-- Noir took a cold shower to remove the sweat and dirt, toweling off the moisture her long dark hair had absorbed, and returned to the bedroom where the women continued to mingle with each other.

　Just four people in a room of four.
　It's a feeling of space being used without excess.

　Noir sat down quietly in the corner of the conversation circle and casually looked around to see if anything had changed while she was bathing in the water.

　It was still the same brave Ezell at the center of the conversation.
　He continued to actively broach the subject himself, as if he was trying to satisfy his desire to chat with the same s*x here and there.

　Sakura's long, moist, damp hair hung naturally down her back, not tied up as it usually was, and she joined in the conversation while tending to her sword.

　And Hild, with his head covered by his hooded loungewear, seemed to be eloquent in interrupting the conversation on topics of interest.

　The situation hadn't changed at all from earlier.
　With a strange sense of relief, Noir took the hair oil that Erica had concocted for him from his luggage and began to apply it to his damp hair.

　As he did so for a while, he noticed that Ezell the Brave was staring at him before he knew it.

''...... Oh, um, ......?''
Hmmm ...... I still love long hair.

　Like Erika who gave me hair oil, I feel like I get a lot of compliments on this hair, strangely enough.

　For myself, I rather think it's more beautiful to have straight black hair like Sakura's.

'I know it must be hard to maintain, but what an ingenious way to do it, I'm jealous of you.
Don't you think about stretching it out?

　Hild asks Ezell, who is playing with his own hair, which is never long, a simple question.

It's a very good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for," he said, "because it might get in the way if you move around too much. It's also a hassle to put it all back in place just for fighting. Maybe you can manage it up to your shoulders?

　After Ezell said that much, he made a face as he noticed the long-haired swordsman sitting in front of him.

'Come to think of it, how's Sakura doing in that area?　It's very long, but won't it get in the way?　I guess I don't mind because I'm going to fight for a moment in [shrinking land].
Me?　As a matter of fact, I'd be lying if I said I never felt disturbed.
What, really?

　Ezell leaned in for an unexpected response.

　Noir didn't have a noticeable reaction either, but he was quite intrigued inwardly.

'I hear that the hair on your head is an excellent medium for witchcraft. So I took the time to let it grow out, thinking that perhaps it would help stabilize the god's descent.
I see - ...... it was all about practicality.
'In fact, you can feel the hair on your head mixing with the flames during the divine descent, so I'm assuming it had a certain effect.

　Noir is well aware of the affinity between head hair and magic power.

　Many of the old-style witchcraft tools use the long hair of a woman's head as the material for braiding.

　However, since better materials have become available recently, the only time a head of hair is used in a magical tool is when you want to stick to a classical style, or when you want to produce a small number of items at low cost.

　On the other hand, even Noir, who does not have many friendships with other wizards, knows a few wizards who grow their hair long for purposes like Sakura does.

　The idea of making good use of something that just lives on and keeps growing, even if it's not as effective as it could be, is not an uncommon one, I suppose.

　Of course, it's not uncommon for wizards to cut the hair on their heads short, citing the lack of movement and the hassle of maintaining it.

　In a unique case, I even heard a rumor about a careless person who stopped having long hair because he dipped it into the cauldron he was mixing every day, which made me doubt the authenticity of the rumor.

(...... I knew I couldn't speak well.)

　Inwardly, I'm fed up with my own inability to talk.

　My twin sister (Bran), who was something of a social butterfly, would have been able to tell me what she had in her head like this, telling me what she had in her head as a funny topic of conversation.

　The fact that they used to use hair on their heads as a magical tool.
　A wizard who repeatedly ruined his long hair because of his carelessness, and then gave up and changed it to shorter hair.

　Both of these must have been enough of a story to liven up the occasion.

'Is that why you're growing it out too, Noir-san, after all?
'What ......!　Well, well, well, ...... such and such, by the way, is ......

　I'm surprised that Ezell has suddenly turned the conversation on its head, and I can't help but give a contentless response.

　But the truth is, it's not.
　The reason they started growing their hair out so long is because Bran said that they should have long hair that looks good on them.

　Another form of missed opportunity to bring up the topic, but for once, I feel like it was a good thing.

　--to begin with, Bran has done what he deserved to be blamed for.

　For proposing to leave Luke in the midst of the "Thousand Year Corridor of the Abyss", even if it was to continue the search.

　Even if it was to avoid being converted into something inhuman, he had betrayed humanity and become the Demon King's sentry.

　The former was partly my own fault for keeping quiet about the former, and the latter was treated as having been resolved with Bran's death, but even so, it's still a sensitive topic.

　Moreover, it was her sister, herself, who did the deed to Bran.

　Although I am convinced that it was a responsibility that I should have fulfilled as a family member, I also understand that there are those who take the fact that I killed my sister very seriously.

　I should not make the mistake of saying something that could ruin such a joyful atmosphere.

　Push the pain in my heart to the bottom of my heart and just enjoy the merriment now.

'...... Mr. Noir. Where did you buy that hair oil?

　Unexpectedly, Hildt comes up with a completely different story.

　Noir was confused and at a loss for words, but somehow managed to respond aloud.

'E, Erica, made ...... and gave it to me. ......'
I see. Maybe you'll be happy to give it to Lady Angelica: ...... Oh, Lady Angelica is the leader of our Order.
"...... then ...... later, make more ...... and ask, ask, I'll try ......
Are you sure?　Thank you. You're a great medicine man ...... and you can make these things too.

　A casual, everyday interaction - it was only through countless coincidences and kind-hearted people that he was able to talk to someone else like this.

　As Noir chewed on her unspeakable good fortune, she thought of her sister, who had never been able to grasp it.