"You're here again, Morgan?"

She looked behind her to find two other girls, one with dull brown hair tied in short pigtails and the other with bright red hair that flowed freely past her shoulders.

Morgan then looked up at the sky. Whenever she felt like taking a break from her studies, she liked coming to the training grounds to watch the pegasus knights do their flying routines. When both rider and mount were united, the way they soared through the air looked like they were dancing in the sky.

"It's comforting," she replied.

"This is...what, the fourth time this week?" The red-haired girl scratched her head. "Why don't you just swallow your pride and ask them if they can let you ride one?"

Morgan shook her head. "I'm not sure if I'm cut out for this sort of thing."

"Don't be so daft, Morgan." The red-haired girl put her hands on her thighs as she bent over to look her in the face. "You think that just because your father's out on his mission trip or whatever, that means you have to make sure everything is the way he left it when he comes back? You're either a coward or just plain lazy."

"Excuse me?" Morgan was starting to get annoyed.

"Come on, Severa…" the brown-haired girl pleaded. "Be nice."

"Sorry, Cynthia, but SOMEONE needs to spell it out for her. My mother always said: our only limits are the ones we place on ourselves."

"Oh, I know about that saying, too! I think my mom learned it from your mom." Cynthia clapped her hands together. "In that case, why don't we both accompany her? I'm sure your mom can't refuse if we both ask."

Both girls shared a grin before grabbing Morgan by the arms.

"H-Hang on-!"

"Morgan, I think it's time for you to learn…"

"There's more than one way to ride a pegasus."

And so, the two of them dragged Morgan onto the training grounds, grabbing the attention of some of the pegasus knights. Eventually, Severa's mother came back down to greet them, and after some explaining from Cynthia and Severa, Morgan soon found herself riding atop a pegasus along with one of the senior knights. As it turned out, Severa's mother had already caught wind of Morgan's spectating and was merely waiting for the girl to come forward and say something.

Getting onto the mount had been easier than expected. The steps leading to the first takeoff were where things started to get tricky. The pegasus could sense Morgan's fear as she held the reins, which caused it to act more unruly than usual. This prompted her supervisor to put her hands over Morgan's and offer her some words of encouragement. Morgan opted to close her eyes during the pegasus's initial ascent into the air.

After a few more minutes, the senior knight told Morgan to open her eyes.

Slowly, she opened them. They were now circling the outer perimeter of the castle. Below her, she could see the sprawling city of Ylisstol.

It was only then that Morgan realized how small she was in comparison to the rest of the world. Within the sky, they were about as insignificant as ants on the ground or footnotes on a textbook.

But at the same time? She felt like she was free to do whatever she wished, knowing that the sky would accept her no matter what she did.

The sensation of freedom that she felt during those first magical moments was the reason Morgan came back every day for the rest of that month, itching for another chance to fly.

...

"...Told you she'd be hooked."

"I know what you mean! After Mother took me on my first ride, I couldn't see the world the same way ever again!"

"And look at where we are now." Severa sighed in exasperation. "Honestly, it's like your personality changed overnight. You used to be so girly; now you won't stop spouting nonsense about heroes and justice."

"It's not nonsense!" Cynthia pouted. "It's cool!"

"...I've made up my mind!" Morgan shouted, startling the other girls. "I want to become a pegasus knight!"

"Huh?!" Severa exclaimed. "You can't do that!"

Morgan frowned. "Why not?"

"Why? Well…" Severa scratched her cheek. "You said before you wanted to be a tactician like your father, right?"

"Who says I can't be both?" Morgan argued. "I can keep my options open, can't I? Ooh, could it be that you don't want to see me, an amateur flyer, become a pegasus knight before you, the daughter of the pegasus knights' leader?"

"I-Is that a challenge?!" Severa snapped in response. "I bet I can fly circles around you!"

Cynthia could do nothing but giggle as the two girls bickered. Perhaps the situation was less than ideal, but this was the most animated they had seen Morgan since before her father left.

"Now we're talking!" she finally spoke up. "I was thinking the exact same thing. Between you and me, I heard they're planning on holding tryouts for prospective trainees soon. We should all do it for the heck of it!"

"Wait, you're joining too?!"

"Uh-huh! We're all around the same age, aren't we?"

"That's not the issue, Cynthia…" Severa grumbled. "You're a princess!"

"And?"

"And...well…" Severa looked to the side and mumbled, "There's no way we'd be able to help you if you fell out of the sky…"

"Aw, there's that ooey, gooey damsel-in-distress core again!" Morgan teased.

"Sh-Shut it!" Severa snapped back. "Gawds! You've been spending too much time with Inigo lately."

"Are you gonna join us or no?"

"Urgh, fine! But don't expect me to go easy on you!"

"Then it's settled!" Cynthia looked up at the sky. "I can see it now! The three of us flying together on our own pegasi, just like the Whitewings!"

"The new Whitewings." Severa smirked. "I gotta admit, I like the sound of that."

"If there's three of us, do you think we can do the Triangle Attack?" Morgan wondered aloud.

"First things first! Let's apply for those trainee positions! Then, we can take the certification exams together!"

Cynthia held out her right hand. The other two placed their hands on top of hers.

"Let's aim for the top!"

"Pass it flawlessly in one go!"

"Yeah! It's a promise!"

Morgan opened her eyes. The images of her dream were still fresh in her mind.

"A promise…" she whispered softly as she sat upwards in her bed. That was what her friends did last night; they promised to keep her identity a secret for the time being. Somehow, those words were the trigger she needed to recall that particular memory in full.

The elation she felt when she soared through the air… Could that explain why she felt so comfortable riding on the Scalyptera's back the previous month?

She looked at her right hand and clenched it into a fist. "I wonder…"

Morgan slipped out of bed and changed into her school uniform, taking care not to wake the two other girls in the room. Grabbing her weapon, she carefully opened the door to their room and tiptoed her way down to the first floor. After clearing some space, she elongated her weapon into its polearm form.

"A Triangle Attack…"

In her father's notes, the Triangle Attack was a technique utilized by a group of pegasus knights called the Whitewing Sisters. The attack was meant to be performed by three people and derived its name from the unique positioning the riders had to place themselves in before initiating it: three allied units surrounding an enemy unit on all sides like a triangle.

However, that wasn't the only attack she had witnessed that based itself off a triangle; one of Laura's favored techniques was a three-hit series of swings that created the three outer edges of the shape. It certainly wasn't a Triangle Attack, but it WAS an attack that made a triangle.

