The distant hustle and bustle didn't enter his consciousness, and he didn't care about it as much as the chirping of birds.
　A silence reminiscent of eternity is about to arrive.

　There may be no other woman for whom the word "silence" does not fit so well, especially when it comes to her.
　The usual mischievousness had completely dissipated. Tesfia unconsciously let her fingers creep to her lips as she sat on the bed.

　The faintly open mouth was strangely glossy, and the little breath that leaked from it. Tesfia's cheeks were slightly tinted as she soaked in the aftermath.
　As if she missed the warmth that was not her own that still remained.

　In a way, she is empty-eyed. I'm not sure what to make of it.

'So, I suppose you can explain it to me in a nutshell.

　The words that make all of that moot are released, and Tesfia shifts her gaze to Ars in dismay.
　What do you want me to explain, it's not so much about that as it is about what was the meaning of what I just said.
　It's a good thing that you're able to have a look on your face after taking away the lips of a maiden without any explanation, it's enough to make you angry.

''Well, more importantly, right now is........''

　It's not quite as vivacious as usual. It would be wild to ask the meaning of a kiss.
　But the heartbeat that floated mindlessly pushed up the anticipation.
　I wasn't in a bad mood. I even felt like my voice was bouncing with joy.

　It was a strange feeling to close my legs and try to hide my embarrassment.

'Don't you remember?'
"Huh?

　I looked up as soon as he said that and went back to my memory. Bad memories are often easy to leave behind. The color of my face, which was getting worse, quenched my dyed cheeks.
　The last thing I remember is Ars being silent. What happened afterwards is not clear, but the only thing that remains in my ears is what is important. Whether it was a fact or a dream, it was all too shocking and fuzzy a memory.

　But that disgusting aristocrat's face certainly existed as reality. I was there.

''--!

　The hand on his head suddenly reminded me of a feeling of desolation. The expression on his face at that time, the eyes that seemed to give up on me stuck and did not leave me.
　But--.

''I'm sorry.''
What are you sorry for?

　The words that seemed to cut things off established a clear line between the two of them. This distance is right, after all, it's a stranger and someone else's story.......and yet they put their lips together. Tesfia would have to be clear on just why.

　Ars said a series of unfamiliar words, bewildered by the kind of blunder he'd never seen before.

'I couldn't come up with the words to put to you. No, no I didn't.......I didn't know what to do.'

　Tesfia stopped time for a moment, as if she was amused by the unexpected side of Ars that told her with a straight face.
　These were words that couldn't have come from Ars until now by mistake. He was a bit tight in terms of personality, and Tesfia had an objectively unapproachable image of him.
　That would be true too. His potential as a supreme rank is far away, because he can't even capture the letter of his back.
　There are things that even the perfect Ars can't do. That was the word that made Tesfia realize that, no, he was the same person for all those who yearned for the rank of the highest rank.

　They are the same.
　He's no different from an ordinary magician, either. I'm sure you'll be able to find a great deal more to say about it. On the contrary, the rest of the world is just as troubled as they are.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find a great deal more to say.

(Hmm?)

　The way I felt at that moment when I saw Ars's expression... well, I felt as if I had been shunned by him, that he hated me, that he was disgusted with me, that I felt disgusted with myself, that I would surely never be able to go back to the way I was before.
　As soon as I realized that wasn't the case, I was more relieved than I'd ever been before.

(I hate to admit it, but I must admit...)

　It's contradictory, but it all fits together in her mind. There is no such thing as the slightest bit of disgust, even though she doesn't like it.
　I remembered that one day, I remembered that Alice had anecdotally guessed such a love affair.
　And the moment she admitted it, Tesfia inhaled and exhaled heavily as if she was blown away.
　Her heartbeat, which had been racing a little bit, seemed to have calmed down.

''Gradually, though, I'm remembering. Yeah, I want.........ha'
Well, then....

　Tesfia is covered by a succession of arrows in the form of interrupted words.

''Before that, why are you, wha, I mean, kissing me.................

　It's a very good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you're looking for.


　It's a very good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you're looking for, but it's also a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.
　It's not a good idea to step too deeply into her heart. But in explaining and clearing up any misunderstandings, it was a requirement.

'But first, your condition. There's nothing wrong with your body for the time being, is there?'
Uh-huh.

　He lightly bends his arms to show them.
　I thought it was a very sloppy check, but it doesn't appear to be a problem.

I'm not sure why you are so shocked, but I can understand why you are so shocked. It's a bit of an anomaly, though. You may be temporarily unconscious as a result. I'm not an expert, so I don't know what I'm talking about.

