On a bright early afternoon, I paid a visit to Fia-sensei’s clinic. My reason for being there was to donate blood for Noah-san.
Noah-san wasn’t actually there today. During the two months I had spent back in my original world—which amounted to about a year and eight months in this world—her health had slightly declined.
Actually, "declined" might be the wrong way to put it. It was more that she had reverted to her previous state, back when she found it difficult to drink blood before I started helping her.
To put it even more bluntly, Noah-san had grown so fond of the flavor of my blood that she simply had no appetite for any blood that didn't have mine mixed into it.
She seemed quite dependent on it now, which appeared to be giving Fia-sensei a bit of a headache, though she did mention that the anemia itself had been dramatically improved.
Fia-sensei had asked if I could provide a stockpile of blood to prepare for such situations. While the magic power within blood dissipates over time, Noah-san would apparently drink other blood well enough as long as a bit of mine was mixed in, so they wanted to have some on hand.
Since the amount needed was only about as much as a standard donation, I had no reason to say no. I agreed to the request and headed over to the clinic.
The moment I touched the magic tool for visitors, Fia-sensei came out to meet me. Maybe it was just my imagination, but she looked a little worn out.
"Welcome, Miyama-kun. Thank you for coming."
"Don't mention it, it's an easy enough favor. But... sorry if I'm overstepping, do you seem a bit tired?"
"Yeah. Well... you'll understand once you step inside. I’ve reached the point where I’ve given up on trying to kick them out."
"Kick them out?"
I tilted my head, curious about her choice of words, and followed her into the clinic. Once we reached the private living space in the back, I saw a familiar face sipping herb tea.
When she noticed me, her eyes widened in surprise for a split second before she broke into a radiant smile.
"...Oh! Kaito! To run into you in a place like this—it must be destiny, don't you think?"
"I decline."
"...That response was... significantly faster... than last time..."
"Anyway, Tre-san, what are you even doing here?"
"Hmm? I just came by to hang out with Fie!"
"...I see."
I finally understood why Fia-sensei looked so exhausted. Tre-san had likely shown up unannounced again. Furthermore, Cento-san and Sien-san were nowhere to be found.
"...Ah, no, it's not like that. I actually brought Cento and Sien with me this time."
"Wait, really?"
"Yes. But they had some shopping to do. Since Big Sis Tre looked like she was planning to stay a while, I told them I'd watch over her so they could go run their errands."
I had already told Fia-sensei about how I met Tre-san during a previous blood donation visit for Noah-san, so she was already aware of our connection.
"So, Kaito, why are you here? Did you come for a date with Fie?"
"No, Big Sis Tre. Like I told you earlier, he's here to help me treat another patient."
"Hmm... I see."
"Is something wrong?"
"No, it's nothing."
Tre-san took on an intrigued expression at Fia-sensei's explanation. She glanced between Fia-sensei and me for a moment before returning to her herb tea.
I didn't quite understand her reaction, but I decided to focus on the task at hand. I followed Fia-sensei to the medical room to finish the blood collection.
By the time we finished and returned to the main room, Cento-san and Sien-san had come back. The five of us ended up having tea together, and we spent a lively, pleasant time chatting.
A few days after that visit, a mysterious Hummingbird arrived from Tre-san. It listed several dates and asked me to let her know which ones I would be free.
Though I thought it was a bit strange, I sent back a list of my open dates. A short while later, another Hummingbird arrived asking me to keep one specific day clear. I sent my confirmation and made sure my schedule was open.
I figured she wanted to hang out or visit, but Tre-san didn't seem like the type to be so indirect. Usually, she would just tell me exactly what she wanted.
I was starting to feel a bit anxious that she might be planning something weird, and then, the day before our scheduled meeting, a 'large pile of envelopes' arrived from Tre-san.
Each envelope was numbered, and there was a sticky note attached stating that I had to start with Envelope Number 1. Still confused about her goal, I opened the first one. Inside was a ticket, a map, and a message card.
'Mission! Head to the designated location and watch the play! Note: Do not open Envelope Number 2 until you are in your assigned seat.'
...What was this? Seriously, what was she up to? So, on the day I cleared my schedule for her, I was supposed to go see a play?
The location was in the North District of the Sinfonia Royal Capital, and the time on the ticket was for the very first show of the morning—a pretty early start.
I couldn't fathom her intention. Just what in the world was Tre-san trying to do?
Serious-senpai: "Tre's intuition is sharp enough to sense the start of a New Lover Arc, and now there’s a strange mission that sounds suspiciously like a date... Oh, I see how it is."