no… my poor lord… sniffle… Lady Emilia…!"

Oddly enough, she seemed more saddened by their deaths than her own.

It was, in any case, an awkward situation.

---

"Come now, stop that!"

"We’re not dead! Pull yourself together and stop crying!"

"Hic, sob… b-but…!"

The pilot sobbed loudly.

The serpent and Emilia spent the next while struggling to console her.