Sniffling and crying.

Icca was.

“Guh… Klaha-saaan… why don’t you just stay forever…?”

“I’m sorry, Klaha-san. It seems like now that it’s actually time for you to go, he suddenly couldn’t hold back his tears.”

Klaha and Ziel gave a strained laugh.

They were standing in front of the carriage house.

About to board the carriage that would take them out of this town.

“D-don’t forget about me, okay?”

“Of course not! Thank you for everything.”

“Ziel, did he do this the last time too?”

“No, not at all. Back then, he was out catching stag beetles and didn’t even show up.”

“I don’t chase stag beetles anymore,” Icca said.

These days, it was all about dogs.

The summer sun was as relentless as ever.

The sky was nothing but blue, and the humid wind did nothing to cool them down. The sound of cicadas filled the air, making it feel as if they were submerged at the bottom of a scorching-hot puddle.

“Well, summers around here are brutally hot. Honestly, I think heading somewhere cooler wouldn’t be a bad idea. So, where are you going again?”

“South.”

“Are you an idiot?”

“Yeah, I kind of think so too.”

Chikano chuckled.

“Well, as long as you’re with Klaha-san, you can come back anytime. If you ever feel like you absolutely have to lose to someone, come back. I’ll be happy to grant that wish.”

“Once I feel like the gap between us is due to my accumulated experiences, I’ll come back.”

“Aren’t you embarrassed? Only coming back when you think you can win…”

“Aren’t you just using me for your own satisfaction?”

“A twisted kind of friendship.”

“Don’t say that yourself.”

While Ziel and Chikano carried on their shady conversation, Icca turned to Klaha.

“…Hey, can I say something serious?”

“Yes. What is it?”

“To be completely, totally honest… at first, I underestimated you, Klaha-san.”

Klaha flinched at the blunt statement.

But of course, there was more.

“I mean, you helped me, and you fought alongside me, but… it’s hard to put into words… I just…”

“Yes?”

“I think I really respect you now.”

“Thank you very much.”

He bowed deeply.

“—The feeling is mutual. Icca-san, you gave me so much courage.”

“Thank you very much.”

Klaha bowed deeply in return.

For a full three seconds.

When they both straightened up, hesitantly—

Icca raised both hands in front of him.

“…Uh, that thing. The one you always do with Ziel-senpai. Can I?”

“—Of course!”

It was, naturally, the signal for a high-five.

“Yay!”

“Yay!”

Chikano, watching them with a smile alongside Ziel, suddenly spoke up.

“—Shall we do it too?”

“Fine, but don’t go all out. It'll turn into a fight.”

“Two birds with one stone.”

“Don’t.”

“I knooow,” Chikano said.

Though whether she really did or not was another question.

“Yaaay!”

“Ow—hey!”

With an explosive smack, Klaha flinched, and Icca burst out laughing.

And in the end, Chikano and Ziel laughed too.

And that was how their journey began.

“Oh,”

“Ah,”

Inside the carriage.

As it rattled along, Ziel noticed something being pulled out and spoke up.

Klaha hesitated for a moment, then held it up to show him the title.

“List of Good Things”

“Already?”

“Already. …Today, I was told so many wonderful things.”

“That’s great.”

“Yes. It really is.”

While Klaha wrote, Ziel turned his gaze outside so she wouldn’t feel self-conscious.

They were passing through the mountains that had once been a battleground, known as the Resonating Mountain… but now, there was no sign of that past. Only the thick scent of summer filled his lungs.

When the sound of her pen stopped, Ziel figured she was done and turned back.

“…Oh.”

She had taken out a second notebook.

The title read—

“List of Bad Things”

“…That one too, huh.”

“Yes. Um… Chikano-san told me I shouldn’t, but…”

She lowered her gaze slightly.

“This list has helped me a lot too…”

“…Actually, I made one of those too, a long time ago.”

“…Huh?”

Klaha looked surprised.

“But I lost it pretty quickly,” Ziel admitted with an awkward chuckle.

“But, well… I think, for me, it was just a way to vent stress. Writing it down made me feel better at the time. So, I don’t think you have to change everything all at once. As long as you’re not doing it just to hurt yourself.”

“…Yes. Thank you very much.”

Ziel nodded and turned his gaze back outside.

The pen's scratching sound was a little shorter this time.

He figured a third notebook might appear, so he kept his face turned away for a while.

