“Yuri, this came for you.”
“Oh, yes.”
“Looks like your time at the Vermont estate is about to end. Congratulations.”
“Huh…?”
Handing Yuri a letter, Aslan patted her on the shoulder.
Yuri tilted her head, confused.
What was he talking about?
After Aslan left, Yuri quickly opened the letter.
“A letter from the Imperial Magic Academy? Hmm, dorm assignments for the second semester, and course registration notices… Ah!?”
As Yuri skimmed through the letter without much thought, her jaw dropped.
The Imperial Magic Academy.
A term she had practically forgotten during the past two months suddenly surfaced, catching her off guard.
Oh, right! I’m a student at the Academy, aren’t I!?
“Ah… so the vacation is almost over…”
Quickly counting the days, Yuri sighed in regret, her head drooping.
Next week marked the end of her vacation and the start of a new semester.
It was the day the command from Mr. Black—to stay at the Vermont estate during the break—would be lifted, and she would return to her usual life.
‘To think I’d actually feel sad about leaving here…’
How strange.
When she first arrived at the estate under Mr. Black’s orders, she had been furious.
She had assumed it was punishment for defying him.
But over time, she had settled into life at the estate, finding it even more fulfilling than her life during the school term.
Her original plan had been to stay busy, but she ended up canceling some activities to spend more time with friends.
At some point, she was enjoying herself so much that she almost forgot she was an Academy student.
‘Could it be… did Mr. Black plan all this for my sake…?’
Did Mr. Black foresee this outcome?
Had he guessed that she knew Charlotte and Julia and hoped they would reunite?
Considering his foresight, that seemed plausible.
But surely, Mr. Black didn’t harbor any personal grudge against the Imperial Guard.
It couldn’t be that he had been annoyed when she expressed interest in training there, leading him to order her to the Vermont estate out of spite.
No way.
Mr. Black wasn’t that petty. Yuri shook her head quickly, dismissing the thought.
“Ah, I really wish I could spend more time with Charlotte and Julia… Sniff!”
Mumbling to herself under the sky, Yuri suddenly sneezed when pollen tickled her nose.
Meanwhile, Dirt-Dirt, the Great Spirit of Earth, who had been secretly watching her, burrowed into the ground.
It zipped through the garden and popped up near Charlotte and Julia’s room.
[Big news! Big news!!!]
“Huh? Dirt-Dirt? What is it?”
[It looks like Yuri is planning to leave for a faraway place!]
“Wha-What!?”
[She was mumbling to herself, sniffling and everything!]
“Wh-What!?”
Without any filter, Dirt-Dirt relayed what it had overheard.
Charlotte and Julia were stunned into silence by the shocking news.
Yuri was leaving for a faraway place? Why?
And she was even sniffling?
Judging by Dirt-Dirt’s urgency, it didn’t seem like a lie.
“Why? How come!?”
[I don’t know! Go ask her yourself!]
“Got it! Julia, hurry! Let’s go ask Yuri!”
“Y-Yeah, let’s goooo—ahhhh!?”
Grabbing Julia’s hand, Charlotte took off running.
Caught off guard by the sudden burst of speed, Julia felt herself lift off the ground.
Charlotte, too focused on her urgency, didn’t notice Julia’s yelp as she dashed ahead.
“Yuri!”
“Gasp! I just flew through the air—huff—”
When they finally found Yuri, Charlotte stopped abruptly, and Julia collapsed onto the ground, her legs giving out.
It was the first time she had touched the ground since their frantic dash.
“What’s going on, you two?”
“You’re leaving!?”
“Yeah, I mean… vacation is over…”
“Yuri…”
“Yuri…”
“…?”
When Yuri answered wistfully, Charlotte and Julia called her name with teary voices, leaving her bewildered.
Sure, she felt sad about leaving at the end of the break, but… was it really something to cry over?
“When will you come back! Wahhh!”
