When Miroku awoke, she found herself in a hospital room.

Considering she’d been prepared for death, the calmness felt oddly anticlimactic.

Even more curious was that no fuss had been made when she woke. It wasn’t some grand moment of returning from the brink of death; rather, everything had been managed in a quiet, composed manner.

A doctor had checked on her briefly, but beyond that, there had been nothing.

Learning that the child who had been with her, as well as Narou Kei, were both safe, Miroku now found herself with little to do.

After about three days of this idle time, visitors finally arrived.

“Oh, it’s you two? You’re here to speak with me?”

Two young students stood before Miroku.

Their uniforms were instantly recognizable by anyone in the academy city: they were from Mikage Academy, one of the Four Great Schools.

“Thank you for seeing us on such short notice. I’m Gatou Touraku, and this is Agiri Rinka.”

“Nice to meet you. How are you feeling?”

“Oh, I’m doing well. When I collapsed, I actually had a hole in my stomach, you know? But now, look—it’s perfectly healed.”

Saying this, Miroku pulled up her hospital gown, revealing her stomach.

“Ah!”

Touraku let out a strangled yelp, quickly turning his head. But his sharp vision had already taken in the sight of her completely healed, pale stomach.

With Miroku tilting her head in confusion and Touraku blushing furiously, Rinka observed them and quickly grasped the nature of the person before her.

“Well, it’s good there’s no wound anymore. So, you can cover up your stomach now. We wouldn’t want you catching a cold.”

“Oh, you’re right. Hehe, the hospital at Mikage Academy really is amazing. Even someone as close to death as me was healed so completely.”

Rinka heard this and understood something.

(It must have been Sorciera who healed her.)

By the time Rinka and Touraku arrived, Miroku had been entirely free of any injuries. However, from Miroku’s words, it sounded as though she had been on the verge of death.

If there was anyone around Miroku capable of healing such a wound, it could only be Sorciera.

Or perhaps Narou Kei, in Miroku’s case.

(It seems she doesn’t know Narou Kei is Sorciera.)

Rinka had already heard from Touraku that Narou Kei went by that name at Fectom Academy.

“Please, take a seat. I was getting a bit bored.”

“Excuse us, then. Touraku, it’s fine now; you can turn around.”

“Oh, right.”

Still avoiding her gaze, Touraku sat down as Rinka tugged him by the sleeve. Once seated, Rinka began to speak.

“As we mentioned before, we’d like to ask you about Narou Kei.”

“Yes, of course.”

Miroku replied with a smile.

Rinka and Touraku’s purpose for this visit was to investigate why Narou Kei had gone to Fectom Academy.

There were too many unknowns surrounding her, so they wanted to speak with someone who attended the same academy.

“Oh, but first…why do you want to know about Kei?”

(So, she’s a bit cautious. Well, that’s understandable.)

With her soft smile, Miroku’s expression appeared sincere in her question. Yet Rinka caught a hint of guardedness beneath it.

(Of course, we came prepared for this.)

Rinka deliberately looked downcast, hesitating slightly before sliding a piece of paper towards Miroku.

“This is the reason.”

“…This…”

As Miroku read the document, her expression grew increasingly severe. By the end, her smile had vanished.

“Are you saying Kei is the culprit in the amusement park incident?”

“This is just a possibility.”

The paper was a report on the incident. Though it looked genuine, Rinka had forged it through completely illegal means.

Naturally, Narou Kei wasn’t under suspicion, but there was no way Miroku, who’d been confined to the hospital, could have known that.

“That’s ridiculous! Do you realize how much Kei has done for us? He’s even risked his own life to protect us!”

Seeing the outrage in Miroku’s expression, Rinka nodded.

“I agree; it doesn’t seem right. That’s why we want to prove Kei’s innocence by learning more about him.”

Pointing at Touraku, Rinka continued.

“Touraku here was also close to Narou Kei at Mikage Academy and has already given a statement in his defense. But we need just one more testimony to clear him fully, and we’d like to hear from someone who was with him that day.”

With a sigh of relief, Miroku nodded.

“…I see.”

“Yes. So, as I said, most suspicions are already cleared. However, we still need to keep it on file as you see in that report. I apologize that we couldn’t handle this on our own.”

Rinka bowed her head in apology. Seeing this, Miroku frantically shook her head.

“No, no, please! I should be the one apologizing for overreacting.”

As Miroku spoke, Rinka casually analyzed Narou Kei’s position at Fectom Academy.

(Hmm, judging by her reaction, it’s more of a close comradery than a romantic attachment. Apparently, there were three people in that closed-off group before Kei joined them. That bond must be pretty solid.)

Narou Kei was attending Fectom Academy as a male.

To Rinka, Miroku was quite a beauty. According to Mihaya and Touraku, the other two were also beautiful.

Ordinarily, a lone male wouldn’t fit comfortably in such a group.

(Narou Kei’s extreme selflessness…bordering on madness.)

Rinka understood that his behavior differed greatly at Mikage Academy. Touraku had mentioned that Kei used to wear the mask of an arrogant person.

(Well, this is where my work begins.)

Rinka smiled warmly.

“So, tell me more about what Kei was like that day.”