Then—

A breeze brushed against the back of his head.

And when he turned around—

Klaha was fanning him, using the "List of Things That Went Wrong" as a makeshift fan.

Ziel let out a chuckle.

Come to think of it, he had paper too.

Reaching into his bag, he grabbed the bundle of paper that was supposed to become letters and—

"Wha—!"

He sent a strong gust of wind Klaha's way.

"Thanks. Consider it a return favor."

"Um, the balance here is completely—"

Seeing her bangs starting to flutter wildly, Ziel figured it was too much and quickly stopped.

Klaha promptly fixed her hair, then—

They exchanged a look and laughed.

"We're heading to the southern country next, right?"

Klaha spoke up.

"I've never been there, so I'm looking forward to it! Um, I suppose it's a hot place?"

"Not sure. Some people say the summers in the eastern country are worse. But yeah, the sun is harsh. Even if it's hot, you should wear long sleeves."

"Oh, but I don’t get sunburned that easily..."

"No, it's almost like getting burned. Same with the western deserts."

"Ah! I read about that in a book!"

"Knew you'd be familiar with it," Ziel said.

"Oh, no, not that much, really," Klaha replied hastily.

Then, she quickly changed the subject.

"The reason for heading south..."

"The letter from Eunice?"

"Yes. I was wondering... you haven’t replied yet, have you? Oh, sorry, that was nosy of me..."

"Not at all," Ziel said. "You always send my letters for me. If anything, I should be thanking you."

"But actually, I don’t need to send one this time."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. We’ll be meeting soon, so we decided to hold off on writing until then. That way, we'll have more to talk about when we see each other. So now I’m just wondering what to do with this stack of paper... huh?"

"? What’s wrong—ah,"

Before Klaha could bend down to pick it up, Ziel had already retrieved it.

It was a small piece of paper.

Far from the size of a letter sheet.

"A scrap?"

"Yeah. Must’ve torn off from—"

He couldn't finish the sentence.

The handwriting was too familiar.

'If you ever feel like crying, I'll come help you. Consider it payback.

Thanks.'

"...So it was from that time."

"...?"

Ziel let out a wry chuckle.

That sneaky bastard.

She must’ve slipped it into Ziel’s sleeve right before their high-five. It must have fallen out when he moved just now.

"Ziel?"

"Ah, it's nothing. Just a memo—"

"Oh, sorry! I noticed there's something written on the back too, so I got curious."

"Huh?"

Flipping it over, he read:

'P.S.: Say it now.'

"...Wha—"

"Ziel? Your face just went pale..."

"...Klaha, listen."

Ziel finally gave in.

If he didn’t say it now, he never would.

It felt like Chikano had just given him the push he needed.

Now was the time.

He had to say it.

"I actually have something important to tell you."

"Yes! I’m ready! I can handle it!"

"Wait, what?"

His breath hitched—was that relief or surprise?

"I’ve been told already. I’m ready anytime!"

"Told...?"

"Ah, yes. Valdfried-san mentioned it, just in case..."

"What."

What.

What.

What.

Ziel's mind spun.

His master had given him all that grief—saying he was "not in his right mind," "he should say it himself," "stop coming up with excuses and acknowledge how messed up he is"—

And yet, behind the scenes...

He had already told Klaha?

That was... really not good.

And yet, somehow, it was also... a relief.

For once, he actually felt grateful to his master.

"I see. Then it's fine."

"Yes!"

Ziel relaxed completely.

Which was why, so carelessly, he said:

"The curse on my eye is actually twofold—one from a dragon, one from a wolf.

And if I don’t break the wolf’s curse—I'll be dead in about two years."

"Eh—?"

By the time he noticed Klaha’s reaction, it was too late.

Outside the carriage, the sky was impossibly blue.

So blue that, combined with the summer sunlight, it felt like he could see all the way into space.

The rustling leaves, the dappled light, the sound of cicadas—

All of them quivered violently under the rare, ear-piercing scream of one utterly stunned girl.

Then, that scream was swallowed up by the endless blue.

The carriage continued down the summer highway, slowly moving farther away.

Inside that carriage, one deeply panicked young man sat with a letter tucked away in his bag.

'To Ziel

To Lililia

This is a request from the Magic Federation!

Come on a grand adventure with me to the great ancient ruins!

Hurry up and get here—I’ll be waiting!!

From Eunice'