Surgical scars are not visible unless the injury is severe.
　The fact that it is only revealed by a scan that probes the inside of the body means that it is that sloppy.

'Alice, if you don't want to talk about it, that's fine, but this defect is inexplicable.
....

　Facing her face, Alice bit her lip.
　It wasn't regret. Nor is it regret. Tesfia knew about this in the first place.
　Still, they had only talked about it once, though the subject never came up with Tesfia any further.

　So if Ars's research was going to proceed by talking, there was nothing to prevent it from happening.
　Of course, it wasn't a past that he was willing to profess.

　Still, the words that stumbled around his throat didn't freak him out. They want to go back inside, as if they don't want to go up any further.

　The stumbling words are now in my throat, preventing me from breathing.
　I found myself gasping for air as if after running as fast as I could, and I didn't know why I was doing it.

'Alice...!

　Alice stood there, stunned, hyperventilating.

　A breath that didn't even give her time to speak. A mouth that sucked in oxygen as she struggled.

　Ars quickly rushed over to the unusual situation.

''-----!''

　It was Ars that covered every thought in Alice's vision when she couldn't even think anymore.

'I'm sorry,'

　Chestnut-colored hair, a hand gently resting on the back of her head.

　Alice's face was buried in Ars's chest with a certain thickness.
　A sound that punctuated a certain tone that was certainly heard besides the sound of his own breathing. He listened to the sure heartbeat transmitted through the chest plate.
　Gradually, his breathing calmed down to match that rhythm.

　How long had he been doing that?
　Ten minutes?　30 minutes?　An hour?　Alice didn't know, but it felt like she'd been doing that for a long, long time anyway.

　Dazed as if he'd been asleep.
　The next thing she knew, Alice's hands were clutching his clothes, wrinkling them. He turned his face to one side, pushing his ears up against his ears halfway through his tear soaked clothes.

'I'm sorry,'

　Instantly embarrassed, Alice jumped back to shove him away.

'I'm the one who's sorry. Forget it.
Yes.

　My heart palpitations are still there. Maybe it's because of embarrassment, or maybe it hasn't gone away yet... I don't feel too bad about my tightening heart.

'I think you should go home for the day.
But ... nothing yet...

　It was suggested because he is not in a state to train very well, but Alice, being a serious person at heart, would not appreciate going home without doing anything.
　It's not a good idea to go home without doing something, because the person himself is aware of his condition.

It's a good idea to take a day off. There's plenty of time for you to take a break.
Yeah, okay. Well, I will, then.
Come back when you're back.

　Ars included, though he said it was more about feeling better than his physical condition.

'Al, I'll see you tomorrow,'

　I quickly looked away with a bitter smile, wondering if he was going to come tomorrow.
　Just in case something goes wrong, I have Loki escorted to the girls' dormitory.

　The labs are all settled.
　Ars sat down in a chair.

''Huh~''

　I brought the teacup on my desk to my mouth. I let out a sigh once more when I realized that there was nothing in it.

　A fading sense of remorse fell over me that I was being careless. At the same time, I think it's pretty deep-rooted.
　It's like a trauma, but in light of the missing magical information, sloppy surgical scars, and all of this, it's hard to keep your mind occupied.

　Although it's Alice's own problem, it's not a problem that can be left alone.

''When Loki comes back, do you want me to make you some coffee?

　Pushing the cup to the corner of the desk. This was the only time he would let the time pass idly.


　♢ ♢ ♢　


　Returning to her room, Alice was the first to plop down on the bed in the large room without her roommate.

'What's wrong with me?'

　I'm embarrassed. Just remembering it makes my face hot.
　But even so, the flashback of the past that was supposed to be settled may not be fully understood.
　You will be able to find out the best way to get away from them.

　I want to be as strong as him.
　Alice had mistakenly thought she had become strong. I was reminded of that again when it fell apart so easily.

(I didn't get over the past.)

　No, it wasn't ... it wasn't that I hadn't gotten over it. I was hiding the past. I just covered it up inside myself, a flimsy cloth to cover it with.

　That's why it was so easy to be exposed like this. No, there's no need to get flustered if you're only exposed.
　What had been done to them in that laboratory, what had happened to them, and how their parents had died?
　I was told the whole story, I understood it all but I wasn't convinced.

