Koko was still laughing a little about mixing up Oruo's name with her own yesterday, even after waking up this morning. Lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, she giggled softly to herself. She'd made a proper plan. Four materials. Six days left—no, if she used today, five days for four materials. The first one, luminous moss, she'd get today. Verde Forest—the thin, damp woodland that spread beyond the northern hills of Mezzaluna—was where the moss grew at the base of trees, according to what Oruo had written in yesterday's plan. The moss glowed pale blue, a rare plant that produced a luminescence effect when mixed into drawing magic ink. The first of four materials needed to break the seal. When she went down to the dining hall, Oruo was already there. He had a map spread across the table, writing something in with a pencil. His silver hair tied back behind him looked oddly composed in the morning light. "[excited]Oruo, you're already ready! "You're slow," Koko grabbed a piece of bread and bit into it while standing beside Oruo, peering down at the map. From the forest entrance to the deeper section where the luminous moss grew, a thin line traced out the route. "[serious]If we take this path, we'll get there in about an hour and a half. If we don't get lost," "We won't get lost!" "……I see," Koko wondered why there was a pause, but she didn't ask. —　—　— The forest entrance was a short walk up a hill path from the north gate of the city. The morning air was crisp, and it smelled of grass. Koko put her blending brush—the one her master Kifa had given her when she became an apprentice, with mineral powder worked into the bristles—into her coat pocket and set off eagerly. "[excited]Okay, I'll take the lead! Sometimes my intuition's faster than the map! "……Sure," "Not 'sure'—say you trust me," "Don't rush. Just walk," Koko puffed out her chest and took the lead. She moved forward along a narrow path with trees pressing in from both sides. Bird calls, rustling leaves, the soft feel of earth beneath her feet. It felt good. After about ten minutes of walking, Koko stopped. A large Kunugi tree stood right in front of her. Halfway up the trunk was a distinctive scar shaped like lightning. ……She thought she'd seen this before. "[surprised]Huh," Oruo silently unfolded the map. He tapped the pencil point at their current location. Koko looked back and forth between the map and the tree. "……We're at the same place again," Her ears grew hot. A little embarrassing. "Use the map," "Y-yes……" The two of them checked the map and walked again. This time it would be fine. Koko traced the route carefully with her eyes and moved forward along the single path. It was going well. But partway through, a different direction through the gaps in the trees looked like a shortcut. "This way looks closer," "That path isn't on the map," "But look, there are fewer trees——" She went that way. Five minutes later. The Kunugi tree was in front of her again. The scar on the trunk shaped like lightning. "……" Oruo silently unfolded the map. Second time. Koko looked up at the sky. White clouds drifted slowly. Nice weather. Why did she keep getting lost? "Koko," "I know, I'll look at the map," The third time, they both held the map and walked carefully. Koko traced the route with her finger while walking beside Oruo. This time, even when she wanted to take a side path, she held back. She just endured it. Twenty minutes later, the Kunugi tree didn't appear. Instead, the trees grew denser, and the ground became damp. The green of the moss deepened. The air turned cool, and the bird calls grew distant. "[serious]From here on is the luminous moss section," "[excited]We made it!" Just as Koko stepped forward, thinking they'd finally arrived, she saw pale blue light on the ground. "[excited]Ah——it's beautiful……" At the base of the trees, softly glowing moss spread out. A pale blue like the moon, faintly shimmering in the dark forest. Not covering the whole area, but scattered in spots. Yet clearly, it looked alive. In that instant, the undergrowth behind them rustled. Koko and Oruo turned around at the same time. The undergrowth split open wide. ——It was huge. A lizard over two meters long slowly emerged. Large, bulging eyes. Scales in dry green and gray, with the sides of its body bumpy like shields. A Great-scaled Lizard—Koko had seen that name in a bestiary. It was a rare magical beast in this forest that hunted by sight and pursued its prey, the book had said. "[cold]Don't move," Oruo spoke low. He folded the map in his hands while quickly confirming their escape route. Koko's feet froze. The Great-scaled Lizard's eyes fixed on them. Large, bulging eyes. The Great-scaled Lizard took a step forward. Before she could think, her hand