Away from Iris and Alta, Aria was heading to the market alone.
　Markets in the capital were held here and there, with stalls selling fruits and other goods.
　On the Sabbath, the market was especially crowded.
　There were more and more people, but Aria continued on her way.

(...... What do I want to do?)

　--Aria didn't really understand her own feelings.
　She loved Iris as a family member.
　So even if Iris had feelings for Alta, Aria should have supported her.
　Nevertheless, when it came time for Iris and Arata to work together, she felt uncomfortable.
　I'm sure Iris trusts him.
　But Aria doesn't feel the same way - she is capable, but she doesn't trust him that much.
　That's why Aria always takes action on her own.
Even the opponent known as the "Swordsmen" didn't scare her.
　It was because she thought she could win against an opponent of that caliber.
　In fact, it was not Aria who protected Iris, but a boy named Arta.

"......

　Aria stopped dead in her tracks.

(I--)

　That's when it happened.
　In the corner of her eye, she sees a young man moving in a strange way.
　He glances at the case on the ground and then at the man near it.
　The man was so absorbed in talking to the owner of the stall that he did not seem to notice the young man's movements.
　In a split second, the young man makes a move. Holding the case in his hand, he ran out into the crowd with his familiar movements.

(!　(Thief: ......)

　Aria also moved quickly.
　Before the man could notice her, Aria, too, moved through the crowd with uncharacteristic speed.
　Then - a man's voice echoed from behind.

It's a thief!　Somebody catch him!

　The man probably doesn't know exactly where the young man who stole the case is headed.
　The man probably didn't even know where the young man who stole the case was headed, so when he noticed that the case was missing, he shouted.
　But the young man is already a long way from the man.

(But I won't let him go.)

　Aria is the first one to notice the young man.
　With agile movements, Aria runs through the crowd.
　She passes under the crotch of a large man carrying a large bag, and jumps over a group of three people with children.
　On the way, she jumps onto a passing carriage and uses it to climb over the roof of a stall and then onto the roof of a building.
　He continues to follow with his eyes the movements of the young man who stole the case.
　The young man seems to be aware of this and makes a gesture of looking at Aria.

(I guess he's used to it. But he can't run away from me. Because...)

　Aria's eyes widen.
　No matter how far away she is, Aria never misses the young man.
　From here, I can kill him by throwing the dagger.

(......, no! I'm not going to do that.

　Immediately dismiss the idea.
　(No, I won't do that.) Quickly dismissing the idea, Aria chases after the young man, stifling the emotions that rise up if she's not careful.
　--I'm not going to do that.

(......!　(Collision--)

　The young man must have been too late to notice.
　The girl, too, seems to have no intention of avoiding him.
　In fact, as if she wanted to stop the young man.

"Hmm, there are sneaks everywhere, aren't there? I am...
You're in danger, sir, if you stay here.
"You're in danger, you shouldn't be here.

　At the moment of collision with the young man, it was Alta who rescued the girl.
　Apparently, she had heard the voice. She may have been planning to catch him ahead of time, but she prioritized the girl's safety.
　However, Aria soon noticed Arata's gaze.
She knew that Aria was chasing her and entrusted her to him.

(You mean you trust me?　...... Okay, I'll live up to that trust.

　With a serious look on her face, Aria started running again.
　She ran from roof to roof, gradually accelerating.
　In the end, Aria jumped down to take the top of the young man who was running away towards the alleyway.

"What?

　The young man shouted in surprise.
　That's probably because Aria, a young girl of no more than a year, followed the young man across the roof without hesitation.
　If she had fallen on the way, she would not have been injured. It was precisely because she was Aria that she was able to make such a move without hesitation.
　She put her dagger to the young man's neck and announced.

"Leave your stuff. There's no point in trying to escape.
"What the hell is ......!

　The young man asks in a frightened tone.


　Aria giggled.

"Me?　I'm--
Notria. It's been a long time.
What?

　Aria heard a voice behind her, and turned around.
　Both the voice and the figure were familiar to her.
　The man who had shouted at her earlier when her case was stolen was here.
　It was enough for Aria to understand that this situation was already unusual.

That case is mine. Well, you're really good. Notreya.
"...... who are you?
Who, who ......? Hmm, you don't recognize my face?　Well, it's not me you're looking after, it's your brother or sister.
"--

　Aria's eyes widened.
　Aria's eyes widened and she muttered, as if she was trying to recall a memory from before.

"Ahead, raw ......?

　The man smiled as he heard Aria's words.