Project Necro is an official initiative by Re:Library.

It was the start of the week at the Magic Academy.
Once again, Ekaterina and Flora were preparing lunch to take to Aleksei’s office.

Just as they turned the corner in the hallway, they ran into Lydia, who was carrying a small basket—at almost the exact same moment as that time before, so much so that it felt like déjà vu.

“Oh, Lady Lydia.”
“Good day, Lady Ekaterina.”

When Ekaterina spoke to her, Lydia smiled. Then, after clearing her throat softly, she turned her gaze to the person standing next to Ekaterina.

“G-good day to you as well, Lady Flora.”
“Thank you.”

The mature Flora smiled gently.

She’s still obviously awkward this time too… Well, considering that Lydia-chan, who was raised with a rigorous education in the Seleznyov household—where social hierarchy is strictly observed—has now started greeting Flora-chan, a baroness of commoner origin, that’s a huge change in itself, so it’s fine. She would’ve definitely ignored her before.
To put it in Captain Armstrong’s words, That’s one small step for mankind, one giant leap for her, I suppose?¹

Thinking that, Lydia’s awkwardness even seemed endearing to Ekaterina, and she found herself smiling.

.

Since that day at the former Emperor’s summer palace when they witnessed the descent of the God of Music, Ekaterina has met Lydia several times. They run into each other like this in the school hallways.
These encounters began after it seems a truce—or perhaps a treaty of friendship—was concluded between the Jurnova and Seleznyov families.

Since Aleksei hadn’t told her the details, Ekaterina didn’t know exactly what had transpired between the two families. However, it seemed that the Seleznyov family had sent a return gift in response to a present from the Jurnova family, and that effectively sealed the alliance between the two families.

“What did you send to the Seleznyov family, Onii-sama?”
“Wine, Ekaterina.”

Wine is certainly a specialty the Jurnova family prides itself on, but there was something sinister about Aleksei’s smile, even though he seemed in a good mood.
Ekaterina simply thought to herself, even in his Demon Lord phase my Onii-sama is wonderful.

The gift sent in return by the Seleznyov family was, apparently, a horn. It was so densely encrusted with pearls that it could be called a piece of jewelry.
Seleznyov, which boasts a large lake within its territory, is known for its freshwater pearls. In this world, where pearl farming techniques have not yet been established, they are apparently far more expensive than in Ekaterina’s previous life. Furthermore, since the first head of the Seleznyov Marquis family was a horn player for Piotr the Great, it was easy to imagine that the significance of presenting a horn as a gift was profound.

No matter how fine the wine Aleksei had given, that horn was far too expensive a return gift. That imbalance likely reflected the power dynamics between the two families.
Although they claimed to have formed an alliance, in reality, the Seleznyov family had come under the Jurnova family’s umbrella.

It’s no exaggeration to say that Ekaterina’s rescue of the Empress Dowager’s piano played a major role in this, but fundamentally, the Seleznyov family is no enemy to the Jurnova family. One could say the Seleznyovs made a wise decision.

“To win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill.”

…That’s from Sun Tzu, *The Art of War*. It means the best strategy is to make your opponent think, “I can’t beat this guy!” Since any kind of conflict will wear down even the stronger side to some extent, winning without fighting is, of course, the absolute best.
Hehehe, I want to brag about my brother to Sun Tzu!

Ekaterina was overcome by this silly impulse.

In any case, as if timing it to coincide with the clarification of the relationship between the two families, Lydia began to make herself known.

.

So, what was she up to now that she’d shown up?

“Lady Ekaterina, thank you very much for the sheet music the other day. I was quite surprised.”
“It came up in conversation, and I thought you’d be able to sing it well.”

Ekaterina’s words weren’t exactly a lie—more like polite small talk.
The song Jupiter that Olga had sung at the summer palace had only come up in conversation, but Lydia had been giving off quite a bit of pressure with her glances every once in a while, as if to say, “I want to try singing that!”
So, after returning to the dorm that day, Ekaterina asked Mina to deliver the sheet music to Lydia.

