After his conversation with Aizel, Simon entered the student council room.

"Ah."

"You’re here?"

The members looked up from the somber atmosphere, their expressions tense. They were trying to work, but it was clear their minds were elsewhere.

"...What did Senior Aizel say?" Meirin, the vice president, asked for everyone.

"We’re not fighting today, are we?" Kamibarez whispered worriedly, clasping her hands together.

"Should I prepare some laxatives?" Dick asked, his eyes glinting ominously.

Simon shook his head. "It seems Professor Jane pulled some strings. The duel with Senior Aizel has been postponed until after the final exams."

"Th-Then!"

"Does that mean we can stay together until the finals are over?"

"We don’t have to break up right away!"

"Woohoo!"

The room erupted in cheers. Meirin and Kamibarez high-fived and jumped for joy, while Dick climbed onto his desk, whistling and waving his uniform jacket.

’They’re that happy.’

Malcolm, who had been sitting quietly in a corner, chuckled and stood up. "My shift is starting, so I’m heading out."

"Alright, good work."

Malcolm clapped a hand on Simon’s shoulder before leaving. Simon hung his president’s coat on the rack and sat down.

"Oh, and one more thing."

At his words, everyone turned, their faces suddenly anxious. Malcolm, who had been leaving, poked his head back through the door.

"I’ll do my best to make sure we can keep our positions, even after the finals."

Everyone looked at him with poignant expressions. Meirin snorted, a small smile playing on her lips. "Forget it. We don’t care. Isn’t it more important for you to keep your spot as number one in the second year?"

"That’s true, but..."

"Even if it’s not for the second semester, we can take a little break and meet again in our third year! I’m fine with that, too!"

Neither Meirin nor Kamibarez said that because they doubted Simon’s abilities, but simply to ease the pressure on him. Simon felt a surge of gratitude for their warmth.

"No, really. Simon could actually beat Senior Aizel! Seriously!" Dick blurted out tactlessly.

Meirin shot him a glare, and he flinched like a mouse cornered by a cat. "You commoner, you’re the worst! You know that?"

"Wh-What did I do?!"

Simon and Kamibarez exchanged a laugh. His first day back ended just like that, in the student council room.

---

Dick had insisted they go to Rochest to celebrate the student council’s continued existence, so Simon was a little late getting back to the dorm.

After retrieving the golem’s core, he walked at a leisurely pace toward the entrance of the Summoning Department dormitory. The old but stylish wooden building, the Forbidden Forest spread out like a painting behind it, the skeletal parts for projects scattered across the garden, and the gargoyle statue at the entrance—he had only been gone for a few weeks, but every part of the school felt dear to him.

Simon fastened his jacket and opened the door.

The inside was warm. The crackling sound of the fire tickled his ears, and the orange light was easy on his eyes. No matter how many times he came here, it felt less like a student dormitory and more like a rustic inn deep in a forest.

Just as Simon was about to check in with the dorm manager...

"So, you managed to crawl back without dying."

Across the room, Hector was scowling from his seat in the lounge. That grim expression of his never changed.

Simon smiled warmly. "Thanks for worrying about me, Hector."

"Do you have a death wish?" Hector grumbled, exhaling a puff of hot air like a dragon. A low, rumbling growl echoed in the air. "Delaying your return just for a special class. You must be taking your life at Kizen lightly."

He crossed his arms arrogantly. "While you’re catching up on all the classes you missed, I’ll keep climbing. I’m taking the top spot this semester."

"I’ll be looking forward to it."

Hector muttered as he turned back toward the lounge, "At least you’ll have more time once you step down from the presidency."

"Oh, about that. I decided to keep the position until before the final exams."

A loud ’tsk’ echoed from the lounge. Simon laughed and continued on his way.

When he reached the lobby, the dorm manager greeted him warmly. "Welcome back. I’m here to report my return."

"Please sign here. If you left any items with us during your dispatch, check the box next to it. Oh, and with your roommate’s consent, you can book a room cleaning service until tomorrow morning. Let me know if your uniform’s barrier is broken or needs mending."

Simon handed over his uniforms with their depleted barriers. As a courtesy, she gave him some medicinal patches and packs to relieve fatigue.

"Well then, rest well."

"Thank you."

Simon gathered his things and started walking. ’I hope everyone is okay.’

"Ah."

"It’s the president! You’re back!"

A few students from his department approached him. It was late, so they were all in comfortable clothes. Simon happily exchanged greetings with his classmates. "By the way, where are you all headed?"

"To the underground workshop to prepare for tomorrow’s major performance evaluation. It’s an Arachnia assembly assignment," a girl with braided hair explained, pointing to the floor. "Finals are coming up, so we’re being flooded with high-point evaluations."

"I see. Thanks for the heads-up."