Morgan closed her eyes and played back Laura's movements in her head. She had witnessed her performing the technique enough times to know the basics of how to do it herself. All that was left, as Lady Aurier had told her, was to practice those movements until they became ingrained into her muscle memory. Morgan took on Laura's form, holding her weapon just like how Laura would hold her greatsword, before swinging her weapon diagonally up, diagonally down, and finally horizontally. She repeated those same motions until the transition between slashes felt smooth and fluid, even adding a twirl in between the first two swings to carry her momentum.

There was one issue, however.

"There's no way I'd be able to do this in a real fight," Morgan realized. "Especially if I'm holding it like this. Laura and Lady Aurier would never let me hear the end of it."

Unlike the blade of a sword, the shaft of a spear was purely blunt; wielding it in such a manner would likely not only cause unnecessary damage to the spear, but the speartip, which was the most threatening part of her weapon, would miss its mark completely.

"Maybe I can use it after Dolphin Slash?" she muttered to herself. "I could do the second slash when I'm coming down, or maybe…"

"What are you doing?"

Morgan looked behind her. Standing by the railing of the second floor was Fie, who was still dressed in her nightclothes.

"Hey. Morning." Morgan scratched her head. "Sorry. Did I wake you?"

"Yup," Fie answered bluntly. "Why are you up so early?"

"There was something I wanted to try. It's nothing important, though."

"If you say so." Fie yawned. "I'm going back to bed."

"Hey, since we're both up…" Morgan said before Fie could go back inside. "You wanna help me get breakfast for everyone? I know a place that's open."

The silver-haired girl stopped mid-turn to think about the proposition. "Where's it at?"

...

"Why'd you have to come back here?" Fie inquired as she and Morgan stood in front of a store in the Kunst District. "If you wanted bread, there's a bakery right on Vesta Street."

"Well, I'm more familiar with this one. Plus, you can ask for custom orders here."

The bakery Morgan had chosen was a building with a rather modest appearance that had the sign "Pâtisserie - Infaillible" hanging from the side.

"Looks pretty shady, if you ask me," Fie remarked.

Morgan ignored her friend's comment and knocked on the front door loudly three times. A few seconds later, a gruff voice from inside the building called out, "What's the password?"

"Time to make the donuts."

The peep hole on the door opened, revealing a single eye that proceeded to scan the outside. Morgan waved her hand.

The hole then closed on the other side as the same voice from earlier said, "Hate to break it to you, but we haven't used that password in two months."

"Aw, come on, Herman! You know you can trust me."

"And YOU know we don't do exceptions," the person called Herman replied curtly.

"Not even for this?" Morgan fished out a slip of paper and slid it past the mail slot. "It's a coupon for half a dozen donuts, complete with your signature."

There was a shuffling sound behind the door, presumably Herman bending over to reach the paper. "...I really wrote this?"

"You know I've never been good at lying." Morgan crossed her arms. "I'm back in town and still in one piece, just like you asked."

There was a low groan. "Fine. You win this time."

There was a clicking sound from the door. "Door's open."

"Don't mind if I do." Morgan pushed open the door, and she motioned for Fie to come with her.

The main showroom of the bakery was mostly barren, a testament to how early Morgan and Fie had chosen to visit. However, the smell of freshly baked bread still permeated the air from two sets of doors that presumably led to the kitchen. One door led directly to the showroom and had no handles while the other was a metal half door and was behind the front counter.

The man called Herman was tall, had a small gray cap on his head, and wore a classic baker's uniform with his name printed on a small name plate attached to his chest. He nodded when he locked eyes with Morgan, but as soon as he saw Fie, his impassive expression turned into a scowl. "You didn't say you had someone else with you."

"She's my classmate," Morgan defended. "I trust her."

"Whatever…" Herman reached into a lollipop jar sitting on the counter, unwrapped a lollipop, and stuck it in his mouth like a cigarette. "Now let's get to business. You've got one half dozen donuts, so choose wisely."

"Do you happen to have any with apricot jam, by any chance?"

"Apricot jam…" Herman rubbed his neck. "It's always gotta be the peculiar ones with you." He went behind the counter, opened the top half of the metal door, and yelled, "Dan! Do we have any donuts with apricot jam?"

"No!" a male voice from inside the kitchen called out. "But I got a fresh jar right here! How many you want, Boss?"

"Gimme a dozen! Special order!"

"Special order! Got it!"

"No way!" a female voice shouted. "Is that Morgan out there?"

"Morning, everyone!" Morgan waved both her arms. "Long time no see!"

What seemed like the entire kitchen crew came flooding out the other door to greet Morgan. Each of them was wearing a white apron, but that was just about the only thing that was uniform about their outfits. The crew was an assortment of men and women of differing ages who each wore their own clothes and accessories, some of which were jarringly out-of-place in a bakery.

Fie moved behind Morgan, seemingly overwhelmed by the sudden influx of people. "I'm guessing you know everyone?"

"Pretty much! They look sketchy, but they're all good people." Morgan pointed at each employee. "From left to right, that's Frosty wearing the do-rag and Horatio wearing the bicorne hat. They take care of frosting and crunchy treats, respectively. Next to them is Jacqueline, but everybody just calls her Jackie; she's pretty handy with a kitchen knife. You heard Dan the danish maker from earlier; he's the guy in pink. Bongo is the one with the eyepatch; he helps Herman make the dough for the place. Ojo and Oreja are the twin sisters at the end; they run the cashier and do PR. Lastly, there's Herman I. Toomes, the leader of the group. If he's not out doing deliveries or getting stuff for the store, he's making his famous donuts with the rest of the crew."

Morgan took in a deep breath. "Whoo! That was a lot. But yeah, that's everyone! They all have their own specialties, and they're all experts in their crafts. At the end of the day, they're like one big family!"

Fie hummed wistfully. "Family, huh?"

"And damn proud of it," Herman added, tipping his cap in the process. "Alright, that's enough of that. Back to your stations, everyone!"

"Yes, Boss!"

The employees all filed back into the kitchen save for Ojo and Oreja, who stayed outside to make sure the showroom and front counter was in order. They made small talk with Morgan, who properly introduced them to Fie.

"Morgan…"

Morgan stood up straight when she heard her name. She turned around to find Herman motioning for her to come over. "What's up, Herman?"

"It's about that girl you brought with you…" Herman said once they were out of earshot. "You're sure she's not gonna be causin' any trouble?"

"Of course not! She's quiet, but she's a good girl."

