“Miss.”

“Huh?”

Recently, Klaha seemed to have a strange affinity for beautiful people.

Ziel, whom she first met, was a handsome young man, his refined features complemented by his frame typical of a budding swordsman. Then there was Saint Lililia, who needed no further explanation.

Now, seated next to her at this diner, was another strikingly beautiful person—someone with purple hair.

At first glance, their gender was difficult to discern.

“What’s the most delicious dish here?”

“Uh…”

They wore a loose outer garment over a snug black inner top. Though their neck was slender, the rest of their figure was concealed.

Sitting down, their height suggested they were tall for a woman but slightly short for a man.

The purple hair was shoulder-length, just barely touching it. Their almond-shaped, slightly upturned eyes lacked sharpness, and unlike the saint she had seen before, their gaze carried a playful, nonchalant glint that was as mesmerizing as the shimmering stars.

They were a stranger to Klaha.

“If it’s your first time here, I’d recommend the hamburger steak set. It’s the classic choice…”

Still, Klaha calmly answered their question. Let’s use the neutral pronoun “they” to describe them.

Klaha was naturally approachable.

People at her usual spots quickly remembered her face and name. Strangers often asked her for directions, and it wasn’t uncommon for lost children to cling to her for help.

This seemed no different.

“Well then, what if… I told you it wasn’t my first time here?”

Even the “boku” they used for “I” didn’t clarify their gender.

Adventurers had diverse backgrounds. It wasn’t unusual to see women using “ore” or men saying “atashi.”

Besides, their tone was oddly theatrical.

Oh well, Klaha thought. It didn’t matter.

“Everything here is delicious, but,” Klaha prefaced,

“The special set comes with three portions of pork cutlet, and rice refills are free.”

She regretted saying this almost immediately.

Though their appearance made it hard to tell, they didn’t seem like someone who ate large portions.

Realizing she had spoken from her own preferences, she hesitated to take it back.

“Thanks. That’s exactly what I wanted to know.”

But they smiled faintly.

With a graceful movement, they raised their hand. The simple act was so refined that the waiter approached even before they called out.

“I’ll have two orders of the special set.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t worry. I have a big appetite.”

True to their words, they devoured the massive portions of pork cutlets with remarkable ease. After finishing about four servings, they had already refilled their rice seven times. The eighth refill came in a large bowl big enough to hold three servings, as the waiter, noticing the trend, brought it out preemptively.

“Ah, this is delicious,” they said with a grin.

Then, turning back to Klaha, they spoke again.

“By the way…”

They glanced at Klaha’s table.

“Is that soba all you’re having?”

Indeed, the only item on Klaha’s table was a single bowl of soba.

Food was a basic necessity for adventurers. Usually, she wouldn’t settle for such a light lunch.

But today—

“…I don’t have much of an appetite.”

“Hmm.”

They continued eating their special set with unrelenting vigor, finishing it off just as quickly.

After ordering and swiftly finishing the same soba Klaha had, they stood up, receipt in hand.

And then, they said:

“You don’t seem like a bad person.”

“—Huh?”

“In any case, I’ll see to it myself. So, just wait.”

Their tone implied they knew something.

“Um…”

“Thanks for the tip. You’ve got great taste.”

Without waiting for her response, they exited the diner.

“Huh…?”

Klaha, working the afternoon shift, left the diner and headed straight to the party's lodging.

The Next Apex party’s lodging wasn’t just a place where members ate and slept. It also served as a warehouse for equipment and supplies, and an office for necessary paperwork—a true headquarters.

On days without expeditions, the place would usually be bustling.

But today—

“There’s no one…?”

Puzzled, she headed to her locker, stowed her bag, hung her coat, and moved towards the office.

No one was there.

“Holland?”

“Yo.”

Except for one person.

“What brings you here? It’s rare to see you on this side.”

As she approached, she asked:

“…Why is no one here?”

Holland, stroking his beard streaked with white, replied:

“Godaha hasn’t been seen since this morning.”

“…What?”

“They’re saying he might’ve gone missing.”

Klaha’s eyes widened.

“Is there any reason to suspect that?”

“Think it’s an overreaction? …I don’t.”

He leaned back in his chair, tilting his head toward the ceiling.

“That guy has every reason to run.”

The rest of the team had gone out searching to keep this from spreading.

“Klaha, you’re here from noon till night, right?”

“Yes.”

