Outside the door, Furuhashi Fumino and Ogata Rizu each carried a beautifully wrapped pastry box.
Sakurajima Mai opened the door, wearing a polite, picture-perfect smile.
"Good evening, Furuhashi, Ogata."
"Good evening, Mai!"
Fumino immediately bowed slightly, her smile sweet and well-mannered.
Rizu followed suit with a stiffer bow. "Good evening, Mai."
Fumino added quickly, "Sorry to drop in like this—we're here for tutoring today."
"Oh? Tutoring? Come on in."
Catching on right away, Mai stepped aside.
The two switched into slippers and walked in.
Mai's eyes naturally drifted to the pastries in their hands. "And these are…?"
"Ah—these are some cookies I baked myself. Thought I'd bring them for everyone to try."
Fumino handed the box over, her smile tinged with shyness.
"If they're not great, please don't hold it against me."
"Thanks, that's really thoughtful."
Mai took the box and set it on the coffee table.
Almost without thinking, she glanced toward Ilias, who was sitting alone on the armchair. "Ilias, you've got tutoring tonight too?"
Ilias set down her teacup. Her crimson eyes were calm and unreadable as she nodded.
"Yes. As planned, tonight we'll be working on a preliminary model for advanced alchemical energy conversion matrices and their relationship to complex spatial geometric topology."
Her tone was cool and steady, but the words made Fumino and Rizu instinctively shrink back.
They had no idea what any of it meant—but it definitely sounded impressive.
"…Huh?"
Mai blinked. This was supposed to be tutoring in regular school subjects. How did it turn into alchemy and magic?
Fumino quickly explained, "Actually, that's our idea."
She bit her lip, looking a little self-conscious.
After seeing during the beach trip that a lot of people here had supernatural powers, she and Rizu couldn't help getting curious.
When they learned Ilias not only knew normal academics but also magic, they asked if she could teach them.
So now they had "extra tutoring" in magic.
"I get it now…"
Mai nodded thoughtfully.
Fumino and Rizu glanced at each other nervously, worried she'd say no.
They knew Mai's word carried almost as much weight as Rei Ao's in this house.
"In that case, go ahead."
Mai nodded again, giving them the green light.
Rei Ao had already told her it was fine for the group chat members to get involved with supernatural stuff—just like Hayasaka Ai and Shinomiya Kaguya, who were already learning magic.
"That's great!"
Both girls lit up at her answer.
Clearly familiar with the place, they set the pastries down and headed straight for the study.
The door was open.
Inside, a large desk took center stage, surrounded by shelves of heavy-looking books and strange instruments—most of them Ilias's alchemy gear.
Ilias stood and followed them in.
The study was brightly lit.
On the desk lay an open parchment covered in intricate runes and geometric diagrams. Nearby, a few softly glowing crystals and metal components caught the light.
Ilias took the main seat and gestured for them to sit opposite her.
She began sorting through the papers, preparing for tonight's lesson.
As Fumino took out her notebook and pen, she let her eyes wander over the bookshelves, then to the mysterious items on the desk, before landing back on Ilias.
"Ilias-sensei," she said with a gentle smile, her tone casual,
"Why don't I see Emilia today? And Rei Ao's not around either?"
She remembered Emilia sometimes joined their study sessions or quietly read nearby—a quick-learning elf whose talent made them both feel inadequate.
Rizu adjusted her oversized glasses and gave Ilias the same questioning look.
Ilias didn't pause in her work.
Without looking up, she replied in her cool, even tone, "Emilia went home for a bit. She's not back yet…"
She wasn't lying—Emilia had indeed returned to Ente Isla to handle something.
According to Rei Ao, she'd be back "soon"… though "soon" in cross-world travel didn't mean what it did to regular people.
"As for the Master…"
Ilias finally lifted her head.
Her crimson gaze shifted toward the doorway, as if it could pass straight through the walls to the tightly closed master bedroom at the end of the hall.
Her lips curved in the faintest smile—just enough to hint at knowing something and enjoying it.
Then she looked back at her two students, her tone perfectly flat but dropping a pebble into still water:
"The Master's in the bedroom."
"In the bedroom?"
Fumino and Rizu both blinked.
Fumino's expression shifted to sudden realization, tinged with embarrassment.
"So Rei Ao's home! Well, since we're guests, we should at least say hello. It'd be rude not to."
She stood up, ready to head for the master bedroom.
In her mind, if the host was home and guests came over, politeness demanded a greeting.
"Right."
Rizu thought barging into someone's bedroom might be pushing it, but seeing Fumino stand, she figured the point about courtesy made sense and got up too.
"…."
Ilias stayed seated, an alchemy pen glowing faint blue in her hand as she scribbled on the parchment.
She looked like she didn't care at all.
But the faint dip of her lashes and the deeper curve of her hidden smile gave her away—
She was clearly waiting for a show to start.