Morgan looked over to find that Ojo had succeeded in wrapping her arms around Fie's small frame, all the while squeeing at how cute she was. Oreja, who was in the middle of counting the mira in the cash register, had to step out from behind the counter to separate the two.

"There. You see? She's getting along with Ojo and Oreja just fine."

"That's not the point." Herman took the lollipop out of his mouth and pointed it at Fie. "I'm gonna be blunt. That girl's a jaeger, isn't she?"

"!"

Herman grunted. "Looks like I was right on the money, based on your expression."

Morgan made sure that Fie wasn't looking in their general direction before leaning in close and whispering, "How did you know?"

Herman pointed to his eyes. "It's in the eyes. From the moment she set foot into this building, she was scoping out the place. Looking for cover areas, blind spots, things to use as weapons. That sort of instinct is bred by combat. And…" He lowered his cap so that the brim covered his eyes. "Well, you could say it takes one to know one."

"That's right…" said Morgan. "You mentioned you guys were mercenaries before you settled down in Heimdallr."

"'Mercenaries' would be putting it lightly." Herman took his cap off, revealing that he was bald. "In practice, we weren't too different from the jaegers. Sure, we had our own code of honor, but there wasn't a limit to what we could do. We got our hands dirty on more than one occasion. Anything to get paid. Course, it wasn't until a mission of ours affected the civilians that we realized maybe what we were doing was a bad idea. That's why we started running this place; it makes the stuff we do on the side hurt less."

Morgan grimaced. "Well, I can assure you that there's nothing to worry about. Fie's left that life behind."

"Maybe for the most part." The bald baker squinted his eyes and frowned. "But who's to say that life won't catch up to her in other ways?"

"We'll be there to support her," Morgan responded without hesitating. "Class VII supports each other, just like how your crew supports each other. She's a part of our family."

Herman eased up his expression, seemingly content with her answer. "Well, good luck with that."

"Didn't a former pugilist once say, 'if you're skilled enough, you don't need luck'?"

Herman actually cracked a smirk at that. "Grew a spine, did you? Looks like the academy's not so useless after all."

Morgan gave him a playful sneer. "You know, speaking of that side business…"

"Not. Here." Herman cut her off with a glare. "You know the rules."

"...I was going to say that I'll be needing that new password."

The stern man pointed at the billboard that Oreja had just put up. Morgan squinted her eyes to read the sign carefully.

"Salutations!

Our special flavors of the day are:

Apricot, Nuts, 'Nilla, Orange.

You won't regret

INGesting these savory delights!"

"Um…" She hesitantly looked back at Herman. "Is there a reason you abbreviated 'vanilla'?"

"Just pay attention to the letters," Herman groaned. "If you can't read it, then maybe you should ask the academy for glasses. I'll go check on your order."

With that, Herman went into the kitchen through the showroom door, leaving Morgan to decipher the meaning behind the billboard's message.

A minute later, she frowned. "Well, that's annoying."

Morgan took a whiff of the freshly baked goods. "Mmm! These turned out great! What'd you think about that place, Fie?"

Fie shrugged her shoulders. "It was okay. The girls were nice, but they were kinda clingy."

"Yeah, Ojo and Oreja don't often get to hang out with girls their age." Morgan then noticed that Fie was thinking about something. "Is something up, Fie?"

"That guy…" Fie looked behind her. "He could tell I was a jaeger, couldn't he?"

Morgan frowned sadly. "Were you listening in on us?"

The silver-haired girl shook her head. "I could just feel it in the way he looked at me. And the way his hands were shaped… He's seen combat. What's a guy like him doing making pastries?"

"You'd be surprised at how naturally punching people translates to kneading dough. At least, that's what he said."

Fie hummed to herself. "I guess I can appreciate making an honest living, though."

Morgan laughed nervously. "Ahaha…"

"What's so funny?"

"Well, that's the thing…" Morgan leaned in close and whispered, "Between you and me, they've got a secret menu that you can only reach with a specific phone number and password."

"A secret menu?" Fie echoed. "I'm guessing it's not for donuts."

Morgan nodded. "They're doing their best to come clean, but let's just say that some old habits don't always go away…"

At that moment, Morgan's ARCUS started ringing. She set the bag of baked goods on a nearby bench before opening it. "Hello hello?"

"WHERE ARE YOU TWO?!" Alisa's voice yelled over the ARCUS. "You and Fie just disappeared!"

Morgan felt a wave of nostalgia hit her. "Calm down, Alisa! Fie and I were just getting some breakfast for all of us. Didn't you read the note we left behind?"

"What note?!"

Morgan worriedly turned over to Fie. "You DID leave behind a note, right?"

Fie looked at her in confusion. "I thought YOU left one behind."

Both girls stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity.

"Uh-oh," they both whimpered.

…

Needless to say, Alisa had many choice words for Morgan and Fie by the time they came back to the Bracer Guild building, including (but not limited to): a lecture on the basic fundamentals of communication, a rundown on the proper protocol that every person should follow when reporting to their department, and a recounting of how she, Laura, and Emma scrambled around Vesta Street looking for them before remembering that their ARCUS units had their communication functions enabled in the city. Given that Laura and Emma were similarly worried about Morgan and Fie, they did nothing to spare them from facing Alisa's full fury.

Eventually, Alisa finally grew tired of ranting, much to Morgan and Fie's relief. A few bites out of Herman's apricot jam donuts later, and Alisa was back to her usual peppy self.

"So what's on today's agenda…" Alisa dumped the contents of the folder onto the circular table that was placed right outside their rooms.

Laura perused the contents of each task. "Oh? It would seem that both of these tasks ask us to head to the same place."

Morgan glanced over at the tasks. "Hey, you're right. They're all in the Sankt District. That's the last major district on the west side we haven't been to yet."

"What's there to do there?" Fie asked.

"Not much, if I'm being honest. Sankt isn't a place most people go to on a daily basis. But if I had to name one thing, it's that the Heimdallr Cathedral is there. It functions as the High Seat of the Septian Church in Erebonia."

"Patriarch Sigmar preaches there, if I recall," Laura added. "In the rankings of the Septian Church, he is second only to the Pope himself."

Fie munched into her donut. "So it's a big deal, is what you're saying."

"Fie, you getting jam all over your nose." Emma handed her younger classmate a napkin.

"One request says we'll need to help with Sunday School," Morgan read. "Aside from the cathedral, there are a number of embassies as well as St. Astraia Girls' School."

"Oh! That's the school that Rean's sister goes to, right?"

"Right, Alisa. It says here they need volunteers to help set up a charity bazaar of sorts."

