Even after sleeping for three days, I was still a little drowsy.
But now it felt less like fatigue and more like the languor that came after recovery.
Elysia sat beside me and asked quietly.
“Haku, do you feel like anything has changed because of this?”
I thought for a moment.
A lot had changed.
My demonic power had become smoother, my furry hands had become more natural, and my foxfire went out more easily.
But there was an even more important change than that.
I had become a little less afraid of my own power.
Demonic power could become flame, and it could hide my presence.
But it could also weave thread, make scarves, and quietly wrap around someone’s aura.
It was not only a power that destroyed, but also a power that could create.
Realizing that was the biggest thing.
I placed my forepaw on the back of Elysia’s hand and sent her a very brief thought.
“I’m better.”
Elysia’s expression softened.
“That’s a relief.”
I lightly wagged my tail.
Yeah.
It was a relief.
Falling asleep for three whole days had been unexpected, and I felt sorry for making everyone worry.
But that time had not been wasted.
My body had recovered.
My demonic power had been put in order.
And I had made the power I possessed a little more my own.
Night had settled outside the window.
Watching Elysia come into bed wearing the pajamas I had made, I quietly closed my eyes.
This time, I had no intention of sleeping for three days.
Really.
Probably.
Over the weekend, I truly rested to my heart’s content.
I did no demonic power training.
I did no knitting.
I did not make any furry hands.
I simply ate, slept, stayed in Elysia’s arms,
and when Camilla occasionally came to check on my condition with caution, I only gave my tail a small wag.
Leopold firmly declared, “Training is forbidden today as well,”
and Grandpa Grayden said, “Resting when you need to rest is also part of control.”
Mina left warm water and soft snacks by my side, and Isolde smiled quietly when she saw me asleep.
Perhaps thanks to resting like that all weekend, my condition on Monday morning was quite good.
No, not just good. I felt much lighter than before.
My demonic power was turning smoothly inside me,
and when I tried to gather strength at the tips of my forepaws, I had the sensation that a tiny spark might bloom at any moment.
Of course, since today was a day to go to the academy, I did no such thing.
If I experimented with demonic power at the academy, Iris would pop out from somewhere.
Without a doubt.
Held in Elysia’s arms, I left the mansion.
“Are you all right today?”
Elysia asked carefully.
I nodded.
“I’m fine.”
Elysia smiled, looking a little relieved.
“I’m glad. Everyone was very worried about you.”
I tilted my head.
Everyone?
Of course, I knew the Valerion family had been worried.
But had even the academy students worried that much?
With those thoughts in mind, the moment I arrived at the academy, I realized my expectations had been wrong.
“It’s Haku!”
Someone shouted that.
In an instant, the gazes around us all gathered at once.
“Haku’s here!”
“Are you better now?”
“We didn’t see you for days……”
“Doesn’t he still look tired?”
“No, his eyes are clear today!”
I pricked up my ears in Elysia’s arms, then immediately folded them back.
Their reaction was more intense than I had expected.
No, it was too intense.
What on earth had happened while I was asleep?
I had only slept a little longer because I used a lot of demonic power.
Of course, sleeping for nearly three days was a bit much.
Even so, was it something for all these students to look relieved about?
Holding me in her arms, Elysia spoke calmly.
“Haku is all right now. But he has only just recovered, so please don’t come too close today.”
At those words, the students nodded all at once.
“Yes, Lady Valerion.”
“Haku, don’t overdo it.”
“We’ll only look from far away today.”
“You need to rest well.”
Strange.
Everyone was too well-behaved.
When I first came to the academy, they had been students who were desperate to touch me,
but now that they heard I was tired, they really did not approach.
Feeling a little awkward, I gave my tail a small wag.
Then small exclamations flowed from around us.
“He wagged his tail.”
“I guess that means he’s okay.”
“What a relief……”
No, you don’t have to attach that much meaning to it.
I had merely wagged my tail reflexively.
But it was already too late.
The students looked relieved in their own way.
I muttered inwardly.
“What kind of atmosphere was there while I was gone?”
When we entered the classroom, the reaction became even clearer.
My small cushion had been neatly arranged, and beside it, someone had placed a small piece of paper.
Written on it in crooked handwriting were the words:
Haku, get well soon.
I’ll wait quietly during class.
I blinked.
I didn’t know who had written it.
But as I looked at the handwriting, I felt a little strange.
The students’ attention, which at first had only been bothersome, had somehow changed into something like this.
Elysia also looked at the note and smiled softly.
“Everyone really must have been worried.”
I pretended not to know and sat down on the cushion.
For some reason, though, my ears felt ticklish.
When class began, I curled up on the cushion on the desk for the first time in a while.
I was not completely overflowing with energy yet, but my mind was clear.
During class, I stayed quiet as usual.
However, strangely enough, the students had become even more cautious than before.
Even during break time, a few students only waved from far away, and no one approached without permission.
The Starlight Council’s contact regulations were probably having an effect as well, but it seemed that my resting for several days had left a fairly strong impression.
“This is convenient in its own way.”
I did feel a little sorry, but personally, I welcomed it.
And one more thing.
Richard was still quiet.
After receiving his punishment, he almost never looked in my direction.
The looks he gave Elysia were no longer as blatant as before, either.
Even when we occasionally ran into each other in the hallway, he simply passed by with his lips pressed shut.
