By the time they returned from the Eternal Plains, Arcadia's sky had turned the color of sunset. Long shadows stretched across the white stone pavement. When Hyouame pushed open the wooden door of the inn "Restful Hideaway," a bell chimed with a soft clink. A familiar seat waited by the fireplace. "I'm exhausted..." slumped into a chair with a heavy thud. His silver-gray hair was disheveled, and his jade-colored eyes looked completely drained. "[laughing] But we won! We defeated the Gnome! For a first battle, that's pretty solid!" "[sarcastic] Solid, you say. I find it hard to believe that assessment comes from someone who nearly died in a solo charge." Mireina lifted her teacup, glancing briefly at Hyouame. Her pale silver hair caught the sunset, light purple highlights dancing across it. Her expression remained cool. "[sarcastic] The difference between bravery and recklessness... that might still be a difficult concept for you to grasp." "Ugh. You're harsh." Keishou leaned back in his chair, silently observing the two of them. At least he hadn't died today. That was enough. Then came a soft rustling sound from the edge of the table. Miria had spread out a thick stack of log documents. Silver hair with thin purple mesh. Lavender-colored eyes moved swiftly across the papers. The small communication device on her left ear glinted faintly, reflecting the sunset light. [[Durability calculation in progress...]] He could see such a system message flowing across her screen. "[serious] I was organizing the data..." Miria slowly looked up. "[serious] Everyone's equipment is in pretty bad condition." "...Bad condition?" "[serious] Keishou's short sword—its durability has already dropped 15%. Just from today's battle alone. If you keep using it like this, it'll break." Keishou glanced at the short sword at his waist. Sure enough, fine cracks ran along part of the blade. He hadn't noticed. "[serious] Hyouame's light armor has way too low defense. If that Gnome had attacked twice simultaneously, your defense value would've hit zero." "[scared] Zero!?" "[serious] Mireina's magical catalyst has good performance, but MP consumption is too high. In a prolonged battle, you'll run out of magical power mid-fight." Mireina raised an eyebrow slightly. "[surprised] ...You noticed that?" "[serious] I was collecting data." Miria answered matter-of-factly and returned her gaze to the documents. The sound of pages turning. The scratch of a pen. The crackling of firewood in the hearth. "[laughing] Miria, you're seriously way too meticulous!" Hyouame laughed as he spoke. His expression was hard to read—whether he was exasperated or impressed. "[gentle] You're reliable, that's for sure." Mireina smiled faintly. Unusually straightforward, Keishou thought. "...That's amazing." The words had slipped out before he could stop them. Miria looked up. "[serious] It's only natural. To survive, you have to understand everything." Her voice was decisive. But there was something strained in the way she said it. Less "it's natural" and more "I have to do this." Keishou felt a slight concern, but said nothing. "[serious] Tomorrow, let's visit the weapon shop 'Iron Will' and the armor shop. We'll ask Golan to handle repairs, then pick up additional equipment." "[gentle] Golan, the blacksmith." "[gentle] Oh, that's right. Golan. I'm sorry." Miria laughed, looking a bit embarrassed. That laugh was quite different from her usual serious expression, and Keishou found his eyes lingering for a moment. Dinner was brought out. Soup and bread. Despite being inside a game, the warmth and aroma were strangely real. The four of them sipped their soup and relaxed for a while. Hyouame started saying, "Isn't it amazing that I defeated three Gnomes today?" only to have Mireina respond, "One of them would've finished you if Keishou hadn't helped," leaving Hyouame to mutter, "Ugh, that's true..." and fall silent. "[laughing] Well, next time I'll do it solo!" "[sarcastic] I suspect you'll say the same thing next time too." "I won't!" Keishou barely managed to suppress the slight upward twitch at the corner of his mouth. When dinner ended, Miria stood up again. "[serious] Keishou, let me check your equipment directly. There are things I can't understand from numbers alone." "...Yeah." When Keishou offered his short sword, Miria shook her head. "[serious] Not just the sword. I need to see everything. Please stay still for a moment." With that, Miria stepped closer. Close. Much closer than he'd expected. Her fingers checking the buttons on his coat. Her hand gently pulling at his waist belt to examine the clasp. Her silver hair swayed softly near his face. A faint scent, something like soap. (...Close.) Keishou didn't know where to look, so he stared at the ceiling. His chest felt oddly restless. "[serious] The waist belt is damaged too, as I thought. This might need replacing rather than repair." Miria seemed completely unaware. Her serious eyes held the short sword up to the light, examining it carefully. "...Yeah." His response had become monosyllabic. "[laughing] Ooh, ooh, now that's a nice atmosphere!" Hyouame grinned mischievously. The small scar at the corner of his mouth became more prominent when he smiled. "[sarcastic] ...Keishou, isn't your face a bit red? Perhaps fatigue is catching up with you?" Mireina spoke with transparent amusement while sipping her tea. "[cold] Shut up." Keishou replied curtly. (Seriously, shut up.) Miria glanced up briefly. "[gentle] Is something wrong?" "[cold] Nothing." "I see." She returned her attention to the documents. Hyouame continued grinning and stared intently at Keishou. Keishou silently glared back. Hyouame looked away. Good. Miria finished checking the equipment and stepped back. "[serious] Let's head to the blacksmith first thing tomorrow morning. Repair your short sword, replace the belt. Hyouame, we'll add a chest plate to your light armor. Mireina, we'll adjust your catalyst." "[gentle] Understood." "[serious] I'm coming too." "...Yeah." After confirming the three of them agreed, Miria ran her pen across the documents again. Beautiful handwriting, Keishou thought. It was quiet for a while. The fire in the hearth swayed gently. Outside the window, lights began to illuminate Arcadia's stone pavement. Then Miria's hand stopped. The serious expression from before shifted slightly. A distant look, as if she were thinking of something far away. "[whispers] ...Actually, I was betrayed by a teammate in a previous game." Her voice was quiet. No one said anything. The fireplace crackled softly. "[whispers] So... I think I need to manage everything myself. The data, the equipment. If I can't keep track of it, I get scared." The last words were almost like a whisper to herself. "...I see." Keishou replied briefly. No other words came. But he understood a little better now why Miria was so meticulous. She managed things because she was afraid. She counted everything because she didn't want to lose it. That was it. "[excited] Don't worry! We won't betray you!" Hyouame spoke with sudden brightness. It was a baseless statement. But there was something likable about the way he said it. "[gentle] That's true. At least for now, we have no choice but to cooperate." Mireina spoke quietly. The "for now" was honest, and perhaps that honesty resonated with Miria more. Miria smiled softly. "[gentle] ...Thank you." After a brief pause, Keishou spoke. "[serious] We're comrades. Let's trust each other." He felt a bit embarrassed saying it. He wasn't used to saying things like this. Miria looked at him. Her lavender eyes reflected the firelight, softening just slightly. "[gentle] ...Yes." It was a small voice, but it was clear. Hyouame grinned again. This time he was looking at Miria rather than Keishou. Keishou ignored him. The firelight swayed slowly. The inn was quiet and warm. The night air of Arcadia drifted in through the window cracks. Keishou found himself reflecting on today. The sensation of defeating the Gnome. Hyouame's reckless charge. Mireina's calm observation. And Miria's careful nature—unable to help but count everything. They were still scattered. Still very much scattered. But tonight, the four of them were here together. For now, that was enough. Yet the word Miria had spoken—"betrayed"—lingered quietly in the corner of Keishou's mind. By whom. When. Where. It felt too early to ask.