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The night before the Zerteller, Alfe came to stay in my room—she and Hom had swapped rooms for the evening.

As I sat on the bed with Ars Magna open before me, Alfe lifted her head at the sound of my presence.

“Sorry… I kind of took over your desk.”
“It’s fine. I’m just reviewing.”

I shook my head at her concern and resumed reviewing the spells I intended to use in tomorrow’s battle. Ars Magna contained a vast array of spells, all transcribed as simplified formulas. Reading back through them like this helped refresh my memory and sharpen my understanding.

Alfe, meanwhile, was using my feather pen to write something carefully in her cherished diary. Since we normally had separate rooms, this was the first time I had ever seen her writing in it—but from the looks of it, she had already filled quite a few pages.

“…Looks like you’ve been writing in that diary pretty diligently.”
“You can tell it’s a diary?”

She turned to me with a radiant smile as she asked.

“Of course. When we went shopping before the school year started, I remember how happy you looked holding it.”

That moment was still vivid in my memory. When Alfe found that diary with golden flowers on a cover the same shade as Dragon Tree leaves, she had said the colors reminded her of both her eyes and mine. That made me really happy.

Ah… that also reminded me—back then, she’d said she was relieved she didn’t end up hating her Pure Eye. And yet, I hadn’t thought to encourage her to stop wearing that contact lens. I regret that a little now.

“I’ve been writing in it ever since we enrolled. I thought… if I ever looked back on it with you, it’d be nice to remember everything we’ve been through together.”
“That’s a lovely idea.”

It was such an Alfe-like thought that I couldn’t help but smile and nod.

“…And there’s one more reason. I wanted to be able to tell you someday about the secret I’ve been keeping.”

As she said that, Alfe stood and flipped through the pages of her diary.

“Leafa, do you have a moment?”
“Of course.”

I nodded to her invitation and shifted to the edge of the bed. Alfe sat down beside me with a smile, placing the diary on her lap and sliding it slightly toward me.

“I’m going to win against Senior Melua in the Zersteller starting tomorrow. I don’t want to lose to anyone.”
“I’ve been preparing with that same intention.”

Nodding as I sensed Alfe’s firm resolve, I helped hold up the diary with her.

“I want you to read this part with me.”

The page Alfe opened was filled with notes about Jaadu Trishula.

It wasn’t just a list of principles—she had clearly taken time to understand the structure on her own terms and had written down her thoughts on how she should wield it best, all in her own careful handwriting.

“Jaadu Trishula… so that’s what you’ve been training?”
“Yeah. I borrowed a grimoire from Senior Melua just for that.”

Jaadu Trishula and Multi-Vision were fundamentally based on the same principles. However, looking three steps ahead is naturally more difficult than two, and the spellcasting sequence becomes significantly more complex.

“I was thinking… Even if I manage to master two types of spells with Multi-Vision, I still can’t match Senior Melua, who has two Pure Eyes. I know the staff you made boosts my power, but I don’t want to rely on that alone. I want to win with my own strength…”

As she spoke, Alfe slowly demonstrated a Multi-Vision spell in her palm—completely without chanting.

“I’ve gotten to the point where I can control this much without any incantation at all.”

Within the transparent, glass-like sphere of wind she formed, ice magic swirled, then ignited with fire, and thunder rumbled inside. Alfe seemed to be performing Jaadu Trishula, but what truly shocked me was that she was unconsciously controlling wind magic as well. Just how much effort had she poured into this, to reach a level where she could not only learn it in such a short time, but also reproduce it like this?

I had always seen her as the small, fragile girl who once couldn’t even imagine standing on the battlefield. To see her now, so intent on victory—it genuinely astonished me.

“Even someone like me, with only so much imagination, can picture tomorrow’s fight crystal clear.”

I couldn’t help but look forward to it. I felt as if, by simply closing my eyes, I could envision the entire match.

Alfe would open with a chantless, low-tier spell, maintain it while layering on a mid-tier spell with incantation, and then—during that very chant—initiate a high-tier spell to complete Jaadu Trishula. It was a demanding sequence, but one she could pull off thanks to her vivid imagination and her ability to realize that imagined world in reality.

Melua had also learned Jaadu Trishula, but she’d dismissed it as impractical in combat. In doing so, she had, perhaps unknowingly, drawn a line around the limits of her own imagination.

