Eris smiled brightly as she received the teacup. Eve thought to herself, “She’s such a beautiful person,” remembering how a man once praised her looks while spitting in excitement.
“So, what does it mean?”
Eve brought the tea she brewed to her lips. While researching tea ceremonies for her last work, she read that tea is about boiling one’s heart.
Could that be why?
The tea tasted astringent. Regretting giving such tea to Eris, she thought about brewing another, but Eris was savoring it, saying it tasted good.
“Oh right, you said your taste is unique.”
Living only in the forest, she liked stimulating flavors and preferred tastes that can be polarizing for humans. Daniel told her that her favorite drink tasted like pine cones.
What exactly does that taste like?
“Meaning? Ah, you mean what Sherpa said, right?”
Eris laughed, saying she forgot because the tea was delicious. Eve felt that Eris was different now than she was three years ago.
Before, she’d try hard not to lose her grace no matter the moment, but now she approached Eve as just an elf friend—light and friendly.
“I’m looking for a way to resurrect someone, and I wondered if you could help.”
Clank!
Eve’s sudden jump shook the desk. Her knees hit the table hard, but she didn’t care at all.
Her wide eyes held a trembling fist.
“Th-th-that…”
She had imagined and dreamed about this for days, but now Eris was confidently presenting the reality of it.
“Is it… possible?”
The voice escaping her slightly trembling lips contained more intense emotion than Eve herself expected. However, Eris approached with an understanding look and gently embraced Eve.
“Even if it’s impossible, we’ll make it possible.”
In a way, it was an irresponsible answer. If it had been someone else, they would be criticized, and Eve wouldn’t have an argument against it.
But for someone who had long waited for even a sliver of hope,
who wanted even once to smile together and bow in gratitude, kiss while saying “I love you,”
the woman who laid on her bed, wishing to meet even in dreams, said,
“Please… I’m begging you…”
She buried herself in Eris’s arms, tears flowing.
“Please let me meet them just once more.”
*
Tying up her long reddish-brown hair, May, a woman with dark blue hair, walked out of the Academy’s front gate and sighed in relief as she slumped into a chair.
The dean’s plush chair enveloped her warmly.
It’s been a year since she became a secretary.
Whenever alumni visited, May Plov would hide like this. She knew that talking wouldn’t lead to anything new.
At first, she avoided conversation subtly, but now it became an outright avoidance of people.
“I’m not guilty of anything.”
May sighed and began checking the documents in front of her. Since graduating, she had been working as the dean’s secretary.
She tried looking for other jobs, but the dean needed someone who knew the academy well, and May, being related by blood, was a perfect fit.
It felt like an unexpected parachute dropped on her, but May silenced complaints around her with her efficient work processing.
Bad kids often do their jobs exceptionally well.
And just a week ago, the dean had been hospitalized due to a carriage accident after a short business trip.
There were no issues with life, but due to age, he wouldn’t be able to come in for about two months.
In the end, the secretary May had no choice but to act as the dean for the next two months. Some professors opposed her, but when they listed her achievements, they couldn’t say a word.
Besides, she was the one who worked alongside the dean the most and helped him, so there really was no need for a handover.
Anyway, that meant she was currently experiencing quite a busy time. Attempting to focus on work while wearing glasses and scribbling with her pen turned out to be more challenging than she’d thought.
“…Hah.”
She dropped the pen with a thud, took off her glasses, and sighed in frustration. Perhaps it was thinking of Eve that that man came to mind.
“I’ve forgotten all of that.”
She murmured to herself like a spell.
Yes, she had forgotten it all.
Even after such a poignant confession of love, he had left while stopping time. She had long forgotten about that kind of guy.
Jing.
The crystal ball she kept in her desk drawer chimed. This crystal ball was a private item connected directly to the Plov family.
“Yes, I got it.”
Since she couldn’t concentrate on work anyway, May placed the crystal ball on her desk. The crystal ball began displaying an image, revealing her mother.
