"Bye-bye! The tournament! I’m going to come watch, okay!?"
Waving both hands vigorously, Stella shouted her farewell.
Ray and Ariane turned back, waving in response.
"Stella! See you later!"
"Goodbye, desu wa!"
It was early morning.
If we left now, we would likely make it just in time for today's classes.
The rain had completely stopped, and a dim light was gradually spreading across the world.
We set off, but... at this rate, it would be a close call whether we actually made it in time.
To be precise, Ariane had overslept.
I felt I should have woken her up sooner, but I had assumed she was already awake. While I was busy preparing, I found her still sleeping peacefully.
Furthermore, Stella had apparently taken a great liking to her. The two had been sleeping huddled together like real sisters.
After a frantic awakening, Ariane had rushed to get ready, leading to our current situation.
"I-I am so sorry... to have slept so soundly..."
"No. It can't be helped. These past three days were just that grueling."
"But, if even Ray is late for class...!"
"Leave it to me. I prepared for just such an occasion."
Stopping in my tracks, I began to stretch.
Then, I activated my Inside Code. Circulating it throughout my body, I slung Ariane’s luggage onto my own back.
"Eh...? What do you intend to do?"
"I’m going to run back at full speed."
"You mean to make it back in time on foot!!?"
Her surprise was only natural.
Given the distance from my family home to the Academy, one would normally think it impossible to make it back even at a full sprint.
However, I knew the backroads to the Academy, and... Ariane didn't yet know what would happen if I ran at my full potential.
"Of course. Leave it to me."
"Wait—whoa!"
Since time was precious, I scooped her up into my arms without further ado.
Ariane’s weight wasn't particularly heavy, so I could carry her with ease.
"Wrap your arms tightly around me. We’re going to pick up a lot of speed."
"B-but... um... isn't this what they call a princess carry?"
"Do you dislike it?"
"...I-it’s fine, I suppose. It's embarrassing, but... if it's to make it in time, it can't be helped! Yes. It simply can't be helped, can it!"
With her face turning a faint shade of crimson, she averted her gaze and clung tightly to me.
"Then, here we go."
"Wait—w-waaaaaaaah!! You're too faaaaaaaaast!!"
And so, for the first time in a long while, I sprinted across the earth at full power.
"Alright. We've arrived."
"W-we're already here...?"
"Yeah."
We arrived at the gates of Diom Magic Academy. Since it was still early morning, there were no students around yet.
Ariane had seemingly endured the trip with her eyes squeezed shut the whole way, so she likely hadn't had the luxury of looking at her surroundings.
As for me, I felt refreshed after getting some good exercise in the morning.
"I'm putting you down."
"Yes."
I lowered her gently to the ground and handed over her luggage. I had reached a considerable speed, but the bags were safe. From my perspective, I had run with a fair amount of restraint.
That said, it would cause all sorts of problems if it were discovered that I had blitzed through the Kingdom like that, but since I wasn't caught, I decided to let it be.
"Well then, today's training is cancelled. We'll resume tomorrow."
"I understand, desu wa."
"Then, if you'll excuse me."
Just as I turned on my heel to leave, Ariane firmly gripped my right hand.
"U-um! Thank you very much! Thanks to you, Ray, I feel like I am moving forward!"
"I see. That's good."
A smile naturally surfaced on my face.
Ariane, in turn, gave a bright smile of her own.
Until recently, we hadn't been able to share a laugh like this. But somewhere along the way, it had become natural. This, too, was likely because I had met everyone.
I felt happy that Ariane was growing as well.
"Phew..."
Since I still had time to spare, I walked slowly back toward my room in the dormitory.
As I did, I spotted a female student standing by the school gate.
There was no mistaking her. It was Rebecca-senpai.
"Rebecca-senpai? Why are you here...?"
"Ah! Ray-san! Welcome back!"
Her face brightening, Rebecca-senpai trotted over to me. She seemed to be in an even better mood than usual.
"I heard you were coming back yesterday, but you didn't. I figured you'd be back early this morning, so I was waiting."
"I apologize for that... but, did you have some business with me?"
I hadn't heard anything about her having business with me. However, it was possible I had missed something.
I had been busy lately with preparations for the tournament.
"No. But, am I not allowed to come see you unless I have business?"
She stared at me intently with an upturned gaze. It felt somewhat enchanting. She seemed more mature than usual—or rather, I felt like she had become strangely beautiful lately.
"It's not that."
"I'm glad to hear that! Now, now. Let's eat breakfast together!"
"Oh! That sounds great!"
The two of us moved to our usual bench.
Taking a breath, I bit into a sandwich she had brought.
"Mmph...! It's even more delicious than usual."
"Fufu. I made it while thinking of you, Ray-san."
"That's very kind of you."
"So, how were these past three days? I heard you were doing special training with Ariane-san."
I intended to answer honestly.
However, I wondered why.
Rebecca-senpai was smiling brightly, as she always did. She was smiling, yet I felt as though there was some other intent behind her eyes. Well... it was probably just my imagination.
And so, I decided to tell her in detail about the three days I spent with Ariane.
Of course, I avoided the things Ariane had told me not to mention.
"My! Is that so? It sounds like it was quite the ordeal."
"No. She worked very hard."
"Even so, to think you went to your family home, Ray-san."
"Ariane seemed to get along well with my family, too. She became especially close with my younger sister, Stella. They were like real sisters."
As the conversation progressed, the brilliance of Rebecca-senpai's smile seemed to increase.
She was smiling very broadly, and I felt that spending time talking to her like this was truly enjoyable.
"Is that so? It sounds like you had a very wonderful time."
"Yes."
"In that case, could I visit your family home next time, Ray-san?"
"My house?"
"Yes. Is that not allowed?"
Once again, she stared at me with an upturned, pleading gaze.
I see, I thought. Having heard my story, she must simply want to come visit for fun.
Of course, I had no reason to refuse.
"I don't mind. Let's see... during winter break when you have time."
"Yes. I'll do that."
With that, she stood up gracefully.
"Well then, Ray-san. Good luck with the tournament."
"Yes. I will definitely win."
"I'm counting on you."
As she walked away, I heard her mutter, "It seems I should have been on my guard against her as well..." but I wondered what she was wary of.
Even though she wasn't participating in the tournament.
I didn't quite understand the meaning of those words, but for now, I went about my day as usual.
"Ray! It's been a while!"
When I arrived at the classroom, Amelia greeted me energetically.
"Amelia. Yeah. It does feel like it's been a while."
"So, how was it!?"
She leaned in close, making me wonder what was going on.
"How was what?"
"Your special training with Ariane!"
I see, I thought. As expected, Amelia was also thinking deeply about the team. To come check on Ariane’s growth immediately... her awareness seemed to have heightened considerably.
Thus, I decided to tell Amelia about our special training, just as I had with Rebecca-senpai. As I spoke, her expression gradually shifted into one of deep thought.
"—And that's how it went. Ariane has grown significantly."
"Yeah... I see. I can't believe Ariane was the first one to visit your house..."
"She seemed to get along with Stella, too. They were like real sisters."
"And she got along with the family, too... I really can't let my guard down."
"You're right. We can't let our guard down for the tournament. Even though she's grown, there are still many challenges ahead."
"True. There are still many challenges."
Amelia, with her serious expression, seemed to be truly thinking about the team's best interests.
Soon, the Magics War would be held. We would likely spend our few remaining days continuing our training.
All for the sake of victory.