“Your magic will definitely strike down our enemies.”
“Yeah. I’ll protect you, Leafa. I promise.”

Alfe nodded with a soft smile at my words, which echoed the chant of Jaadu Trishula. That firm resolve of hers felt truly reassuring. Maybe… maybe I no longer had to be the one always doing the protecting. Maybe it was okay to be the one protected, too.

Just like how I had relied on Isaac and Romeo for help with the mecha soldier’s construction, or how I’d used the Professor’s knowledge to apply science to alchemy.

Come to think of it, when I was little, I was always protected by my parents too.

Back when I was so helpless I couldn’t even lift my own head, I was shielded and supported by so many people. And thanks to them, I’ve grown into the person I am today.

Ever since I gained awareness and began moving based on the memories of my past life, I had stopped thinking about that. But in this life, I truly had been protected and supported by so many people.

Giving something back in my own way—that was something I could call happiness. And that happiness itself… was what made me who I was now.

“…Leafa…?”

It wasn’t until Alfe reached up and touched my cheek that I realized tears had fallen from my eyes. Just a single tear, but it felt warm—it felt like a sign of true happiness.

“…It’s nothing. I’m just… really happy, that’s all.”
“I’m really happy too. That you’d be so glad… and that you didn’t forget your promise to always stay with me…”

Tears welled up in Alfe’s eyes, too. Even as she’d grown, she still cried when her emotions overflowed—that was just like her. I had never experienced anything like this in my past life, and I was sure it was because of Alfe that I’d come to feel so deeply now.

“It’s because I’m with you that I can feel this way. Thank you, Alfe.”

The words spilled out before I knew it—I just wanted to thank her. Alfe blinked, a little surprised… and then wrapped her arms around me tightly.

“I’m happy too… just being with you, Leafa. Thank you… I love you.”
“I love you too.”

I held Alfe tightly in return, resting my cheek against her warmth. With just the two of us embracing like this, I could hear her heartbeat—it was comforting in a way I hadn’t expected. If I closed my eyes now, I might have drifted right off to sleep.

“…We should get some rest. Tomorrow’s going to be an early day.”
“Yeah.”

At my soft whisper, Alfe gave a quiet nod and pulled away. I sat up and turned off the lights, and she placed her diary on the desk before slipping naturally into my bed.

“Leafa, your bed’s so big. I like it.”
“Because it’s just the right size for two?”

It had always felt too large for my small body that hadn’t grown in this life—but with Alfe here beside me, it finally felt just right.

“Mhm.”

She nodded and hugged me again, nestling her cheek against mine.

“Hey, before we go to sleep… I have a favor to ask.”
“If it’s from you, Alfe, I’ll do anything.”

As always, I answered without hesitation. Alfe smiled, closed her eyes, and gently tapped her forehead with a fingertip.

“Could you give me a little kiss here before bed?”
“Sure. But… why?”

It wasn’t something we’d ever done before, so I couldn’t help but ask. Alfe opened her eyes and looked at me.

In the dim light, her golden Pure Eye shimmered like starlight—so bright and close, it was like gazing into the night sky itself.

“Lili-Lulu told me about it. They said it’s a charm that gives you a mysterious kind of strength.”
“If Lili-Lulu said so, I believe it. Can I ask for one too?”
“Of course.”

Alfe smiled and nodded, brushing my bangs aside and gently pressing her lips to my forehead. The soft touch of her lips brought with it a faint, tingling sensation—subtle, yet strangely magical.

“Your turn, Leafa.”

She parted her own bangs, waiting expectantly. I mimicked her and gave a gentle kiss to her forehead. Her skin was cool to the touch, and in that moment, I realized how warm my lips were in contrast.

“…Was that okay?”
“Yeah. I feel like a strange power is welling up inside me.”

Alfe squirmed slightly, a ticklish grin on her face. Just watching her smile like that made something in my chest glow with warmth.

“It does feel a little ticklish… but warm, too.”
“Can I fall asleep like this, with you?”
“I figured you would.”

I wrapped an arm around her and drew her close. She responded by gently embracing me back, as if to shield me with her warmth. Our faces were close enough to feel each other’s breath, and as I closed my eyes, the sound of Alfe’s peaceful breathing slowly pulled me into slumber as well.