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Lunch consisted of a bento provided by the dorm, and today’s menu featured a hearty sandwich stuffed with thinly sliced ham and plenty of vegetables, paired with a selection of grilled, aromatic baked potatoes.

“Man, I’m starving!”

Opening her bento box, Farah eagerly grabbed a sandwich and took a big bite.

“Well, you really gave it your all in the mock battle! That was so cool.”
“Your performance was splendid, Lady Farah.”

Alfe and Hom also spread their lunches out on their laps and began to eat slowly. Though I’d been given the same portion, I hadn’t moved around much, so I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to finish it.

“…Nyaha! I just got lucky, that’s all. Still, Vannabelle and Numelin were pretty strong, weren’t they?”
“Yes. It was clear that her words were backed by real skill, which helped ease my mind a bit. Though I still can not forgive her for the things she said about Master.”

For once, Hom showed her feelings plainly. She must think quite poorly of Vannabelle. I didn’t know anyone my age who was openly hostile toward me, so I could understand her feelings.

“Well, it’s the truth, Hom, so it’s fine.”
“However, I can not overlook any acts of disrespect toward Master.”
“Me too,” added Alfe.

Trying to calm things down so that no bad feelings would be stirred up, I ended up with Alfe joining in as well.

“It makes me happy that you two get mad on my behalf, but you’re not giving me a chance to get angry myself, are you?”

Not wanting to spoil the mood, I made a rare attempt at a light-hearted remark, hoping they would keep smiling.

“Nyahaha! True enough. Hom and Alfe are way angrier than you are, Leafa.”
“I mean…”

Thanks to Farah’s playful comment, Alfe and Hom seemed to settle down, though it was clear they weren’t entirely satisfied.

“Yes, yes, it’s obvious how much you both care about Leafa,” Farah said, patting Alfe’s head gently.
“Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, you know, and Leafa has a bit of a health hurdle too.”
“…Thank you, Farah.”

To be honest, I hadn’t expected Farah to understand us so quickly. I had a feeling she was a good person from the start, but she must have been raised with a lot of care.

“Well, an empty stomach just makes you more irritable, doesn’t it? Let’s eat first.”
“Yeah.”

Encouraged by Farah, we quietly continued eating lunch. Farah, who must have been especially hungry, quickly finished her first sandwich and reached for her second.

“…Um, Lady Farah.”
“Hmm?”

Timing her words to Farah’s chewing, Hom, who had been eating more slowly, spoke up carefully.

“There’s something I’m a bit curious about…”
“What is it, Hom?”
“That final move Vannabelle used, the so-called ‘Vorpal Pierce.’ It seemed to me that you’d assumed a defensive stance well in advance. Why was that?”

Come to think of it, even Vannabelle had looked surprised. With all the dust Numelin had stirred up, visibility should have been next to nothing.

“Ah…that, huh…”

Farah’s cat ears twitched as she scratched them awkwardly in response to Hom’s observation.

“…This is just between us, okay? But, actually, I’m sick too.”

She suddenly lowered her voice and pointed to her own eyes.

“Does Magic Eye Disease tell you anything?”
“It does.”

Magic Eye Disease was an incurable illness that developed when dark matter was absorbed into the body. After it entered the system, there was about a one-week incubation period before a high fever of nearly forty degrees Celsius set in for several days. This fever couldn’t be reduced by any antipyretics, and it was not uncommon for children or the elderly, lacking the necessary stamina, to succumb to it.

That much was roughly the same as the Black Stone Disease, but the development of it differed quite a bit.

The key difference lay in the compatibility between dark matter and the body, though research on this remained inconclusive.

Generally, Black Stone Disease was said to manifest in those who had poor compatibility with dark matter. In these cases, dark matter accumulated within the body, resulting in tumors that both caused a high fever and turned the skin black as they developed.

In contrast, Magic Eye Disease tended to appear in individuals who had good compatibility with dark matter. Instead of spreading throughout the body, the dark matter concentrated in the eyes, where, after the fever subsided, it formed a unique, crystalline-patterned tumor deep within the eye.

“Well, it’s easier to show you,” Farah said.

With that, she channeled aether into the dark matter tumor in her eye. As she did, her pupils lit up with a star-like crystalline pattern that shimmered within her gaze.

“Wow… it’s beautiful…” Alfe, peering into Farah’s eye up close, murmured in awe. Not that she’d doubted Farah before, but witnessing the Magic Eye firsthand left no room for uncertainty.

“This pattern shows up whenever I’m using the Magic Eyes. During the day, it’s not all that noticeable, though.”

