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After the closing ceremony for the second semester, winter break was set to begin tomorrow—a short one, but long enough for most students to return home and celebrate the New Year with their families. Because of that, the dorm cafeteria, usually lively and bustling, now felt eerily empty.

“Our private dining hall tonight, huh?”

The cafeteria’s usual system—each student picking their preferred meal—had switched to a special menu for the final day of operation. Alfe narrowed her eyes happily as she bit into a piece of the popular milk chicken.

“Do you think Lady Farah has already arrived in Alda Milone?”

It took about an hour by regular transport from Canalford Academy City to Alda Milone. Even though she’d been delayed by preparations and departed in the evening, she should have arrived by now.

“She’s probably already eating her fill the moment she got there.”
“It’s dinner time, after all. There must be so many delicious things waiting for her.”

Farah’s hometown, Alda Milone, was famous as a city of gourmet cuisine. Around this hour, the main streets were no doubt filled with the steam and savory aromas of stews and steamed dishes, and the mouthwatering scent of roasting chicken.

“I’d like to visit there someday.”
“We’ll have to ask Farah to show us around.”

I nodded at Alfe’s suggestion. Since every dish there was said to be delicious, it would be worth visiting at least once for the sake of culinary study. Just as that thought crossed my mind, Hom suddenly stood up.

“What’s wrong, Hom?”
“Um, I thought I—”

Hom trailed off, gazing out the window toward the noble dormitory. All the residents should have already gone home, and the lights there were dimmer than usual. With my eyesight, I could only make out faint windows glowing weakly in the night.

“I saw someone over there.”
“…Maybe a guard?”

Alfe murmured, narrowing her eyes in the same direction as the rest of us.

“It’s a little early for the patrol, though.”

I checked the clock—it wasn’t even seven yet. Normally, patrols took place an hour before lights-out and again afterward, though the schedule might have changed since most students had left.

“…Ah, but that aether flow—it looks like Miss Estea’s.”

Even if one couldn’t see the figure clearly, Alfe’s Pure Eye could perceive the flow of aether. Melua once mentioned that Estea’s aether shone brightly at night, so with the lights dimmed this much, it would be even more noticeable now.

“But Estea should’ve already gone home…”
“Yes, that’s what I thought as well, Master.”

Hom nodded, her expression clouded with doubt. It was strange—Estea should have left for home already, yet if Alfe said she saw her aether, it was hard to believe she was mistaken. Considering the possibility that something unexpected had happened, it seemed wise to check.

“…Let’s go take a look after we finish eating.”

Both Alfe and Hom nodded firmly at my suggestion.

***

When we stepped into the courtyard after dinner, a figure was emerging from the noble dormitory.

“Ah!”
“Lady Estea!”

Alfe, who had noticed her with her Pure Eye, and Hom, whose night vision was sharp, called out at the same time. Hearing their voices, Estea raised a hand in acknowledgment and walked toward us.

“So you were still here after all.”
“Yes… There was a bit of trouble with student council work.”

Estea replied with a wry smile, her tone hesitant. That expression alone was enough for me to guess that whatever “trouble” she had to deal with was probably something caused—deliberately, no doubt—by Ignis.

“So you’ll be heading home tomorrow, then?”
“…No.”

At Hom’s question, Estea lowered her brows and shook her head.

“My hometown, Elsalm in the Farion Territory, lies beyond the Gargan Mountains. It’s quite far, and regular flights aren’t very frequent… I was supposed to leave right after the closing ceremony, but…”

In other words, she’d missed her transport because of that student council trouble.

“Melua has already gone back to her hometown in Henbel, so I thought I was the only one left in the dorm.”

She looked somewhat relieved upon realizing we were still here.

“You’re not going home?”
“There are several flights a day to Torch Town, so we figured we’d head back tomorrow, nice and easy.”
“I see… That’s good, then.”

Despite her words, Estea’s expression seemed to darken just a little. Feeling a subtle tension, I turned my gaze toward Hom and found her silently watching Estea with a thoughtful look.

“……”

…Of course. Estea might have tried to gloss over it, but it was obvious now—she wouldn’t be able to return home for the winter break. Ignis must have caused that “trouble” fully aware this would happen. And Hom, realizing that, was likely already thinking of a way to spend the time together.

“…Estea. If you don’t mind, why don’t you come stay with us?”

Catching on to Hom’s intention, I voiced the invitation myself. Estea’s eyes widened in surprise as she looked between the two of us.

“Did you already notice?”

Hom and I both nodded. Alfe seemed to have caught on too, letting out a small “ah” under her breath.

“If the flights aren’t frequent… that means there won’t be any at all during the New Year period, right?”
“Yes. That’s right…”

That explained why she had looked relieved to see us earlier—and why her expression had clouded when she remembered that we, too, would be leaving tomorrow.

“So, what do you think?”
“…Wouldn’t it be a bother if I suddenly imposed on you?”
“If I thought that, I wouldn’t have invited you. It’ll be the first time I’ve brought home a friend other than Alfe, so my parents will probably be surprised—but I’m sure they’ll welcome you.”

Beside me, both Alfe and Hom nodded in agreement.

“If Master says so, then I would very much like for you to come as well.”

As Hom added further, Estea lowered her head deeply.

“Thank you. Then, I’ll take you up on your offer. I should let my family know, though.”
“How will you contact them?”

Given the infrequent flights, a letter would only reach her home after the third semester had already begun.

“I’ll use a communication magic device. The noble dormitory has one on each floor.”
“So there’s a difference in treatment even there, huh…”

It made sense, really—the noble dorms benefited directly from the donations funneled into the academy.

“Melua’s atelier has one too. Leafa, you can contact your family from there.”
“Ah, good point.”

Even knowing the noble dorms were empty, it was better for us to avoid going in and out of them unnecessarily. Fortunately, I still had the key Melua had entrusted to me, so I decided to stop by the atelier and send a message home as well.

Up until now, I’d thought letters were the only way to reach anyone from Canalford, but this certainly made things a lot more convenient.

“Oh my, Leafa!”

My mother’s voice came through the receiver—surprised at first, but quickly bright with delight. Hearing how lively she sounded, I couldn’t help but feel a weight lift off my chest.

“It’s a bit sudden, but would it be all right if I came home with a friend? Her name’s Estea.”
“Of course! Any friend of yours is more than welcome.”

I briefly explained the situation, and she agreed without a moment’s hesitation.

“…Though, I do have an appointment for a regular checkup with Dr. Ludsef, so you might have to put up with a little boredom during those times.”

I assured her that it was no problem—Hom and Alfe were friends with Dr. Ludsef as well, so it’d hardly be awkward. Hearing that, my mother seemed delighted, sensing how much Hom had grown.

Well then… it was unexpected, but the thought of returning home with Estea—and seeing how happy Hom and Alfe looked—made me look forward to tomorrow all the more.