"Say…" Emma spoke after helping Fie wipe the jam off her face. "You don't think that the reason our groups were split the way they were was because…"

"That does make sense," Alisa agreed. "Boys would have a difficult time entering an all-girls school."

"I have some acquaintances who attend the school as well," Laura said. "Clearly these arrangements weren't just a simple coincidence."

"St. Astraia's is a school for nobles, right?" asked Fie. "How come you didn't go there, Laura?"

"For one thing, Fie…" Laura began. "I have heard that they have recently allowed commoners to enroll in the school as well, so it is no longer a school exclusively for noblewomen. But to answer your other question, my reason is a fairly simple one. It is a good school from what I've heard, and my father recommended it to me, but it offers no classes in the martial arts. That alone was reason enough to look elsewhere."

"There's another note here, too…" Morgan picked up a small note card that had come with the field study tasks. "It says that we need to return to the guild building to pick up a set of afternoon tasks. In other words, we can just focus on these for now."

"Pretty weird they'd do it like that," Fie remarked.

"Well, it gives us something to look forward to, I guess?" Alisa quipped with a chuckle. "So what's the plan? Take them down one by one or split up the group?"

"If we were to do the latter…" Morgan went into her thinking mode. "I think we can all agree that Laura should be in the group that goes to St. Astraia. Fie, you're the most academically challenged out of everyone, and you said you don't do well with kids, so you should go with her."

"Makes sense, even if the truth hurts," the silver-haired girl grumbled.

"Emma, you've tutored Fie before. Would you say you're comfortable with leading Sunday School?"

"I suppose I could…" Emma's voice trailed off. "But I also think that you would be the more natural fit, Morgan."

Morgan blinked. "Me? I'm not sure if I'm cut out for this sort of thing."

"I personally tend to disagree with that notion," Laura said. "You're very flexible in matters pertaining to the unexpected, and despite the position not appearing prestigious, you are still the fifth ranked student in the midterms. Those two traits may prove crucial to this task."

Fie pointed the remnants of her donut at Morgan. "You're good with the kids, too."

"Even you, Fie?" Morgan was mildly surprised by the amount of support Emma's proposition was gaining.

"Hey, how about we do this?" Alisa clapped her hands together to get everyone's attention. "Morgan, you and Emma can go together to the cathedral. Between the two of you, I doubt there's a subject you can't handle. Meanwhile, I can tag along with Fie and Laura. Setting up a bazaar sounds like it'll take more manpower-uh, woman-power, in this case."

"That's not a bad idea, actually."

"That WOULD make the most sense…"

"Gah, alright! Guess I'll do it."

Laura, Emma, and Morgan each gave their consent to the groupings.

"You divided up the groups pretty well," Fie remarked to Alisa. "It's almost like you're the daughter of a business manager-"

Alisa shot a glare at her.

Fie threw up her hands in defeat. "Okay. I get it. Yeesh, you're making me quiver with fear."

"...Was that intentional?"

"Hey, don't be so cross…" Fie then muttered to the side, "Bow."

A girl wearing the St. Astraia Girls' School uniform walked up to the door leading to the Student Council room and knocked on it. "Excuse me? President Carmine? There are students from Thors Military Academy who are-"

Her sentence was cut short, as the door promptly opened and a figure practically whizzed out of the room. This student wore the same uniform as the one who knocked on the door, was of average height, and had neck-length auburn hair.

'At long last… I can see her again!'

Her thoughts were racing at several selge a minute. If her parents were here with her, they would surely chastise her for rushing down the hallway, but she couldn't care less about that at the moment. Today was a special day for their school, but it was especially so for her.

The girl burst open the front doors. At once, she immediately found her: a gallant figure with long blue hair tied perfectly in a ponytail.

"LADY LAURA!" she called out.

Laura, who had been giving Fie and Alisa a short introduction of the school, turned around in surprise before smiling warmly. "Carmine. It has been far too-"

She was interrupted by Carmine practically flinging herself onto her for an embrace. "Oh, I've missed you so much! Are you well? The military academy hasn't been treating you harshly, has it?"

"N-Not at all." Laura cleared her throat. "Though our feelings are mutual, I must request that you let go of me. You have an example to set as the school's Student Council president, do you not?"

Upon being reminded of her position, Carmine released Laura from her hold and hastily cleared her throat to appear proper once more. "M-My sincerest apologies, Lady Laura. You are correct, of course."

She curtsied towards the other two members of Group A. "Hello, and welcome to St. Astraia Girls' School. My name is Carmine, and I am the school's Student Council president. Thank you so much for agreeing to help us."

"The pleasure is all ours." Alisa responded with a curtsy of her own. "Come on, Fie. You too!"

"Oh hell, no."

President Carmine was visibly taken aback by Fie's choice of words. "Goodness! Have you no tact?"

"That is how she is," Laura spoke up, unperturbed by her peer. "Please find it in yourself to overlook this."

"Lady Laura…" Carmine was stunned by Laura's nonchalance. The Laura that she knew would have at least reacted appropriately.

"Also, enough with this 'Lady Laura' epithet," Laura added. "I may be of higher social ranking than you outside of St. Astraia's, but within it, the roles are reversed. Please, treat me as you would any other student, President Carmine."

Laura ended her acquiescence with a courteous bow. Alisa and Fie had grown accustomed to seeing such mannerisms from the upper-class students at Thors, but the poise and grace that Laura had just displayed put all of them to shame.

"...Very well. I shall overlook this." The auburn-haired girl then looked to Fie. "However, please keep in mind that this is a school built for raising well-mannered ladies of the Empire. Profanity is, therefore, extremely prohibited. Do I make myself clear?"

Fie flashed an "OK" gesture. "Crystal."

"Perfect." Carmine nodded her head. "If you would please follow me to the pavilion. We will introduce you to this morning's group."

"This morning?" Alisa piped up. "You mean this isn't the only one?"

"We will be holding another session in the afternoon after classes are finished," Carmine explained as they walked. "As you might imagine, there are a number of students who wish to lend their assistance but are held back by morning classes. What we have now is but a fraction of the total number of students who volunteered to help with our charity bazaar. This is par for the course, and we were prepared for this, but Governor Regnitz then approached me regarding your field study tasks and suggested that I file a request on behalf of the school."

"And that's why we're here," the blonde archer presumed.

"So how do you know Laura?" Fie asked.

"My father is a baron who is in control of a trading outpost at the border of the Arseid Viscounty and the larger Kreuzen Province. As such, he and Viscount Arseid have regularly met to negotiate trade affairs. Lady-er, Laura and I became acquaintances during that time."