　The hatred of the person who caused everything, the person who started it all, was there. That hatred was definitely present in Alice. It was an emotion that was hidden together.
　When I realized that...

We'll never get away with it as long as he's alive.

　In the pitch-black room, Alice monologued to herself.
　You can't forget the past. Not that Alice wanted to do that either.

　At the same time, she felt an itch that she couldn't do anything about it. That's why she had to face the past first.


　Having decided that, Alice's eyelids closed heavily.



　The next morning, earlier than usual, too early.
　Alice came to the house when it was still sparsely populated outside.

'It's early!
I went to bed early last night, so I had to get up early.

　Ars doesn't even hide his usual tediousness from Alice, who sticks out her tongue in a chattering manner as if yesterday was a lie.

　It's not just the time that's early for Ars, but the implication is that it was yesterday today.
　Alice, who goes up without regard to such a thing, changed and stared back at him with a serious face gap.

''Wait a minute........''

　Ars, who was already working, closed the LCD screen and took a glance at Loki, who was preparing breakfast.

''Loki, outside...'' interrupted a word that interrupted him in the middle of his voice, ''Loki, outside....

'Wait, I need Loki to hear this.
Okay.

　Loki interrupted his preparations with a surprising look on his face. He added a cup of tea for one of them who joined in as it was.
The three of them sit around the table.

　Alice takes a big deep breath and puts her hand on her chest.

(It's okay.)

　I told him and then opened my mouth.

'That was when I was seven.........'




　Alice finished telling the whole story, stumbling through it.　Digging up the past as if to gut it.

　Ars didn't change his face and listened without interrupting. Loki also kept a blank expression on his face, but his eyes widened when the researcher's name was mentioned.
　Fortunately, he shouldn't have had time to notice Alice.

　He looked as if he was more or less possessed by the fact that he had finished telling her everything.


'I see, now we've got it all figured out.
I think it was the experiment that caused my magic to go haywire.

　Alice replied bitterly.

''The [Elemental Factor Isolation Project]?'' ''It's a name I can't see how it's useful research.
Yeah, but then again, how could you be a subject?

　He takes a glance at Loki and digresses from the conversation.
　With a past like that, it's natural to wonder how he could have undertaken Ars's research, even if it was for his own good.

'It was settled in my mind, but the injections didn't seem to work. Besides, the experiment itself was a way for me to see my parents, so maybe they weren't so resistant.
That's the way it is.

　Alice smiles blankly at Tehehe.

　Ars had never even seen her parents' faces, so it was an unintelligible logic.
　However, there is a similarity to Loki. I wouldn't go so far as to say that he was tossed around, but the similarity was in the point of being exposed to the absurdity of the world.
　I don't feel sorry for him. Still, I might have felt a sense of camaraderie. Loki was able to live until now because of Ars.
　I'm sure Alice had someone to support her in some way as well.

　At this point, I knew that she was not irrelevant to the orders Ars received.
　I won't let her know that. It's because it's a confidential matter that can't be discussed with Ars alone. Even if she wants revenge, this is Ars' business.

'Perhaps, but the deficiency wasn't intended.
What do you mean?
They must have been missing as a result of the experiment. It was an accident. Of course, it was a proper experiment, but of all the test subjects, I'm sure Alice is the only one.

　Alice's face paled. It couldn't just be a matter of bad luck.

''Oh no... how could it be just me?''

　However, Ars doesn't mind and continues.

'It is theoretically impossible to affect and deficient magic information in the first place.

　If the magic core supplied by the heart itself is changed, it will not be able to withstand the load and survival is not realistic.
　Then, it's even less realistic to ask if it's possible if the magic power can interfere with the magic power.
　All you have to do is rewrite the magic information inside your body, and your ego will collapse, and you'll die after a high probability of rejection.

　Although Ars supplied Loki's body with magic power before, in this case it was only put into an empty vessel and did not interfere with the source of the supply, so it can't be considered a rewrite. Still, the only rejection was a concern.

'We were unlucky, but we got lucky,'
...

　I understand that it was bad, but there shouldn't be a single good factor.
　Alice was so stunned that she couldn't continue the second phrase.

　It was Loki who followed suit with a question.

'What do you mean by good?'
Hmm, I need to give that some thought.
'What!'

　As for Alice, she was clutching at straws. If there was even the slightest bit of luck in the unfortunate and worst past....


