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The town of Clarus, located in the Arlea region of northern Eunice, is celebrated for its tourism and relaxation.

“Look at this bear… bear? Uh, it’s a bear, right? It has a windmill-like thing on its head, a slightly murderous look in its eyes, and is holding machetes in both hands with a goblin impaled on a bamboo spear. Is this some kind of local mascot character…?”
“That, missy, is a wood carving of the legendary man-eating beast ‘Storm Bear.’ It’s mainly used as a talisman against evil,” explained the souvenir shop owner, nodding sagely.

“If you’re interested, how about this figurine of the killer ‘Ogre’ that appears from Lake Quartz on full moon nights?” he suggested, pulling out a grotesque doll wearing a strange mask, wielding a huge scythe and an ice pick.

No, I’m not interested. At all.

“…Why are the choices here all so… bizarre? I heard this place is a training ground for the Saintess Church and a retreat for shrine maidens seeking to escape the secular world.”

“Oh, we’ve got tons of shrine maiden-related goods too. How about this? It’s a pennant of a currently popular five-member unit of beautiful shrine maidens. It’s a rare one with their autographs,” the owner proudly displayed a triangular pennant with the words “Pretty Shrine Ranger Maidens” and illustrations of five girls in colorful priestess outfits.

“Is it really okay to buy such secular items…?”
“It’s fine. It’s considered a donation, and it’s been endorsed by the church for ages. Besides, aren’t you also associated with them?”
“? No, I’m just a student…”
“Really? I thought you were a shrine maiden in training. Guess even my instincts can go dull after thirty years in this business. Oh well, I’ll give you a discount!”

The shopkeeper practically forced the bizarre idol and the commercialized, cute girl illustrations into my hands. The reality of this holy site of the church is both disappointing and amusing. Holding the peculiar idol and the triangular pennant, I sought the opinions of my companions who were browsing the souvenir stalls lining the road.

“—So, what do you think? Which one should I choose?”
“Both are nice, but how about this doll? It kind of resembles you, Jill, and it’s quite cute.”
“How ridiculous. Why not just go with this famous local specialty, the Shrine Maiden Princess doll?”
““……””

At the same time, Luke and Cestlavie both pointed at a porcelain doll dressed in a white gown with cherry blossom pink hair displayed at the storefront. Their eyes met for a brief moment before they silently turned away from each other.

Since their introduction this morning, they’ve kept each other at an arm’s length, like wild animals. Given their vastly different backgrounds, upbringings, and personalities, it might be unrealistic to expect them to get along immediately. However, they seem particularly sensitive and aware of each other.

Luke is naturally easygoing and doesn’t care about social status, and Cestlavie isn’t one to change his attitude based on someone’s rank. I had hoped they would get along well, but this was unexpected.

“Is my outlook on society and social systems actually quite naive?”

I quietly asked Daniel about it, but he just smirked mischievously and said, “Oh, come on. If there’s a beautiful flower and two bees, this outcome is inevitable, isn’t it?”

It sounded like a riddle.

“Oh…! Ah…aah, man…”

Elias, another member of the student council who had come with Cestlavie, looked at me, Luke, and Cestlavie one by one, as if he suddenly understood something. “This sucks…” he said, finally looking up at the sky with a troubled expression.

What’s going on?

Liselotte and Viola also looked at us knowingly.

“…Am I, perhaps, at fault?” Feeling slightly out of place and uncomfortable, I picked up one of the Priestess Princess dolls—probably modeled after my mother Clara—from a nearby stall and lightly questioned myself.

♦♢♦

Now, during this field study period, the academy’s recreational facility where we would be staying was a mansion about thirty minutes away by carriage from the town, surrounded by a lake and a birch forest.

The vast estate, enclosed by gates and walls, featured a grand mansion in the center, flanked by the East Wing and the West Wing, resembling a noble’s manor.

Of course, it seemed problematic to house male and female students under the same roof, so the boys were assigned to the East Wing, the girls to the West Wing, and the faculty and staff to the central building.

“Well, as we are staying overnight, the highlight would undoubtedly be gossip about romance.”

After dinner, which doubled as a get-together for the entire group, Liselotte invited Viola and me to her room for some light conversation. A bottle of champagne-like grape wine was promptly opened.

“Thank you for coming. Let’s start with three glasses of wine.”

Isn’t that a tea ceremony tradition? Before I could protest, the amber-colored wine, producing a pleasant sound, was poured into our glasses, and under Liselotte’s lead, we toasted.

“Let’s hope for a fruitful schedule ahead. Cheers!”

“Cheers!”

“…Oh, this is delicious,” I took a sip and was slightly surprised. While it couldn’t compare to the wine crafted by elves, which would impress even the most discerning connoisseurs, this sweet, easy-to-drink wine was gentle and approachable for beginners like me who had little tolerance for alcohol.

Caught up in the moment, I indulged in two or three more glasses of wine, lightly pairing them with cheese, prosciutto, and crackers. This led to Liselotte’s earlier statement.

“It’s not often we get such opportunities. As young women of our age—though Viola is a bit iffy—I’ve always wanted to have a candid ‘girl talk’ about love. I can’t be too relaxed with others, but I can be honest with you two.”

Despite her usual roundabout way of speaking and grandiose mannerisms, her words were essentially a declaration that she considered us ‘close friends with whom she could speak frankly.’ This naturally made me smile, and I exchanged glances with Viola, sharing a mutual smile.

…However, a ‘girl talk’ about love, is it? That’s a topic I am most uncomfortable with.

Nevertheless, it seems that women are naturally interested in these kinds of topics.