The Potions class is over and the school is having its lunch break.
　The three of us, Gran, and Mize, met up with Elysia from the Heroic Department and headed for the courtyard.
　Lately, the four of us have been eating lunch together in the courtyard.

In short, Twight's up to no good again.

　As Mize and Gran explained what had happened in Potions, Elysia glared at me with a sigh.

It's been two months since I started school. I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that.

...... I didn't mean to.

　While denying it, I remembered what happened last month.
　I remembered last month, when I had stopped Elysia's revenge. She seemed to be aware of my true identity. I'm sure Elysia knows that I don't want her to get too involved, so she doesn't pursue me openly, but she's clearly wondering about me at times.

I'm not sure if you've ever had that experience, but I'm sure you've had it.

　Elysia leaned toward me and asked in a hushed voice, "What kind of experience?

What do you mean by that?

You know, like ...... poisoning.

　I sigh at the disturbing words.

"I don't have any such experience.

No, of course not. You haven't done anything that bad, have you?

No. Most of the time, magical tools are countered by magic. If you want to make a poison, you should not use magic potions, but pure pharmacy techniques. It's like ...... cooking. If you really want to kill someone, you'd better take the time and effort to do it right.

I don't know.　I've never been poisoned before?

　Elysia's suspicion seemed to deepen.
　Elysia's suspicion seemed to grow stronger.
　Gran and Mize were watching the exchange between me and Elysia from a distance.

I'm sure you guys are dating.

　Gran said with a blue streak on his forehead.
　Elysia came back to her senses with that comment, distanced herself from me, and coughed in an impolite manner.

I'm not dating you right now. Right, Twight?

"Yeah.

　I think she used a strong tone of voice when she said the "now" part, but there was no mistaking her words.

　For a while, a theory of me and Elysia as lovers surfaced among the four of us.
　It all started when I kissed her when I was trying to convince her to stop her revenge. But that was not what either of us wanted, by any stretch of the imagination. I was desperate to protect my immediate life, and Elysia was so consumed with hatred that she lost her ability to think normally.

　I told her that it was all a misunderstanding, but she didn't seem convinced.

　At that time, Elysia agreed with me, saying, "That's right. I'm sure she would have agreed that it was a misunderstanding, but ever since then she's been in a foul mood whenever the subject comes up.
　I wondered if I should say something to her, but since I felt that anything I said would turn out to be a snake, I decided to proceed with my meal in silence.

　As I sat down on the wooden bench, the soft breeze blowing through the courtyard shook my hair.
　Gran and I took some bread from the store. Elysia and Mize were eating lunches they had made themselves.

　As I chewed the bread, I looked at Mize.
　The way she ate the colorful lunch, little by little, with her small mouth, was still very polite, not like a young girl of her age.

I always thought that Mize's gestures were very elegant.

"Huh?　I'm not sure what to do.

　I'm not sure if it's a good thing or not.

"Yes. I can feel how well you grew up. You look like an aristocrat.

"No, no, no, no, no, no!　You see, I'm a glutton!　You can eat your lunch with a big mouth like this: ---- Mug!　I'm not sure what to do.

　I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I'm not the only one with a big mouth. But in the end, they seemed to get stuck in his throat and he coughed violently while holding his mouth.

　I don't know if Elysia and Gran are aware of this,......, but apparently Mize has something to hide as well.

　If he has no intention of revealing it to you, it would be foolish to go into it.
　In fact, I have a secret too, and it's the kind of thing I'd rather you didn't get into.

　A month ago.
　Elysia's case made me keenly aware of the fragility of everyday life.

　Everyday life can be destroyed in the blink of an eye.
　It's very difficult to regain a destroyed life.

　If it were possible, I would like our daily life to be strong.
　I want our daily life to be sturdy, undaunted by any adversity, unshaken by any disaster. I once wished for such a sturdy daily life.

　But now that another month has passed, I understand.
　The fragility of this daily life will last forever (・・・・・).

　It's fragile by nature. Everyday life is fragile.
　It seems that this is the fragility of everyday life. So I changed my mind that it is impossible to make it strong.

　I have something to hide.
　Mize has secrets too.


　Elysia had something to hide.
　I'm sure Gran has some complicated situation too.

　That's what everyday life is all about.
　That's why the inhabitants of the world of everyday life are very careful. We must be attentive to others. They must not provoke others unnecessarily. Having lived in the everyday world, they are well aware of the fragility of the everyday world, and so they strive every day to avoid destroying it.

　--I may have been a little conceited.

　Until now, I was more than a little aware that I was protecting this everyday life.
　It's true that the people's daily lives were protected by the people of our organization and the heroes who defeated the Demon King. However, it is not us who have maintained that daily life, but the people who are here. It's not just us who have kept our daily lives alive. It's thanks to them.

　We still have a lot to learn from them.
　And that makes me happy.

"......?

　I felt a strange sensation around my right hip and stopped eating the bread.
　The pocket of my uniform was shaking slightly.
　Apparently, there was an incoming message from the 'News Letter'.

I'm sorry, I have to take a break.

　I gave a short refusal and left my seat.

　For some reason, I had a bad feeling about this.