The white walls of the Seil Medical Ward felt far colder than before. On the beds, students still lay unconscious. Somewhere, the sound of quiet sobbing drifted through the air. "Miasma Crest Hex, is it?" The voice of the school physician, Doctor Barthène, was utterly exhausted. Deep lines were etched into his forty-seven-year-old face, and a mountain of thick patient files sat piled on his desk. "[serious] An ancient forbidden curse. It disrupts the target's crest pathways, reversing their physical sexual characteristics and psychological tendencies." Dot Barrett leaned forward, their fiery red pompadour swaying with the motion. "[angry] An ancient forbidden curse—how the hell did something like that end up in the academy—" "Unknown. But that is not the issue at hand." Barthène fixed his gaze on the four faces before him. Mash, Dot, Lance—now a girl—and Finn. "There is something called the Seven-Day Fixation Law. If the curse is not broken within seven days—one hundred and sixty-eight hours—the transformation becomes fully permanent. Meaning, there will be no returning to your original state." A profound silence fell over the medical ward. "[scared] Seven days… but today's Monday evening, so…" Lance touched their waist-length, silver straight hair with trembling fingers, while their other hand began counting off days. "Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. That leaves just over six days. That's…" Their fingers were shaking. The moment Lance noticed their own trembling hand, tears welled up in their sharp, violet eyes. "[crying] I… am I going to stay like this? I can't go back…?" Their voice quavered. Crying in a girl's voice only frightened Lance further. "[angry] Don't cry, Lance! I'll definitely find a way to break it! Leave it to me!" Dot thumped their chest with a fist. Their golden eyes blazed fiercely with resolve. Clutching a handkerchief, Lance looked up. "[sad] …Thanks, Dot." Dot's face instantly flushed bright red. "[surprised] Wh-why the hell are you thanking me?! That's not your character at all!" "[sad] Shut up… even I think this version of me is weird." Tears spilled over again. Through all of this, Mash Burnedead had been staring intently at the pen holder on Barthène's desk. His large, round brown eyes were half-closed, giving no clue as to what he was thinking. "[angry] Mash! Listen when people are talking! Why are you always—" "I was counting how many pens are in the pen holder." "[crying] Why?!" "Seven. Same number as seven days." Mash said it in a flat voice. His 174-centimeter frame was wrapped in the academy's white shirt, and the back of his left hand bore no crest mark. Markless. "[sad] Why are you like this…" As Lance hung their head, Finn Ames stepped forward. They kept fussing with their shoulder-length, light blue semi-long hair, pushing it back repeatedly. A defiant light flickered in their drooping, yellow-green eyes. "[angry] Doctor, isn't there a way to break the curse? If it's not written there, I'll look it up in the library. I will." Even as they spoke, Finn felt bewildered by how harsh their own tone sounded. "[sad] …Ah, that came out wrong. I didn't mean to say it like that." They pressed a hand to their mouth, eyes brimming with tears. Barthène let out a heavy sigh. "[serious] The academy gates have been sealed since this morning, by order of Candela Wayne. You cannot even leave for the gate town of Tirna. Calling for outside help or escaping is impossible." He pointed out the window. The iron gate visible in the distance was firmly shut. "[angry] So that means we can't even go buy investigation supplies at the Komori Trading Company in town?!" "[angry] More importantly, we need to find books on breaking the curse!" Lance stared at the closed gate outside the window and murmured in a small voice. "[sad] We're trapped, aren't we… we can't go anywhere anymore." A tear fell onto their silver hair. "But the dining hall's still open, right?" Mash tilted his head. "[surprised] Huh?" "Do they have cream puffs?" Barthène rubbed his temples as he answered. "[sad] …Yes. You needn't worry about that." "[angry] That is NOT the main thing to worry about right now! Why are you always, always—" Dot's shout echoed through the medical ward. But somehow, because of that voice, the tension in the air eased just a little. Wiping their tears, Lance let out a small laugh. Finn, too, pushed back their bangs, the corners of their mouth relaxing ever so slightly. Finn headed alone to the Cartea Archives. The library was the quietest place in the entire academy. It held a collection of 120,000 volumes. Bookshelves reaching all the way to the ceiling stood arranged like a maze. The air was cool, carrying the scent of old paper. At the counter sat the librarian, Mina Hertz. At thirty-four, she was known for her meticulous nature. She wore silver-rimmed glasses, and any student who dirtied a book would find her utterly terrifying. "[excited] Miss Mina! I'd like to see books about the Miasma Crest Hex." Finn spoke with a forceful tone that surprised even themself. "[sad] Ah… I'm sorry, that just now, it was—" Finn hurriedly covered their mouth. But Mina paid it no mind. "[cold] The Miasma Crest Hex?" Mina's eyes narrowed behind her glasses. "[serious] Those are kept exclusively in the Restricted Books Section. The rule is that you cannot enter without a faculty permit." "[surprised] The Restricted Section… then I'll get a permit!" Finn jogged off toward the faculty room. But the moment they mentioned the Miasma Crest Hex to the teacher in charge, they were turned away at the door. "[angry] The academy is already handling that. This is not a matter for students to meddle in. Return to your post." When Finn returned to the medical ward, their shoulders slumped dejectedly. "[sad] I couldn't get into the Restricted Section… they said I need a faculty permit. But when I