I did not know whether that was because he was sincerely reflecting on himself, or because he was afraid of the Starlight Council and the disciplinary committee.
But either way, it did not matter.
As long as he was quiet, that was enough.
“Keep living quietly like that.”
I thought that inwardly with all sincerity.
Then the morning classes ended, and lunchtime came.
The lunchtime scene was now almost set.
Elysia would sit down, and I would sit beside her or on her lap.
A little later, Iris would approach with her tray and sit across from us.
At first, the students had looked at that combination with curiosity, but now it had become a familiar part of daily life.
Lady Valerion.
Lady Asteria.
And the silver-pink baby fox between them.
It was strange, but the academy students seemed to have already accepted the sight.
Iris sat down today as well with a composed expression.
However, her eyes examined me for a little longer than usual.
“Haku, is your condition all right?”
I nodded.
Iris looked at my reaction once, then soon looked at Elysia.
“His presence is certainly more stable than last week. The flow of his demonic power also seems to have become smoother.”
I froze while holding a piece of bread with my forepaws.
So she noticed after all.
Elysia also seemed slightly surprised as she asked.
“Can you tell just by looking?”
“I am not seeing it precisely. It is just that the mana flow around Haku is less disturbed than before.
Rather than Haku hiding his power better, it is closer to the power itself having stabilized.”
This person really was frightening.
I had not said a word, yet she had already seen that far.
I deliberately chewed the bread slowly.
Iris did not ask any further.
Instead, she began her meal.
I was grateful for that.
She was still keeping her promise not to interfere.
A short while later, I heard the conversations of nearby students.
“Come to think of it, summer break is soon, right?”
“This semester went by quickly too.”
“Are you going back home during break?”
“I have to return to the territory. I might come back midway because of preparations for the Starlight Festival, though.”
Summer break.
I slightly pricked up my ears.
Come to think of it, was it already that time?
But hearing it like this made it feel somewhat new.
Break, huh.
In my previous life, breaks had been nice too.
But in this world, breaks would probably not be merely periods of rest.
Noble students would return to their families, social schedules would arise, and there would be things like visits to territories or outside practical training.
Elysia would return to the Valerion mansion, so naturally, I would go with her too.
That was what I was thinking when it happened.
Iris quietly opened her mouth.
“Student Elysia.”
“Yes, Lady Iris.”
“During the upcoming summer break, if you are amenable, would you like to come to my hometown?”
Elysia’s hand stopped.
I also stopped as I was biting into bread.
Iris’s hometown.
The Marquisate of Asteria.
Stellarium.
The city of magic and knowledge.
The stronghold of House Asteria, called the masters of the Ivory Tower.
Iris’s face was calm as usual.
But it did not seem as though she had said it completely on impulse.
It was surely something she had thought over for a long time before bringing it up.
“In my hometown, Stellarium, there is a spirit garden far older than the spirit greenhouse.
And there are more records of ancient familiar contracts remaining there than at the academy.”
As expected.
The research talk came out immediately.
I narrowed my eyes.
Perhaps sensing my gaze, Iris paused for a moment.
Then she added,
“Of course, I am not inviting Haku solely as a research subject.”
I continued looking at her.
Iris averted her gaze ever so slightly.
“……It is not that I have no research interest.”
Her honesty actually made it better.
Elysia gave a small laugh.
“That’s very like you, Lady Iris.”
Iris spoke calmly again.
“But that is not the only reason.
It may be helpful to you as well, Student Elysia.
Stellarium has old documents dealing with interference between aura and mana,
and my mother is well-versed in elf-style spirit resonance.”
Elysia’s expression became a little serious.
“Do you mean it may be related to my aura problem too?”
“There is a possibility.”
Iris did not assert it outright.
“I cannot say for certain.
However, the resonance between Haku and Student Elysia,
and the stabilization of Student Elysia’s aura, are difficult to explain through the existing methods of the Magic Knight Department alone.
With Stellarium’s materials, we may be able to view it from a somewhat different perspective.”
I looked at Iris.
This invitation was not simply for the sake of observing Haku.
It was also for Elysia.
That was a little unexpected.
If it had been the Iris I first met, she might have focused only on the phenomenon known as Haku.
But now, she was looking at Elysia as well.
As someone changing through resonance with Haku.
As a friend.
Probably.
Elysia was lost in thought for a moment.
Her hand lightly stroked me.
“Thank you, Lady Iris. I’m happy you invited us.”
Iris gave a small nod.
“Then……”
“But I can’t answer right away.”
Elysia said calmly.
“I need to receive my parents’ permission for my summer break schedule, and if Haku is going with me, then all the more so, I need to discuss it with my family.”
I nodded.
That was only natural.
The Valerion family knew about my demonic power training and my condition.
If, on top of that, we were going to the territory of an outside noble family like House Asteria, it absolutely had to be discussed.
Iris nodded as if she had expected as much.
“Of course. I can send an official invitation in the name of House Asteria.
I will also adjust the schedule so that it is not burdensome for Student Elysia and Haku.”
“I’ll tell my parents and let you know afterward.”
“I will wait.”
The conversation was settled like that.
But my mind was not quiet.
Stellarium.
The Marquisate of Asteria.
The spirit garden.
Iris’s family.
And perhaps, clues that might bring me closer to my true identity.
It was probably not yet time to step into the deepest truths in earnest.
But it did feel as though one small door had opened.