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In St. Salaius Attached Kindergarten, classes were organized based on proficiency and enrollment year, and perhaps due to the framework of being special students, Alfe and I often spent our time together at the kindergarten.

One significant difference compared to the daycare center was that, while the daycare center had staff specialized in supervision taking care of us, at the kindergarten, teachers specialized in active engagement took charge of us.

Looking back, the period from the age of four to six spent in kindergarten seemed to have a considerably more educational learning plan compared to life in the daycare center.

The daycare center was a facility with abundant toys and picture books for children, and there were daily routines such as walks and naps. In contrast, the kindergarten focused on education, and its design resembled an extension of the educational plan in elementary school through play.

For instance, even my favorite activity, reading, involved more than just finishing a book. I was always asked about the impressions and feelings I had through the book. Initially, inquiries were made, perhaps to grasp the understanding of the content, like “What was the story about?” As time passed from enrollment, these inquiries evolved into more complex questions.

Not being particularly adept at expressing impressions, I shifted my reading preferences towards specialized books. However, the attitude of the kindergarten teacher remained unchanged. They assumed I understood and directed questions toward me. With the awareness that a considerable amount of time had passed since my past life—when I was Glass, I presented several simple hypotheses to the teacher. This was in an effort to adapt my alchemical knowledge to the present.

Each time, the teacher showed interest, lending an ear to my hypotheses and investing time in their verification. Alfe’s interest was naturally drawn towards alchemy, influenced by my pursuits.

Although one had to be cautious not to overdo it, as it could lead to execution by the goddess, the process of updating knowledge about alchemy was undeniably fascinating.

Upon turning six, due to the consistent education touted from early childhood, Alfe and I were subjected to a class placement test.

The test included three components: a book report where we had to choose a favorite book from the assigned reading and provide our impressions, a basic arithmetic test, and a test involving levitating the floating stone that had served as the catalyst for our entry into the affiliated kindergarten.

While the content of the test seemed far more childish compared to what I was working on with the teacher, suspecting it to be some kind of trick, I carefully formulated hypotheses, presenting the results of previous verifications as data,

Perhaps due to the characteristics of a child’s brain or the ample space in the memory storage, it was extremely convenient that the previous data came to mind as precise numerical values in an instant. It was an ability not present in Glass’ time, but even Alfe often demonstrated memorization and was frequently praised by the teacher, so it seemed to be a common thing for children of this age.

Thinking about these things while annotating charts, I felt a presence behind me, and it seemed like Alfe, who should have been in the seat behind, had moved to the one beside me.

“Leafa! Leafa, hey!”

I didn’t realize when Alfe had moved, but now, she was sitting beside me, smiling proudly.

“I finished it.”

Although there was no time limit, it seemed that Alfe had already submitted the test. I hadn’t noticed as I was deeply focused, but it turned out she had been praised by the teacher.

“That’s great.”

If Alfe had managed to solve it, perhaps I was overthinking it. Chuckling at my uncharacteristic immersion, I also put down my pen.

“Leafa, was it a bit challenging for you?” asked the test supervisor, misinterpreting the time I took as a sign of incomplete work, and spoke up kindly.

“No, it was interesting.”

Consciously wearing a childlike expression, I smiled while submitting my answer sheet, mirroring Alfe. The test supervisor, upon receiving the sheet, widened their eyes for a moment before their expression changed.

“What… No way…”

Muttering under their breath, the test supervisor left the classroom, cocking their head in disbelief.

“I wonder what happened to the supervisor?”
“Who knows?”

I feigned ignorance in response to Alfe’s curious question, but I had a rough idea.

While I had assumed we were normal based on our usual behavior in class, there was a possibility that I was making a big mistake.

◇◇◇

The seasons cycled, and crimson flowers bloomed on the Dragon Trees.

Having graduated from the affiliated kindergarten, Alfe and I proudly entered St. Salaius Elementary School this spring.

While Alfe and I were already designated as special students upon entering the affiliated kindergarten, a pre-enrollment class placement test ranked us at the top, placing us in a class commonly known for having an elite group of students.

At St. Salaius Elementary School, magical talent seemed to be particularly emphasized. Alfe, who effortlessly manipulated the levitating stone during the test, lifting it to the height of the school roof, was even invited to give the student representative speech at the entrance ceremony.

Never would I have thought that Alfe, who’s been my example as a ‘normal’ baby, would excel so remarkably in magical abilities.

Perhaps due to the fact that our class only consisted of Alfe and me, coupled with the teacher’s enthusiastic approach, it seemed I had completely misjudged the concept of being ‘normal.’

I should probably be a bit more reserved from now on.

“…Leafa. Leafa! Are you listening to me?”
“Huh? Oh… yeah.”

Alfe nudged my cheek as I was lost in thought.

“The new student representative should be you, Leafa. Absolutely!”

Knowing that I hadn’t been paying much attention, Alfe skipped the part of the conversation where I hadn’t heard and presented the conclusion directly.

“Why me? Wasn’t it you who was asked?”
“I want you to be it Leafa, not me. Or, we can do it together!”

For the past week, Alfe had been consistently refusing the role of the student representative. Lately, it seemed she had realized that she couldn’t refuse it outright, so now she was trying to involve me.

If Alfe declines, I’ve already heard from the teacher that the role would fall to me.

I want to keep a low profile, so I really want Alfe to take this on somehow.

“Hey, Alfe. This is an honorable thing. Miss Judy was happy about it too, right?”
“Mom was… well, yeah, but…”

Alfe looked down, muttering hesitantly.

“What else did she say?”
“…If I try hard, she’ll give me a reward.”

Reward seemed to be an effective motivator for children. Alfe’s change from “absolutely don’t want to do it” to “want to do it with Leafa” was probably related to that.

If that’s the case, there was no reason not to use it.

“I want to see you working hard. If you give it your best, I’ll also give you a reward.”
“…Really?”

Alfe asked, as if seeking confirmation. It seems like this approach might have an effect.

“Of course. If it helps you to try harder.”
“Then, um…” After a moment of hesitation, Alfe looked straight into my eyes and asked, “Will you listen to anything I say?”
“Sure. I promise.”

Children’s requests were often trivial¹. Once I agreed, Alfe willingly accepted the role of the new student representative as planned.

1. Robinxen: Your wedding is set now.