Casually looking out the window, Leeds let out a breath.

　Even in an unfamiliar room, the view of the night sky out of the corner of his eye was familiar to him.
　It was somehow a relief to know that.

...... That's not very clever, though, is it?

　I turned my head at the sound of a voice that I suddenly heard, and found Noel lying there.
　I let out a sigh at the sight of him completely covered in exhaustion.

"Noel ...... is sloppy, okay?
We don't even have a chair in here, so what's the use?
"Well, that may be true, but ......

　There's no chair, not even a light in this room.
　The light coming in through the window is the only light source, and there is a dim darkness inside the room that cannot be illuminated by that light alone.

　It was a very thorough room, as there was not even the bare minimum, let alone ornaments.

You should at least have some tools to pass the time. I don't want to say anything extravagant either. A furnace, an anvil, a hammer, ...... and, yes, a piece of iron as a material is all that's needed.
I have a feeling that it doesn't deserve the word luxury anymore: ......?

　I mean, it's too Noel-centric to be a waste of time.
　To begin with, it's not a tool for killing time anymore.

　But even at times like this, as usual, Rees smiled bitterly.

"Noel is really Noel, isn't he?
What's that ......?　Even Leeds would be Leeds if you said that.
Is that so ......?
That's right. If you say it's business as usual, then you'd rather be ......, but I think Leeds has always been more like Leeds from the beginning. They didn't seem to be in a hurry at all.
It's just that Noel got impatient first, and I was already surprised and impatient afterwards.

　The woman who said she was a demon had brought me here, told me a lot of things, and at that point I was in a state of shock.
　The rest of the time, Noel was surprised and that's all that mattered.

"Is it true ......?　You look pretty calm for that, don't you?　It's already been ten days since then.
...... Come to think of it, it's been that long.

　It's been more than ten days since Leeds was brought here and Noel was brought in shortly after.
　Each day feels oddly long, but that's because I haven't done anything here in the literal sense of the word.

　I've been in this room for a long time, and they only bring me food, but it's only offered to me through a small opening under the door.
　On the first day, there were containers and forks, but since Noel tried to break the window and wall with his fork, only food that can be eaten with bare hands is served.
　It seems to be welded in, so it didn't cause any damage, but I guess it's just a precaution.

　Because of this, I think that there is no way to prepare a tool for killing time, but I also think it's inevitable.
　The only reason why Leeds didn't try it is because he gave up too early on that it was impossible for him to do so, and if he had the right skills, he would have tried it.

　Besides, there was nothing in this room to begin with.
　The only thing that increased was the blanket that was given to you on the first day, and after that, there was really nothing.
　It is doubtful that they would have been given anything to pass the time, even if they had been quiet from the start.

　However, it might be natural when you were kidnapped and brought here.

But then again, another day goes by with nothing to do. Don't you think it's time for me to have an explanation?
That being said, I haven't heard any kind of explanation either, you know?　I was told the story, but it looked more like the demon man was talking on his own,
But you've heard why I was brought here, right?　Just knowing that makes a big difference.
It may indeed be so, but ......

　But it's also true that knowing doesn't help.
　At any rate--

They say it's to replace the general and the archbishop, but I don't know what exactly they were brought here to do.
"...... Well, yeah. But if you're thrown in here all the time without knowing what you're doing, it's no wonder you're out of your mind, right?　And I'm sure you were feeling anxious, too.
"You don't sound very convincing if you dress like that, do you?

　Noel, lying down, seemed to be completely relaxed.
　You can't help but wonder what you're talking about when you talk about anxiety in that situation.

I said the same thing before, and I'll just tell you the same thing. Leeds doesn't look like it's feeling insecure either, okay?
"...... doesn't do that?

　That's a fact.
　The fact that you were relieved to see the night sky earlier means that you had been feeling anxious until then.
　No doubt about it.

　It's just.

"Do I?　Well, sure, you may be feeling insecure, but do you still seem to think you can handle it ......?
"Ugh ...... it is, that ...... it too, although there is no denying it,

　In fact, every time Leeds feels insecure, she also thinks.
　Despite the uncertainty, I'm sure that things will work out.

　If there is a sky far away, an unfamiliar place but ...... familiar to you.
　If it follows the same sky--

Well, even if something dangerous happens, I'm sure Allen will show up and take care of it, just like he should.
"......, it's not that--
Can you tell me you're not thinking?
"Yes, it's that ......

　There's no way I could have told you that's exactly what I was thinking about.
　When you are aware that your cheeks are getting red hot, Noel suddenly lets out a sigh.

"But what's wrong?


What's wrong with you? The way you said it about me before, ...... you're the one who's going to start talking about moving in with me when you find out. But you already live with them.
"What are you talking about, ......!
"Come on, ...... what are you talking about?

　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make the most of your time with us.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make your life easier.

　It's really just a series of really empty days for now.
　I'm sure there is a good reason for this, as long as they went to the trouble of kidnapping you.
　I'm sure that that reason is the replacement of the general and the archbishop. ...... I wonder what that would be like.

　The only thing I can imagine is that the general as well as the archbishop must have had something to do with the church.
　I've never heard of such a thing, but ...... I don't think the devil would have bothered to tell such a lie, and if you've never heard of it, then you've never heard of the church having anything to do with the devil.
　So it's no wonder what was hidden.

　But it still shows that it's probably a trivial matter.
　It's natural to hide things, but--

"...... Noel
...... What, I'm too busy, I was going to go to bed?
Then you need to put a blanket on it. You'll catch a cold.
...... That might be a good idea. If you catch a cold, you'll need medicine and at least one of them will come into the room. How about if you can grab them and get them to tell you what they know?
I don't know, of course not. You're stretching yourself too much, and how are you going to catch me with a cold in the first place?
Of course Leeds does that. Well, all jokes aside, ...... what?
"...... is okay, right?

　There is no subject, no nothing, and at first glance you may not even know what I'm talking about.
　But with that, Noel seems to have figured out what he wanted to say.

Of course it's going to be okay. That's what I told you. If anything goes wrong, it'll definitely come from Allen. You know better than me about that.
...... right.

　There's really no telling what's going to happen.
　But in fact, Allen has helped him twice, and I've seen him help someone else many times.

　Then surely you'll be okay.
　When she remembered that moment, a smile appeared on her lips, and she knew deep down that she would be okay.

"Noel, thank--
"......suu

　When I turned my gaze back to Noel to thank him, he seemed to have really fallen asleep.
　It's good to be a good sleeper, but you're still without a blanket.

Oh my god. ......

　Letting out a sigh, he stood up and grabbed a blanket for Noel.
　Then he drapes it over Noel's body...

Good night, Noel . ...... Thank you.

　I thanked Noel for reassuring me, though I didn't know if he would be able to reach me, and now I grabbed a blanket for myself.

　Then I lay down next to Noel and put the blanket over my own body and slowly close my eyes.
　What will happen tomorrow, he wondered, not out of anxiety, but out of pure wonder, and as he thought about it, Leeds' consciousness also fell into the dream.