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「*Umm*… Ailneige, is there something wrong?」
「Not at all.」

Palra sheepishly asked the sulking Ciel. I’m really sorry; I’m the one who caused Ciel’s bad mood. Long story short, my exclusive performance for Mia yesterday was apparently unacceptable. Certainly, I haven’t sung in front of Ciel with the spirit’s accompaniment yet, so I’m completely at fault here.

And so, Ciel has been in a bad mood since we entered the class homeroom. Recalling that I borrowed her body yesterday, she asked me what I did last night, and I honestly answered, resulting in her displeased 『It’s unfair, unfair, so unfair!』 in a voice only I can hear.

『Next time, I’ll sing it without anyone else.』
『I don’t want the same song, alright?』
『Of course.』
『It’s a promise, okay? Swear?』
『I swear. However, please give me some time to prepare.』
『Yes, yes! Of course! I’ll wait no matter how long.』

And so I managed to better Ciel’s mood, but now I feel like her expectations were raised really high.
It’s probably just going to rise higher and higher the longer I make her wait, so it’ll be best to fulfill my promise early on.

「If there’s something on your mind, I’m all ears, you know?…」

Contrasting Palra’s modest tone, Ciel was suddenly chipper―relative to how she usually acts as Ailneige―and answered, 「I’ve just resolved it; it’s fine now.」
The difference in Ailneige’s expression should not be easily noticeable, but Palra appears to have recognized it, as she responded, 「Then I’m glad to hear that,」 with a smile.

「So you’re not going to ask what happened?」
「Can I ask about it?」
「For now, I don’t plan on answering.」

Despite Ciel’s curt response, Palra didn’t show any sign of displeasure. On the other hand, Ciel has opened up to Palra enough to specify that she doesn’t intend to answer *for now*. In that case, perhaps we should try to speak in a more amicable tone.

『Ciel, can we have a moment?』
『Sure, of course.』
『If only you’re alright with it, could you try showing appreciation when people do something for you?』
『That’s what Ain does every now and then, right? I don’t really mind, but is it for everyone?』
『That’s fine too, but it’s also fine if you only do it with people you don’t think badly of.』
『I’ll think about it.』

From the tone of Ciel’s voice, she seems to be positive about the idea. Well, she’s generally receptive to most of my suggestions, though. Honestly, I feel like she tries to fulfill them whenever possible. That’s not really a good thing, but considering that this shows her trust in me, I can’t help but feel happy. It’s really complicated.

After that, Ciel continued listening to Palra until homeroom started. The topic of Belltina didn’t come up at all.

◇◇◇

「Come to think of it, what category of sorcery is Puppet Sorcery considered to be?」
「Ainsel asking me sorcery questions—now that’s rare.」
「I’m just personally curious about it.」

It’s Puppet Sorcery period. We’re the only student attending, and the lecturer, Munyechka, knows much about us already, so we can actually relax and act natural.
Princess Leshimiiya doesn’t know of me, so this is the only place other than our dorm room where I can spend time as Ainsel and change into my colors.

I’m used to disguising myself, so it’s not particularly uncomfortable, but for some reason, having black hair feels a lot more relaxing.
Perhaps I’ve started thinking that this is the natural state of Ainsel.

「Puppet sorcery’s category, was it?」
「Is it combat sorcery, supportive sorcery, or something else? Is what I mean. Which one is it?」
「If I had to choose, probably combat-use sorcery. After all, it’s said that Puppet sorcery was originally devised to kill people.」
「Is that so?」

I personally thought that it was supportive. Babysitting and childcare are supportive acts, after all, and I’m able to perform this sorcery.

But that’s right, it’s not that I can’t use combat sorcery, it’s that I can’t use magic power to attack. It’s not that Puppet sorcery is an exception; I can still use all kinds of sorcery. I can manifest the spells. But they simply don’t have any destructive power. In that case…

I borrowed a practice doll and operated it. Moving the doll isn’t hard by itself, but making it move like a person is difficult. It’s different from my own body―which I’m not sure still exists. When operating a doll, Ciel has greater proficiency than I do. While I’m better at manipulating magic power, Ciel has a better understanding of how the human body moves.

Putting that aside, I tried making the doll hit the desk. I made it punch as hard as possible, but the empty desk that even a baby could probably move didn’t budge at all.

Seeing this, Munyechka examined the doll with great interest before slowly turning her gaze to me.

「It doesn’t seem like you meant to stop the attack from connecting.」
「Yes. My intention was to hit with all my strength.」
「I see, I see… So this is Ainsel’s sacrifice for magic, I suppose?」
「That it is.」