Editor : Amethyst00



A deserted back alley in Seiren.

There stood Luna and Rena.

"What? Is that all?"

Luna frowned and shook the pouch in her hand back and forth. Inside, its contents jingled.

Clink, clink.

"Uh… there isn't anything more," Rena said, shrinking her neck in fear.

Luna clicked her tongue at the sight of Rena.

"Kids these days really are always short on cash, aren't they?"

On the surface, Luna and Rena looked almost identical, and they were indeed about the same age.

'But I'm someone from a distant past,' Luna thought. Moreover, not just any ancient person, but the greatest hero of the Elven race, the Poet of the Star.

Though she couldn't yet feel the weight of that title or the deeds she would accomplish, the truth remained unchanged.

To these people, then, I must be some far-off elder.

With that conclusion, Luna didn't hesitate to play the role of elder. As a result, she extorted money from Rena.

Of course, she had her reason.

"You know this is compensation for emotional damages, right?"

"Com-compensation?"

"Yeah. You called me 'grandma' just now, didn't you?"

Luna offered a sly smile.

"Your rude words wounded my delicate heart. This money is the compensation for that."

Her shameless audacity was nothing less than gangster-level.

"But seriously, is that really all you've got?"

"Huh?"

"What if I searched you more thoroughly and find something else?"

'She's truly a thug' Rena thought silently as she spoke.

"It's really all I have."

"Wanna hop around a bit?"

At those words, Rena jumped in place. At that moment, Luna's ears perked.

"Hold still. I heard coins jingling in your pocket."

"Th-that's just change left over from earlier purchases! It's only petty cash!"

“Money’s money, isn’t it? Honestly. You really don’t know how the world works, do you, miss? You were raised pretty sheltered, weren’t you?”

Sure enough, Luna emptied every last coin from Rena's pocket.

Getting knocked to the ground in the process was just the icing on the cake.

After counting the total coin from Rena, Luna spoke.

"Get up."

Rena scrambled to her feet, trembling as she glanced at Luna.

It wasn't just the extortion or the rough treatment.

It was that she couldn't move in front of Luna.

Behind Luna, an unfathomable aura of magic was visible.

Luna smiled as she watched Rena quivered before her.

"Which time period did you come from?"

"Huh?"

Seeing Rena's surprise, Luna smiled even more as she saw Rena's flustered.

"Your reaction confirms it. You're not from this time period, are you? Did you come from the future?"

"How… how did you know?"

"Hmm… I guess I'd say the mana's wavelength feels different."

The fundamental form of magic power is, in the end, mana.

And mana itself is one of the foundational elements that make up the world.

The nature of mana reflects the flow of its era.

As such, the mana pattern of a being who has come from a different time is fundamentally different.

This was something Luna came to understand only after arriving in this age, a time period that could be called the future from her perspective.

"How fascinating. The mana of someone from future glows blue at the surface."

Everyone's mana had its own unique mana color. The people of this era showed no unusual phenomena in theirs, yet around Rena a bluish glow shimmered.

'Interesting… mine and Seiren's mana glow red.'

In this era, the mana of past beings, myself and Seiren, glowed red.

'Huh… if the past's mana recedes and the future's draws near… perhaps that's the reason for the distinction.'

A hypothesis on time formed in Luna's mind, and she smiled contentedly. Rena stood agape before her.

"As expected of… of."

Squeeze.

“O-Of course. As expected of Lady Luna.”

Realizing her slip of the tongue, Rena saw Luna clench her fist and instantly changed her words.

The veins stood out sharply on Luna’s clenched hand.

“How strange. For some reason, hearing you call me ‘grandmother’ puts me in an extremely bad mood.”

There wasn’t the slightest intention of teasing in Rena’s use of the word grandmother.

She meant it quite sincerely.

That only made her angrier.

Rena cautiously glanced at Luna, watching her reaction.

“So? I ended up here from the past by accident, but how did you get here?”

This encounter, meeting across the flow of time, could not help but feel wondrous to Luna.

At Luna’s question, Rena’s eyes darted about before she finally spoke.

“I can’t tell you…”

“…?”

Tilting her head at Rena’s words, Luna gave a small smile.

“Do you happen to have something urgent to take care of?”

“No. Not yet…”

“In that case…”

Luna held out her hand.

“Wanna hang out with me?”

At those words, Rena’s eyes went wide.

bl

Crunch— crunch—

Leo was wandering around the Lumeiren grounds by himself.

As for Seiren, she had stayed behind in Milky Way Plaza to continue watching Lunia’s admissions presentation.

'Well, it’s not like Seiren’s an idiot. She’s not going to cause trouble or anything.'

Thinking that, Leo watched as the students of Lumene and Seiren provided food and entertainment for the elven spectators.

'So not all of the elves are displeased with this change.'

Leo then turned his gaze to the elven onlookers who were frowning at the Seiren students.

Of course, even if they expressed negative views about this change, it did not mean they were traitors to their race like the Pureblood Society.

The elves were, by nature, deeply conservative.

