The evening breeze swept through the courtyard, bringing a trace of coolness into the corridor.
Ais blinked in confusion as she walked toward Lefiya's room.
She was sure she had just heard something. Why had it suddenly gone quiet?
"Lefiya, are you back?"
Ais stood outside the door, repeating her earlier question like a doll.
Prying into someone else's privacy was wrong.
But if everyone had gone out to train and left an opening for intruders, that would be even worse.
Ais reached out, about to open Lefiya's door.
The next moment, Lefiya's voice called out from inside the room. "A-Ais-san, I'm back!"
"Oh... Do you want to go to the dining hall for dinner?"
Ais stopped and asked.
Her face looked a little tired. She had clearly just come back from combat training.
Ais did not notice that Lefiya was not the only person in the room.
"I-I'm not feeling very well. Ais-san, please go ahead without me!"
Lefiya turned down Ais's invitation.
"Mm..."
Ais nodded and turned to leave.
At a time like this, Lefiya would normally have opened the door happily and gone with her to the dining hall.
Could she be sick?
I should tell the others...
As Ais's footsteps gradually faded away, Lefiya stood by the door and let out a long breath.
Because of the blonde girl's sudden arrival, Lefiya had lost her head for a moment and shoved Bell into the room.
She did not know why she felt the need to hide. She only had a premonition that if Ais saw her being so intimate with Bell Cranel, something very bad would happen.
After all, Lefiya was still trying to figure out whether Ais liked the boy.
"You permanently horny rabbit, wh-where are you looking?"
Lefiya was completely overwhelmed.
On one hand, with the boy here, she had not had time to change and could only grab a white pillowcase to cover herself. On the other hand, there really were far too many things in the room that she could not let him see.
"I just thought this room was really cute. It feels very much like Lefiya-san."
Bell answered softly.
It was a standard double room, but like a painter had spilled their palette, the left and right sides showed two completely different appearances.
One side was a sunny pale yellow, with everything neatly arranged. The cabinet had hand-drawn smiley faces on it, showing off the owner's lively and cheerful personality.
The other side was filled with girlish pink. A pillow with a white rabbit design rested on the bed, and besides many books and cute decorations, there was also a glass jar on the desk, filled with Crystal Drops that sparkled in the light.
On the calendar hanging on the wall, today's date had been marked with a pink watercolor pen, as though emphasizing how important this day was.
Finally, Bell's gaze landed on a novel. On the open title page was a romantic illustration of a prince kissing a princess.
"T-That belongs to my roommate, Elfy-san! She's still so careless. She came over to my side to read novels again..."
Lefiya picked up the romance novel from the desk and casually stuffed it into a pile of magic books.
"Mm..."
Lefiya froze for a moment, then pulled the novel back out and threw it onto the desk on the opposite side.
"Judging from the way things are arranged, Lefiya-san's roommate doesn't seem like that kind of person."
From the placement of her belongings alone, Bell could tell that Elfy-san was a cheerful and earnest person.
"That's all just on the surface! Actually, Elfy-san likes drinking, and she's always gossiping with me about other people."
Lefiya sold out her roommate without the slightest hesitation.
Since that always-smiling human girl was not here, there was no need for her to be considerate.
"Is that so..."
Bell did not sense any sign of a lie.
"..."
Lefiya pursed her lips.
She had barely managed to bluff her way through.
There was absolutely no way she could let the boy stay here!
Lefiya swept a fierce gaze over the things in the room and said, "Hurry up and get out. I need to change!"
"Okay."
Just as Bell walked toward the door, hurried footsteps and voices rang out at the same time.
"Lefiya, we heard you weren't feeling well?"
"We're coming in!"
Tione sounded a little worried, while Tiona was as lacking in boundaries as ever. The two of them stepped into the room and found Lefiya holding a pillowcase in front of herself, with no one else around.
"I'm changing. Don't just barge in like that..."
Lefiya complained.
"Sorry. We thought you were sick. This is all because Ais was talking nonsense."
Tione let out a light sigh.
"Lefiya, you look fine?"
Tiona asked softly.
"Yeah. I'll go to the dining hall in a bit, so you two go ahead."
Lefiya sent the two of them away.
"That's weird... Why do I feel like I smell Argonaut-kun?"
"Are you a dog? I told you to act more ladylike. Can't you see Lefiya is troubled?"
Tiona sniffed the air in the room, while Tione dragged her younger sister out.
"..."
Bell hid under the bed, unable to describe what he was feeling.
Tiona and the others must have trained themselves to extreme exhaustion, or they would never have failed to notice his presence.
But he had only escorted Lefiya back out of goodwill. Even if he had openly explained everything, it would not have been a problem. So why did it now feel like he was having an affair?
As the Amazoness sisters' footsteps faded away, Bell looked at the slender legs in front of him and was about to come out when another voice sounded from outside the room.
"Lefiya, are you changing? If you're done, open the door."
Riveria's tone was gentle, but she did not seem to have any intention of leaving.
"Mm... okay!"
Whether she had recalled that Spartan-style education or was simply worried about the current situation, Lefiya trembled unconsciously.
In the peaceful stillness of the night, the rustle of fabric seemed especially loud.
"Hurry."
Riveria urged her softly.
"I-I know!"
Lefiya knew the boy was hiding under the bed. She had wanted to avoid his gaze and slowly change her clothes, but Riveria did not give her that much time.
"Ugh..."
Blushing furiously, Lefiya sat on the edge of the bed, took off the knee-high stockings stained with white fluid, and changed into a fresh pair.
After changing, she lightly tapped the floor twice with her foot, signaling the boy not to come out.
"Riveria-sama, is something the matter?"
Lefiya opened the door and asked timidly.
"..."
Riveria narrowed her eyes. With a single glance, she spotted the torn white stockings and clothes on the bed.
She blinked thoughtfully and said, "I want to hear about the results of your Concurrent Chanting practice. May I come in?"
"Can we talk here?"
Lefiya asked softly.
"Why? Are you hiding something in your room that you don't want anyone to know about?"
Riveria gave her a scrutinizing look.
"I-I understand. Please come in..."
Lefiya opened the door dejectedly.
Under the gaze of those sapphire-blue eyes, Riveria walked straight into the room and sat down on the bed.