The curtains opened, and the actors lined up together.
As they all bowed in unison, the applause echoed throughout the theater.
In the center of all this, Yuria was completely absorbed in the afterglow of the performance, her face flushed with excitement.

"That was so much fun..."

So this is what theater was like.
When the seniors had shown them the rehearsal, they had said the real performance would be much better, and she had been looking forward to it.
But this performance had far exceeded her expectations.
...Though, the seniors really weren’t that great at acting.

Yuria thought to herself,
and then, for some reason, nudged the quiet seat next to her with her elbow.

"Charlotte. Yulia..."
"Mm? Huh?"
"Ah!"
"..."

The two, who had been lying with their heads together, drooling in sleep,
woke up and immediately began clapping as though nothing had happened.
Yuria tried to hold back her laughter.

Did they even watch the performance properly?
Did they just sleep through it?
Should I test them?

"Was it fun?"
"Yeah! The... uh, what was it? The villain was so charming!"
"The... the plot was really deep and interesting...!"
"Mmhm!"
"..."

There was no villain in the performance.
It was mostly a circus, so the plot was practically nonexistent.
Charlotte and Yulia exchanged glances, and their awful reviews came pouring out.
Yuria had to stifle her laughter.

She realized she had kept them out so late.
By now, they should have been asleep.
She probably forced them to watch a performance they weren’t interested in, and she felt a bit guilty about it.

"Well... still..."
This was a rare, one-of-a-kind performance that they could never see again once the opportunity passed.
Maybe they would thank her later...!

Yuria secretly held onto that hope.

"Hehehe! It’s so great to be out with the three of us like this!"
"Yeah... I mean..."

When they stepped outside, the bright streetlights shone like it was midday,
even though it was almost midnight.
The Friday night street was still lively with activity.

"We used to go to the market like this when we were younger."

Walking side by side, the three of them reminisced.
On hot summer nights like this,
the three of them would sneak out of the orphanage and visit the night market.

Back then, they had no money, and there was nothing much to do, yet they always found it so fun...

"Yeah, we’d steal bread and take turns."
"Yuria was the best at stealing!"
"Ah..."

Ah, it makes sense now.
Back then, stealing was as natural as breathing...
Yuria quickly sealed that memory away and swallowed the bitter aftertaste.

'Anyway, things have changed a lot since then.'

Back then, she had been hiding in alleys, wrapped in rags.
Now, she walked proudly down the street in fine clothes, paying for everything.

But some things hadn’t changed.

"Hey, kids. Where are your parents? Why are you wandering around alone?"
"It’s dangerous up ahead. Heh heh heh. Looks like we’ll need some 'protection'."
"...!"

Suddenly, someone blocked Yuria and the others’ way.
At the sight of the large man, Yulia instinctively hid behind Yuria,
and Charlotte, while clenching her fists, let out a hiccup and stepped back.
Naturally, it was Yuria who stepped forward.

'It’s fine. I’m not the weak person I used to be. A local thug should be no match for me...'

Swallowing her breath, Yuria stepped forward.
As the shadows that had been cast over the big men cleared,
Yuria’s expression turned to one of disbelief as the innocent faces of the men were revealed.

"You guys...?"
"Ha! Yuria, fellow student! What a surprise! To see you here!"
"Sorry, I didn’t recognize you in plain clothes! My apologies!"
"..."

The men stiffened and broke into a full bow, sweating profusely as they greeted Yuria.

But... these guys are from my department, right?
They’re older than me...
Yuria couldn’t help but laugh awkwardly.

"So, what’s with all this 'protection' talk? Are you guys shaking down pedestrians for money?"
"Ah! Sorry! We mistook you for a lost child who got separated from their parents!"
"We were just planning to help you find your parents, but we must have upset you! We’re sorry!"
"..."

What...
They weren’t collecting protection money or anything?
Yuria was stunned by how surprisingly upright their intentions were.
The big, burly men repeatedly bowed to her and walked away.

Charlotte and Yulia, who had been sticking to her like glue, finally poked their heads out when they were gone.

"Did they leave?"
"Are they gone?"
"Yeah, it’s fine now."
"Yuria, you were so cool! Those big guys were totally bowing down to you!"
"They weren’t even old men, they were students..."
"Wow, Yuria, you must be a big deal in the academy! I heard the Combat Magic Department has a strict hierarchy and military discipline, but I didn’t expect it to be this intense!"
"We’re not in the Combat Magic Department, we’re in the Magic Arts Department..."

Charlotte and Yulia were glowing with admiration.
Yuria felt a bit uncomfortable, but she couldn’t help feeling proud.

'Some things haven’t changed.'

Yeah...
There were things that hadn’t changed between them, just like back then.
When trouble came, Charlotte and Yulia always relied on her.
Back at the orphanage, she had been the boss or the problem solver.

Compared to then, Yulia had gotten much stronger, handling spirits now.
Charlotte, too, was strong enough to defeat anyone who wasn’t a swordmaster if she drew her magic sword.
Yet, in moments of sudden fear, it seemed like she still forgot just how strong she had become.

'Nothing has really changed.'

For a moment, Yuria had thought so much had changed during their time apart.
She had worried that Charlotte and Yulia might not be the friends she once knew.
But just now, Yuria had confirmed that all her worries were unfounded.

Her clothes had changed.
The food she ate had changed.
Her personality had changed, and though she now appeared more confident and different from before,
the bond between the three of them hadn’t changed at all.

They might argue about different opinions now,
and they might fight over things they hadn’t before.
But the one thing that hadn’t changed was that they understood each other best and trusted each other more than anyone else.

'I should thank Aslan Vermont one more time.'

For Aslan, those theater tickets might have just been a small thing,
but for Yuria, they were a rare and precious experience—one she could share with her friends after so long.

She had already thanked him, but she hadn’t been very polite back then.
She decided she would thank him properly later.
She thought about that as she walked away,
feeling bad for making the coachman wait too long.

"Oops! Hold on to this for me, Yulia!"
"Mm!"
"How did you two manage to buy so many things?"
"Hehe!"

By the time they reached the carriage, Charlotte and Yulia’s arms were full of snacks.
Everything they bought seemed to be food—skewers, carp bread, and all kinds of things.

"Hmm... So this is what it tastes like!"
"I’ve always looked at it from afar, but I never knew what it tasted like..."

Soon the carriage started moving,
and the children ate their snacks one by one, expressing their amazement.

But... how should I put it...
It was delicious, but not something I’d want to buy again?
The mansion had so many delicious dishes, so this wasn’t all that exciting.

Back then, this street food seemed like the best thing in the world.
But after eating it, Yuria was a little disappointed.
Once again, she realized that the best food came from the servants.

"But has Yulia always eaten so much? I don’t remember her eating this much before."
"Eh? Really? I’m eating way less compared to you two."
"..."

We’re the ones with way more physical activity.
Considering that, Yulia was actually eating a lot more than us.
How can so much food fit into a person who doesn’t even walk three thousand steps a day?

"I don’t think she exercises much, but how can she eat this much..."
"Yuria..."
"Mm?"

Charlotte called Yuria’s name softly,
and pointed her eyes at something.
Following her gaze, Yuria immediately understood and closed her mouth.

Yulia had something we didn’t.
Even though she seemed to have grown, she looked even bigger than the first time they met.

Meanwhile, Yuria and Charlotte both awkwardly placed their hands on their chests.

"The world really isn’t fair..."
"Yeah... so unfair..."
"Why are you two like this?"
"It’s nothing..."

It was strange.
They had all seemed so similar back in the orphanage.
How had things ended up like this?
Tears of frustration gathered in Charlotte and Yuria’s eyes.