“Oh, right. So, on that day, he had started a part-time job I introduced him to…”

As Miroku recounted her story, Rinka jotted down notes, comparing her words with surviving security footage. There was little discrepancy.

(Interesting, it wasn’t Sorciera who came to that attack—she’d planned her own ambush at dusk, and Kei’s new job invitation just happened to coincide with it. Fascinating.)

Rinka saw no further insights to extract from the account, so she shifted topics.

“…I see. Now, what is Kei like at Fectom Academy?”

“You mean his behavior at school? Well, he’s really kind…so much so that I almost feel guilty.”

“Is that so? There were some baseless rumors at our school that he was involved in bullying. But it seems they were just that—baseless.”

“That’s absolutely impossible for him.”

Watching Miroku’s firm response, Rinka sensed a slight anomaly.

(Hmm… What’s this feeling?)

Rinka then motioned to Touraku, saying, “Now, he’ll ask the questions.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you know Narou Kei best from Mikage Academy. Go ahead.”

“Oh, okay… Well, is he doing alright over there?”

“Like a father, huh?” Rinka remarked inwardly.

Then, leaving the conversation to Touraku, she focused on observation and thought.

“Fufu, are you Kei-kun’s friend? Yes, he’s doing well. Kei-kun has always been a great help to me, truly.”

“I see… That’s good to hear.”

“You two were close, weren’t you?”

“Well, yes.”

After a brief pause, Touraku nodded.

“He’s the one who gave me the push to dive into dungeons. He’s a benefactor to me.”

These were honest words from Touraku.

Despite various reasons keeping him out of dungeons, Kei had once allowed him in, even if it was for a petty prank.

And knowing that even that prank was actually a camouflage, there was no longer any resentment toward Narou Kei.

“I was never able to do anything for him. I couldn’t even recognize the real him. So, if he’s able to be his true self now, I’m glad.”

“…Yes, we wish for that as well.”

As she listened to the conversation, Rinka pinpointed the cause of her discomfort.

(The trust they have in Narou Kei is just… too much.)

Such unwavering trust in a male student who’s only been here a month.

One could call it unusual.

(It’s hard to think Narou Kei simply charmed his way in… In that case…)

Could there be some additional value to Narou Kei?

“Oh, by the way, do you think Narou Kei might be the next student council president at Fectom Academy?”

“Huh? What makes you say that, Rinka?”

“Well, he’s quite capable, and I got curious. If that’s the case, it might be a good favor for us to help him out now, don’t you think?”

With a teasing smile, Rinka conveyed this to Touraku.

Miroku, overhearing, chuckled softly.

“Yes, if he were to take on the role, he’d surely make a wonderful student council president.”

“You’re currently the student council president, right, Miroku-san?”

“Yes, that’s right. Believe it or not, I’m the president!”

With that, Miroku puffed out her chest proudly.

“At Fectom Academy, is the student council president chosen by nomination? Like the current president choosing the next?”

“Well, with the small student body, it naturally turned out that way.”

“Does that mean you were chosen by the previous president, Miroku-san?”

“…Yes, that’s right.”

With a smile, Rinka clasped her hands together.

“Then the previous president must be at ease. If Narou Kei follows after you, Fectom Academy might make a comeback.”

“Yes… Even if I’m no longer here, Kei-kun would manage.”

As she spoke, Miroku’s gaze dropped slightly, her hand gripping the bed sheet a bit tighter.

Rinka didn’t miss this detail.

(Ah, this is it.)

Having learned much about human emotions in the Silver Dusk, she could easily understand Miroku.

(There’s another person between Narou Kei and her bond of trust—likely the previous student council president. Kei and she were indirectly connected even before they met.)

This explains how Kei could adapt so quickly to Fectom Academy.

He was already connected to Fectom Academy in some way.

With this, a new figure surfaced as she investigated Narou Kei.

(The former student council president of Fectom Academy… That might be the next lead.)

The reason why she specifically transferred to Fectom Academy remains unknown.

However, she had a lead.

Observing Miroku, Rinka organized her thoughts.

(Still, this Miroku… Her smile and gestures feel somewhat imitative. Not consciously, but maybe something ingrained from being around someone for so long… or perhaps it’s from admiration. But that’s not relevant right now.)

She had gathered all the information she could here.

If she continued talking with Miroku, Rinka would likely be able to extract everything.

But she chose not to.

(I just want to help Kei. I can’t cause further trouble for her loved ones.)

Having achieved her objective, Rinka closed her notebook, making a deliberate motion, and bowed her head.

“Thank you very much. This should be enough to ensure Kei’s safety.”

“Really? That’s a relief.”

“Yes. All that’s left is to ask him directly about his actions that day. I’m glad he seems like a good person.”

“Fufu, he’s one of our school’s pride and joy.”

Miroku said this with a smile.

“Well then, shall we go, Touraku?”

“Oh, yes… Thank you.”

“Not at all; don’t mention it.”

Taking one last look at Miroku, who waved them off, Rinka bowed once more.

(That person… she probably intends to die.)

Finally, Rinka found the answer to the uneasy feeling she sensed in the conversation, though unrelated to Narou Kei.

But Rinka knew better than anyone that she couldn’t resolve that matter.

(Kei, are you planning to save her too?)

Until the door closed, Miroku kept her smile.