With those words, Farah ceased the aether flow to her eye, and the crystalline pattern faded.

“But the Magic Eyes are inconvenient, aren’t they?”

Those afflicted with Magic Eye Disease gained various abilities—such as foresight, long-distance vision, clairvoyance, and even charm—but they consumed aether at a rate much higher than average, putting them at constant risk of magical depletion. This excessive consumption was why the condition was still classified as a disease.

“Well, it does have ‘disease’ in the name, after all. But since I can control it, it’s not really a problem for me,” Farah replied in a bright tone, perhaps to ease Alfe’s concerned expression.

Originating from dark matter, Magic Eye Disease was also incurable.

“I see…”

Having witnessed my mother’s struggles with Black Stone Disease, I could somewhat understand the invisible hardships Farah must endure because of her eyes.

But seeing her demeanor, I sensed that pity would be unwelcome, so I refrained from mentioning my mother.

“So, Lady Farah, does that mean you possess the Magic Eye of Foresight?”
“No, mine’s actually the Magic Eye of Delay. Everything looks slower to me. So, I can predict movements just by seeing the beginning of the action, and even if an attack has already started, I still have enough time to react.”

Farah answered while shyly polishing off the rest of her bento. Even if it was for a short time, she had activated her Magic Eyes just to show it to us, so that amount of food was probably not enough for her.

“…I had no idea. I didn’t notice at all.”
“Well, I was hiding it.”
“…Why?”

At Alfe’s question, Farah looked down, her gaze settling on her now-empty bento box.

“I mean, having the Magic Eyes kinda feels like cheating, don’t you think?”
“Why would it feel like cheating? The Magic Eyes are part of your abilities, Farah, so it’s just another aspect of your strength.”

I gestured to the untouched sandwich I held out, exchanging it for Farah’s empty bento box.

“And besides, it must have taken extraordinary effort to control it. That’s your hard work paying off.”
“I see… Thanks,” Farah replied, accepting the sandwich with a grateful smile and taking a big bite.
“…But, well, I guess you could call it hard work, but now that I’m used to controlling it, it’s just… normal.”
“Well, I’m glad to hear that.”

Hearing her resilient words, a relieved smile slipped onto my face. There was something so heartwarming about this kind of care for others.

Since leaving Torch Town and entering a different environment, it had been a while since I’d felt this sort of warmth for someone new. I wasn’t sure what it meant to have friends beyond Alfe, but maybe, as I cultivated connections like this, I’d come to understand.

“For now, though, can you keep this a secret? Just because I can use it doesn’t mean I want to rely on it all the time—it feels a bit unfair, you know?”
“If we’re talking about unfairness, Vannabelle’s strategy was far more underhanded,” Hom replied, her brows furrowing with pent-up frustration toward Vannabelle.
“This is military training, after all, so clean or dirty doesn’t really matter,” Farah said soothingly, patting Hom’s head. Hom didn’t resist, quietly accepting Farah’s gesture.
“…Honestly, I never wanted to tell anyone about the Magic Eye, so I tried not to use it. But… I didn’t want to see you get hurt, Hom. That’s why I used it, without thinking.”

Ah, just from those words alone, I could see what kind of person Farah was. When she said she wanted to team up with Hom, it made me happy. But now, hearing this, I felt something even deeper—a sense of gratitude.

“…Thank you, Farah.”
“Huh? Did I do something worth being thanked for?”

Farah blinked at my words, her eyes widening in surprise.

“For protecting Hom.” I offered my heartfelt gratitude, and Farah broke into a wide grin.
“Nyaha, no big deal. It goes both ways. Right, Hom?”
“Yes. I swear to repay this kindness, even if it costs me my life.”
“Hey now, save that for your master! I don’t need Leafa holding any grudges against me,” Farah said, waving her hands, looking sheepish at Hom’s earnest reply.
“…You’re right. Understood.”

Hom seemed a bit off-kilter, but it looked like she understood what Farah was getting at.

The fact that she’d shared her secret showed that Farah must really trust us. Maybe it was time for me, too, to see her as more than just Alfe’s roommate, and to start trusting her as a person in her own right.

“Hey, Farah, looks like we might just become best friends.”
“Nyaha, so you were already treating me as a friend,” Farah replied, her smile lighting up.

So Alfe had already been treating Farah like a friend. And she, like me, felt that Farah was someone special enough to become a close friend.

Listening to their exchange, I felt something warm begin to spread in my chest.

“Yeah! I mean, Leafa is my absolute favorite, but Hom and Farah, I really love you two, too!” With a smile that could outshine the sun above, Alfe beamed at me as she said so.

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