Koko visited Galen's atelier in the morning. The day before, Galen had turned her away. Still, Koko thought that if she could talk to him just one more time, maybe he'd understand. She was naive. She didn't want to burden her friends. The problems that arose because of her—she wanted to settle them herself. So she went alone. Without telling anyone where she was going. She walked down the stone-paved alley. The morning air was still cold, and the scent of herbal tea drifted from somewhere. The sound of a cart came from the direction of the Myrtle Market. Just another ordinary morning. But her footsteps alone felt a little heavy. She knocked on the door of Galen's atelier. It opened. But it wasn't Galen who came out. Three apprentices stood there. Around fifteen or sixteen years old. They looked down at Koko, and one of them—a tall girl—opened her mouth. "[serious]Oh, so you're the one from the rumors," "[serious]Galen's out today. But I can pretty much guess why you're here," All three stepped forward in unison. "[sarcastic]I heard you're always spinning your wheels. You can't even make a plan, and you rely on your friends? Isn't that pathetic?" Koko opened her mouth. No words came out. "[sarcastic]Your master, Kifa—she hasn't been at the atelier lately, right? Maybe... she got tired of you all?" The three of them giggled. Sunlight streamed in from the depths of the hallway, and their shadows stretched toward Koko. Pathetic? Got tired of you? No, she thought. But she couldn't find words to argue back. When she tried to list reasons why it wasn't true, her mind went white and nothing came out. It felt like they'd struck exactly where it hurt most. "[sarcastic]We're not going to pass along a message to Galen for you," The door shut with a soft click. Koko was left alone in the quiet alley. Thin grass grew from the gaps between the stones. Koko stared at it blankly. Her feet wouldn't move. After a while, she slowly began walking away from the atelier. 　　　　＊ When dinner time came, Koko didn't go to the dining hall. She went outside only after the sky had gone completely dark. She stood in front of the atelier's outer wall. The mark floating on the stone surface was glowing noticeably brighter than yesterday. Its pulsing rhythm had quickened. When she brought her palm close, she could feel the air trembling faintly. Three days left. She was still missing one material. Koko stared at the mark. (I can't make a plan. I can't hold everyone together. I couldn't even say anything back to Galen.) It spun in her head. Wouldn't stop. Then older memories surfaced. When she was small. She'd gotten lost in the winding alleys of Passo Street and couldn't find the way out. She'd clung to a wall, crying. Even as it got dark, no one came. She was alone. Had anything changed since then? Koko realized she was crying. No sound came out. Just tears, falling one after another. She tried to wipe them away, but they wouldn't stop. The mark grew brighter. Time wouldn't wait for her. "……" Footsteps sounded. It was Oruo. Silver hair tied back, a thin jacket draped over his shoulders. The thin earring on his left ear caught the light from the outer wall and glimmered faintly. He looked at Koko, didn't speak, didn't leave—just slipped down to sit beside her. He said nothing. The two of them sat side by side, watching the mark. Night wind passed through. An owl called in the distance. Oruo's profile was quiet, and Koko couldn't tell if he was thinking about something or just waiting. But that silence didn't feel like blame. That alone made her feel a little better. Koko spoke quietly. "[sad]Maybe I'm just dragging everyone down," Oruo didn't answer right away. One breath, two breaths. "[serious]Does someone who's dragging everyone down help lost children or drive off magical beasts in the forest?" Koko had nothing to say. "[gentle]It's true you're reckless. But when it's time to move, you move before anyone else. That's your strength," The tears didn't stop. But her downturned face lifted just a little. Koko glanced at Oruo's profile. His gray eyes reflected the faint light of the mark. Then she looked forward again. "……Thank you," "Yeah," A short reply. But it was very like Oruo. 　　　　＊ That silence was shattered by loud footsteps. Clatter-clatter-clatter—coming from the direction of the atelier entrance. Water-blue long hair cut through the night air, and Tete burst in. Breathing hard, ink still on her fingertips, her silver eyes sparkling brilliantly. "[excited]Huge discovery!!" Koko and Oruo turned around at the same time. "[excited]I found a material that might work instead of ancient mineral powder!" Koko wiped her eyes with her sleeve. Tete saw Koko's face and looked a little flustered. But she couldn't hold back and continued. "Moonlight fluorite—it's a mineral that only glows at night. I've been curious about it for my ink research, and I thought it might emit a magical frequency similar to ancient marks, so I did some investigating today and—" "[serious]Where did you find it," Tete paused for a moment. "……The deepest part of Verde Forest," Oruo's expression went rigid. The deepest part of Verde Forest—the deep interior of the forest northwest of Mezzaluna. Far deeper than the outer edges where they'd gone to collect luminous moss. Vine Wolves lived there. Multiple magical beasts more dangerous than Great Scaled Beasts. "[scared]That's……" "[serious]Pretty deep," "I know," Tete's face drooped a little. But the light in her eyes hadn't gone out. Koko stood up. Night wind touched her dried cheeks. She was scared. In three days, she'd have to venture into the depths of a forest full of magical beasts. She didn't know if it would work out. But. "[gentle]……Let's call everyone," Oruo's eyes narrowed slightly. Tete's face brightened. She'd chosen to ask for help. Not reluctantly. By her own choice. The mark pulsed quietly on the outer wall. Three days left. Time wouldn't wait. But tonight, Koko wasn't alone.