We were able to successfully complete the association's request - from Ars's point of view, it was an ambiguous result, but this is also a form of success when considered as a unit. What I'm not sure I can explain is Ars's work on this mission. I don't have much of a sense of the work he did, and if anything, I'm just giving my personal opinion based on fragmentary information.
　Ars felt that the actions Loki took were also not favorable, but in the end it could be said that the work he did contributed greatly to the accomplishment of the mission.

　Currently, he was on his way home from Balmes to Alpha.
　This day may have only just begun, but Tesfia and Alice, who had already completed their first mission, were not able to hide their fatigue.
　Rather than physical fatigue, the time spent in the outside world, where life and death were at stake, seemed to have given the girls an even greater burden than usual.

　I don't have any particular impressions because I half expected it, but the fatigue was visibly evident from the time we left Balmes. The tensions must have been broken by entering the Alpha country.

　Thinking about tomorrow's classes, both Tesfia and Alice would want to sleep in their own beds as soon as possible.
　Colonel Bordeaux offered to pick them up in his magic car on the way back, but due to time constraints, Ars and the others decided to take the method of returning home via the Transitional Gate 《Circle Port》.
　Transitional gate technology is also one of the technologies that have advanced by leaps and bounds at the same time as the third Babel. Compared to the past, it could be said that the number of transference gates that were used to go through was extremely reduced.

　Of course, since there weren't many of them installed yet, they would have to use the old transference gates in some cases, but even so, it had led to a significant time saving.

　The four of them entered Alpha first around noon, but that's where Tesfia and Alice's walking speed became extremely slow. In the system of the transfer gate, when crossing a border, official permission is required, and the system of interlocking transfer gates for each country is also slightly different. Of course, the transition gates are not that far apart, but naturally they are placed at a certain distance so as not to interfere with the reading of magic information.

''Ugh, my body is heavy.''

　Next to Tesfia, who was sloppily bending forward as she walked, Alice was also awkwardly shuffling her feet.

''Your knots hurt. I'm sure you've had some sleep...''

　Alice tried her best to smile dryly as she rubbed her arms, but her steps were as cautious as a sneak peek. The reason for this was because the vibration of walking caused a pain that felt like an electric shock in every knot in her body, and every time Alice took a step, she pulled her elbows back and strained her body as if she was writhing in agony, saying "ugh" or "ah".

　As for Ars, it felt very embarrassing to walk with these girls.
　The strange stares of the people who pass by are meant to make well-timed, glossy noises when the girls have forgotten.

''I'm so embarrassed, can't you do something about it?

　I hold my forehead and look at the two of them waddling through my fingers. Then Ars lets out a sigh. I don't know how the people around me see me, but at least it's not a favorable look.

''It can't be helped!　But still, I usually train pretty hard, and it's never been this bad.
"Duh, you know~.

　What they both need now is not recuperation, not healing magic, but a wand like an old man would use.

'You guys are going to have even worse muscle pains tomorrow.
It's definitely a muscle cramp.

　For Loki, it's a bit like looking at something a bit interesting. In fact, the knotting and muscle aches they are feeling right now are common among military recruits.
　To put it bluntly, it doesn't matter much whether they are working out or not while they are students.

'I'll leave you both in knots,'
How come Loki isn't affected?

　With a resentful look on his face, Tesfia couldn't help but say, knowingly, that his tone was even octogenarian.

''To begin with, the muscles you use in your normal training and those you use in the irregular scaffolding and extreme tension of the outside world are completely different. You'll get used to it straight away... and then you'll be munchy, and your legs will be bouncy...
Oh, no, it's not going to be pretty.
"...........
Sighhhhh I'm not gonna be a girl anymore.
'No, don't bite off more than you can chew and say the same thing!

　Ars and Loki were unsure of how to respond to Tesfia's self-conscious remarks. As is to be expected, Ars couldn't help but be on the hook for the second time, though. Loki didn't seem to have any intention of even giving him a counterpart.
　Since Loki was the one who instigated it, I'd really like Loki to voluntarily collect this settlement, but she may have decided that she was a complete stranger, and quickly turned around and walked out with a natural movement, saying, "Well, let's go home.

'What, that one that looks like it should be followed up on?'
'Let's leave that (...) behind, Alice. You'll be collateral damage.
Hey, Loki. You were the one who threw that bomb.
It was Mr. Tesfia who started the fire.

　For what it's worth, we've gotten along a lot better, Ars looks smilingly out of the mosquito net where he has stepped back. Aside from Tesfia's bad temper, this mission may have brought great results.
　One day, Ars felt the same air that he had felt when he had joined the troops under Lord Vizest. A lot of trust in his companions would surely create this kind of atmosphere. It's the same with Letty's unit. There is such an intimacy, as if they were friends like family.

　That's what a unit is like, Ars thinks again. The special magic attack unit formed under Lord Viziest lost most of its members, but that shouldn't have been a mistake.
　It was only because the existence of Ars, who didn't mesh well with it, was mixed in with it, that it just fell apart. It's like dropping a black stain on a finished, vivid picture. The black invades the colors around it and stains the picture.

　But if you drop the black first and then color the surroundings afterwards, can't the black live on?
　That was what Ars was beginning to think.
　Maybe this was what he wanted, or maybe it was selfish, and Ars pretended that his dreamy fantasy hadn't happened. This kind of thing was not something to be kept as part of the memory.

　--but if I'm by your side... haha, what was I thinking?

　If I'm with you, I'm sure the color must be a powerful coloration that supports the black. If not, maybe it will only be consumed by the intense black - it will only be defiled.
　Because black can only swallow colors other than black.

