Iris was alone, chasing after Aria.
　Arutha had moved ahead of him to catch the thief, but apparently he had prioritized helping others along the way.
　Seeing Arutha pass to the side, Iris continued to follow Aria.
　Although they were quite far apart, Iris was still able to run through the crowd of people.
　Unlike Arta and Aria, it was not as smooth as it should have been.
　When she finally reached the alleyway, she saw Aria standing behind her.

"...... Aria?
......

　I called out, but Aria didn't respond.
　It was a strange feeling, so Iris approached her and called out again.

"Aria!
I'm not sure what to say.

　Aria's body trembles and she turns around.
　The expression on her face is as languid as ever, and there is nothing strange about it.
　Aria tilted her head.

"What's wrong?
No, not what's wrong. She didn't respond to my calls.
I'm sorry. I was just thinking.
Thinking? That's unusual. What about the thief you were chasing?　Did he get away?
No. I caught him and handed him over to the knights.
What, in such a short time?　And the package?
I gave it back.
I gave it back to the knight at ....... He's out there...
"My magic can do that.

　As if to interrupt Iris, Aria replies.
　I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but it's a good idea.
　It's true that you can use it to deliver a package to someone far away.
　But could it be delivered to someone that far away?
　In the first place, there must have been conditions to activate it.

"Aria......, what's wrong?
"Nothing. Why?
No, it's just ...... I feel different.
That's not true. I'm the same as always.

　In fact, Aria's mood was the same as usual.
　As Iris was wondering if she was mistaken, Alta came up behind her.

I'm sorry, I'm a little late. The thief is--
I'm done. Thank you, Doctor.
No, I knew you'd catch up. But you're awfully early. I didn't think there were any knights around here. ......

　I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I'm not the only one.

So I took him out as quickly as I could. You work fast.
I'll check with you later, but first, Aria. Is there something wrong?
What's wrong?　Why?
No, I just felt that you were a little different from usual.

　Alta seems to be feeling the same doubts as Iris.
　Still, Aria did not change her attitude.

I'm just tired of ....... I'm going home for the day.
"What ...... are you doing here so suddenly?
"Iris, enjoy your date with the doctor.
Hey!　Hey...

　She smiled and ran out of the room.
　I tried to hold her back, but she moved even faster than usual, and I soon lost sight of her.
　At first glance, she just looks like the usual Aria.

"......
"What's wrong?
Oh, no. ...... What can I say? I can't really put it into words, but there's something wrong with Aria. ......
That's what I'm wondering.
Do you think it's strange, doctor?
Well, I'm more concerned about the thief. No matter how fast a knight is at work, he would never leave the scene without asking the person he caught what happened. It didn't take long for me and Iris to catch up.
So you think Aria let the thief escape?
If that's the case, you'll have to explain that to the person who stole the case. ...... Even Aria wouldn't lie about something that would be exposed later.
I'm sure you're right. It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.



　It was probably because of this thought that Arata entrusted Aria with the task of chasing the thief.
　Both of them were wondering about each other, but they couldn't find the answer by talking together.

...... Anyway, if you have any questions about Aria, please talk to her. I'll ask her too when the time is right. I'll check with the Order.
Thank you very much. By the way, what about the person you just saved?
"Haha, he got a little angry when I told him that I didn't need his help.

　Arta says this with a wry smile on his face.
　The response was somewhat warrior-like.

You can't respond like that to someone who helped you. ......
You look like someone else, don't you?
"......?　Do you have any idea who that might be?
It's just too much. It's someone you know very well, Iris.
"Who is it?

　Iris asks, but Alta only responds in a hushed tone, "Well, I wonder who it is.

Why don't you just tell me?
"You can tell me!" "Think of it as part of your training. Noticing is also a form of training.
"Noticing is also a form of ......, doctor. You just want to play dumb, don't you?
"No, I'm not.

　I'm not sure what to do, but I'm going to do it.
　It is not until much later that you realize that the person in Arta's words is Iris herself.