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After the live show settled down, we stepped out of the live house and were greeted by the crisp winter air. It had been warm enough inside, caught in the swirl of excitement and heat, but stepping outside made me keenly aware once again that it was winter.

“That was amazing! I think I might actually like that kind of heated atmosphere at live shows!”
“Yeah. It’s nice to have something like that once in a while.”

Alfe, who had held back at first out of consideration for me—just swaying to the rhythm near the back—ended up enjoying the live show from the front row alongside Estea and the others during the latter half. Watching her raise her hands high and bounce lightly to the beat, like a wave of excitement, made it fun for me as well.

“Ah, there you are! Master~!”
“Sorry to keep you waiting, Leafa.”
“My, that was quite exhilarating~!”

A little later than us, Estea, Marie, and Melua came out of the live house. In their place, adults holding tickets began heading down the stairs. With it already past 7 p.m., it seemed the crowd was shifting from students to adults.

“Man, that was fun! I chugged my drink, but my throat’s still totally dry!”
“I’m getting hungry as well. Shall we dine out before heading back?”

At Melua’s mutter, Marie immediately made a suggestion.

“I’m in! Impero’s close by, and it’s affordable too, right?”
“There’s no need to worry about that. I’ll treat everyone.”
“Well, that’s a bit—”

The conversation moved so quickly that I tried to interject, but Marie silenced me with nothing more than a look.

“When I say it’s fine, it’s fine! Don’t worry about it—order whatever you like and as much as you please. Besides, I’m very curious about the underclassmen who’ve grown close to Estea while I was away. This is a perfect opportunity—I intend to deepen our acquaintance!”

Marie spoke so candidly—almost bluntly—that we all ended up exchanging glances.

“Nyahaha! That works out perfectly for us too. Alright then, no holding back.”
“Thank you very much!”

Farah laughed it off as if deciding on the spot, and Alfe followed her lead. After nearly a year of living together as roommates, the two of them seemed perfectly in sync.

However, rather than looking pleased, Marie raised one eyebrow, placed a hand on her hip with a theatrical flair, and fixed us with a direct gaze.

“Honestly, no need to be so stiff! I don’t like feeling like I’m the only one being left out.”
“Yeah, yeah! Don’t worry about it! This is basically how it was when we first met too.”
“I’m not sure that carries much weight coming from you, Melua.”

Seeing the situation, Estea stepped in, and Marie nodded before continuing.

“Melua is in the same year as me to begin with, so that’s only natural. Personally, I don’t place much importance on social rank.”

When I thought of nobles, people like Ignis or Rizel came to mind, but perhaps there were cases like Marie who didn’t care much about such things. Curious, I decided to ask.

“…It’s pretty rare to hear someone openly say they don’t care about rank. Is there a reason for that?”
“None in particular. It’s just that both my status as a noble and this military rank of first lieutenant belong to the Versailles family. I obtained them without any hardship of my own. To use them as a shield and demand respect—that’s not a mindset I possess.”

Marie’s frank way of speaking was genuinely likable. Since she was Estea’s close friend, she was probably someone I could trust. That said, even just spending today together made it clear her sense of money was rather… off. Still, if she said not to worry about it, it was probably best to take her at her word.

“…Ah. Master, you were just thinking it feels bad to keep getting treated, weren’t you?”
“Hm? Well, not exactly wrong.”
“You don’t have to worry—she’ll totally ask for something big in return later, so it’s fine! Marie doesn’t really think in terms of who’s above or below. She believes that the ones who have something—money, knowledge, talent, ability—should be the ones to offer it.”
“Precisely~!”

Marie didn’t miss Melua whispering that explanation to me.

“I do so adore people brimming with talent. I’m especially intrigued by you—the one Melua calls a genius alchemist.”

I had tried to keep a low profile, but with the Canalford Cup and all, I could only hope the rumors wouldn’t spread too far. Honestly… with academic presentations coming up as well, it was starting to seem like keeping things under wraps would be difficult.