Darkness and light alternately flickered in Nigel’s unconscious mind.

Whenever Nigel briefly opened their eyes, their vision spun dizzily. Then, the feeling of having ruined everything pressed hotly on their head, causing them to quickly close their eyes again and escape into sleep.

When conscious, tears flowed endlessly.

Despite resolving to be different this time, to protect someone with strong power, they were powerless.

They thought they had changed after meeting Noah and Allen in Syenia, but in reality, nothing had changed.

The incompetence of youth, when they couldn’t even save a friend due to lack of desperation, once again dominated their heart, and the memory of obtaining life alone while holding family as collateral clung to Nigel’s ankles.

Pathetically, they didn’t want to get up like this.

They didn’t want to get up and face Noah’s cold gaze with an empty smile, nor confront the hidden intentions of an unknown group.

But Nigel knew all too well. The next punishment after self-loathing was facing the reality they had ruined.

“……”

A brilliant light shone through their damp vision.

At last, dark navy hair came into view first.

“Hello, you’ve finally woken up. I thought I might leave without seeing your face.”

The gently upturned corners of their mouth openly expressed affection.

“Zeronin, why are you here……”

A hoarse, dry voice emerged from lips unopened for an indeterminable time.

Zeronin slightly furrowed his brow as he poured water into a cup and handed it to Nigel.

“Drink this first, then speak. Your voice is unbearable right now.”

Nigel gulped down the water. Feeling annoyed at Zeronin’s obvious teasing, they were sure this wasn’t a dream.

“Ahem, what brings you here?”

“I heard you were sick. Thanks to that, I abandoned both work and thesis.”

“You didn’t need to do that.”

“That’s not something someone who’s been crying and sleeping for five days straight should say.”

“…Ah, then it must be the weekend now.”

The leaves outside the window, once pale, had turned a deeper green.

Thud!

A loud vibration shook the bed Nigel was sitting on.

“And this is a package that came for you while you were asleep.”

Glancing into the large box Zeronin had set down, Nigel saw various notebooks, letters, and notes.

Nigel slowly reached into the box.

Upon closer inspection, the papers and notebooks contained summaries of the classes Nigel had missed. The handwriting varied, belonging to Sid, Charlotte, Allen, and others.

Next came the letters.

The letters from classmates all contained confessions of trying to set up Nigel and Noah to reduce assignments.

At the end of the letters, it was written that even though assignments had become easier, it was still difficult without Nigel’s help.

‘So that’s why things felt strange at the ballroom.’

As Nigel read through the letters, frowning and smiling without realizing it, a question arose.

“But……”

“You’re wondering why there’s nothing from Allen, Noah, and Princess Yenica, right?”

Nigel nodded.

Among all these letters, only those three were missing.

They must be disappointed after all.

As the smile disappeared from Nigel’s face and was about to harden again.

Snap!

Zeronin flicked Nigel’s forehead hard.

“Don’t fall into strange thoughts. Just open it.”

Then, a cold object touched the palm that had been empty.

Opening the metal tin case, inside were crumpled papers, stiff letter papers, heart and star-shaped colored papers, and other papers with no uniformity.

“Those three kept leaving things in front of the dean’s office, so I collected them separately.”

Nigel unfolded the topmost crumpled note with trembling hands.

[Nigel, with you gone, Sid is flying around showing off in class. So come back soon. −Allen]

The words painted a vivid picture of the classroom situation, making Nigel chuckle.

Besides that, there were messages saying they wanted to see Nigel’s face soon, and scolding words asking why a saint was so frail. Each letter of Allen’s notes was filled with worry that could never be repaid.

Nigel smiled and opened the next one.

[……I absolutely won’t desire the position of lover. So please hurry……]

“……!”

Feeling as if they’d glimpsed an abyss, Nigel quickly folded the paper and buried it deep.

Then they turned over a lavender heart-shaped paper that was clearly from Yenica.

[I wish I had fallen ill instead of Nigel, who confessed first……]

“……!”

This was a trap too. Nigel crumpled the lavender heart and shoved it to the bottom.

Thinking belatedly, the notes were organized by person. And the person who would personally organize these notes was…….

Nigel swallowed a curse and turned their head anxiously.

“……Zeronin, did you read them by any chance?”

“Hmm, no.”

“You did read them.”

“I saw what was visible, but I didn’t read them closely.”

“That means you read them.”

That Noah, writing such content without knowing who might read it. Nigel wanted to crawl into a mouse hole.

Then the worst possibility crossed Nigel’s mind.

“Did the Dean perhaps……”

“Ah, the Dean was the one who handed me that purple heart you were just holding.”

