That night, four materials lined the shelf. The pale blue light of moonstone. The blue glow of luminous moss. The dull reflection of blue stone. A transparent vial of night dew. Koko still remembered that moment. The silence when everyone stood watching the shelf. And today was the final day. The atelier's outer wall caught the morning light, glowing white and hazy. The mysterious mark still pulsed there. Faster than yesterday. Stronger. Koko gripped her blending brush firmly in her right hand—the slightly worn one Kifa had given her on her first day. The bristles fit her palm perfectly. "[serious]We'll go with this arrangement. Koko at the center. Tete on the upper left arc. Agu on the lower right for stabilization support. Riche is——" "Drink delivery!" "[serious]……support," Oruo spread out the blueprint. His silver hair swayed faintly in the morning breeze, his gray heterochromatic eyes tracing the diagram. The thin earring in his left ear caught the light. Beside him, Agu began unfolding a large bag. Bundles of dried herbs lined up in rows. "[serious]For ink stabilization, the ratio of mountain purple grass to willow-like plant is crucial. I calculated it last night—two to one is still——" "Amazing! That should work great with my blend!" Tete cut in while pulling out her blending dish. Her water-colored long hair swayed, and ink already stained her fingertips. "[excited]I refined it again last night. Changed the moonstone and luminous moss to three to two, and the luminescence stabilized——hey, Agu, listen to this——" "[serious]Listen to my explanation first," "I am listening! But we can talk at the same time, right?" "[serious]No, we can't," As for Riche, she was rummaging through a large cloth bag. Honey pie, dried fruit, water flask, another honey pie. She quietly set the water flask beside Koko, then rolled a candy into her mouth with a smile. Her yellow right eye and green left eye gleamed in the morning sun. Oruo sighed. "[serious]……Everyone, look at the blueprint first. We'll confirm it one by one," Yet everyone kept moving in different directions. But Koko laughed softly at the sight. It was different from when the five of them first gathered at the market. Back then, everyone was spinning their wheels. Now——they were facing the same direction. All of them toward the same wall. Koko gripped her brush again. "[serious]I'll handle the center. This brush just fits my hand for some reason," Agu glanced sideways. "[serious]……Can you draw with that brush?" "I think so," Agu paused for a moment. Then he nodded silently. Unusual. Koko smiled again, small and quiet. 　　　　＊ Once work began, the outer wall changed gradually. Tete's ink glowed faintly the moment it was applied. The pale blue color mixed from moonstone and luminous moss sank beautifully into the stone. Agu carefully added small amounts of herb compounds to the ink, quietly gauging the timing of stabilization. Oruo alternated between the blueprint and the wall, giving precise position corrections. Riche——moved in silence. The moment her hands began to falter, the water flask appeared. Before she even felt thirsty, Riche was there. When Tete froze from concentrating too hard on her blend, Riche quietly placed a honey pie beside her. When Agu's brow furrowed over herb calculations, a single dried fruit emerged softly. No one noticed. But everyone had been saved by Riche countless times. Koko handled the center section. The most complicated part of the blueprint. Multiple thin curves overlapped, and a single deviation would throw off the entire balance. She moved the brush. Carefully. Slowly. It smudged. "What do I do……" Oruo came quietly and spread the blueprint beside her. "[serious]Start again from here. This curve can have a gentler angle," Tete leaned in. "[gentle]Should we thin the ink here a bit? High viscosity makes the line thicker," Agu silently placed a new ink vial in front of Koko. No one blamed her. No one rushed her. Koko positioned her brush again. This time, her hand was a little steadier. 　　　　＊ As the sun began to tilt, a voice came. "……Not like some amateur magic circle is gonna make it disappear anyway," A man stood in front of the atelier. Arms crossed, leaning against the wall like posture. Slightly older than Koko's group, with sharp eyes. Galen——the one who'd been buying up mineral powder at the market. Koko's hand faltered. But Tete answered without even turning around. "[serious]Say that after it's finished," Galen snorted. Yet as the five continued working, his gaze fixed on Tete's blending dish. He stared at it. Slowly, he approached. He leaned over the dish from above, and his eyebrows rose slightly. "[surprised]……Moonstone with luminous moss?" Tete looked up. Her silver eyes gleamed. "[excited]Yeah! When you mix them, they produce magical power at the same frequency as ancient marks. I figured it out myself!" Galen was silent for a while. Everyone stopped and looked at him. Galen turned his face away. He put his hand in his pocket. Then he pulled out a small vial——and placed it silently in front of Koko. Fine powder inside. Pale silver powder with a white tint. "[surprised]……This is," Galen spoke quickly. "If the atelier disappears, the evaluation council's blending records disappear with it. The documents I use for my research are stored there too. It's not for you guys. It's for my own research," Ancient mineral powder. Agu snorted. Tete said "thank you" straightforwardly. Oruo nodded small and quiet. Riche pulled out another honey pie and held it out to Galen with a smile. "[gentle]Here," Galen looked flustered. It took him a moment to accept it. "[whispers]……Thanks," Agu said "hmph." Tete stifled her laughter and resumed ink blending. Koko stared at the small vial in her hand. (He's embarrassed.) The thought made her laugh a little. 　　　　