Incidentally, the reason they started calling each other by their first names was because Lydia had been glancing at them whenever she saw Ekaterina and Flora addressing each other by their first names.
So when Ekaterina suggested—wrapping it in the polite language of a young lady—“If you’re willing to call Flora by her first name and treat her as a friend,” Lydia jumped at the chance, replying, “If that is your wish, I would be more than happy to!”

“You’ve been singing?”
“Yes, of course. Since you sent me the sheet music, I took it as a kind gesture encouraging me to practice.”

Lydia gave a soft smile.
At first glance, it seemed like a cool smile, but Ekaterina could still sense that subtle, glancing pressure. How on earth is she pulling this off? Ekaterina wondered.

“I’d love to hear you sing someday.”
“If that’s what you wish, I’d be delighted! Once I’ve reached a level where I can perform for you, Lady Ekaterina, I’ll be sure to give you a recital!”

Sure enough, Lydia pounced on the offer. She was incredibly enthusiastic.
Perhaps the source of that subtle pressure was simply her passion.

Just as she thought that, Lydia stammered, “Well…”

“I… have been singing all this time with the sole aim of reaching the God of Music. So, singing for someone right in front of me feels somehow strange… It makes my heart race.”

Ekaterina smiled warmly at the blushing Lydia

In fact, when she reunited with Lydia, Ekaterina had thought that even though Lydia must have had mixed feelings toward her, the fact that she went out of her way to speak to her might have been just to impress those around her.
It was common knowledge among her classmates that Lydia had been working hard in her lessons with the goal of being invited to the Garden of the God of Music. It seemed she had even negotiated with the academy to get permission to use the piano after school every day for her practice.
However, it wasn’t Lydia who was invited by the God of Music, but Olga and Renat—children of the families serving the Seleznyov household. That was a blow to Lydia’s pride. Even as the daughter of a marquis, her standing in the class might have been slightly shaken.

Thinking about it still makes her hesitate, but Ekaterina is the daughter of a duke. By projecting an air of intimacy, she is someone who can help reinforce Lydia’s standing.
Lydia, who excels at the aristocratic game of one-upmanship, may have set her own feelings aside to restore her pride.
If that’s the case, Ekaterina thought, I suppose I might as well let her use me to her advantage.

But no matter how she looked at it, Lydia seemed genuinely eager to become friends with Ekaterina—to the point of slightly changing her personality.

As nobles who represent their families, their relationship might change again depending on future political circumstances.
Still, as long as they were both students at the same academy, Ekaterina hoped they could become good friends.

And somehow, a strong sense of anticipation welled up inside her—the feeling that Lydia might take her singing to the next level.

“Lady Lydia, what will your class be doing for the school festival? If you’re going to perform a song, I’ll be able to hear your voice on stage, won’t I?”
“Y-yes, that’s true. We haven’t decided what our class will do yet, but the auditorium has such good acoustics. That stage might be a good place to sing for everyone.”

Lydia’s eyes were sparkling.
Ekaterina was getting excited, too.

Your singing voice is the real deal. I really want you to sing in front of everyone and show them what you’re capable of. I’m seriously looking forward to hearing it, too.

“What about you, Lady Ekaterina? What will your class be doing?”
“We haven’t decided yet either. We plan to decide soon.”

.

She parted ways with Lydia just before reaching Mikhail’s class, but before leaving, Lydia handed Ekaterina the small basket she was holding. It contained traditional Seleznyov family sweets—Her Majesty the Empress Dowager’s favorite—which she had received several times before. They were absolutely delicious.
They were made by whipping egg whites, adding sugar, and baking them in the oven—in short, baked meringues.

Perhaps, if I tried hard enough, I might even be able to create macarons in this era; so thought Ekaterina, her ambitions growing.