　The space they create is brightly colored. It is a bright one.
　That is why the space suddenly appears dazzling to Ars. It will surely always be dazzling - even if it is too far away to reach and can only be viewed.
　But one day, when they have a color that cannot be dyed by anything else, maybe they won't even be dyed black.

　It may be that Ars mistakenly believes he is black. It's not uncommon to be made to feel that you are dyed by their colors at some point.

　It may be that Ars is the one who is hesitant to enter into their colors.
　If that was the case, would Ars also be able to meet the real troops?
　Will it not be a battlefield for one person?
　Will there be someone beside him who can fight with him?

　--Ah, that's very much like a [person].

　However, Ars knows that it is a sign that he will make the same mistake again. It's just a misunderstanding, and if you get it wrong there, you'll end up being alone again in the end.

　He is the one who should not be mixed up (color).
　We must be careful not to allow the color black to become another color. For as long as we don't touch it, black remains black and nothing can stain it.

　But for now, I'll just skip the voice at such a close distance - if that's about it....
　Ars throws the words at Tesfia as he recalls. With an extra word.

'I'm not saying all female mages, it's just that it's important to put everything on in full. Muscles are heavy, imagine Letty or something like that, don't you?　And, in fact, your body had a near-ideal amount of muscle tone. Not too much, you know.
Yes?

　It was Tesfia who was the first to react. It didn't matter how sore her body was, her eerie smile was made as if to suppress the flush on her face.

　Like an animal aiming at its prey from the grass, the three of them shot their eyes at Ars. It was something that could not be missed, but the person in question, Ars, twisted his head to the extent that it was a delicate matter. You can't miss it.

''I knew you saw it!

　Tesfia, who was closing in on him as if to squeeze him by a long shot, turned her half-sobbing face to Ars and asked him to uncover the truth. He dug into the situation again when they slept together in the outside world.

'D-Do you see how far ... how far did you see! As soon as he had come up with the worst possible answer on his own, his face was dyed red to the point of being on fire, and large tears had formed around his eyes.

The first thing that comes to mind is the fact that it's a normal thing to do, but Al is also a bit of a bypass. You put your body on the line to help me out there, isn't that a good thing?
Master Arus?　I'll talk to you when I get back.

　Alice and Loki, and no sympathy in their eyes. But I don't despise them either. Alice is Alice, and she even gives me advice. And as for Loki, he is standing oddly perfect, smiling and smiling with a perfect affectionate smile as well - it was going to be a long time after he left.
　Swooping up to his side, Loki grabbed his sleeve and pulled it back with a goof.

'What did you like about Fia-san?'
Wait, I'm not talking about the good stuff.

　Ars had no way to escape the feeling of being trapped. After all, the popping Tesfia in his chest was screaming, "He saw me ah, I was humiliated in my sleep ah, ah," he was screaming.
　A piercing stare pierced me from nowhere. Passersby stopped and turned their white eyes to see if they could smell the smell of crime. If even a strange sense of justice is demonstrated, Ars may quickly be cornered into a situation where he cannot be excused.

　From the point of view of the parties involved, it may be a kind of routine. It is true that her eyes are damp, though Tesfia is the only one who cannot judge.
　In the midst of all this, Alice, the only one who hadn't joined in, for some reason, rolled up her sleeves and opened one of the buttons on her chest.

　I'm not going to be able to get the best out of it. You can see some acting embarrassment on his face.

''Al, you played a prank on someone other than me.........''
'Hey, how much are you trying to get over your shame? You know how embarrassing it is to be in front of these people.

　Alice's once-in-a-lifetime little play lacked the acting chops to induce the kind of muddle we've seen elsewhere. The dialogue was so embarrassing that Alice herself completely self-destructed and was unable to keep it together.
　It was rare for Alice to turn red to her ears, and she seemed to realize how embarrassing it was to actually do it.

　The eyes turning towards us are already asking for help.

　As expected, I felt an uncanny look in the eyes of the people around me, and Ars concluded, "I'm tired, but you do it well," but of course, there is someone here who can't end with that.

''Wait, wait!
What? I thought you were crying.

　Sipping her nose, Tesfia gripped Ars's shoulder firmly. It's not that she was really sad to the point of wanting to cry, but she was embarrassed to say that she was seen before she was even aware of it. It's because I imagined the situation on my own.

'So what's the actual situation!　And the proportions and... well, you know... and...

　Tesfia turned over, entwining her hands together.
　It seems that what is embarrassing is embarrassing after all, and even Ars couldn't hear what she was saying in the second half of the goggle.
　For starters, I'll try to practice what Alice told me to do.

'Fia, you saved me you can forgive me for that.

　For a moment Tesfia's red face was trying to smile. However, he stopped thinking with a poke in the middle. There was no need to think about the truth of the muddled words now. There is no other word for the main purpose of not having seen it, putting it down to two choices: seen or not seen. Everything else is the same as saying "I saw".

　The corporeal thing is difficult for Ars to do. Because he can only answer it as a magician.
　You may be able to give advice, but that is oil in the fire. It's like diving into the fire.

So, then, this is all you got up before me?

　A serious look in his eyes turned to Ars. The red-haired girl asked sincerely, a light, pale red on her cheeks. Loki and Alice are both little plays?　to stop interfering too much and keep one step away from them. It's a matter of care, whether or not there's a point to it.

　Ars turns his face away from Tesfia and looks once more into the distance.
　Then he bends at the waist and brings his mouth close to Tesfia's ear.

　Immediately afterwards, I felt something like magic or something else, something like smoke, blow out of Tesfia's head. The heated face was indeed so hot that it looked like it was going to vomit smoke.

　It's a very good idea to be able to have a good time with them. And Tesfia, who stood cowering behind him, gently put her hand to her ear.