106

Inside one of the dormitories at Regis Academy.

A girl with brown hair, Annie, looked curiously at her roommate.

"Iris, what's with the crow?"

At Annie's question, Iris gently stroked the black-feathered bird as if it were a precious treasure and introduced it to Annie.

"Hehe… It's my pet! It was a gift."

Iris spoke with a genuinely happy smile on her face.

"A crow doesn't seem like a good pet, though."

"What?!! How could you say that?! Crows are amazing!"

Startled by Annie's comment, Iris quickly became excited and responded loudly.

"Crows are adorable, cool, reliable, and beautiful!"

"Uh… okay?"

"There's no bird in this world as perfect as a crow!"

Annie had much to say but decided to let it slide, thinking it was a matter of personal taste.

'Aren't crows a symbol of bad omens? Doesn't really suit a saintess, though.'

Well, it's just a superstition anyway. It shouldn't matter.

Thinking this, Annie grinned mischievously and asked Iris,

"By the way, Iris, have you been meeting someone lately?"

"What?! N-no!"

"Recently, you've been smiling a lot. You look like a girl in love."

At Annie's remark, Iris became flustered but soon blushed deeply and lowered her head.

"Actually… I do have someone I like."

"What?!"

Shocked, Annie ran up to Iris, grabbed her shoulders, and bombarded her with questions.

"Who is it?! Since when?! Where?!"

"T-that's a secret…"

Despite Annie's persistent questioning, Iris remained firm and didn't reveal anything.

'Hera told me to keep her identity a secret…'

Iris thought to herself.

Eventually, Annie sighed deeply, realizing she wouldn't get any answers.

"Well, whoever it is, that guy's lucky to win the heart of a saintess."

Iris felt a pang of guilt but laughed it off awkwardly.

Holding the crow close, she lay on her bed and stared at the ceiling.

'I can't wait for the weekend… Hera said she'd meet me every weekend, so we'll see each other again, right?

What should I wear? What would make Hera like me even more?

I'm not sure where to go for our date either.

But honestly, just walking together would make me happy.

Maybe… we could hold hands?

If we walked around hand-in-hand, it'd feel like a dream.

And when the night falls, under the romantic moonlight, we could… kiss.'

Embarrassed by her thoughts, Iris's face turned beet red.

Still, whatever it was, she couldn't help feeling overjoyed. She buried her face in her pillow, giggling uncontrollably.

Her legs kicked the air, and her excited squeals filled the room—she truly looked like a girl in love.

"I can't wait to see you, Hera…"

***

"You want to enroll in the academy?"

An old man, Darcan, widened his eyes in disbelief.

"Yes, when can I start?"

"R-right now, if you want! That's a great decision. You won't regret it!"

Seeing the old man jump with excitement made me furrow my brows slightly.

If I didn't already know Darcan's true identity, I might've thought he was insane.

Well, in any case…

I decided to enroll in the academy.

What solidified my decision was seeing Iris's dire condition.

Stabbing herself with a knife—it was a level of self-harm that couldn't be ignored.

Though I promised to spend time with her every weekend, the anxiety wouldn't go away.

And there was another decisive reason: Lily.

Now that Lily has become the hero, the original storyline is bound to change drastically.

The protagonist of the novel was always Robin. Without him, I couldn't predict what would happen to the story.

It was possible that the impending disaster wouldn't be stopped, leading to countless casualties.

I had no intention of letting that happen.

If the story changed, it would all be because of me.

If someone died differently from the novel, the guilt would all come back to me.

That's why I decided to enroll.

To protect everyone.

To protect myself.

"Which department would you like to join? Normally, you'd have to take a test, but I'll make an exception for you!"

Before I realized it, I had returned to my original body. A bright-eyed green fairy looked up at me eagerly.

"I'll join the martial arts department. Please place me in the same class as the Saintess."

Given my unique ability, the martial arts department seemed appropriate.

Come to think of it, I still didn't fully understand my ability. I had just assumed it was raw strength.

As I mentioned before, you could identify unique abilities at the temple. High-ranking priests who wielded the goddess's power could discern the types of abilities.

Iris could likely do the same. If the opportunity arose, I'd have to ask her about it.

"The martial arts department? You don't look very physically strong, though."

Darcan looked at me with a surprised expression.

