At noon, after learning about Kiana Kaslana's situation, Theresa Apocalypse set off from St. Freya Academy.
By evening—
She had already arrived in Nagazora City.
And through surveillance footage from the main streets, she obtained some very important information.
Along the way, Theresa's petite appearance naturally attracted the attention of kind-hearted older girls, who tried to help what looked like a lost child.
In response—
She calmly took out her identification.
And, of course, nothing happened after that.
These small incidents didn't matter.
Theresa had experienced them many times before.
In the past, she would always bring Major Himeko along when going out—
But this time, she came alone.
Because the fewer people who knew about Kiana, the better.
Now—
Theresa was extremely glad she hadn't brought Himeko.
Because what she discovered was—
Shocking.
Kiana…
Was very likely secretly living in a boys' dormitory.
Together with the only male student residing there.
This—
Was a scandal.
A family scandal.
And such things—
Must never be spread.
Theresa was already seriously considering whether she should make the guy who "seduced her adorable niece" quietly disappear from the world.
There was no way her niece would be so careless—
To fall in love at first sight with some random boy—
And even live with him?!
That was impossible!
Which meant—
That boy must have ulterior motives.
Crossing the street and heading toward the dormitory location she had identified—
Theresa stopped at the entrance.
She took a deep breath—
Barely suppressing her dissatisfaction—
And reached out to press the doorbell.
Then she realized—
There was no doorbell.
And worse—
The lock on the main door was broken.
Though it had been partially concealed, it was obvious upon closer inspection.
Aside from feeling a bit pleased that she could enter without alerting anyone—
Theresa also felt a growing sense of concern.
If the exterior looked fine but the lock was broken—
Did that mean the entire dorm was actually abandoned?
Full of dust, cobwebs, and neglect?
And Kiana was living in a place like this?!
Her resentment toward that "suspicious boy" intensified.
Meanwhile—
Inside the dormitory—
Kiana heard movement.
She poked her head out from the corridor—
And when she saw that it wasn't Hikari Aoi but a stranger—
She quickly pulled back, flustered.
Fortunately—
She believed she hadn't been noticed.
Instead of stepping out to confront the intruder—
Kiana began thinking.
For once.
Could it be… a dorm supervisor sent by the school?
No… doesn't look like it.
The figure didn't resemble a teacher or staff member.
More like a student—
But with that height?
Middle schooler at best… maybe even an elementary school kid?!
Why is an elementary schooler in a high school boys' dorm?!
After internally complaining for a while—
Kiana took out her phone and sent a message to Hikari Aoi.
"There's a kid in the dorm.
I can't show up since I'm technically living here illegally.
Hurry back."
Luckily—
Theresa didn't enter the corridor.
If she had—
The broken door to Kiana's room would have been impossible to miss.
Instead—
She headed straight for the stairs.
Going up.
She didn't plan to knock on every room—
In her mind, the boy wouldn't be living on the first floor.
This assumption—
Gave Kiana and Hikari Aoi some breathing room.
A few kilometers away—
Hikari Aoi was, as usual, spending time with Raiden Mei.
Chatting.
And tasting the increasingly delicious sweets she made.
When he saw the message—
He raised an eyebrow in slight surprise.
Noticing this, Mei—who had been quietly watching him with a gentle smile—asked softly:
"Did something happen?"
"My dorm… well, it's a bit complicated. I'll explain it to you tomorrow."
"I need to head back now. Sorry."
"It's alright."
Mei watched him leave.
She didn't walk him to the gate.
Not because she didn't want to—
But because Hikari Aoi never used the main entrance.
After all—
This was a girls' school.
He couldn't be seen.
If she walked him to the wall—
And watched him climb over it—
That would feel… strange.
So she simply stood there—
Watching him go.
Yet—
His sudden departure didn't make her feel relieved.
Instead—
She felt…
A little empty.
Mei wasn't the type to grow tired of people.
She didn't lose interest just because she spent more time with someone.
For her—
Every evening spent with Hikari Aoi—
Chatting.
Practicing swordsmanship.
Watching him enjoy the sweets she made—
Was something she genuinely cherished.
She had already grown used to his daily presence.
So when he suddenly left early—
It felt…
Off.
Thinking about it—
Hikari Aoi had always been the one to come find her.
Maybe…
I should go find him sometime.
After all—
Sneaking in and out of a girls' academy every day—
Wasn't exactly safe.
And then—
A thought crossed her mind.
Who sent that message?
She had recently looked into information about Hikari Aoi's school.
There were no reports of new male transfers.
Which meant—
The person messaging him…
Was most likely—
A girl.
If it were a teacher—
They would have called, not texted.
For some reason—
Mei found herself thinking about it.
Quite a lot.
A little…
Too much.