Ymir, the girl finishing her day while lying in bed, removed her glasses and placed them beside the bed, pulling the blanket up to her neck.
Her braided hair had long since been undone.
It was undoubtedly a very comfortable position, yet she still couldn’t fall asleep.
“……”
The memories from that time were too vividly etched in her mind.
It was only natural.
That chalkboard eraser was something that she would have been hit by if Third hadn’t opened the door for her first.
So, Ymir couldn’t help but keep thinking about it.
‘Did Third really do that for my sake?’
When she tried to open the door, he had held it back as if to say not to. His voice and expression were certainly frightening, but perhaps it was consideration directed at her.
But if he hadn’t already sensed something, there’s no way he could have snatched that falling eraser so effortlessly, right?
If everything was truly a coincidence, that eraser would have fallen squarely on Third’s head.
Thus, the assumption that he might have known there was a trap there gained credence.
Even now, Ymir could still hear that low voice echoing in her ears.
‘If I see you pulling such silly pranks again, I will find the instigator.’
The image of Third glaring at the one who had troubled her, while saying that in a low, sharp voice, was just like a charming prince on a white horse.
But why?
She was still being teased about not having grown any facial hair at this age, a foolish dwarf.
There was no reason for him to be nice to an ugly girl who was short.
No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t come up with a motivation for why she would deserve his help.
Perhaps, it was simply that he had shown kindness to a beggar.
Yet, that very sympathy was quite precious to Ymir.
Just as there are frogs that die from being struck by carelessly thrown stones, there are also frogs that are saved by a spontaneous act of kindness.
But, in the end, a frog is still just a frog.
Unfortunately, Third and she were too different.
At that moment, someone entered Ymir’s room and said,
“I’ll turn off the light, so hurry up and sleep. That way your facial hair will grow too.”
“Yes, Mom.”
However, Ymir still couldn’t sleep early.
——-
“Really? You decided to sing at the festival?”
“Uh, yeah. It turned out that way.”
“That’s quite surprising! I thought you hadn’t been singing for long.”
Helena quietly replied to Luke’s astonished voice.
“Uh, it seems like I really have some talent for it, as you said.”
In fact, after Luke had told her that she had a talent for singing, Helena became interested in it.
She had never sincerely sung before, but she suddenly remembered that it was unexpectedly fun.
While Luke was participating in the International Magic Competition and assembling (or constructing) a computer at home, Helena had decided to join the music club for fun and auditioned for the festival.
To her amazement, she was accepted immediately.
Thanks to that, Helena found herself set to perform on stage.
And that was now a concern for Helena too.
“I feel so nervous I could die. What if I mess up when I go up? Should I just go and say I’m not doing it after all…?”
Usually, Helena showed confidence around Luke, yet it seemed like standing on stage made her very anxious.
Feeling the need to encourage her, Luke firmly patted Helena’s back while making a fist with his other hand and said,
“Ha ha, don’t worry. As long as you’re not too nervous and trembling, I’m sure you’ll do great with your level of skill.”
“Really…?”
Hearing those words from Luke made Helena feel somewhat better.
It seemed like the tightness in her stomach from the nerves had faded a bit.
In reality, it was because Luke had patted her back as he did with a lifeless Shirud before, but Helena could never catch onto that.
“You have such potential. Your voice is one that even spirits recognize, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
Encouraged by Luke, Helena nodded with a slightly brighter voice.
At that moment, Shirud, who was listening beside Helena, opened his mouth.
“But you’re amazing too, getting accepted for the audition without much practice.”
Even with talent, isn’t it incredible to pass an audition without proper preparation?
Even Shirud, who had no real interest in singing or music, thought it was quite remarkable.
Helena was no Luke.
Luke also chimed in with Shirud’s remark.
“That’s right. The talent Helena has is truly extraordinary.”
It was only natural.
In this age, a voice recognized by spirits meant a talent that was on a different level from the ordinary.
Literally, it was an extraordinary talent that might only appear once in a generation.
Ideally, Luke hoped that this opportunity would inspire Helena to find joy in singing and to fully develop her talent.
As he thought about that, Helena asked,
“By the way, Luke, what about you? What will you be doing at this festival?”
Helena already knew that Luke was graduating after this academic year.
After all, there had always been talk of Luke’s early graduation from long ago.
Thus, Luke’s participation in the festival was slightly uncertain.
Because usually, students facing graduation exams wouldn’t participate in the festival as they were studying for their tests.
The graduation exam was that important.
In that light-rich question from Helena, Luke answered with a faint smile.
“I’m going to work with the baking club’s students at the café.”
However, Luke wasn’t someone who needed to study hard to graduate.
Just as long as he had the opportunity to take the graduation exam, he was more or less guaranteed to pass.
Helena and Shirud showed slight surprise at his unexpected response.
“Really? You’re working at a café?”
“Are you sure you’re not planning something strange at the café again?”
While they knew Luke had some talent for pastries, it was the first time they realized he was so passionate about wanting to work at a café.
If Luke were to participate in the festival, they thought he would be involved in a magical performance or a magic exhibition, something along those lines.
But instead, he chose the café?
It was hard to think he was just going to make proper bread.
Luke responded to the children’s skeptical reactions with a puzzled expression.
“What do you think of me? It’s just a café.”
Though the staff uniforms were slightly different from those in a typical café, it was still a standard café selling cakes and desserts along with drinks.
This meant he wouldn’t receive such skeptical glances from the kids.
“Well, that’s fair enough.”
Helena changed the subject.
“Shirud, aren’t you doing anything during the festival?”
With a slightly expectant look in her eyes, Shirud simply shook his head.
“No. I was just planning to stay home. There’s nothing particularly appealing.”
“Is that so?”
After all, participation in the festival was ultimately up to the students, and for those who didn’t want to be part of it, the festival was just another day off.
Besides, Shirud hadn’t joined any clubs, so he likely had nothing to do.
As he saw the visibly disappointed expression on Helena, Shirud asked,
“So when is the festival performance taking place?”
“Probably around lunchtime…? Why?”
“Then I’ll come to see you at that time.”
Honestly, he was curious.
He thought Luke could do anything well without worry, but he got the feeling that Helena would somehow mess things up.
Perhaps the memory of Helena nearly falling over when she stumbled at Beriton’s villa had deeply imprinted itself in Shirud’s mind.
“R-Really? You’ll come to see me?”
“Is that a problem? Is it because you’re embarrassed?”
“N-No, I’m fine with it…”
At that, Helena’s expression brightened noticeably as she looked into Shirud’s eyes.
It seemed that the fact Shirud would come to see her performance made her extremely happy.
Was it due to Luke’s advice that it was good to be honest with friends?
The current Helena was markedly different from her former fidgety self.
“Hehe…”
She was so happy she even forgot her shyness and let out a genuine smile.
Shirud wondered if it was a big deal for a friend to come to see a performance.
Still, seeing her smile made him feel good, so he smiled back.
“If you come, make sure to wave so I can see you well, okay?”
“Okay, I’ll do that.”
Watching that scene, Luke smiled like a mother observing her children playing.
It seemed this festival was going to be a truly joyful one for these kids.
Shirud, feeling proud of Helena’s reaction, also spoke to Luke.
“Ah, and if you’re too busy, feel free to contact me. As a friend, I can help out with serving or something.”
With a cute action of thumping his chest, Shirud drew a smile from Luke.
“Well, I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks.”