"It's fine. Oh, and—"

Before I could finish, I silently chanted a spell, casting magic.

A radiant pink light burst above me and then scattered into shimmering dust, enveloping my body.

Once I brushed the dust off, Darcan widened his eyes in astonishment as he looked at me.

"That form… Is it polymorph?"

"No, it's not polymorph."

I glanced at a small mirror nearby. Reflected was a girl with ordinary brown hair and eyes.

Unlike my original face, this one looked round and gentle—an ordinary, innocent girl.

It was my appearance cloaked in Sephir's disguise magic, one of her abilities.

Back when Athena and I traveled together, Sephir had accompanied us under this disguise. Although Athena nearly killed her at the time, the magic was so intricate that even Athena hadn't noticed at first.

I spoke to Darcan in my altered form.

"I want to keep my identity hidden. I'd like to attend the academy in this form."

It would be easier to observe Iris like this.

And I still wasn't ready to face Lily in my original form.

But perhaps, with this appearance, I could summon the courage to meet her gaze.

Darcan studied my face briefly before scratching his head and speaking.

"Well… I doubt you'll tell me the reason, but fine."

With that, Darcan pushed me forward, and began leading me somewhere.

"Alright! Let me take you to your classroom!"

"Wh-what? Already?"

"You know what they say: strike while the iron's hot! Let's go!"

And so, my heart-racing academy life began.

***

The Grand Sage, Ariel.

A girl with tulip-colored hair and eyes, possessing tremendous magical power capable of obliterating enemies with overwhelming force. She was brilliant when it came to magic, surpassing anyone in knowledge.

The first time she grabbed me and dragged me out of the classroom, I was utterly shocked.

Encountering a new heroine so suddenly made me realize that I had truly entered the academy.

Over time, I began to feel at ease around her as she actively approached me and showed me around the academy.

But during our time together, something kept bothering me.

All along, Ariel seemed to carry a certain unease in her expression. Her constant fidgeting and the occasional redness in her face suggested she wasn't in the best condition.

So, I asked her if something was troubling her.

Hesitantly, she answered.

"If I have to be honest, there is one thing…"

For some reason, her words made me nervous.

Even with Iris and Lily already causing me headaches, the thought of something happening to Ariel as well felt overwhelming.

However, Ariel hesitated to share her concerns.

In my urgency, I held her hand and said,

"Tell me. I want to help you, Ariel."

'Please, let it not be something serious…' I thought to myself.

As I pondered, Ariel blushed and interlaced her fingers with mine.

Her unexpected gesture caught me off guard, but since it wasn't anything major, I accepted her hand.

Time passed like this.

After hesitating for a while, she finally opened up to me about her concern.

"Wh-what do you think about girls expressing affection toward each other?"

"…Huh?"

…Huh?

Affection?

I looked at Ariel with a puzzled expression.

She stared back, her eyes wide with genuine curiosity.

"Affection?"

"Yeah, like… kissing or touching each other…"

Relieved that her worry wasn't something grave, I smiled inwardly.

I had been so anxious that Ariel might have strayed from her original storyline. If it was a concern like this, I was more than willing to listen.

But affection…

Hmm…

Kissing and touching…

Isn't that normal?

When I lived with Lily, there were countless days when we kissed more than ten times a day.

And whenever we bathed together, Lily would often touch me.

Of course, I was flustered at first, but it didn't take long to get used to it.

"This is just light skinship, Sis," Lily would say.

If she hadn't taught me such 'common sense,' I wonder how things would've turned out…

I probably would've been seen as someone completely clueless.

I was truly grateful.

"Isn't it natural for girls to do that?" I replied.

Ariel's eyes began to tremble as if an earthquake had hit them.

"N-natural? Girls touching each other is natural?"

Her reaction puzzled me.

'Why is she so startled?'

Though I found her surprise strange, recalling the novel's context gave me some insight.

Ariel had grown up in the Mage Tower.

A girl raised among books and countless mages.

Given her upbringing, she was knowledgeable about magic but likely clueless about other things.

Maybe that's why she was so flustered.

"Pfft…"

For some reason, it reminded me of myself shortly after arriving in this world, knowing nothing.

Why did her trembling eyes seem so endearing?

Smiling at her, I said,

"Ariel, you're a bit lacking in common sense."

Her eyes suddenly blazed with determination.