No wonder it was so quiet; there was an evaluation tomorrow. ’An evaluation right after I get back.’ Simon swallowed his tears. He had planned to collapse onto his bed the moment he got to his room, but it seemed he’d have to at least skim the textbook.

"Simon?"

Just then, a girl with black hair and ruby-red eyes walked toward him. The daughter of Nephthys and the future Headmistress, Lorraine Archbold. At her appearance, the surrounding students smiled slyly and cleared a path.

"Ah, Lorraine."

"I’m glad you returned safely." She placed a hand on her chest and sighed in relief. She must have just showered; her black hair was still damp, and she carried the faint scent of soap. "Are you hurt?"

As always, she checked on him with mature concern. Every time she drew near, the clean scent lingered. Then...

"You returned quite late," she said, looking steadily into his eyes. It was a look that suggested she already knew why. After all, she was one of the few who knew he was the Legion Commander of Betrayal. When the entire Alliance was in an uproar over him, Nephthys had created an unscheduled ’special class’ and sent Simon to a region far from prying eyes.

Fortunately, the issue had died down, overshadowed by the Holy Federation’s border provocations.

’You didn’t get caught up in Mom’s strange games again, did you?’ Lorraine’s eyes seemed to ask. But Simon couldn’t answer her here.

As he hesitated, she lowered her lashes and made a new suggestion. "Do you want to go to a cafe with me tomorrow?"

It sounded almost like a date. He could see his classmates murmuring with flushed faces from a distance.

’Lorraine is making her move!’

’Right after he got back is the perfect chance.’

’Where’s Serne? How is she just watching?’

Simon smiled awkwardly and scratched the back of his head. "How about the day after tomorrow? My schedule is packed with supplementary classes tomorrow."

"Okay, then I’ll look forward to it." She turned to leave but paused to smile back at him. "Sorry for holding you up when you must be tired. Sleep well."

Simon felt his face flush as he waved to her. She seemed to be heading to the workshop to prepare for the evaluation as well.

After watching her go, Simon picked up his luggage. As Lorraine disappeared, the tension left him, replaced by a wave of bone-deep exhaustion.

’I’m... I’m gonna die.’

At this rate, he wouldn’t even be able to skim the textbook; he felt like he would pass out the moment his head hit the pillow.

He climbed the wooden stairs leading to his dorm room.

’Creak... Creak...’

He was so tired his vision swayed. Simon finally reached his room and knocked.

"Toto, it’s me. I’m coming in."

There was no answer, only the faint sound of running water. ’He must be in the shower.’

Simon opened the door. The sound of the shower was coming from the bathroom. He dropped his luggage on the bed and lay down for a moment. Back in his room, the tension completely melted away, and his body felt heavy and languid. He could fall asleep at any moment.

’No, I can’t fall asleep.’

He fought off his drowsiness and took a book out of his bag. ’Arachnia, was it? Another spider-type undead?’

He was looking for the right page in the table of contents when...

’Knock, knock.’

A knock came from the bathroom. The door opened a crack, and a hand emerged, as if demanding something.

"Do you need something?" Simon asked.

The hand retreated, and a wet towel was tossed out. He must not have a towel. Though exhausted, Simon grabbed a dry one and walked over.

’Slam!’

The bathroom door flew open. Startled, Simon stumbled back and fell. Through the thick steam, he could see a figure.

They were taller than Toto. No, before that...

It wasn’t a man.

Simon froze.

"Hmm..."

Wrapping the towel Simon had brought around her body, she walked out with light, delicate steps. Simon whipped his head to the side and shouted, "W-Wait a minute! Why are you in my room—!"

"My room? What are you talking about?" The girl with platinum blonde hair smiled. "This is my room."

’Shhhhh...’

The walls and wallpaper began to shimmer and change. In an instant, his dorm room transformed into an unfamiliar one. Too late, Simon saw the white feathers embedded in the walls dissolve into the air. She was destroying the evidence.

’Then, don’t tell me!’

Serne Aindark, the official heir of the Ivory Tower, stood there with only a towel for cover, a meaningful smile playing on her lips.

"I know it’s been a while, but still. Did you miss me that much, Simon?"

Sleep was now the furthest thing from his mind. His face beet-red, Simon shouted, "Serne! Why would you do this?!"

She just smiled and sat on her bed, raising a glass of juice. "The Student Council President of Kizen, secretly entering a female student’s room to peep. If this gets out, it will cause quite an uproar, don’t you think?"

Simon pressed a hand to his throbbing forehead. "...What is your goal here?"

"Just because I missed you?"

Her sweet smile only made his head throb more. She murmured quietly, "I mean, why did you have to go with ’her’ and make me so jealous—"

"What did you say?"

"It’s nothing." Serne crossed her legs and raised a fingertip. "Then, as payment, why don’t you tell me first? What happened in the North."