The night had fallen, and it was the time of night when it could be called midnight. Normally I would be asleep by now, but I was lying in bed, staring at the dark ceiling.
　It's not that I can't fall asleep...it's just that I can't. But right now, I still couldn't bring myself to sleep.

　

　When I first met Isis-san........I was terrified.
　

　However, fortunately, I have the power of sensitivity magic, and thanks to that, I was able to feel the loneliness deep inside of Aisis-san's heart... even if it was only faintly.
　If I hadn't met Black at that time and been saved, I probably wouldn't have reached out to Isis. I'm sure I would have run away in fear and without mercy.
　But the truth is, I was saved by meeting Kuro, and I was able to regain my courage to step forward, so I tried to take Isis-san's hand despite my fear.

　........Looking back, Isis-san may be the first person I've ever tried to get involved with on my own.

　And when I took Isis-san's hand and introduced myself.......she confessed her feelings to me.
　It was the first time in my life that I had ever confessed my feelings to her, so I was half confused at the time, and to be honest, I didn't really take it seriously.

　After that, Isis and I became friends, and later I learned that she was the King of Death and had the power of death magic.
　But at that time, Isis-san was no longer a frightening presence for me, and I didn't even notice how scared Lilia and the others were.
　In fact, I was annoyed by the fact that Kuronoa-san described Isis-san as having a bad nature.

　Because the real Isis-san was........lonely, quiet, modest, kind, and really cute.......

　I can't completely understand the pain that Isis has been going through, even now that we've become so close.
　But I'm confident that a smile is much more suitable for Isis-san than a sad face.

　Since the first time we met, Isis-san has been giving me the straightest possible love and affection. It was both embarrassing and delightful, and I remember feeling strangely nervous when talking to Isis-san.
　She really always, always took care of me... and when I was injured, she was really angry and sincerely worried about me.

　I understand, no matter how insensitive I am, that the goodwill that Isis-san has for me is very strong.
　However, that favor is not something that is forced on me.
　When I asked her to hold off on responding to my confession, or when I asked where Isis-san was, she always paid attention to and respected my circumstances.

　It's impossible not to be happy to be thought of that wholeheartedly.
　Yes, I am happy that she likes me.
　I've never had any experience with popularity, and I had no idea how to respond to it, and I had a strong feeling that I liked Kuro, so I kept it ambiguous for a long time.

　Maybe Lise was right the answer was inside me to begin with.

　If this was in the world I was in I think I would have chosen Black if I really had to choose only one person.
　I would have been heartbroken at the thought of causing Isis-san to feel sad, and I would have shed tears while making a painful choice.

　But the world I'm in now is different.
　I'd like both of them... a world where you can choose such a gentle choice... just like Orchid said, in this world, there is no need to order the favors.
　Then the only thing left to do is my feelings.......but even that has already been answered.

　There's no reason I don't like being favored by Isis-san.......I enjoy spending time with Isis-san......her gestures make me nervous.
　How I feel about Isis-san has long ago appeared in my heart before I could even think about it in my head.

''I........I like you, Isis-san.

　When I overflowed into the darkness with a pout, I felt as if I suddenly felt better.
　Yes, there's no need to get lost. I like Isis-san, I want her to smile all the time, I want her to be happy... happy, I want her to be happy.

　Slowly, I raise my upper body and move my eyes to the faint light of the stars that shine through.
　Feeling sincere relief and gratitude that I don't have to give up on Isis-san........











　At dawn, at a time when it was still early in the morning, I visited Zeke's place.
　Zeke had worked the night shift yesterday, so he was up at this time as well, and I was able to find him safely in the cafeteria drinking tea.

''Good morning, Mr. Zeke. Mr. Zeke.
'Good morning. You're very early, aren't you?
'Yes. Well, I'd like to ask a favor of you, Mr. Zeke....
Please?　Is it?

　Zeke-san listens to my words and tilts his head, then looks straight at me and smiles.

''Well it looks like you've made up your mind. You have good eyes.''
Yes.
I understand. I'll help you in any way I can.
Thank you!

　I thank Mr. Zeke for his gracious words of approval, and once again I tell him what I'm asking for.
　Zeke-san listens quietly to my words and opens his mouth while nodding his head in a satisfied manner.

''........I see. I understand. Well then, let's go and get the things we need today.''
'Yes Mr. Zeke, are you sure you don't need to sleep?'
No problem. The elves don't need to sleep for a few days or so and it's perfectly fine.

　Feeling a heartfelt gratitude for Zeke's gentle smile, I decided to prepare to go out with Isis-san.
　The promise I made at the Treasure Festival before........while thinking that the timing of that promise is appropriate for a response.......

　Dear Mom and Dad - Thanks to the advice of many people, I have been able to rethink and realize my feelings for Mr. Isis. The only thing left to do is to be brave and prepared - to express these feelings.









'....By the way, Kite?　Well, I'd like to ask you just for your information...
Yes?　What is it?
So, Kite, for example....well, do you think the elves would be romantically interested in you?
...Is it someone like Mr. Zeke, for example?
'Yeah, right. He's a pure-blooded elf like me.

　I nodded my head at Sieg-san, who seemed somewhat flustered and asked me while moving her eyes restlessly.
　I've seen a lot of elves at the Treasure Festival, but when it comes to the elves, Zeke's impression is strong for me... I didn't know why he was asking such a question, but I decided to think of Zeke-san in my head first and see what I could think of.

'.........To be honest, I've never really cared much about race or anything like that, but.......for example, regardless of whether you're an elf race or not, Zeke-san is beautiful and kind, and he's also very versatile with housekeeping and such, so I'd be happy if I could associate with him. I guess?
'What?　Oh, yeah, right!
By the way, what does this question mean?
'Okay, no, no... um... well... yeah, yeah!　It's for future reference. You see, since Lili is like that, I haven't seen many people around me in love until now, so I'd like to hear what Kaito-san, a man, has to say about it.

　

''........Well, was that helpful?''
'Yes, thank you very much I'm relieved to see that it's possible for me to do so.
'What?　Now, I couldn't hear you at the end because your voice was so low...
It's nothing!