Kirelia, I knew you’d do this again. Unable to swallow their embarrassment, Nigel’s face flushed.

‘I hope the essence of my lacking decisiveness failing to resolve both the Shining Rose and Noah isn’t obscured, and Zeronin isn’t just highlighting the fact that I was lovesick over being rejected by Noah? No way……’

Nigel’s heart pounded anxiously. And in times like these, their bad feelings were usually right.

“Why are you being so shy, Angel?”

“……Shut up, don’t call me by that nickname.”

“Kids your age can cry their eyes out for five days after being dumped by a guy.”

“Be quiet, I wasn’t dumped. I did the dumping.”

“Wow− Dumping Young Lord Beselion. How daring, Nigel.”

The soulless applause and cheers made Nigel’s face burn even hotter.

“Please shut your mouth. It’s not because I dumped Noah……”

“Then what really happened?”

“……!”

Only then did Nigel’s mind snap to attention. They thought, no, were certain that all of Zeronin’s actions since they opened their eyes were designed to say these words.

“……This is why I don’t like you.”

Nigel spilled everything that had happened, except for being born in a novel and Widrun’s identity.

Their feelings of liking Noah but not wanting to take him from Meriel, the anxiety of losing hostages to the group called Shining Rose, and so on. Until Nigel finished talking, Zeronin listened silently without adding a word.

When the story finally ended, Zeronin’s gray-blue eyes stared directly at Nigel.

“I was worried because you hadn’t been seriously ill or properly complained since your magic manifested. You’re going through some proper growing pains.”

“Growing pains?”

As Nigel tilted their head, Zeronin ruffled Nigel’s hair.

“Yeah, it’d be strange for someone like you to grow up perfectly without a single scratch. You need to fall at the right time and let those wounds heal to become strong.”

“……I see.”

“Of course that’s how it is.”

Zeronin spoke calmly and then smiled brightly with crescent eyes.

At that smile that fully trusted Nigel, a small courage bloomed.

“So, it seems you’re ready to return to the academy now.”

“Yes, I should go back.”

Nigel raised their weakened arms and legs, tidied up, and packed their belongings to take back.

“……Should I take you to the dormitory if it’s hard?”

“What nonsense.”

Nigel glared at Zeronin while fiddling with their clothes for no reason.

“You’re hesitating like it’s your first day at the academy, that’s why.”

“Forget it, just get out already. Go fill my vault by selling Lefa.”

Nigel frowned and quickly left the dean’s building, opening the door.

Each step was filled with faith and will. The certainty that they could get up again and again, even after falling painfully.

[This is the timeline separator]

“This is brutal.”

Allen, looking at the midterm rankings, couldn’t help but speak.

At the top of the bulletin board, the name Nigel Ars was prominently displayed for overall grade ranking, department ranking, subject ranking, and so on.

“You managed to get first place even with deductions for attendance and assignments?”

Nigel snickered and pulled out a crumpled note from their robe, unfolding it in front of Allen’s eyes.

[Nigel, come back healthy soon.]

“Didn’t you say you were grateful I came back healthy while crying your eyes out?”

“T-that was just an emotion limited to that day. It doesn’t apply at all now that you’re healthy!”

Allen, turning bright red, quickly covered their eyes and made excuses.

Just then, someone hugged Nigel tightly from behind.

“Unlike Allen, I’m always grateful to you, Nigel. So play with me throughout the trip.”

“Yenica, we just agreed on where to go during free time yesterday. How unfair of you.”

“Well, I just thought it would be nice for roommates to become closer, that’s all.”

As Yenica flashed a victorious smile, Allen scrunched their face in frustration.

Yenica, who had heard belatedly about Nigel being sick, suggested sharing a room with them, reasoning that they might collapse again at any time.

Nigel, yielding to Yenica’s increasingly strong obsession, eventually became roommates with her.

Allen, who had actively encouraged the roommate arrangement out of concern for Nigel at the time, didn’t realize that being roommates would become a good excuse to cut their own throat during the trip.

Accustomed to the two getting heated, Nigel pondered how to avoid encountering Noah Beselion throughout the trip.

At Noah’s suggestion, the two had returned to being friends, but it was full of awkwardness for friends. Even now, Nigel couldn’t say a word to Noah standing beside them.

It was a situation that had been foreseen from the moment Noah made that suggestion, given their relationship of dumper and dumpee.

That’s when it happened.

From far away, Nubilus came running quickly, shaking their curly hair. They were speaking excitedly with their mouth flapping, but it was hard to understand what they were saying.

“……What are you saying?”

“The egg…… They say it’s cracking!”

At those words, Nigel and Noah’s gazes met.