　I certainly didn't remember much of the bumpy situation in the middle. The next time I woke up was from a shocking scene.
　If you call it a disorder, it may seem like an exaggeration, but she herself can only take it as the extent of her fainting.

　The reason for such an important situation is Tesfia knows. I'm sure Ars is referring to his dream of becoming a great wizard. It wasn't unrelated to what Ars expected, but it wasn't most of it.

　He hadn't expected it to be that important. It wasn't until someone else told him that he was aware of it.

　But how would it lead to a kiss there?
　Tesfia quickly drove the disorientation from her mind and looked up at Ars as if to hurry up the main topic.

　Then Ars spun around, at a loss for words. As if he didn't mean it.

'No, I was thoughtless too, but you're you too, and if that's enough to wake you up, don't let go of your consciousness in the first place.
What do you mean?

　I let loose an honest question in a rather roundabout way.

It is a very good idea to have a good idea of what you want to do. It's hard to understand.
What?　Hahhhh!

　With a strange sounding voice, Tesfia pinched her cheek with both hands. As if to tell her that she was the one who was having trouble understanding.

'Then what?　You took my lips as part of a treatment you weren't sure about... um, took my lips.
Isn't it enough?
I'm not happy. I mean, the motive is...

　I almost let the momentum take me out of my mouth. If you say all the way to the end, you'll be exposing your inner self.
　You can't help but feel a bit irritated after what you've just heard. And it's uncomfortable to say that it's from me. This kind of thing shouldn't normally come from a woman.
　And it seems like a very light woman to say that a single kiss is all it takes.

"The motive?

　Tesfia frowned at Ars's aloof line of questioning back, and then turned away.
　Not now. There's still a lot of work to be done.
　A little leap of imagination loosened Tesfia's cheeks, but as far as Ars was concerned, there was a prevalence of beautiful women around her who could be called immortal. Still, the floating story has been with them for the past few months and I haven't heard of it.

　Even more so, Tesfia seemed to be impressively undesirable from Ars.
　I even feel like I'm at the lowest end of the spectrum, less than a lover and even less than a friend. Maybe it's just good that she doesn't hate me yet.

(Huh?　(Am I the closest or farthest thing to you?)

　I realized that because the act of kissing didn't progress anything relationship-wise. It's all his fault for being so blasé. The motive is too legitimate to include his feelings.
　Sighing heartily with a sigh, Tesfia glares sideways at him with a stare.

　Why did I fall in love with such a man? His character is blunt, but even if you discount that, his talent as a magician is at the top of his game.
　Of course, Tesfia is a dreamer girl. If you disregard the status of a nobleman, she definitely values her inner life, such as her personality and compatibility.
　In that respect, Ars is a rejection, it should be. He's always rational and rational, pursuing choices to avoid making mistakes - like a machine... but before long, all of that makes all of the elements that make up him seem desirable.

　Surely this is the phenomenon called love with the feeling of liking.
　That being said, it's the word that fits best, even if I can't explain it.

'It's nothing!
'Well, so, in the meantime, there's still a nobleman like Isle or something waiting for me, but if you can, please scratch that out and explain.

　Whatever discussion we're going to have in the future, we need to know about the Isle.
　This is the ship we got caught up in, but it's the one we're on. It's just the right time for me to be able to see the results of my training.
　If Tesfia leaves the academy, Alice may not even be able to train. Everything we've done until now will come to nothing, which is an abhorrent thing.
　I'm sure I'm not the only one, but I'm beginning to understand the meaning of Beric's statement that it's our duty to be considerate of people's feelings as well.
　Maybe it's okay to be of assistance to a slightly lesser-performing student. Such a change of heart was forcing Ars to step in of his own accord.

(If possible, I'd like to have him explain it to me before he changes his mind so quickly.)

'You don't have to come, you won't be of any use to me by leaving anyway. You'll get knocked down again. And I'll do you a favor.
Uh, yeah...

　I felt the difficulty of saying it to Tesfia as it clutched at my throat.
　Making them wait too long could be a disadvantageous situation.

　Ars felt bad for his sickness, though.

'I'm saying I'll give you a hand. I'm sure you can't ignore your house, well, you can't ignore your house either, so give me the terms of your intentions with that in mind, and I'll give you 30 seconds.
"--!　Eh, hey!
Eeech...
'And don't say it out loud!　It's distracting.

　Ars gave Tesfia a nasty smile as she protested in a sad voice.