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Two weeks had passed since the mock battle, and I was starting to get the hang of life in Class F.

Being appointed as a co-class representative with Vannabelle had certainly been surprising, but it hadn’t drastically changed how I conducted myself. The most notable difference was that I’d started staying behind after school to help clean the classroom.

While the other classes were cleaned daily by the academy’s janitorial staff, for some reason, Class F only received cleaning services twice a week. Vannabelle, bothered by this, had taken it upon herself to clean, and when I noticed, I proposed that the willing classmates take turns assisting her. This became my first major contribution as class representative.

Though I had only called for volunteers, every single classmate raised their hand, so we decided to rotate the cleaning duties on a weekly basis.

Hom, apparently quite bothered by the dirt in the classroom, worked diligently without saying much. Today, she was determined to thoroughly clean the window frames.

“Still, twice a week feels pretty stingy…” Vannabelle grumbled in her usual tone as she picked up a trophy from the shelf beside the blackboard and started polishing it.

The trophy, awarded for our victory in the inter-class mock battle exercises, bore ribbons engraved with the names of past winning classes. Traditionally, Class A had always claimed this prize, so seeing Class F’s name among the winners was clearly a source of great pride for her.

“Hey, don’t forget the floors and windows too, class rep!” Farah teased as she noticed Vannabelle engrossed in polishing the trophy.

“Yeah, yeah, I hear ya. But c’mon, there’s no way I’m using a rag that’s already been on the floor for this beauty. Gotta start with the most important thing,” Vannabelle replied, as though her logic were unassailable. She continued polishing the trophy with care, an almost reverent expression on her face.

As I swept the floor with a broom, I glanced at her.

“You’re taking really good care of that.”
“Of course I am. This is our pride,” Vannabelle said, looking up and snorting triumphantly. The way she emphasized ‘our’ made it clear she was trying to show her gratitude in her own way.

Since we’d started sharing the responsibilities of class representatives, I’d begun to understand Vannabelle a bit better. Her rough demeanor, I realized, was often just a mask for her embarrassment.

As I watched her polish the trophy, lost in thought, she suddenly paused, perhaps sensing my gaze.

“Hey, Leafa.”
“Hm?” I replied, sweeping the floor as I turned to face her. It seemed I had misread her earlier pause.
“Next week, the elective classes start, right? What department are you in? You’re too small to be in the military department with us, so I’m guessing… magic department?”

Her guess seemed born out of some vague concern for me, but I wasn’t entirely sure where she was going with this. Just as I was about to answer truthfully —engineering— Numelin chimed in.

“Given how you performed in the mock battle, that makes sense~.”
“That was thanks to the magic tome. My department is engineering, with a focus on alchemy.”

At my response, Vannabelle’s long rabbit ears twitched slightly. She seemed intrigued.

“…Wait, so you’re saying you made that magic tome?”
“Well, yeah, that’s about right,” I replied, keeping my tone vague.

It wasn’t like I could admit that it was something I’d created in my previous life. If they got curious and asked to see it later, it might become a hassle, so I hoped to steer the conversation elsewhere.

“So, that means Leafa and Hom will be in a different class starting next week…” Alfe murmured, suddenly stopping as she cleaned a desk. Her tone carried a tinge of loneliness.

The rag she’d been using floated up from her hand and began twirling in the air, soon joined by another, spinning together in an almost playful dance.

““Worry not, Alfe,”” came the synchronized, sing-song voices of Lili-Lulu.
“Lili-Lulu…”

Lili-Lulu took her hand, and they began spinning together in a playful dance.

““Our Elf Alliance is eternal and unbreakable.””
“Let’s do our best in elective classes too, Lili-Lulu,” Alfe replied, smiling as she danced.

Yet, for a brief moment, her gaze flickered toward me, and there was something almost wistful in it. Or was I imagining things?

“…Tch, what’s with that gloomy face of yours?” Vannabelle growled, clearly noticing my expression.

She set the polished trophy on the teacher’s desk and leaped toward me, landing effortlessly right in front of my face.

“Morning classes are still the same shared curriculum, and it’s only the afternoons when we’ll split up, yeah?”

She wasn’t wrong, of course, but her sudden, bold proximity made me pause. What kind of face had I been making for her to react this way?

“Um, Vannabe—”
“Don’t be mean, Belle~,” Numelin interrupted before I could even finish, stepping in to chide Vannabelle.
“You’d be making that same face if you had to part with me~”
“Hah!? Who would—!?”

It seemed to strike home, as Vannabelle’s yelled in disarray. Her face turned crimson, and even her rabbit ears twitched, their inner fur visibly tinged pink, making it obvious.

“Nyahaha! Your voice cracked, Vannabelle,”
“Farah! You too, you little—!”

Her flustered reaction was unmistakable—less anger, more overwhelming embarrassment. Even the insides of her long ears were flushed, which showed just how embarrassed she felt.

“…Leafa,” Alfe called softly.

Freed from Lili-Lulu’s lively twirls, she approached me, clutching her rag tightly. Her furrowed brows betrayed her unease.

“Afternoon classes might separate us, but we’ll still be together in the dorms like always. It’ll be fine, Alfe,” I said, trying to reassure her with my usual tone.
“Yeah…” she replied, but her expression didn’t lighten.

“Um, you know… Leafa,” she started hesitantly, then paused, squeezing the rag in her hands before meeting my eyes with determination. “Aren’t you lonely, Leafa?”

The sight of Alfe’s downturned brows and uncertain eyes stirred something chilly in my chest. Perhaps this was what Vannabelle had meant earlier about my “gloomy face.” It was this same emotion, wasn’t it?

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t,” I admitted gently. “But we’ll see each other soon enough, and we’ll still be together.”

I left out the word forever. It felt wrong to lie, especially to Alfe. She didn’t yet know about my plans to aim for the Niflheim Medical University.

“Mm. I love you, Leafa!” Alfe exclaimed suddenly, her cheeks blooming a rosy pink as she threw her arms around me.

Her embrace was surprisingly strong—no doubt a result of the past two months of military training and magic classes. Alfe had grown so much, not just in strength but in maturity. Even her height had shot up since our enrollment.

“Haah! Stop making me jealous, you two!” Vannabelle’s said teasingly towards me as I was held in an embrace.
“Huh? Are you actually jealous, Vannabelle?” Farah asked with a startled look.
“Wha—!? Who’d be jealous of this little pipsqueak!?” Vannabelle squawked, her face quickly turning crimson as she jabbed a finger toward me.
“Belle~ Your face is bright red~”
“That’s because you keep poking fun, Nume! Quit it already!”

Honestly, raising her voice to deflect attention—it must be her natural habit.

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