"You were far more timid back then," Laura recalled. "She had even protested against going to St. Astraia's in favor of learning the ways of merchants."

"Qu-Quiet!" President Carmine stammered with a blush. "They don't need to hear that!"

"I was going to remark that you've come quite a way since then. I am certain the road to becoming president wasn't easy, yet here you are." Laura smiled. "You should be proud of yourself."

"I should?" Carmine blinked. "Um, yes! I suppose when you put it that way, I should! Hearing you say that fills me with vindication!"

The group finally made it to the pavilion. Upon entering it, they were met with a crowd of fifteen or so St. Astraia students who immediately started breaking into conversation amongst themselves.

"Oh my! Isn't that Lady Laura?" one of them pointed out.

"She always looks so gallant," another student added. "Do you think she's transferring here?"

"The blonde girl seems so cultured…" a third girl remarked. "What family do you think she's from?"

"That silver-haired girl looks so cute!" a fourth student squeed. "She looks like she needs a hug."

"Please don't," Fie muttered under her breath. "Already got my fill today."

Laura and Alisa briefly glanced at Fie in confusion.

Carmine cleared her throat loudly. Once she had the attention of the other St. Astraia students, she introduced Laura, Alisa, and Fie and gave everyone a debriefing on what they would be doing. After her speech was finished, the students were free to intermingle with each other, though unsurprisingly, the majority of the St. Astraia students flocked towards Laura, leaving Alisa and Fie mostly neglected.

"Ahaha…" Alisa laughed nervously. "I think Laura might have understated the number of acquaintances she has here."

Fie looked around the crowd. "I don't see Elise anywhere."

"She's probably in class right now," Alisa figured. "Carmine did say that there was going to be an after-school session. Maybe we can see her then?"

"...Pardon me."

Alisa and Fie turned to see a student with red hair curled into pigtails. Fie squinted her eyes, scrutinizing the girl's features.

"Uh, yes!" Alisa recomposed herself. "Hello! Nice to meet you, um…"

"I know you," Fie said. "You're the girl from Bareahard. So you're a student here?"

"Correct." The red-haired girl nodded. "It's been two months, hasn't it?"

"Um…" Alisa raised her hand. "Do you two know each other?"

"You weren't in our group back then," Fie explained. "She helped us rescue Machias back in Bareahard."

"Let me introduce myself again." The girl curtsied. "My name is Lea Eros. I am the daughter of Ralph Eros, personal assistant of Count Voltaire in the Kreuzen Province."

"Fie Claussell."

"And I'm Alisa."

"...That's it? No last name?" Lea wondered aloud. "Or are you keeping it a secret for personal reasons?"

Alisa was taken aback by the girl's comment. "You're a perceptive one…"

Lea looked at the duo, then at Laura. "Is it just the three of you today?"

"We technically have five," Alisa replied, "but two of them are at the cathedral. They needed people to lead Sunday School."

"I see…"

Taking note of the slight frown that Lea showed, Fie added, "Jusis isn't one of them, in case you're wondering."

Lea bolted to attention at the sound of that particular name. "I-I didn't ask you to tell me that."

"Hm?" Alisa's interest was piqued. "Do you know Jusis?"

Fie's mouth crept into a sly grin. "Oh, the two of them are veeery close…" she said rather suggestively.

"Be quiet!" Lea snapped at Fie. "Lord Jusis and I...we're not in that kind of-!"

"Hey. We're gonna get left behind."

Fie pointed to the crowd of female students who were filing out of the building. Before Lea or Alisa could say anything else, the silver-haired girl left to join the others.

"Urgh…" Lea growled. "She's more infuriating than I thought."

"We should probably catch up with everyone." Alisa couldn't help but show a grin of her own. "Maybe you can elaborate as we go?"

Noticing the blonde girl's expression, Lea shook her head in exasperation. "I take it back. You're ALL infuriating."

"Hmm…"

"Hey, Emma? You still there?"

"Oh! Yes! I was just admiring the...architecture of this place."

"It IS pretty big, even by most standards." Morgan looked up at the tall, arched ceiling of the cathedral. Considering that this was where the High Seat of the Septian Church was, it only made sense that the building reflected that prestige on its appearance. "That said, we've only got a few minutes left before the kids arrive. You wanna go over the schedule one more time?"

"Sure! Essentially, we've been asked to talk about the various places that we've been to around the Empire. We'll start with Celdic and Parm, the locations for our first field studies, and then work our way off from there."

Morgan nodded. "Sounds about right. We were always in different groups up until now, so it works out. We each have our own stories to tell."

The doors to the cathedral opened, and a group of children were led into the sanctuary by none other than…

"Oh!" Emma gasped. "It's Maia and the children from the Westen District!"

Morgan silently grinned to herself. Looking behind Maia, Morgan could see that there were a couple of different faces in the crowd, but the majority of them were kids she and the others had encountered the previous day.

"Okay. Let's do this." She clapped both her cheeks with her hands. "Ready, Honors Student?"

Emma smiled. "I'll be counting on you, Vermillion Deliverer."

Morgan shot her a look that screamed, "Really?" Even Emma was capable of light-hearted banter, she supposed.

The children took their seats in the front two pews. Those who hailed from the Westen District were naturally excited to see Emma and especially Morgan. The latter responded by holding a finger to her lips and winking.

One of the sisters stepped forward. "Good morning, class!"

"Good morning, Sister Teresa!"

"Good! Today, we have two special guests with us today. They are students who are enrolled in a special class at Thors Military Academy that lets them travel all around Erebonia! Can you two please introduce yourselves?"

Emma and Morgan took that as their cues to step forward.

"Um, hi!" Morgan waved her hand. "Like Sister Teresa said, we're students from Thors Military Academy. I'm Morgan Daraen…"

"...And my name is Emma Millstein." Emma bowed slightly and smiled. "It's very nice to meet you all."

The two students first took some time to learn the names of the children they would be talking to. They then began their discussion in earnest.

"...In addition to physical training, our class gets to go on field studies to various places in Erebonia."

"Are they like field trips?" a boy named Barry interrupted.

"Barry?" Maia gave him a stern glare. "What did we say about interrupting people when they are talking?"

"O-Oh! Right." Barry looked down in shame. "Sorry, Miss Morgan."

"Apology accepted," Morgan said calmly. "But to answer your question, it IS like a field trip, but we stay there overnight and do more than just see the sights."

A girl named Dorothea raised her hand. "What sort of things do you do?"

