The 18th of the Month of Light. I woke up at my usual time and headed toward the dining hall, only to find Lunamaria-san waiting for me along the way.
She wasn't just passing by. She stood squarely in the center of the hallway, her gaze fixed intently on me.
"Oh? Why, good morning, Miyama-sama. To think we would run into each other here... what a 'coincidence' this is."
"No, that's clearly a lie. You were waiting for me, weren't you?"
"Hahaha, you do love your jokes..."
What now? What kind of scheme was she cooking up this time? Her smile was incredibly suspicious.
"...So, did you need something from me?"
"As expected of Miyama-sama, you're quick on the uptake. I, Lunamaria, am truly impressed by your keen insight."
She said it so brazenly... I was starting to feel a bit anxious. I wondered what kind of unreasonable request she was about to throw my way. My heart was already screaming that this wouldn't end well—likely a result of the deep "trust" I had in her.
"...Actually, I have a formal request for you, Miyama-sama..."
Here it came. Another headache...
"I was wondering if you would be willing to name my mother as one of your official companions for the Six Kings Festival..."
"...Hmm?"
That wasn't what I expected. I'd been certain she was going to ask me to soothe Lilia-san's temper or accompany her when she went to apologize for something. Instead, the request concerned Noah-san.
"...By companion, you mean for the pre-registration, right?"
"Yes. As you may recall, the rank of one's invitation limits the movement of their companions."
"Yeah, I remember."
If I recalled correctly, Lunamaria-san's Iron Rank invitation only allowed for a single companion, and their access was restricted... or so Caraway-san, the cat-eared demon messenger, had explained.
I see. Since those restrictions would make it difficult for Noah-san to move around freely, she wanted me to register her under my name. My Black Rank invitation allowed for an unlimited number of companions with no area restrictions whatsoever. From Lunamaria-san's perspective, asking me was simply the better option for her mother.
"...Sure, I don't mind."
"Thank you so much!"
"I was planning to finalize my companion applications soon anyway..."
Lunamaria-san bowed at a perfect angle, and I told her not to worry about it. I definitely wasn't doing this because I felt guilty for suspecting her of something earlier. Definitely not.
She thanked me several more times before departing, leaving me to stand there with a hand on my chin, lost in thought.
Companions, huh... It probably was time to start settling on a list.
Anima, Eta, and Theta were givens, and I’d probably invite some of the servants I was close with at the mansion. The question was who to invite from outside.
Most of the people I knew seemed like they'd already have invitations. Orchid and Ryze-san were guaranteed to be there, and Noah-san was now covered. As for Rei-san and Sylphia... would Sieg-san invite them? I'd have to suggest registering them as my companions instead.
And then... oh, that's right! There was Fia-sensei!
One way or another, we met quite often, and she'd looked after me many times. She might turn me down if her medical work was too busy, but I figured I'd at least ask.
It was still a bit early, so I decided to head to the clinic around noon. With that settled, I continued toward the dining hall.
...What about Eden-san? I wasn't sure if she'd be invited or not... Maybe I should try asking? Then again, meeting her one-on-one was terrifying. I decided to ask Kuro to send a message indirectly later.
I visited the clinic shortly after lunchtime, where Fia-sensei welcomed me with her usual gentle smile.
"Welcome, Miyama-kun. Is something wrong? I don't think it's the day for Noah-san’s treatment."
"Hello... No, I actually have something I wanted to talk to you about today, Fia-sensei."
"To me?"
"Yes. Do you have a moment?"
Unsure if she even knew about the festival, I asked if she had some time to spare. She flipped through a notebook on the table.
"...Yes, I'm free. I don't have any house calls scheduled for this afternoon."
"I see. In that case—"
"Since you're here, let's talk over some tea. A patient I treated recently gave me some delicious cookies."
Smiling, she led me into the living quarters attached to the clinic. We were close enough that she’d let me into her kitchen, so inviting her shouldn't be that strange. I sat down as she prompted me.
"...So? What was it you wanted to talk about?"
"Well, the truth is..."
She spoke while preparing the herbal tea. It was the perfect opening, and I was just about to get to the point when I heard hurried footsteps. I stopped mid-sentence and looked toward the door.
The kitchen door burst open, and a familiar face appeared.
"Fia! I've come to visit! Look at this, I managed to get some incredible yokan—eh?"
"...U-Um, hello, Noin-san."
"...Kaito-san?"
"Y-Yeah."
Noin-san, who had burst in with a radiant smile, froze the moment she saw me. Her face turned pale. Then, moving with the stiff jerkiness of a broken toy, she retreated to a corner and curled up in a ball.
"...I... I can never get married now..."
"..."
The sheer drop in her mood was so extreme I couldn't even react. She was truly devastated. Fia-sensei walked over to her with a wry smile.
"Hika—Noin. Why are you suddenly moping? You just got here."
"...Kaito-san saw me... being so unladylike... Now... I'll never find a husband..."
"..."
I felt bad for her, but honestly, it was a bit late for that. She'd been carrying a dragon on her back the very first time we met.
"...Oh? Wait, are you and Fia-sensei acquaintances, Noin-san?"
"A-Ah, yes. We've known each other a long time. Right, Hikari?"
"Eh? Did you just say Hikari?"
"Ah... No, um..."
Fia-sensei had let a name slip. If she knew her name was Hikari, that meant she knew Noin was the First Hero. But why was she panicking?
"...Ah, I see! It's okay. I know about Noin-san's true identity, too."
"Huh? Oh... I see... That's a relief."
I see. She must have panicked thinking I'd found out about the First Hero being alive.
"Still, if you know her identity... does that mean you, Fia-sensei..."
"—?!"
"K-Kaito-san?!"
"...helped Noin-san back when she was the Hero?"
"..."
"..."
"Eh? Is something wrong?"
"No, it's nothing."
"Yes, just as you suspected, Kaito-san. Fia was a huge help to me during my time as the Hero. We've been friends ever since."
Wait. What was that? Noin-san and Fia-sensei both looked and sounded perfectly normal.
However, the emotions radiating through my Sympathy Magic were filled with intense anxiety. And it was coming from both of them.
I felt a strange sense of unease, but since I had no reason to interrogate them, I simply nodded as if I were convinced.
Dear Mother, Father—I went to invite Fia-sensei to the festival and ran into Noin-san. They seem to be close friends, but something feels off. Yes, it was almost as if—they were hiding a grave secret...
Serious-senpai: "The Fia Arc has begun! This is where we win!"