＊ Tete added the ancient mineral powder to the blending dish bit by bit. The ink's color changed. The pale blue light became deeper, more settled. "[excited]The stabilization power is completely different. This will last," Koko took the vial from Tete. She took a deep breath. The final line of the center section. The longest one. The finest curve. If this shifted, everything would need redoing. The moment she positioned her brush, an old memory surfaced. A back alley on Passo Street. A maze of old stone paths where she'd lost her way. Small, crying, collapsed against a wall. Dark. Scared. Alone. The one who'd helped her then was Calda, the skewer vendor at Mirto Market. He'd asked where she was from, walked with her, and brought her to the atelier's front door. That warmth had stayed somewhere in her heart ever since. Now——everyone was here. When she smudged, Oruo showed her the blueprint. When she needed thinner ink, Tete thinned it. When her hand shook, Agu placed a new vial without a word. When no one was looking, Riche distributed water. They never let her leave. Not her, who was bad at organizing, bad at planning, directionally challenged. Koko began moving her brush. Slowly. But without stopping. Halfway through, her hand trembled slightly. In that instant, Oruo silently lifted the blueprint——showing her where she was drawing. Koko nodded small and continued. The arc extended. A pale blue line carved into the stone surface. The final point. She stopped the brush. The entire magic circle began to glow softly. "[whispers]……It's done," No one moved. Everyone stared up at the outer wall. 　　　　＊ The moon rose. The ancient mark on the outer wall suddenly pulsed violently. A tingling vibration traveled through the air. The mark's light rippled, spreading white and blinding. Koko's group instinctively stepped back. The magic circle they'd drawn began to glow in response. Pale blue light and the ancient mark's white light collided on the wall. A crackling sound. Light overlapped again and again, pushing against each other—— The entire atelier was wrapped in white. Koko closed her eyes. Seconds later. The light withdrew, gentle. Silence. She opened her eyes. The ancient mark was gone from the outer wall. Not a trace remained. Instead——only the magic circle the five had drawn glowed in warm orange light. Soft and calm against the stone surface. Strength drained from Koko's legs. She sank to the ground. "[whispers]It's over……?" "[excited]It's over——! Snack time——!" Riche threw both hands up and shouted. Everyone laughed out loud. Agu leaned against the wall, completely relaxing his shoulders for once. Tete laughed so hard she doubled over. Oruo's mouth curved up quietly——that was Oruo smiling. Agu stared at the wall and said quietly. "[serious]……It turned out well," Tete bounced. "[excited]Yes——! The ink was perfect, right——!" Oruo tapped Koko's head lightly. "[gentle]Well done," That was all. But it was enough. Tears spilled from Koko's eyes. No sound came. Just tears falling. Not tears of frustration or fear. Just happy. So happy she didn't know what to do. Galen stood alone a little distance away, watching the wall. Arms still crossed, silent. His expression remained unfriendly, but his eyes followed the wall's light steadily. Riche pulled out another honey pie and held it out to Galen. This time, Galen accepted it a little faster. "[whispers]……It's good," "[gentle]Right!" The orange light from the outer wall softly illuminated the night stone path. 　　　　＊ The next morning. The atelier door opened. A figure with a travel bag stepped inside——and stopped when she saw the outer wall. It was Kifa. A middle-aged woman with white threading through her hair. Quiet-spoken, but her eyes always saw through things. Now they were wide open. She stared silently at the orange light on the outer wall and the vanished trace of the ancient mark. The five gathered in the dining hall and told her everything. Finding the mark. Gathering materials. Drawing the overwriting magic circle. Galen bringing the mineral powder. Last night's light. Kifa crossed her arms, was silent for a moment, then laughed quietly. "[gentle]Well done," Koko's group exhaled in relief. Then Kifa continued. "[serious]There's one thing I wanted to tell you," The dining hall went quiet. "There was an evaluation council meeting. A report came in——the same shaped mysterious magic mark has been found in cities outside Mezzaluna. In several towns. No one yet knows who's carving them or why," No one said anything. Agu crossed his arms. Tete's silver eyes fixed on Kifa. Riche's candy stopped in her mouth. Oruo looked out the window——as if seeing something distant. Then slowly, he looked at Koko. Koko looked at each of her companions' faces in turn. They'd protected the atelier. All of them together. That was true. But——something was still happening in the outside world. Something warm spread through her chest. Not quite anxiety, but something alongside it. Koko gripped her blending brush softly.