The day of the retrial dawned cloudy from morning. The sky over Blanche was white, the sun hidden behind clouds and refusing to emerge. The white marble school buildings of Etreille Academy looked slightly duller than usual. Passing by the greenhouse, the green of plants swayed beyond the glass as they always did. Tirel Keira walked the corridor alone. She was remembering the previous night. In this room where she'd returned after her suspension ended, she'd read the two letters once more. Rosette's round handwriting, Rion's slightly angular script. Both were short, yet carried undeniable weight. The doors to the Grand Hall came into view. The students gathered for the hearing were already assembled. The murmur leaking from the hall transmitted through the walls. Keira took one deep breath and opened the doors. --- The Grand Hall was the largest room in Etreille Academy. Wooden spectator seats arranged in an arc could hold three hundred people, with a large platform set in the center. Normally it was used for entrance ceremonies and year-end assemblies. Today, more than half the student body had crowded inside. As Keira entered, the murmur abruptly ceased. Gazes converged on her all at once. (Ah, I know this.) This was the air that Kira in her past life had felt every time she stepped on stage. That weight of hundreds of eyes turning from the darkness. The pressure of mixed tension and anticipation. The difference was that today's gazes held no affection. Morbid curiosity, or eyes trying to confirm whether the rumors were true. The same kind of gaze that had avoided her in the dining hall since her suspension began. Keira's face showed nothing. Without averting her gaze, without quickening her pace, she walked toward the platform while quietly surveying the entire venue. What she'd honed in her past life was now consciously at work——lowering the tone of her voice, not focusing on any single point. Distributing her gaze evenly across the entire hall. Just that much changed the atmosphere. The murmur quieted. Students leaned forward slightly. The cold observational eyes from moments before transformed into eyes waiting for her to say something. Tirel Claude sat at the edge of the platform. The moment his daughter entered the Grand Hall, the silver hair of Count Claude Tirel swayed. He was saying something in a low voice to Rion sitting beside him. Something like, "If you wish it, I could arrange a seat further forward..." Rion silently shifted one step to the side. Keira stood on the platform, saw this, and felt her mouth relax slightly. She told herself not to smile and faced forward. Academy Director Guillaume Duval stood up. The white-haired old man of sixty-seven turned his eyes behind round spectacles quietly toward the hall and announced the opening. "[serious]Today, we will conduct a retrial regarding the suspension of Tirel Keira" --- First, Rosette took the witness stand. The fifty-year-old former pharmacist, still in her greenhouse keeper's work clothes, faced forward quietly. Her back was slightly bent, but her voice was firm. "[serious]It was the night several days after the ball" The hall fell silent. "[serious]When I went to the greenhouse for nighttime watering, the lights were on. Looking inside, I saw Ferno Maris sitting on a bench, copying something. On the table were Keira's textbooks spread open, and beside them several sheets of paper stacked together. The same sentences were written over and over again" Maris stood up. Deep purple short hair. Golden eyes. Traces of tears on her cheeks. "[crying]I never went to the greenhouse that night. There's no evidence——" "[gentle]The next morning, one potted plant had fallen over" Rosette's voice was calm but unwavering. "[gentle]Someone must have knocked it over that night. I straightened it the next morning. It was a pot of Brunfelsia with blue-purple flowers. It's still on the shelf in the back of the greenhouse" Maris opened her mouth. No words came out. For just a moment, the briefest instant, the next denial was delayed. The students in the front rows saw that "delay." --- Next, Rion stood up. Jet-black hair with red streaks. The scar on his left eyebrow faintly visible in the hall's light. The prince of Valdikion Kingdom held out an envelope to the academy director. "[serious]This is a report from a document examiner employed by Blanche's notary office——the public institution that verifies the authenticity of documents in the Kingdom of Fertina" Duval received it and opened it. Rion continued toward the hall. His voice was calm, but each word carried weight. "[serious]The report documents multiple character traits found in the forged letter. Specifically, the ending stroke of the character 'Ki' deviates seven degrees from Keira Tirel's writing style. The second stroke of 'Ri' is shorter than the subject's handwriting. The examiner's conclusion is——this letter was not written by Keira Tirel herself" Murmurs spread through the hall. Students exchanged glances with their neighbors. A pencil fell. Someone whispered "seriously" under their breath. The color drained from Maris's face. --- Keira opened her mouth. "[serious]Next, I'd like to confirm the timeline" Her voice was calmer than she'd expected. The hall fell silent again. "[serious]Ferno Maris transferred three weeks after this semester began. The first rumor——that I was meeting Valdikion Rion late at night——began spreading a week after that. The greenhouse was damaged three days later. And the forged letter arrived at the director's office the day after that" She paused. "[serious]Throughout all this time, Maris was with me, in a position to know what times I went to the greenhouse, what textbooks I used, and what my handwriting looked like" Maris's hands turned white on her lap. Her clenched fingers trembled. "[crying]……That's not true. I didn't——" "[serious]I'm simply confirming things one by one" Keira's