　Ars himself had said something that was contradictory.
　He said that it wouldn't be fair if he didn't disclose the information he had learned in the course of his research.

'May I ask why you won't tell me?
Of course. If I tell you this, I could be a test subject again. Or, more accurately, if they find out.

　An answer that was not to the point.
　The inclusion of the word subject in it made me realize the meaning.
　Ars said he was thinking for his own good.

'However, it's Alice who decides. So I need you to do something for me again.
Yes.

　I was confused as to whether I should be honestly happy about it.

　If it were true, I would have wanted more detailed information, but it was too important for Alice, a student, and there was no guarantee that the traumatic event would not recur again.
　I should probably just check at the very least before I tell Alice.

'Hold on a minute.'

　With that, Ars walks into the bedroom and comes out with a black case.

'What's that?'

　He points his finger at the eerie look and asks, but Alice must have already seen this one.

'That's my AWR,'
"--!
Why AWR?

　He unfolded it on the desk and lifted a swing of a knife from inside.

'You can explain later. Let the magic flow through it first.

　He holds the scabbard in his reverse hand and presents the hilt to Alice.
　He grabs it ominously and pulls the blade out of its scabbard at Ars.

　The difference between this and the extracurricular activity is that he pulled the chain as it was. A chain about 10 meters from the knife was scattered across the room.

'Good, you can just grant it as usual.
Okay.

　He clasped his hands together and even closed his eyes deliberately to concentrate.

　Loki watches dubiously behind him, but it wasn't long before the seed was revealed.

　Magic power runs from the knife to the chain and runs through it.

'Alright, that's enough.'
Hmm?　Yeah.

　It was in the middle of granting, to be exact, and while it didn't cover all of the stretched chains, it was still enough to confirm it.

'Master Ars, what do you know now?'
Here.

　Ars lifted the only loop of chain that had reacted.

'It seems that only that part of the chain was indeed magically responsive, but isn't that because it was apt?
That's right. So what strain do you think this magic formula is in?

　There are two respondents to this question.

'I'm in the light system, so why not light?'
Unfortunately, I'm only allowed to use the elements.
...

　I guess that denial alone shows that it's not just a matter of time. But I don't want to wait for it to come true.
　The only people who can guess are Ars and the Governor.

You mean other lines?　But I've tried everything.
'That was a bit mean, not exactly in any strain. I'm telling you, be prepared to not be able to tell anyone else.

　Of course, it was to Loki.
　The two of them nodded in a mysterious way. The face was more than ready for something too secretive to tell others, but like a child who has been entrusted with a deposit, they want to know what's inside.

　Ars proceeds to wonder if he understands.

'Well, okay, the magic formula that responded to Alice's magic is outside the system. I call it unsystematic, but........
..........
What is out of line, Master Ars?

　Anything that is defined as magic is included in the strains. Loki is also a lightning system, Tesfia is an ice system, Alice is a light system, and so on.

'I thought I was the only mage who could be called systemless.
...

　No wonder he was surprised by this coming out. He looks at me like he's never seen Loki before and looks at me like I've never seen him before.
　But I can say that the rebuilding was quick. In a different way.


''Arus-sama, I am supremely happy that you have confided in me, your partner, but.......are you sure?

　Loki looks at me anxiously as if he were peering at me.
　That's not surprising. It's not a good idea to be prying into magic. If you are a single magician, its secrecy is high. It's a good idea to be able to have a good time with them.

　But....

''Well, it's okay.

　The anxiety is only thickened by Ars, who makes a curt decision.
　I was about to point out, unusually, that it might be a little rash, when.

'The two of you, you know.'
..........

　The words I was about to say go back the way I came. It is returned. Because - the meaning of trust fills my heart like this.

'I understand. Then I swear that no matter what kind of torture I have to go through, I will not speak of it, no matter if this life is exhausted.
'Oh, oh but that's as far as it goes...'

　I couldn't even tell him not to take it too seriously. As expected, nothing is heavier than life. In fact, no one would be able to do anything about it even if Ars's lack of lineage was known.

　But there is only resistance to pretend that such a sincere oath of sincerity didn't happen.

''I'll never say it either.''
Of course. I don't mean to intimidate you, but you only care about yourself.

　Ugh~, Alice was disheartened by the buttocks, but she was not as safe as Ars.