“They left you here as the information hub. I stayed to pass the message.”

Understood, Klaha replied.

But Holland remained seated.

“Holy Knight.”

“—!”

“You’re an open book.”

He chuckled awkwardly.

“Learn some poker face. You’re versatile—that’s your strength. It’s better to be prepared for anything. So…”

Not looking at her, he asked:

"Did you tell them?"

"...Yes, I did."

"In situations like that, just pretend you don’t know anything and answer, ‘What are you talking about?’ That’s what you should’ve done."

Holland let out a dry laugh again.

Without meeting her eyes.

"I see," he muttered as if sighing.

"So you let it slip, huh..."

"What did he say? That holy knight... Arinate, was it? Did they come to your house directly?"

"Yes. At night."

"They came to my house at night too. Must’ve been considerate of the public eye."

Klaha clenched her fists tightly out of sight as she continued,

"They mentioned it’d be difficult to align testimonies if I were the only one to corroborate. They said it’s hard to track anything about Ziel, since he is not registered as an adventurer, let alone as a party member for The Next Apex. Not even the documents help."

"…I see. They’ve been that thorough, huh."

"But they also said that, considering all that, additional investigations would be conducted. I don’t know the details, though."

"Even if you did, it’d be better not to talk about them to anyone."

Finally, Holland glanced at Klaha.

"Are you really not worried about telling me all this? What if I misuse it somehow?"

"Sir Arinate said it might actually act as a deterrent, so I was told it’s fine to answer any questions I’m asked."

"Knights sure think things through..."

"And besides,"

Klaha couldn’t quite meet his gaze as she replied,

"Because I trust you, Holland."

"Enough of that."

He waved her off, standing up.

"Don’t place strange expectations on me... And don’t tell anyone else about this. Sure, it might apply some pressure, but it’ll also put your own position in danger. We can’t be sure Godach isn’t still lingering nearby."

"...Understood."

"Good. Glad you’re being reasonable."

After a clumsy smile, Holland suddenly dropped his expression.

"...If push comes to shove, pack your things and leave this town."

"Wha—"

"This situation has escalated way too much. There’s a report of an Arcmage being sighted."

An Arcmage.

Klaha repeated the words silently to herself.

An internationally recognized title, granted by the Magic Alliance to only seven individuals at present.

To simplify it: of all the mages in the world, one of the seven most powerful had come here.

"Additional investigations," Sir Arinate had said.

Surely not... That was her immediate thought.

"And it’s The Star Arcmage, of all people. Our party barely scraped by with an A-rank thanks to Godach’s cursed sword. To be honest, I already felt we were out of our league with Abbyss. But now, it’s far worse."

"Something unprecedented is going to happen," Holland stated, as if foretelling a catastrophe.

"What do you mean by unprecedented?"

"Who knows... Hey, did you receive anything from that legendary hero?"

One thing came to mind.

Klaha opened her mouth to answer but was stopped by Holland raising his hand.

"Never mind. Don’t say it. Not to me or anyone else. This morning, the room he was staying in was cleared out—everything gone. It was cleaned out, erased. That’s why everyone else suspects Godach has disappeared too."

"Listen," Holland said, lowering his voice.

"Right now, the only evidence left tying that guy to our party is whatever you’ve got. Even if it seems insignificant, keep it safe. Someday, it might be your lifeline."

"Holland, why are you..."

Klaha’s words were muddled by conflicting emotions: gratitude for his concern and bewilderment at why he cared so much.

Both feelings collided within her, making it impossible to articulate anything coherent.

"You stand on the side of what’s right."

Holland said this, looking straight at Klaha.

"As you get older, you’ll find there are more and more situations where you can’t stand where you want to... You’ll become paralyzed under the weight of everything you’ve accumulated. It might sound like an excuse, but..."

"..."

"But that’s not you. You’re not at the point where you’ll drown in regret. Not yet. This is just an old man’s meddling."

He finished speaking and began to walk away.

As he passed her, he lightly patted her shoulder.

"Your archery’s improving."

Klaha caught her breath,

"You... were watching me?"

"From here on, focus on your timing and objectives. You’ll be C-rank before long."

Without looking back, he raised one hand in a casual farewell.

Klaha watched him leave for a while before slipping her hand into her jacket’s inner pocket to confirm it was still there.

A small case.

Inside was the pair of glasses Ziel had left behind.