Morning light streamed through the great hall. Last night's events still lingered in her mind. That hallway where Emilias asked her to "practice together." The stone tablet fragment in her pocket glowing softly. Leon watching from the darkness—she'd noticed, but pretended not to. Subaru gripped the fragment through her pocket as she entered the great hall. "[serious]Everyone, gather round" Bianca stood at the head of the long table. A tall man with white hair tied back—but speaking exactly like Bianca, golden eyes sharp as they surveyed everyone. An ancient grimoire in her right hand. She never let go of it. "[serious]The curse's condition for breaking is that everyone speak the truth in their hearts. So practicing is the quickest path" "[surprised]Practice?" "[serious]Practice speaking honestly. We'll draw lots to decide partners. When you speak the truth, the fragment glows—that's how we confirm progress toward breaking the curse" Subaru glanced at Ram beside her. Ram shook her pink short hair and quietly crossed her arms. "[cold]Isn't that inefficient?" The voice was low, but the way of speaking was pure Ram. Subaru almost laughed. Rem brushed back her sky-blue hair and stood next to Ram. "[sad]Ram... big sister? Big brother?" "[cold]Either is fine" "[sad]Either is not fine, big sister! I don't know what to call you!" "[cold]Then brother. ...Though I find it unpleasant" "[sad]I find it unpleasant too!" "[angry]You two can settle this later!" Roswaal leaned on his elbow at the edge of the table. Usually a tall man, Roswaal now had a woman's form—but those mismatched brown and blue eyes remained unchanged, as did that smug expression. "[sarcastic]Well, well, we just need to draw lots, don't we?" Bianca produced a small cloth bag. Paper slips inside. "[serious]Draw. The first pair will begin practicing" Subaru drew. A number was written on it—"2." Emilias drew. The silver-haired young man looked at the slip in his hand, then quickly raised his face. Pale violet and silver mismatched eyes met Subaru's. His ears were slightly flushed. "[gentle]...2, I'm afraid" "[surprised]Mine's 2 too" A stir ran through the great hall. In that instant—Clang! A chair scraped loudly against the floor. Leon stood. His 182cm frame stretched straight, red vertical-slit eyes glaring at the lot slip. His thick brows furrowed sharply. "[angry]I don't accept that pairing" "[serious]This isn't about accepting or not, you fool" "[angry]There's no reason the practice partner has to be him" "[angry]What do you mean why?! The lots decided it!" "[cold]The lots made a mistake" "[angry]Lots don't make mistakes!!" Bianca pressed her forehead. Her golden eyes narrowed. "[cold]...Well, I suppose it can't be helped. Continue. Sit down, Leon" Leon didn't sit. He remained standing, arms crossed. Emilias took a deep breath. His right hand brushed back his silver hair—his usual habit. He clasped his hands in front of his chest and stood directly in front of Subaru. His face was slightly flushed. Even with his voice lowered, his shyness remained unchanged. "[gentle]I... you... I..." Thud! A body wedged itself between Emilias and Subaru. Leon. Both arms spread wide, physically blocking Subaru. "[cold]I don't need to hear the rest" "[angry]Please don't interfere!" Emilias's voice rose sharply. Unusual for the gentle Emilias. His silver bangs trembled. "[cold]There's no need to say confused feelings in front of everyone" "[serious]Whether my feelings are confused or not is for me to decide" "[cold]That's true. But I don't want to hear it" "[angry]You're stopping someone else based on your own emotions?!" "[cold]Yeah" "[angry]How can you say that so decisively?!" "[angry]Stop it, both of you!!" Subaru stepped between them. She grabbed Leon's arm with her right hand. She pulled Emilias's sleeve with her left. She tried to wedge her body between them—and ended up being pulled from both sides instead. "[scared]It hurts, it hurts, it hurts, don't pull!!" "[serious]Let go," Leon grabbed Subaru's wrist. "[serious]Come here" "[gentle]Subaru, I want you to hear what I have to say," Emilias said, still holding the opposite sleeve. "[gentle]Just a little" "[scared]Stop pulling, both of you!!" The fragment in her pocket glowed. Faded. Glowed again. Faded. It blinked frantically. (Why... why is my heart racing for both of them?) Subaru groaned internally. The flutter when Leon grabbed her arm, the way her chest moved when Emilias looked at her with those serious eyes—neither was just "feelings for a comrade." (This is bad. This is a bad situation. I can't sort this out.) "[sarcastic]Well, well, isn't this the best show?" Roswaal leaned against a pillar, laughing. His mismatched eyes narrowed with amusement. Everyone turned toward Roswaal at once. "\"\"\"You're enjoying this the most!