"I'm glad you asked! That was what we were going to talk about next. Emma, do you want to take this one?"

"Certainly." Emma nodded. "What we do specifically depends on where we're going, but we essentially act as volunteer workers and help around the city. For instance, my group went to the town of Parm for our first field study. We helped the people there gather materials for their workshops and helped to defend the town against monsters."

"Y-You fought...r-real monsters?" a girl named Ariella squeaked.

The boy next to her, Gary, sneered at her. "What, you scared?"

"Wh-Why wouldn't I be?!"

"Gary, don't tease her!" Dorothea snapped at the boy.

"Settle down, children!" Sister Teresa calmed the children down before they got too rowdy.

"There were some...complications here and there," Emma admitted. Morgan suspected that said complications resorted from Machias and Jusis having not gotten over their feud at that time. "But overall, Parm was a very pleasant location."

"What did you think of Parm, Miss Morgan?" asked a boy named Pierre.

"Oh, I actually didn't go there," Morgan answered, much to the confusion of the children. "You see, our class consists of ten people, and we divide our members into two groups: Group A and Group B. Each group is then sent to a different location."

"So that means…" Pierre started counting on his fingers. "There are five people in each group!"

"Correct!" Morgan flashed a thumbs up. "In any case, Emma was in the group that went to Parm. I was in the opposite group that went to Celdic, a city east of Heimdallr."

"Oooh! I know that place!" Barry exclaimed once more. "That's where the Grand Market is!"

"That's right! My group and I were able to see it firsthand. For those who don't know, Celdic is famous for its markets. Lots of people go there to buy and sell things, and the Grand Market is where it all happens. Imagine if you crammed all the shops on Vainqueur Street into this sanctuary! That's how it felt walking through it."

The children oohed and aahed at the description. Morgan and Emma continued answering the children's questions as they popped up, gradually moving the topic to their more recent field studies. Emma described the architectural majesties of Saint-Arkh and the vast landscapes of the Nord Highlands. Morgan spun tales about the verdant artisans of Bareahard and the ancient ruins of Bryonia Island. The time seemed to fly by as the both of them recounted their various adventures on their field studies, and Sunday School eventually drew to a close.

"It's almost time for us to wrap things up," Sister Teresa announced, much to the dismay of the children. "We have time for one last question for our guests."

A tall boy wearing gray clothes raised his hand from the second pew.

"Ah, Stanley! How rare of you to volunteer! Who do you want to ask your question to?"

"Both," Stanley replied succinctly. His curt response and impassive expression reminded Morgan and Emma of the ones a certain ex-jaeger frequently displayed. "You mentioned that only your class gets to go on these...field studies. What is it about your class that makes it so special?"

It was such a heavy question from a young child. Morgan took note of the murmurs of agreement that started arousing from the other children, implying that they all had this question on their minds. Why none of them spoke up about it beforehand, she didn't know, but only Stanley had been brave enough to ask it outright.

"I-I don't think that's relevant to this discussion…"

"Actually, Sister…" Morgan held up her hand. "It is."

"Morgan…"

"No sweat, Emma. I got this." Morgan winked at her classmate before turning to face the children. Truth be told, her resolve started to buckle under the weight of so many expectant gazes. However, these children were part of the future of Erebonia, and some of them could very well follow in their footsteps; if nothing else, they at least had a right to know.

"You all know about the divide between nobles and commoners, right?" Morgan asked, to which the children responded with a collective nod. In fact, there was some intermingling between the upper and lower classes within this very group.

"The differences in social class is an important part of Erebonian culture, for better or worse," Morgan continued. "It's a way of life, but not everyone lives the same way, and a lot of problems come up because of it. Right now, the government is divided into two factions: Noble and Reformist. The choices they make influence our lives, but their paths often come at the expense of the other.

"The reason our class was created in the first place was to address these two groups; if they can't see eye-to-eye, then a third faction needs to be created to show that they can. Our class bridges the gap between nobles and commoners by combining them into a single class. We learn more about each other when we're learning together, same as what you all are doing in Sunday School. Our field studies help with this by letting us see problems in other cities firsthand and figuring out how we, when we become adults, should go about solving them."

Morgan stopped to take a breath. She didn't expect to be talking this much. "Did that...answer your question?"

Stanley didn't respond immediately. Heck, the rest of the children were staring at her in the same exact manner. Morgan hoped that her vocabulary wasn't too complicated for them to understand.

Then, Stanley's mouth crept into a smile. "Yes, Miss Morgan. Thank you for telling us."

The rest of the children erupted into a round of applause, much to her relief.

…

"That was a wonderful answer," Emma complimented Morgan once they were allowed to leave. "I was a bit worried that the children wouldn't understand, but they managed to get it."

"Kids are a lot more observant than adults give them credit for," said Morgan. "It's just they don't always know how to express it in ways adults can understand."

Emma giggled in response. "Heehee. I know that feeling. Fie is very much the same in that regard." She then stared at Morgan intently. "Morgan, have you ever thought about becoming a teacher?"

"Me? A teacher? Hmm…" Morgan was surprised by the question, so she had to take a moment to gather her thoughts. "Never crossed my mind, to be honest. There's nothing wrong with it, I guess, but it's just… I want to be a tactician like my father."

"Ah…" Emma nodded. "That's understandable. It's good that you have a dream, but it's important to keep your options open."

"Keep my options open…" Morgan's voice trailed off.

"Who says I can't be both? I can keep my options open, can't I?"

"Morgan?"

"N-Nothing!" she stammered. "You're right. I'll keep that in mind."

"...So that's how you and Jusis met?" Alisa looked like she was about to start shedding tears. "That's...That's such a heartwarming story!"

"You're overreacting," Lea replied stoically. "It's nothing too special, honestly…"

"You say that, but not a lot of people can say that they're close friends with a son of one of the Four Great Houses!"

"Yes, well…" Lea looked to the side. "That position isn't exactly coveted now that he's surrounded by his classmates, is it?"

"Yeah, about that…"

"Honestly, Eros…" a voice called out to them. "Must you take every opportunity to tell that story to everyone?"

Alisa and Lea came face-to-face with a posse of three girls, all of whom wore pleasant smiles with less-than-pleasant intentions hidden behind them. Standing in front was the girl who had called Fie "cute" in the pavilion. With her hair decorations and makeup, she definitely gave off the air of a wealthy noble.

"Um, who are these?"

Lea shrugged her shoulders. "Can't say. I've never seen them before in my life."

