With the New Year's greetings safely over, I had completely gotten some time to myself. But all of that time was spent solely on the entrance exam. I had asked Elle for help with any questions I didn't understand, and I had been studying in my own way.

　Now it was late February.

　And the entrance exam would be held in early March. There was little time left.

　I'm sure that in the past, I would have been satisfied that I had done so much. But now it's different. I wanted to go through to the end, to the limit. For some reason, I've been thinking this. What is this feeling?

　Emotions that could not be explained by just being in love with him.

　It was certainly something I started out with in the beginning, because I wanted to get to that place where Elle was. I took the exam and hoped I would be accepted... but every time he taught me alchemy, I became more and more obsessed with learning itself.

　I know that people still think of me as a fool.

　The rumor seems to have already spread even among the nobility, and I could tell that there were voices that said there was no way I would be accepted, that I should live a life of my own, and that that academy would be impossible, even for royalty.

　It's because I heard so much about it at the party at the beginning of the year.

　But.........it doesn't matter. Right now, I just keep moving forward.

　I just have to keep going.


''Phew....


　I took a breath and took a break.

　I look out and see that it's snowing again. It's really cold now. Without a heater, it's pretty cold indoors and I have to wear very heavy clothes when I go outside. I'm particularly cold, so that's already causing me to mop up all over my body and go outside.


''Alice-sama are you still awake?''
'Saria. Well yes I'd like to do as much as I can for now.
Staying up late is a woman's worst enemy.
' ... yes, but. But we're almost there.
Okay.


　Then Saria leaves. She's a really well-made maid. She gets exactly what I'm thinking. She's the only one who doesn't make fun of me. No, she said some pretty harsh things, but it was love. Maybe I'm just mirroring my late mother and her.

'Good.'

　Once again, aloud, I went straight to my studies... and the days flew by... and finally the day of my entrance exam arrived.


''Huh.''

　And when I exhaled, my breath still turned white.

　I had asked Saria to prepare a lot of things for me, and I was heading to the Canovarian Alchemy Academy, fully warmed up as usual.

　It seemed to have snowed quite a bit last night, and it was completely piled up. With each step he took, he could feel the peculiar sensation of stomping on the snow. And it's still snowing a little bit, just a little bit more crisply. I didn't have to use an umbrella, but I thought it was very magical.

　The sky was blanketed with white clouds. A faint light was shining through the gaps, illuminating the world.

　I had arrived very early to be the first one to enter the hall anyway. And when I came to the main gate of the academy..................just as a familiar face was there.


''Elle-sama.......why?''
Alice. It's been a while.

　There he was, standing there in his long, black coat, leaning against the gate without a scarf. But I didn't tell him what time I was going.

'It's finally today,'
Yes.....
It's Alice. I knew she'd be here early. We've been waiting an hour ago.
'What?　In this cold weather, you mean...?
Yeah. But I'm good in the cold. You don't have to be lumpy like Alice to be cold.

　His face as he huffed and smiled was the usual Elle.

　I didn't think I would ever see him today. But how could he be here for such an hour before?


'Well. Let's do this.
What's this?
It's a good luck charm.
A blue stone it's beautiful.
'Right?　I was experimenting a bit, and I happened to come up with some beautiful crystals. I wanted to give it to you.
Is that all it took?
"Oh. And to tell you this. Alice, I'll be waiting for you at the Academy next year.
Yes.
Well, I'm graduating, but maybe you'll get a chance to meet me here.
Are you still on track?
'The fee guy is picky, but it's not confirmed. I'll be independent, though, and I'll have my own workshop.
'I see. That's very Elle-like.
Really?
Yeah.

　Then we talk about a few other things and I walk past him.

'I'll do my best,'
Oh. Good luck.
Yes, sir.


　And then I stepped on this snow once again as I proceeded into the academy.

　Believing that what's waiting for me ahead is surely spring.