“Are you busy?”
“No, not really.”
Actually, she was quite busy, but it was okay.
There were many tasks that could be put off. When things got rough, she could delay them for about two months and present them as a congratulatory gift for the dean’s recovery.
“Have you prepared for what we talked about last time?”
May’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
“…The matchmaking?”
“Yes, they’re always welcoming from that family.”
“I never said I would do it.”
Crossing her arms, May didn’t bother hiding her discomfort, but the person on the other side was her mother. May’s strong personality undoubtedly came from her mother.
“Then are you going to just work there forever? At 21, you should be preparing for marriage. You shouldn’t end up like your aunt, living as a lifelong single.”
“…If I tell my aunt that, she’ll get mad.”
Her mother put her hand on her forehead, showing a look of annoyance.
“That child got so caught up in work that she missed her marriage timing. Do you have any idea how worried I was when I heard you were working there?”
“…”
She had no rebuttal.
The unmistakably vivid cautionary tale sat right in front of her.
“Look how long you’ve grown your hair differently from before. You’re so beautiful. When I showed your picture, they were all swooning.”
“When did you take my picture?”
“Ahem, anyway.”
What? Were you secretly taking pictures?
“You don’t have anyone you like, right?”
“…”
“Oh my? You do?”
With a look of hope, her mother looked at May, who rested her chin on her hand and replied.
“Nope. Nothing like that.”
“Is that so? What a shame.”
“…”
“Anyway, I can’t let you miss your marriage timing too. You must go on that matchmaking, got it?”
“Hah.”
“I’ll let you know when the date is set. It’s no problem for them to come to Elgrid. He’s a good young man.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“Do well.”
As the light from the crystal ball faded and her mother’s image disappeared, May let out a breath and leaned back in her chair again.
What was supposed to be a pleasant call had only worsened her mood.
“Should I try it?”
Maybe she could consider it?
Adding a spoonful of romance to her currently dry life might make it a bit smoother to digest.
“Hoo.”
May clenched her fist in determination and stood up.
Let’s do it.
Yeah, she was going to do it.
She grabbed the crystal ball to inject mana into it again and decided to say now that she wanted to meet immediately.
As she thought, three years had passed, and she’d grown her hair long, her looks improving day by day. As for her chest… well, a little disappointing, but anyway.
After graduation, she had received many love proposals from countless people in Elgrid. Even some students had sent her love letters while she was working as a secretary.
“I’m gonna do it!”
Bam!
“…”
She poured too much mana, and the crystal ball shattered. Watching the fragments fall, May gritted her teeth.
Then, she concentrated her mana in her hand and smashed all the embedded pieces into tiny bits.
“Graaaah!”
Then she packed mana into her fist and swung it.
Boom!
The wall of the dean’s office shook as if it were going to bend. But her fist didn’t stop.
“F*ing bastard!”
Boom!
“Why? Why? Why? WHY?!”
Boom! Boom!
“You garbage! You dog! Casanova! Sneaky bastard!”
Boom! Boom! Boom!
“You took my first kiss! You made me fall for you! Hey, you son of a b! You need to take responsibility!”
Crumble! Rumble! Boom! Boom!
After a while of violence, cracks began appearing in the wall.
The dean’s office was reinforced to withstand unforeseen events, so miraculously it held, or else one wall would have fallen down by now.
“Huh! Huh!”
Her swollen fist burned.
Though May’s anger wasn’t relieved, she thought the wall might really break if she continued, so she paused her fists for now.
She should probably buy a punching bag.
Thinking that, she put on her suit, which she’d draped over her chair.
“One won’t be enough.”
Looking at the wall marked by her fists, she figured one punching bag wouldn’t suffice. She decided to buy around ten and use them over time, then opened the door.
“Haha…”
Outside stood two people.
“You seem very… excited.”
Eris and Eve awkwardly smiled and greeted May.