"Don't play dumb, Eros!" the girl to the right said. "We're very well-acquainted."

"You wound us, Eros." The girl on the left frowned. "Why would you insinuate that you don't know us when you see us every day in class?"

"Perhaps she is so stuck in the past that she can't bother to remember what is going on in the present." The girl in the middle then feigned shock. "Oh, that's right! You don't remember your past, do you? Then you're just plain absentminded!"

That comment caught Alisa's attention. "Lea…" she muttered to herself. "You too?"

The leader of the posse then turned to Alisa. "That girl's quite the vixen, you know. She lures you in with her wiles and makes you feel sorry for her, but then she'll snap back at you when you least expect it. She frequently mistakes acting tight-lipped for being cool. How about you join us instead? If it's stories you're looking for, we have more than enough to compensate."

"I grow tired of this…" Lea sighed. "We were just about finished on our end anyways. Alisa, if you want to join them, I won't judge you. Now, if you'll excuse me…"

"Oh? Running away again? You won't win Lord Jusis's favor with that attitude."

"...Back off."

The ringleader blinked in surprise at Alisa, who stepped in between her and Lea. "What...What did you just say?"

Alisa was slightly surprised herself. She had just blurted it in the spur of the moment, but now that her words were out there, she wasn't going to stop. "I said back off. Lea told you she doesn't want anything to do with you, and you're still saying awful things about her. I can't stand people who would go out of their way to do that."

"H-How dare you…!"

"And what is going on here?" Laura interrupted, having noticed the confrontation from afar.

"L-Lady Laura!" the ringleader exclaimed. "Please tell your classmate to mind her mouth!"

"How peculiar…" Laura looked unconvinced by the girl's plea for help. "The Alisa that I know is an amicable individual. If you managed to get her to insult you, you must have clearly done something to provoke her."

"Th-That's not what-"

"Liars."

The bullies yelped. Fie had made her presence known from behind them. "These girls made the first move."

The leader's confidence had dropped significantly, and now she was left a stuttering mess. "I take it back; you're not so cute after all!"

The posse of girls retreated for the time being, but not before attracting the attention of the Student Council president.

"I'll be sure to give those girls a stern lecture after this," President Carmine promised. "Thank you for stepping in when you did."

"So even the students of St. Astraia Girls' School are capable of displaying this sort of behavior…" Laura bemoaned. "I must admit: I am rather taken by surprise."

"Such confrontations are more commonplace than you might think, Laura," the president noted. "In schools like this and Thors, people are apt to form groups, and it is difficult to join a group once its members have already been settled."

"You all didn't have to do that, you know…" Lea finally spoke up.

"I think what you meant to say is 'Thank you,'" Alisa said with a smirk. Then, her expression softened. "You know, I can empathize with your story."

"How so?"

Alisa pursed her lips. "My family… They're super rich. Like, they have more money than some nobles. Growing up, I never had many people I could really call friends. The nobles looked down on me, of course, but the common people treated me like I was different from them, too. It's like...you're automatically forced into a position that you don't feel you belong in, but it's become so ingrained into the atmosphere that trying to speak out against it makes things awkward. I thought I was content with leaving it like that, but that feeling of not belonging? It doesn't go away on its own. I felt like I had to take the first step in changing that, so I applied to Thors, hoping that I'd find people in the same boat as me."

"You did that?" Lea raised an eyebrow. "Even if you had no guarantee that you'll succeed?"

"Well, to be completely honest, there was more to it than that. I just wanted to get away from my mom, try and assert my independence. It ended up backfiring in my face…" She let out a sigh before continuing. "But even if I didn't have a chance, I didn't want to use that as an excuse to not try. Thankfully, everything worked out in the end, but… I guess what I'm trying to say is…"

Alisa's face flushed. "Urgh, how IS it that Rean and Morgan can say these things with a straight face?! It's not fair!"

Lea tilted her head. "Your point being…?"

"Th-The point is, don't be afraid to try new things! You might find something you might not have found if you just stayed in the same place! You're a first year, right? That means you have lots of opportunities!"

Fie, who had been watching the conversation silently from the sidelines, finally chortled. "You should leave the corny speeches to the experts."

Alisa waved her hands furiously at her classmate. "S-S-Stooop!"

"Look over there! They're wearing the same uniforms!"

"Huh?"

The girls turned to find that some of the St. Astraia students were pointing at two individuals wearing the Thors Military Academy uniform at the other side of the plaza.

"That girl with the glasses has such an amazing figure… If I had curves like that, I'd be the belle of Heimdallr."

"That black-haired girl looks cute as well! Although, I can't help but feel like I've seen her somewhere before…"

"It would appear that Emma and Morgan have already finished on their end," Laura remarked. "We should finish our task post haste so that we can regroup with them."

The students dispersed once again into their separate groups to finish setting up the bazaar.

"Oh, and one more thing…"

Lea, who was just about to leave, looked up at Alisa.

"I don't think you need to worry about Jusis. He's been more open to us since the trip to Bareahard, don't get me wrong, but he still has a habit of keeping us at arm's length; it's just harder to notice sometimes. The fact that you're at least on friendly terms with him...well, Morgan calls it a 'woman's intuition.' Point is, there may still be hope yet."

The red-haired girl turned around in a huff, refusing to let Alisa see the look of relief that had appeared on her face.

"So everything went okay on your end?"

"I'd say so. Ended up talking a lot more than I initially thought, though…" Morgan scratched her head. "What about you?"

"Ahaha…" Alisa chuckled nervously. "Can't complain. If it makes you feel better, I ended up talking a lot, too…"

Both girls sighed in unison, which amused the other three members of Group A.

Their tram finally arrived at Vesta Street. As soon as they left the vehicle, the students' first order of business was to return to the Bracer Guild building and pick up their afternoon tasks.

Morgan walked over to the small mailbox attached to the side of the building and opened it to find a folder with the Thors Military Academy logo on it. "Guess this is it."

"Let us read the details inside," Laura suggested, opening the door to the building.

Not wasting any more time, Morgan dumped the contents of the folder onto the reception counter.

"Two more tasks…" she counted. "A monster extermination request in some catacombs in the Leica District, and-oh! This one's from Omar! He's already finished with the next model!"

"They're both in different districts," Emma noted. "Leica and Westen. Which should we go to first?"

"Well, the monster extermination is the one that says 'Required'," Fie pointed out. "The sooner we take care of that, the better."

"Yeah, but Omar's tests don't usually take that long," Morgan countered. "Also, we could expend all our energy on the monster fight and not have any left to give Omar the data he needs."