voice wasn't angry. Just quiet. That quietness made it heavier. "[crying]What are you saying I did?! There's no evidence! Even if Rosette saw someone, it was dark, right?! How can you really say it was me——" "[gentle]I said the lights were on that night" Rosette interrupted quietly. "[gentle]Under the lights, I saw clearly. Ferno Maris's purple hair and slightly pointed ears cannot be mistaken for anyone else" The hall fell silent. Maris's lips moved. Something that couldn't form words leaked from her mouth. Her golden eyes wavered. Tears welled up again. But this time it wasn't an act. These were real tears of someone cornered. "[angry]……It's your fault!!" Her voice echoed through the Grand Hall. "[angry]People gather without you doing anything, you get attention without doing anything, the prince chooses you without doing anything! No matter how hard I try, no matter how much I work, just your breathing makes all of that——! That's not fair!!" The hall fell silent. Keira didn't move. For just a moment, a different scene flashed in her mind. A monitor in a dressing room. Members of the same group smiling at the camera. "She's self-centered." "Everyone just doesn't notice." Kira had watched from outside the screen. That hollow sensation in her chest. Maris's cry echoed in that hollow. Anger didn't come. Instead, a quiet understanding spread through her. Keira paused briefly, then opened her mouth. "[gentle]I understand how you feel" The hall stirred, but the next words quieted it again. "[serious]But that doesn't justify framing me" Simple words. Unadorned. No anger, no sarcasm. Just that, quiet and clear. The strength drained from Maris's body. Her knees buckled. She collapsed. Sobs leaked out. Gasps continued. And then, in fits and starts, everything came out. Writing the forged letter. Practicing the handwriting repeatedly. Deliberately spreading rumors. Damaging the greenhouse. All of it, she had done. Duval stood up. The old director's voice was slightly lower than usual. "[serious]I hereby immediately revoke the suspension of Tirel Keira. Ferno Maris will receive strict disciplinary action in accordance with academy regulations. Details will be communicated at a later date" Keira bowed and descended from the platform. As she walked, a thought occurred to her. (This is something the Kira of my past life couldn't have done.) If she could have said this in front of that dressing room monitor back then. Not anger or collapse, just quietly saying "that's wrong"——she was certain the Kira of that time couldn't have managed it. The words wouldn't come before exhaustion and resignation set in. Today, she had said it. That alone, strangely, remained in her chest. --- The exit of the Grand Hall was crowded. Students came out into the corridor, saw Keira, and stopped. One called out to her. "[sad]Tirel-sama……I'm sorry for not believing you" Another voice immediately followed. "Me too." "I'm truly sorry." "I believed the rumors." Keira smiled gently at each one. "It's fine." "Please don't worry." The words were genuine. The anger was truly absent. But in her mind, she saw clearly. (These people were the ones who believed the rumors.) There was no malice. They simply received information that came their way. That's how people are——she'd seen it countless times in her past life. An idol's "good rumors" and "bad rumors" spread with equal ease. The Kira of her past life had once allowed herself a sweet illusion and suffered terribly for it. This Keira had none of that. When people apologized, it was nice. But it didn't make everything return to how it was. She simply accepted it peacefully and moved forward. When the crowd had thinned, Rion stood in a corner of the corridor. He leaned against the wall, arms crossed, looking at her. Black hair with red streaks. A thin scar on his left eyebrow. His expression was as unapproachable as always. When Keira approached, Rion spoke first. "[serious]I never doubted you from the start. Remember that" It was an awkward way of saying it. But his eyes were serious. Those sharp, cold gray eyes looked at Keira with unusual directness. Keira looked at Rion's face for a while. A line from the letter that arrived on the night of her suspension came to mind. Slightly angular handwriting. Three characters: don't give up. "[gentle]……Thank you" She meant it from the bottom of her heart. Including her past life, when had she last thanked someone like this? A brief silence fell between them. In that moment, the silver-haired count strolled down the corridor. "[gentle]Well then. Shall we have some tea?" The corner of Rion's mouth moved slightly. Whether he smiled or was exasperated was hard to judge. Keira let out a small breath. Father's timing was always like this. --- Café Soleil was about a five-minute walk from the academy's main gate. A small café popular with academy students, it faced a small stone-paved alley in Blanche. Pushing open the wooden door, the sweet scent of baked goods welcomed them. A few other customers were there tonight, their quiet voices audible. When the three sat at a table, the proprietress Nadine came out. The thirty-eight-year-old shop owner, known for loving gossip and being well-informed, saw the three faces and smiled knowingly. "[laughing]Tonight calls for a special service" With that, she brought out more than the usual amount of the shop's signature honey-lemon baked goods. Two silver coins' worth sat warm on the plate. "I wonder what happened," she said as if to herself, returning to the counter. You could tell from her back that she was enjoying the unusual atmosphere of the three. Claude looked at Rion sitting across from him. "[gentle]I truly appreciate what you did for my daughter" Not light words, but a bow. A count bowing to a young exchange student. Rion looked away slightly. His usually calculating expression wavered. "[serious]Count. Your daughter is not someone who