“Uh, I could come back tomorrow if I—”
“Don’t forget us after you leave! After everything we went through to meet again!”
“This has to be Aslan’s doing, right? He sent you away because he was jealous of how close we’ve gotten, didn’t he?”
“No, no, the Count had nothing to do with this—”
“Hwaaah! I don’t want to say goodbye!”
Charlotte and Julia threw themselves at Yuri, hugging her tightly.
Each time Yuri tried to explain, her voice was drowned out by their cries.
Wait, do I really need to explain this?
Charlotte and Julia were hugging her so tightly, making her feel cherished. Maybe savoring this moment wouldn’t be so bad…?
Before she knew it, a small smile was tugging at the corners of Yuri’s mouth, and her explanation fell by the wayside.
“Uh?”
“…”
Just then, Yuri’s gaze shifted, locking eyes with Aslan watching from a distance.
Her face froze in embarrassment.
Aslan’s expression was peculiar.
Was that… satisfaction?
No, more specifically, his gaze seemed to say, “I knew you were one of us.”
Yuri felt a shiver run down her spine, and a wave of unease washed over her.
“It’s not like that! I’m just heading back to the dorm because the semester is starting again! Commuting from here would take too long!”
“Oh, is that all?”
“Nothing serious, then. But why the fuss?”
“You two were the ones making a fuss…”
Charlotte and Julia hastily wiped their tears, pretending nothing had happened.
Yuri stared at them, speechless.
What on earth had they misunderstood…?
“Don’t worry, Yuri isn’t going anywhere far; she’s simply returning to her normal routine. She’s still part of Vermont Security, so you can see her whenever you like.”
“Really, Mister? Whew, you scared me!”
“Thank goodness…”
Hearing Aslan’s reassurance, Charlotte and Julia dashed toward him.
Meanwhile, Aslan turned to Yuri with a slightly smug expression.
Yuri clenched her fists.
Was that… a taunt!?
“Yuri, you’ve done well enduring life here during your break, even though it wasn’t your choice.”
“Oh, no, I had fun too…”
“That was evident. Thank you for getting along with the kids. I hope you’ll continue to be close friends.”
“Yes…”
Aslan approached Yuri naturally and patted her on the head.
At first, Yuri didn’t find anything odd about the gesture.
It wasn’t until she realized her head was being patted that she tried to brush his hand away—but she hesitated.
She had already let him do it for a moment, so pulling away now would feel strange…
“If you have trouble finding accommodations, don’t hesitate to reach out. Actually, you don’t even need to call—just show up anytime. You’ll always be welcome.”
“Understood, Count.”
“It’s not just a polite offer. And it’s certainly not part of employee benefits.”
“Yes, I know.”
Yuri replied as Aslan continued to ruffle her hair with his rough hands.
In the past, Yuri would have dismissed Aslan Vermont’s words as insincere or manipulative.
But oddly, this time, she felt the sincerity in his voice.
Nothing about Aslan Vermont had changed since then.
So why did it feel different now…?
Yuri couldn’t shake the fluttering feeling in her chest.
“So, how long do you plan on patting my head…?”
“Until you say you don’t like it.”
“…?”
“See? You haven’t said you dislike it yet.”
“I dislike it now. Please stop.”
Flushing bright red, Yuri pushed Aslan’s hand away.
She had only let him do it because the timing felt awkward, but the way he phrased it made it sound like she had enjoyed it!
As Yuri fumed, Aslan signaled to Sylvia with a subtle gesture.
Sylvia brought over a small envelope and handed it to Yuri.
“Here, Yuri.”
“What is it?”
“A collection of letters from your sponsor sent during the break. The order might be jumbled, so sort them as you like.”
“Oh…”
Taking the envelope from Sylvia, Yuri felt its weight in her hands.
These were all letters from Mr. Black.
Why had she told herself not to reply to him during the break?
Regret welled up inside her, and her chest tightened with emotion.