talked to a teacher, they sent me away, saying students shouldn't interfere." "[surprised] What the hell?! Students' bodies are being transformed here!" Mash spoke up absently. "You should've just pried the door open with muscle." "[angry] Think about what Librarian Mina would do to you before you say stuff like that, you idiot, Mash!" After saying it, Finn gasped. "[crying] Ah… that wasn't—I didn't mean that. I really didn't, I'm sorry." Tears spilled from their yellow-green eyes. "[sad] …Finn, you're something else. You get mad while crying, and apologize while crying." "[crying] Dot, shut up!" "[angry] Why am I the one getting yelled at?!" As evening deepened, the light streaming through the medical ward's windows shifted from orange to gray. The four of them had hit a dead end. No information. Unable to go outside. Unable to enter the Restricted Section. Mash suddenly stood up. "When in trouble, the best thing is to train your body. Muscles never betray you." "[surprised] Huh?" Mash began walking straight toward the medical ward's exit. "[angry] Wait, hold on! That doesn't connect to solving the problem at all!" "[angry] You're definitely running away!" Lance tried to chase after him. But in trying to hold back tears, large droplets spilled from their eyes instead. "[crying] …You're running away! You're running away, aren't you!" Lance froze, shocked by the sight of themself shouting while crying. "[surprised] Lance, you're pretty skilled at being angry while crying." "[angry] That's not something to compliment! Stop Mash!" The three of them clattered down the hallway, chasing toward the Gravis Training Grounds. The Gravis Training Grounds spanned roughly 8,000 square meters. The ceiling was high, and the walls glowed with the pale blue light of Aether lamps. The floor was solid stone paving, a place normally used for practical magic training. But now, it was empty. Except for one person—Mash. Mash was already hanging from a pull-up bar. The muscles in his arms bulged as his body rose and fell in a steady rhythm. "Fifteen, sixteen, seventeen…" "[crying] Why are you doing pull-ups?! In this situation!" "[angry] Mash, listen to us!" "[crying] Just how far does your 'my pace' attitude go?!" But the three voices didn't seem to reach Mash's ears. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he concentrated on the movement of his muscles. "Forty-two, forty-three…" The three sighed in unison. "[sad] Hah…" Their breaths had synchronized perfectly. "[surprised] Why are you two breathing in sync?!" "[sad] I don't know, it just happened on its own." Night deepened. The Aether lamps in the training grounds cast their pale blue light. Dot and Finn, exhausted, had returned to the medical ward, but Lance remained seated alone on a bench outside. Their long silver hair swayed gently in the night breeze. Mash was still continuing his strength training. Lifting dumbbells, doing squats, then starting push-ups. After a while, Mash approached, wiping off sweat. "Lance, you're still here. It's late." "[angry] …It's not like I was waiting for you or anything." Lance averted their face. But their eyes immediately grew moist. "[crying] …Why are you so calm about this? I… I was so scared when I thought I might not be able to go back. I've been scared this whole time." Lance was surprised by their own words. They hadn't meant to say something so honest. Mash sat down beside them. "I don't really get it, but I just stayed being me. I think you're still you, Lance." It was a flat voice. But the words held a strange warmth. "…What do you mean by that?" Lance looked at Mash's profile. A face that never wavered. Large, round eyes half-closed, impossible to read. But right now, just for this moment, that face was beside them. —Thump. Something leaped deep in Lance's chest. Their face grew hot. They had no idea why they were feeling this way right now. "[surprised] …N-never mind!" They stood up and hurried away at a light run. Their silver hair swayed softly. Watching their retreating figure, Mash spoke absently. "Be careful. When your body gets cold, your muscles stiffen up." The next morning. The dining hall, Pane, was filled with the fragrant aroma of freshly baked bread. Morning light streamed through the tall windows, mingling with the faint glow of the Aether lamps. As always, Mash sat at a table by the window, facing a mountain of cream puffs. One. *Nom.* A second. *Nom nom.* Dot, Finn, and Lance gathered at the same table. "[serious] Alright, strategy meeting. First, we figure out how to get into the Restricted Section." "[gentle] Either we somehow get a permit, or we persuade Librarian Mina, I guess." Finn was a little calmer this morning. They spoke with a serious face, pushing back their bangs. Lance's cheeks were still faintly flushed, remembering the previous night. Unable to direct their gaze at Mash, they deliberately looked out the window as they spoke. "[gentle] …I don't have any connections for that sort of thing, so I think asking directly is better." Mash held out a cream puff as he spoke. "Miss Mina gets scary when books are dirtied, right? So, someone who handles books carefully should be the one to ask her." The three fell silent for a moment. "[surprised] …That's true." "[surprised] …He's right." "[surprised] You actually say something sensible once in a while!" Mash tilted his head. "Once in a while?" A small ripple of laughter escaped from the table of four. Nothing was solved yet. No clues about the curse, no way into the Restricted Section—nothing was in sight. But for the first time, the four of them were facing the same direction. A clumsy alliance was slowly beginning to move. Mash picked up his fifth cream puff. "Cream puffs are delicious. That alone is pretty much enough." "[laughing] That makes no sense, Mash." "[laughing] Really, it makes no sense at all." "[laughing] How do you eve