"Personally, I don't think there is need to worry about that," Laura spoke. "You are the only one that needs to do anything, Morgan. The rest of us can simply put in more work against the monster."

"Okay, but here's a thought…" Alisa said. "What if the orbal weapon is a working model that we can actually use in combat? Wouldn't having an extra weapon be more beneficial to us?"

For once, the group was divided in their decision. Morgan, Alisa, Fie, and Laura debilitated between choosing the orbal weapon task and the monster extermination task, with neither side showing signs backing down.

However, their discussion was suddenly interrupted by a familiar gurgling sound.

"...Was that you, Morgan?" Fie asked without hesitation.

"It wasn't me this time, I swear!"

"Um…"

The four of them turned to Emma, who was raising her hand sheepishly. Her cheeks were slightly red.

"My apologies, but…that was me."

Laura, Fie, Morgan, and Alisa looked at each other for a brief moment.

"First, let's get lunch. Then we discuss where to go next."

"Agreed. We cannot travel on an empty stomach."

Just as the group was about to leave the building, Fie offered one last piece of information.

"You know, I think I saw an art cafe yesterday over in the Leica District."

"Oh?" Laura arched an eyebrow. "Leica, you said? Do tell."

Morgan and Alisa hung their heads in defeat.

Author's note: Thanks for reading and sorry for the wait! Family things started piling up at the end of the year, and I stumbled upon a bit of writer's block when trying to space out this particular field study day. I got over it, fortunately, but as a result? I ended up cramming a lot of things into this one chapter. I hope the length wasn't too much of an issue, but it should keep you occupied until the next chapter comes along. Not much else to say, though to make up for my short absence, I have decided to add one last snippet below featuring a surprise guest.

Until the next chapter, do what you can to stay safe and stay healthy!

In commemoration of the Summer Festival, classes at St. Astraia Girls' School ended earlier in the day than usual. That, of course, meant more time for the students to set up this year's charity bazaar. On the other hand, those who volunteered to help in the morning were free to retire and do whatever they wished for the rest of the day.

Such was the case for one Lea Eros. After her last class was finished, she wasted no time in gathering her belongings and leaving the classroom. Seeing as she didn't have many people to exchange pleasantries with on a normal basis, it was easy for her to do this. Not that she minded, of course; being alone allowed her to gather her thoughts with a much greater clarity than if she had to talk with someone immediately after class ended.

Lea made the long trek back to her dorm room and unlocked the door, only to find that the room was already occupied.

"Ah, Lea! Welcome back!"

Lea wasn't too surprised, in all honesty. She, like all other girls in her grade, lived in a shared dorm room, and it just so happened that this time of day was when her roommate was typically lounging in their room, her nose in a book belonging to her favorite book genre.

"Yes, I'm back," Lea responded. "Have your classes finished for the day as well?"

"Indeed. And I was just taking a moment to…" Her roommate looked up and immediately frowned. "Oh, dear…"

Lea tilted her head. "Is there something on my face?"

"Yes. That look." She closed her book and stood up from her chair. "There's no need to hide it. Those girls were giving you trouble again, weren't they?"

Truth be told, Lea had long since given up on trying to hide her true feelings from her roommate. She was even more perceptive at reading people than she was, and that was saying something. "It's nothing I haven't seen before. Besides, we had guest volunteers today, so they were more mild than usual."

"So I noticed." Her roommate put a hand to her cheek, tilted her head, and sighed. "Laura Arseid looks as gallant and poised as ever. 'Tis a shame she chose to attend Thors; we could have caught up."

Lea was surprised for a moment. "How did you…?"

Her roommate let out a mischievous giggle. It was the same one she always led with whenever she knew something no one else did, which was to say, a lot of times. "Teehee! Merely the perks of having a window seat during literature class."

Lea's shocked expression was swiftly replaced by a twitch of her eyebrow. "That would also explain how you knew about those girls."

"This would be the part where I comfort you and assure you that everything will be alright…"

"...But you won't?"

"I am conflicted, Lea." Her roommate smiled apologetically. "I sympathize with you. Truly, I do. But I cannot help but feel envious for you at the same time. At least you have a handsome prince waiting in the wings, ready to whisk you away on a white steed! Whereas I…" She swooned melodramatically. "I am but a lonely maiden, cursed to be forever trapped in the confines of this castle! Can no one hear my cry? Oh, how I long to have my own knight in shining armor!"

Lea simply stared at her roommate for what felt like an entire minute before replying, "At times, I wonder if that's what you actually feel or you're just playing it up for theatrics."

Her roommate giggled as she wiped away her fake tears. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"The people who accuse me of being a vixen would have a field day if they saw you now. Frankly, you're doing a better job at it than I ever could."

"The two of us DO make quite the pair," her roommate mused. "I have my beguiling charms while you have a sharp wit. You confront people head-on whereas I try dissecting them from the inside out. Why, even our hair colors contrast each other! Truly, we could achieve world domination if we wanted to!"

Lea twirled a finger alongside her curled pigtails. It was as her roommate had suggested; her bright red hair was a stark contrast to the long, flowing green hair that her roommate had.

"Truly, the most frightening thing is that I believe you can actually do it," she quipped. "World domination, I mean. That aside, will you be joining Her Highness at the book club later?"

"That was my intention…" Her roommate looked at the book she had been reading. "But the princess is busy attending other matters. Supposedly, she has important plans for later this evening. We decided it would be for the best if we postponed our next gathering, especially with the Summer Festival on the horizon."

"I see…"

"What's this?" Her roommate arched an eyebrow. "Does your curiosity suggest that you are finally interested in attending our club?"

"...Yes." Lea knew there was no turning back now. "I was told that I shouldn't be afraid to try new things. Who knows? Maybe I can find a group to belong to while I'm here."

"Oh, Lea…!" Her roommate looked like she was on the verge of shedding tears of joy. "In that case, let me be the first person to welcome you to the wonderful world of boys'-!"

"J-Just so we're clear!" Lea crossed her arms in a huff. "I'm not doing this because I'm interested in that! I figured that getting out of my comfort zone would help me to become more accustomed to this place. So I'll do it! Even if it means…" She gulped. "If it means I have to stomach those...things…"

"Oh, don't you worry!" her roommate said cheerily. "We can start with something simple to whet your appetite. That way, once next week comes around, you will be well prepared to dive into some of the more juicy content~"

Lea groaned on the inside. She regretted calling her roommate a vixen; in reality, she was more like a classical seductress. "Please go easy on me, Mildine."