No matter how Luna and Seiren had appeared and begun to change their perception of other races, not everyone would change all at once.

'Well, I suppose I should be impressed they’re not throwing a fit just from seeing this.'

Leo gave a faint smile as he watched the elves lamenting the scene.

Suddenly, his vision went dark.

“Guess who?”

Someone had quietly approached from behind and covered Leo’s eyes.

“Cut it out, Lyl.”

“Gasp! How did you know it was me?”

Startled, Lyl quickly jumped back, putting some distance between herself and Leo.

He sensed someone approaching.

But Leo couldn’t tell who it was.

Lyl had erased her presence using elemental arts.

“I’d recognize your voice.”

"Ah…."

"And…"

"And?" Lyl's face lit with expectation.

“Among the people I know, you’re the only one who can handle elemental arts like that.”

“Hearing praise from you, Hyung, I don’t know what to do with myself.”

“You really are a monster.”

“……”

Lyl, who had been looking bashful just moments ago, grabbed Leo with resentful eyes and began shaking him.

“You promised you wouldn’t call me that!”

“Then stop pulling monster-level stunts.”

From Leo’s point of view, Lyl’s elemental arts at this point were less magic and more like a circus strongman act.

“Ugh!”

Pouting angrily, Lyl sharply turned her head away.

“What are you two doing?”

Elena asked as she walked over.

“We were just talking about how monstrously talented Lyl is.”

At that, Lyl started pounding Leo’s shoulder with her fists.

“Ahh, that feels nice. Hit harder.”

“Grr! You’re such a mean old man, Hyung!”

“Mm. Yep. I’m an old man.”

Lyl tried to get her revenge with harsher words, but Leo didn’t bat an eyelid.

Watching the two of them, Elena smiled faintly.

“Leo, you’re not busy right now, are you?”

“No. Why?”

“Then go on a date with me.”

“I’m busy.”

“You just said you weren’t busy.”

“Something might come up.”

“I’m graduating soon, you know. Can’t you grant me one little request?”

“Just because you’re graduating? I already went to the beach with you last time.”

“……”

Elena puffed up with a sulky expression.

Watching her, Leo gave a faint smile.

“You want to go on a date?”

“Yeah.”

Elena’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.

“Come back when you’re a little older.”

“……”

Elena fixed Leo with an icy stare for toying with her.

After watching him for a moment, she turned to Lyl.

“Hey, Lyl. Come here.”

“Huh? Why?”

“You still have that wish left, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Then let’s use it now.”

“What?! Why are you deciding to use it however you want, Elena-sunbae?!”

Lyl flared up.

“You weren’t going to use it for anything anyway.”

“I—I do have a use for it!”

“Oh? And what are you going to use it for?”

“When I become a fifth-year, I’m going to ask for a key so I can enter Hyung’s room anytime I want.”

“Yeah. No. That’s against the school rules.”

“I have no ulterior motives! I just want to be able to show you the results of my training whenever I wish, Hyung!”

“I can clearly sense some ulterior motives there. And even if you don’t have any now, you probably will later.”

“I’m not you, Elena sunbae.”

Elena pinched Lyl’s cheek.

Then, watching Lyl rub the spot in protest, she said.

“Do you really think that ill-tempered old man would grant a wish that breaks school rules?”

“Ugh… Well…”

At that, Lyl had no rebuttal and stole a few glances at Leo.

“Exactly. Shouldn’t we get revenge on that old man who calls you a monster and treats me like a child?”

“How?”

Elena leaned close and whispered softly into Lyl’s ear.

A moment later, Lyl’s eyes went wide. She darted her gaze around, clearly flustered and unsure what to do.

“B-But… would hyung-nim really agree to something like that?”

“Why not? It’s not like we’re doing anything bad.”

Like a devil on her shoulder, Elena whispered to Lyl.

“Don’t you want to see it at least once?”

“I—I mean… I do want to see it…”

“Here. The application form.”

Smiling sweetly, Elena looked at Leo with eyes brimming with mischief.

Clutching the paper she’d received from Elena, Lyl walked over to Leo.

“H-Hyung… the wish you said you’d grant last time. I’d like to use it now.”

Seeing the strangely tense look on her face, Leo asked,

“What is it?”

“P-Please enter this!”

Leo tilted his head as he looked at the paper Lyl was holding out to him.

He knew about it as well.

It was an event Carl had planned.

“It’s an application for the beauty pageant?”

“Yes.”

“Participating isn’t hard. But this is the women’s division application.”

The event Carl had organized was split into separate divisions for men and women.

And the form Lyl was holding out was for the women’s side.

At Leo’s remark, Elena—who had been watching from behind—laughed.

“Oh my? Leo. It’s a wish, you know. Did you really think Lyl would ask for something easy?”

At that, Leo’s brow furrowed.

“So you’re telling me to cross-dress?”

“Something like that.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re always teasing us!”

“Y-Yes! Exactly!”

Watching Lyl eagerly side with Elena, Leo let out a deep sigh.

'I shouldn’t have teased them…'