\"\"\"" "Indeed" "Quite right" Roswaal shrugged. Bianca sighed. Her long white hair fell from her shoulders. Her golden eyes turned toward the ceiling. "[cold]...Honestly. You're all useless" It was a quiet statement. But that quietness pierced everyone instead. The practice ended there. --- Subaru walked alone down the hallway after leaving the great hall. "[serious]If just talking about practice causes this, what happens during the actual thing..." She wanted to hold her head. But as soon as she lowered her hands, she remembered what Bianca had said in a low voice. Just before ending the practice—Bianca had said it while staring at the stone tablet fragment. "[whispers]...There's still one line of characters on this tablet that I can't read" Everyone's laughter stopped. Bianca continued. "[serious]I can't decipher it yet. But it definitely exists" After that, the great hall fell silent. Leon glanced wordlessly at Emilias, then left the room. Emilias followed, his expression clouded. The possibility that the curse-breaking conditions were even more complex. That weight settled heavily on everyone's chests as the afternoon passed. --- Night fell. The gardens of Roswaal's mansion were quiet. The stone path glowed white in the moonlight. The surface of the artificial pond rippled faintly despite the absence of wind. The leaves of the pavilion swayed gently in the night air. Subaru walked alone down the path. She had no particular destination. The fragment kept blinking in her pocket when she was in her room, her head was too loud, and she just wanted to walk a little. That was all. Footsteps sounded behind her. She turned around. "[gentle]...Subaru" Emilias stood in the moonlight. His silver hair absorbed the night's glow, shining faintly white. He was tall. With a 175cm man's frame, but his posture was soft, somehow hesitant. Remembering the chaos from earlier, her chest stirred again. But Emilias's face was calm now. "[gentle]I'm sorry. I lost my composure earlier and caused you trouble" He bowed. His silver hair fell forward. "[serious]...I don't mind" "[gentle]I'd appreciate it if you did mind" He looked up. Pale violet and silver eyes looked directly at Subaru. His right hand brushed back his silver hair—his usual habit. But tonight that gesture seemed slower somehow. "[serious]Not as practice... I want to tell you the truth" Subaru said nothing. "[gentle]My feelings are real, Subaru" His voice was straightforward. Not flustered like this afternoon. Not shy. Just quiet, serious, and honest. Subaru couldn't say anything. In her pocket—the fragment glowed. Not blinking. A soft, dazzling white light. Light leaked through the fabric of her pocket. (Ah... is my... is my own feeling making it glow?) She alone hadn't realized. That her own heart was racing. Why the fragment was glowing. In the moonlight and the white glow of the fragment, Emilias's face was clear. The distance between them—shortened by one step. She felt it. She felt it clearly. But Subaru couldn't say anything. "[scared]...Good night, Emilias" She said only that, then ran back down the garden path. (Why did I run? Why did I run?!) She criticized herself while closing the mansion's door. The hallway was dark. Her heart still pounded painfully. In the garden's shadows, Leon watched from a distance. In the moonlight, his fist slowly clenched. Even after the fragment's light faded, his fist remained closed. —And in the mansion's second floor, beyond the door leading to the forbidden library, Bianca traced a page of the ancient grimoire with her finger. The fragment extracted from the tablet cast a pale blue-white light on the desk. That light projected fragments of the tablet's characters onto the wall. Bianca's golden eyes narrowed. One line remained. Still unreadable. "[whispers]...What on earth is this?" Two days had already passed of the seven.