The spring breeze brushed gently across Allen's face.
It tousled the fringe over his forehead.
And then—he "opened" his eyes.
In his vision—
Patches of sunlight filtering through the forest canopy danced in the eyes of a girl with braided blue hair. The flickering light made her gaze seem too bright, almost dazzling.
He couldn't quite make out her face.
Instinctively, Allen blinked and turned to his side.
Beside him was a tree.
Its bark was rugged, and even without touching it, he could feel the grainy texture beneath his fingertips.
Etched into the bark were words:
[Territory of Rudy, Sylphy, and Allen.]
In that moment, Allen realized exactly where he was.
The slope near Buena Village.
He froze, dazed—unable to recall what he had just been doing or how he ended up spacing out here all of a sudden.
Thankfully—
Roxy was right in front of him.
He thought maybe he should ask her.
As that thought passed, he turned to face her.
White hair. Reddish-brown eyes.
It was Sylphy's face.
As if the blue-haired, blue-eyed figure from a moment ago had just been an illusion.
Now, with the spring breeze swirling around her, her white hair fluttered as she clasped her hands behind her back. She struck the usual pose she'd take when waiting for Allen outside the Greyrat home, looking up at him with a slightly surprised expression.
Her lips moved.
"Chirp."
Clear and melodic, like the birdsong that wakes one on a spring morning.
So natural...
??
So natural?
Thunk!
Allen suddenly slipped—jerking upright from his chair.
He opened his eyes.
A finely crafted desk. An extinguished candleholder. Papers on the desk, filled with dense characters.
He blinked and turned toward the window beside the desk.
On the windowsill were two birds, craning their necks curiously at the man who'd just jolted up like a corpse in a horror story.
"Chirp."
They didn't seem afraid at all.
As birds chirped, spring sunlight burned across the window frame like fire, casting its golden glow on the walls of the Boreas estate. The wind from outside blew on Allen's dazed face, fully waking him up.
Only then did he realize it had all been a dream. The spring breeze, the birdsong, those sensations had seeped into his subconscious during sleep and worked their way into his dream.
Allen shook his head and laughed softly.
"What kind of mess was that? One minute it was Sylphy, the next Roxy. And I fell asleep at the desk before I even got a chance to see what Roxy was writing."
"A shame I only got to see the final version—not the draft this time..."
"A real loss."
He stretched and yawned, feeling the qi within his body surging with strength, and all lingering fatigue completely wiped away.
"Still... slept pretty well."
After finishing his stretch, Allen glanced down at the pen in his hand.
Beneath it—
Was Roxy's name.
Allen paused, then smiled bitterly.
He folded the letter on the desk and slipped it into a drawer, locking it casually.
He rotated his stiff neck, loosening the tension with a burst of qi to clear the blood flow.
Then turned and headed for the door.
As he opened it—
He saw the classroom across the hall with its door wide open. The windows inside were open too, and a breeze swept through.
At that moment, another door opened beside his.
Allen turned—
And there stood Sylphy.
She looked like she'd been up for a while already, her face still glistening slightly from washing up, with a few damp strands of white hair sticking to her cheeks.
The crosswinds made her hair dance wildly. Beneath the windblown locks was her smiling face.
Just like in the dream.
Allen blinked—
And then heard Sylphy's voice beside him.
"Good morning, Allen."
Not birdsong.
But just as sweet.
Allen thought to himself and responded.
"Good morning."
——
Breakfast was served in a dining room reserved for servants, but even so, the food was far more refined than anything in Buena Village.
One notable thing—Allen and Sylphy had to drag Rudy out of the library first.
Like always, the little neet, in both the original story and now, had boundless enthusiasm and drive when it came to magic.
He'd woken up early and, while Sylphy was washing up, splashed some water on his face and darted off to find magic tomes in the library.
Only to discover... the same textbooks they had back in Buena Village.
By the time Allen and Sylphy found him, he was visibly disappointed.
But that frown quickly lifted when he saw how refreshed Allen looked.
And at breakfast, that frown turned into the trademark lewd grin that curled both corners of his mouth upward.
Since this was the servant's dining room, apart from the smell of food, there was naturally another scent lingering—
The distinct aroma of beastfolk girls.
Because all the ones bustling about—
Were kemonomimi maids.
And during the meal, a few "unexpected guests" approached them.
"Good morning, Allen-sama! Sylphy-sama! Young master Rudeus! Would you like us to serve your meal today? Allen-sama looks much more energetic than yesterday—it seems our service last night left you quite satisfied."
The four beastfolk girls bowed deeply in front of Allen. Though their attire was much more modest than last night, their smiles still sparkled with teasing charm.
Allen's face went pale, and he instantly waved his hands to clear up the misunderstanding.
"The bedding was great! Thanks! No need!"
Their laughter chimed like silver bells.
Rudy cast him a suspicious side glance.
The sounds of all those beastgirls leaving last night weren't exactly quiet.
He definitely heard them. But due to his "societal awareness" from his previous life, he suppressed his urge to peek and just listened. When he noticed that no familiar adult sounds came from next door—he lost interest and went to sleep.
But now, seeing those teasing expressions on the beastgirls' faces, Rudy's inner old neet resurfaced with suspicion. Did I miss something?
As if on cue, a pervy smile appeared naturally on his face. His gaze wandered to the girls' twitching ears—exactly the expression he had when he first arrived at the Boreas estate in the anime.
But before he could enjoy that look—
His smile froze.
Because from the corner of his eye, he felt a piercing gaze.
Rudy turned his head—slowly.
Sylphy's face stared at him. Completely expressionless.
The next second, under the table, she stepped hard on his foot.
With a yelp, Rudy winced.
The beastgirls giggled behind their hands and took their leave.
Rudy gritted his teeth in pain.
——
When the group returned to the classroom entrance, they were greeted by an unexpected sight.
The red-haired wild dog was already there, arms crossed, chin raised, lips pursed—
"Good morning, Allen! Sylphy!"
That upward inflection—clear sign she'd completely forgotten that she fell asleep against the wall last night.
"Good morning, Allen, Rudy, Sylphy."
Ghislaine stood next to her, serious as always.
And beside her was Edna, who had left the previous night.
"Good morning, everyone. How did you sleep?"
"Pretty well."
Eris and Ghislaine had just run into Edna too. Eris turned toward her, raising an eyebrow.
"Edna, you just got here last night, didn't you? It's time for sword training now! Go away, come back at night! I don't wanna do etiquette lessons right now!"
Edna turned to her with a sigh and pulled out a piece of paper from her robes.
"Lady Eris, I just wanted to discuss the class schedule with the new tutors."
(End of Chapter)
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