Cold stone floor. His back pressed against the wall. Every breath sent pain through his ribs. (Why am I even alive?) Tatsuya sat with his knees drawn up, staring down the guild corridor. The lantern light cast long shadows against the stone walls. The infirmary door remained closed. Ryune's bandages. The red seeping through white cloth. Still burned into the back of his eyes. —I couldn't protect her. He looked at his palms. No trace of blood remained. But the sensation lingered. The slick warmth of her blood. "[cold]You're the one they dragged along on that mission, aren't you." A voice. He raised his head. White robes. Long silver hair. Ice-blue eyes stared down at Tatsuya. How long had she been there? A chill cold enough to freeze the air itself. The woman stood motionless, expressionless. —Someone else got hurt again. If only I had moved faster. The skill picked it up. A deep, deep voice of self-reproach. Beneath that cold exterior, someone was relentlessly blaming herself. "You're..." "[cold]Viola Stormrein." The words were short, and heavy. "[cold]They call me the Ice Queen. It doesn't matter if you don't know." —I reached my limit trying to do this alone. I just want to fight alongside someone. Her true feelings flowed in, painfully clear. Tatsuya slowly rose to his feet. "[gentle]Well, how should I put this..." His knees were shaking. Sleep deprivation and hunger left his head hazy. "[gentle]Would you like to sit? The floor here is pretty cold, though." Viola's movements stopped. Those icy eyes widened, just slightly. —This person... he's saying that in this situation...? Pure bewilderment reached him through the skill. "[cold]...Do you understand the situation you're in?" "[gentle]Not really." He answered honestly. Viola fell silent for a moment, then pulled a thick bundle of documents from inside her robes. "[serious]Dolph Gandor. Evidence that the vice-master has sent adventurers to their deaths using the same methods on three previous occasions." "[surprised]Huh." "[cold]Copies of the request ledgers. Testimony records. However, to prove the falsification of the commission routes, we need to cross-reference them with the official ledgers. It's a difficult task. Too much for me to handle alone." —There was no one I could rely on. No one I could ask. A sharp pang struck Tatsuya's chest. "[gentle]Let me see." He took the documents. The feel of paper. The scent of ink. His eyes scanned across them. Numbers. Dates. Signatures. Patterns. "[gentle]Here." He pointed. A gap in the request numbers. "[gentle]This number breaks the sequencing rules. It's a trace of someone artificially shifting them." Viola's eyes went wide. —This man... how can he see that... He's useful. "[cold]...I'm surprised. In just a few minutes." "[gentle]It's the karma of a former corporate slave. I've seen more document discrepancies than I ever wanted to, back in Excel." "[cold]Ekusel? Is that some kind of magical tool?" "[gentle]Something like that." —He really is a strange person. But... reliable. Her true feelings grew faintly warmer. Late night. The ledger cross-referencing had reached a stopping point, and only the lantern light illuminated the two of them. Viola's silver hair shone as if melting into the light. Her pale profile. Slender forearms peeked from her robe sleeves, her unblemished skin standing out white. Tatsuya noticed. (She's beautiful.) His gaze stopped for a moment. —He's looking at me. Why can't I stay composed? A voice of confusion reached him through the skill. Viola didn't move her face. But the tips of her ears were ever so slightly red. "[gentle]Why were you investigating this alone?" Silence. "[cold]I had a friend in the guild." Her voice was cold. But her true feelings were weeping. —Two years ago. Arte died. I was gathering evidence back then too, but I didn't make it in time. I don't want to see anyone else off ever again. Tatsuya couldn't say anything. He just took one deep breath. "[gentle]Thank you for all your hard work, Viola-san." Viola's body stiffened. —How long has it been since someone said that to me? "[cold]...Why would you say that?" "[gentle]I just thought... you've been fighting alone all this time." Silence flowed between them. But it wasn't the cold silence from before. The air had softened, just a little. Before dawn. Tatsuya opened the infirmary door. Bandages. White cloth. Peaceful breathing in sleep. Ryune was sleeping. The bandages wrapped from her left shoulder to her chest stood out in the lantern light. He pulled up a chair and sat by her bedside. "[gentle]Ryune." His voice didn't tremble. "[serious]I'll corner Dolph. In your place. I will." Ryune's eyes moved slightly. —For the first time, I thought it might be okay to be protected. I felt like I didn't have to carry everything alone anymore. Because it's him... The skill picked up her faint true feelings. Ryune's eyes opened, just a sliver. A single tear spilled over, wetting the white pillow. A trembling hand emerged from the blanket. Weakly, it grasped the back of Tatsuya's hand. "[whispers]...Stay." A voice barely a voice. But it wasn't the skill. For the first time, it was Ryune's own words. Tatsuya wrapped both hands around hers. "[gentle]I'm not going anywhere." Ryune's lips trembled faintly. When he left the infirmary, Viola was waiting in the corridor. "[cold]I'll confirm the arrangements for the report meeting. The guild master returns tomorrow at noon." "[gentle]Understood." "[cold]Why do you go so far for Ryune?" A sudden question. Tatsuya thought for a moment, then answered. "[gentle]Because she took that hit for me. It's only natural." Viola fell silent. —Natural, huh. I've never... been a natural presence to anyone. The skill picked up her lonely true feelings. "[gentle]Maybe you should try finding someone like that too, Viola-san." He said it without even fully realizing what he was saying. Viola's eyes went round. —How can he say that so easily...? And then. "Pff." Just a single sound. Her lips moved, just barely. The coldness around her eyes softened, ever so slightly. In the lantern light, the Ice Queen smiled in front of someone for the first time. "[surprised]...Wait. Did you just smile?" "[cold]I did not smile." —I smiled. Why did I smile? This person really is strange. The true feelings the skill picked up were filled with confusion, and just a little warmth. The next morning. Light streaming through the window spread white across the stone floor. "[scared]U-um... Viola-san." Maris rushed over, her face pale. "[whispers]Late last night, there are signs that someone from the vice-master's office entered the ledger room." —I have a bad feeling about this. But it's not something I can do anything about... Still, if Ryune-san really was set up intentionally... Her agitation and the conflict of her conscience reached him through the skill. "[serious]It's possible some of the evidence was anticipated." Her expression tightened coldly. "[gentle]Let's set up a two-pronged approach. A direct appeal route to the guild master, and distributed duplicate storage of the evidence." "[cold]...A good plan. I'll adopt it." —I'm not alone. Not anymore. Viola's quiet resolve flowed into him through the skill. The infirmary. Ryune was looking out the window as she took her morning medicine. The bandages still looked painful, but a little color had returned to her cheeks. —Tatsuya is taking action. I need to get back on my feet soon too. But for now... maybe it's okay to trust him. The true feelings the skill picked up were quiet, but filled with firm determination. In the guild corridor, Viola spread out a map. "[serious]We'll reveal the evidence at the report meeting. I had Maris discreetly confirm the location." "[cold]However, if Dolph is planning something, he may try to crush the report meeting itself. I'd like you to help me think through interception routes for that scenario." The stiffness from earlier was gone from her voice now. —Doing things alone was all I ever knew. But now... The voice reaching him through the skill was just a little gentler. Tatsuya nodded and peered down at the map. The fight was only just beginning.