moved. Koko pulled her blending brush from her pocket and drew a line in the air. A drawing magic circle—the pattern of an illumination spell. A shape she'd drawn hundreds of times in practice. The ink glowed in the air. Her hand was shaking. But the line didn't stop. The moment the circle completed, blinding light erupted. A flash of white light struck the Great-scaled Lizard's face directly. The Great-scaled Lizard lurched backward. Rustling through the undergrowth as it retreated—then disappeared into the depths of the forest. The sound of heavy footsteps gradually faded into the distance. For a while, there was no sound at all. "……It worked," His voice was quiet. Only then did Koko exhale. Her hands were shaking. She stood frozen, still gripping the blending brush. "[surprised]Uh, ah, yeah……" She was surprised herself. Her body had moved on its own. Illumination magic wasn't meant for attacking. But she'd thought in that instant—if she hit those large eyes directly— "Next time, stay a bit further back. I'll take the front," His tone was blunt, but Koko understood. He was worried about her. "[gentle]Sorry. But it worked out," "That's true, but——" "Right?" Oruo went quiet for a moment. Then he sighed. He wasn't angry, probably. —　—　— Collecting the luminous moss started when Koko tried to pull it up by the roots and was stopped. "[serious]Leave the roots. It'll grow again," "Oh, right. If I take the whole thing, it'll be gone," "It's basic," "I didn't know……" Oruo showed her how to carefully peel away just the surface of the moss without damaging the roots, using a small knife. Koko watched and tried the same thing. It worked. The pale blue light transferred faintly to her palm. There was a strange warmth to it. "[excited]The luminous moss is warm," "It releases a small amount of heat when it glows. That's why it has lasting power when mixed into ink," "I see," Oruo really did know everything. Koko thought that was amazing while carefully collecting the right amount of moss. When she put it in a leather pouch, pale blue light seeped from the seams. On the way back, dappled sunlight filtered through the trees. The air was warmer than in the morning, and birds had returned. Walking beside Oruo, Koko suddenly spoke something she'd been thinking. "Oruo, you're always so calm. That's nice," "……Is that so," "I was shaking earlier, and I get lost, and I'm always all over the place," She glanced to the side. Oruo kept walking, looking ahead. There was a pause. "……I get flustered too sometimes," His voice was a little lower than usual. Koko's head came up involuntarily. "I just don't show it," She looked at his profile. His ears were, ever so slightly, red. Koko barely managed to hold back a sound. Oruo had said something honest. She understood that. Instead, she said quietly: "I see," "……Yeah," A different kind of air flowed between them than before. Koko felt it carefully. But three seconds later, she couldn't hold back anymore. "[laughing]So that means when that Great-scaled Lizard showed up, you were totally freaking out inside too!?" Oruo froze for an instant. "……Shut up," But the corner of his mouth lifted just slightly. Koko saw that and held back her laughter while looking ahead. Somehow, it felt good. Knowing that Oruo was actually human. It was obvious, but it made her feel really relieved. —　—　— They returned to the atelier in the evening. When Koko placed the luminous moss in the storage shelf in the library, pale blue light seeped from the gaps. She set the leather pouch down carefully and stepped back. "[excited]One down!" She made a small fist pump. Beside her, Oruo opened the plan and ran his pencil across it. "Three left. River-bottom blue stone, ancient mineral powder from Myrtle Market, night dew water from the roof," "We can get the blue stone if we go in the river, right?" "Probably. The problem is the ancient mineral powder," The moment Koko heard that name, she remembered yesterday's conversation. Only a small amount was handled at Myrtle Market, and Oruo had said that people connected to the Alchemy Council were buying it up for research. "If we go to the market, it'll definitely be there, right?" Oruo paused for a moment. "……We should move quickly," It wasn't a clear answer. Koko didn't notice the hesitation in his words. "Then tomorrow's the market! Maybe we can get Agu and Tete to come too—that'd be faster——" Oruo wrote a small "?" in the "ancient mineral powder" section of the plan. Koko didn't see that "?". His eyes turned to the outer wall of the atelier beyond the window. The seal pulsed there, stronger than yesterday. Koko remained frozen with her fist pump raised. Her smile clouded over, just slightly. Five days left. Three materials. The luminous moss on the shelf glowed pale blue.