Editor : Amethyst00



The northernmost part of the continent, where a bitterly cold wind rages.

At the heart of that harsh cold stood a snow-white fortress—Seiren Academy.

Students of Seiren, bundled up in thick winter coats over their uniforms, huddled close together, tightly clutching their textbooks as they moved along.

Though they were elves accustomed to the hardships of the north, not all were naturally resistant to the cold.

The student council president of Seiren, Lunia El Lunda, was one such person.

"Achoo!"

Shivering as she sneezed, Lunia muttered, "Feels even colder now that it's autumn."

The second semester had begun after summer break.

As autumn arrived, Seiren grew even colder.

Though the snow at Seiren never melted year-round, the chill of summer and the chill of winter felt fundamentally different.

Hugging herself while trudging through the deep snow, Lunia scowled.

"Seriously! I've been wondering since I first enrolled—why don't they put magic on the outdoor walkways between buildings? We're a race of magic! Why do we have to brave this harsh cold every time we go to the library?!"

As Lunia grumbled, clearly baffled, a fellow student walking beside her—Luca, a third-year half-elf—shrugged.

"Because we're a magical race, solving everything with magic would make us lazy. Besides, this is a chance to experience nature, right?"

"Are you seriously quoting Teacher Herdium's lecture?"

Lunia shot Luca a glare, expressing her frustration plainly, while Luca just laughed.

"You're really coming into your own."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, it's nice seeing you act like yourself, without worrying about how others perceive you."

Luca smiled gently.

"And it's great that the other students are accepting you for who you are, too."

That was something unimaginable back when they first entered school.

Lunia nodded at Luca's words.

"And I'm glad you're not being discriminated against anymore."

Luca, the consistent third-rank student in Seiren's third year.

Yet for a long time, Luca hadn't been treated fairly.

Not just Seiren, but the entire elven society had been steeped in deep-rooted purism.

But when Luna appeared in the current age, that purism was uprooted.

Elves' reverence and faith in Luna were so profound that purism vanished overnight.

As a result, elves began to value being true to themselves over fitting into some "elven" ideal.

Seiren's strict and rigid school culture also softened, becoming more relaxed.

The two chatted as they arrived at the library.

Inside, it was quiet.

While searching for books with Luca, Lunia's eyes widened at a scene unfolding in a less-frequented corner.

"Hey, hold on a sec."

Two students were about to kiss in the secluded area of the library.

"Upperclassmen! What do you think you're doing in a public place?!"

Both were familiar faces to Lunia—fifth-years about to graduate.

The female student clinging to her boyfriend pouted at Lunia's rebuke.

"What's the big deal? Can't we show a little affection?"

"This is public indecency. It's against school rules."

"Oh come on. Rules, rules, rules. So boring."

The girl looked bored and unimpressed.

Lunia looked at her in disbelief.

This same girl had been part of Seiren's disciplinary committee when Lunia was a first-year, famously strict.

"Senior, didn't you give me demerits in first year just for walking a little too fast in the hallway?"

"I did. Don't you know why?"

Tilting her head innocently, the girl smiled brightly.

"But not anymore. We value freedom now. That's the trend at Seiren, isn't it?"

"Freedom shouldn't become lawlessness."

"Lunia, aren't you being a bit old-fashioned?"

The brazen response made Lunia feel a headache coming on.

"They say Lumene encourages open relationships like this too, you know?"

"They don't do this kind of thing in public, though."

"That's not what I heard. They're totally open and free."

"……."

Lunia sighed.

Seiren students had long been repressed under overly strict rules.

Especially regarding romance, Seiren had enforced a particularly harsh ban.

'Of course, some students dated in secret.'

But recently, the regulations on dating had been lifted.

The reason was simple.

Seiren—or rather, all of elven society—was being swept by the love story of Luna, Poet of the Star, and Kyle, the Hero of Beginnings.

Luna's divine proclamation to the world had included her love for Kyle.

That triggered a massive wave of fascination with their heart-wrenching romance throughout elven society.

Then, a few months ago, it was revealed that the Wise Queen, Lysinas, had also loved Kyle.

That revelation threw oil on the already roaring fire of stories about Luna and Kyle.

Why? Because nothing is more entertaining than someone else's love story—especially if it's a love triangle. It's explosive.

Thus, novels and tales about the great heroes' romances started pouring out.

Stories that would have been banned as heretical in the past were now being published without issue.

Lunia had never realized that her race could be so imaginative.

'Thanks to that, Eiran's been unusually happy lately.'

At any rate, love had taken elven society by storm.

And perhaps as a result of years of repression, dating among students in Seiren had skyrocketed.

The problem was students were now crossing lines.

The ban on dating had been lifted, but rules about public decorum were still in place.

'Elves really don't know moderation!'

They'd once followed rules to an oppressive degree, and now they were breaking them with reckless abandon.

These two seniors clinging to each other were no exception.

Sighing, Lunia pulled handcuffs from her coat.

"You're both being detained for violating school rules. You have the right to remain silent…"

At Seiren, breaking the rules meant detention.

Before, the mere word would leave students pale with fear. Now, they barely cared.

'How did our school come to this?'

Thinking she needed to revise the regulations, Lunia spoke.

"Luca, I'll see you later."

"Okay."

Dragging the two seniors out of the library, Lunia paused.

Sure enough, in another secluded area, a familiar underclassman sat gulping nervously, reading a book in a corner.

"Awwwoooo!"

When the girl looked up, her face turned bright red as she covered it with both hands.

Peeking through her fingers, she glanced sideways at the book before diving back into it with intense focus.

Lunia's eyes narrowed at the sight.

Step, step—

The girl was so engrossed in reading that she didn't notice Lunia standing right in front of her.

"What are you reading?"

"Eeeek?!"

Leah, the second-year representative of Seiren, jumped like she'd been electrocuted.

Lunia snatched the book from her hands.

"Lu, Lunia-sunbae! Th-this is, um, that is…!"

Lunia pushed Leah aside and checked the contents of the book, then looked at her in disbelief.

"You read this kind of stuff too?"

"Do… do you read it, sunbae?"

"Of course not."

Lunia replied coldly.

"This is confiscated. Submit a written reflection letter."

"……Yes."

Leah slumped, her shoulders and ears drooping.

bl

"W-where is it? I'm sure I put it in this drawer…"

In the Seiren student council conference room,

Eiran rummaged through the meeting table drawers, looking like she was about to cry.

She had accidentally brought the wrong book instead of her meeting notes that morning and shoved it into a drawer—but now it had vanished without a trace.

"Where did it go!"

Eiran stamped her feet in frustration.

She'd hidden it in the drawer to avoid prying eyes, and now it was gone!

'What if someone sees it…?'

As Eiran panicked, the door opened, and Lunia walked in.

"Ugh, cracking down on people is exhausting."

Muttering, Lunia noticed Eiran jumping in surprise and tilted her head.

"What were you doing that startled you so much?"

"N-nothing, just looking for something…"

Eiran smiled awkwardly, then asked curiously, "By the way, was it bad again today?"

"Yeah. Even if the rules are outdated, they're still rules. People are breaking them way too easily."

Flop—

Lunia dropped into the student council president's seat with a deep sigh.

More and more students at Seiren were indulging in excess rather than freedom.

The teachers would've been furious if they saw it, but the students cleverly avoided their eyes.

The reason Seiren's rules had been so strict was because every student had followed them absolutely.

There had also been strong peer enforcement. But now, with everyone enjoying freedom, there weren't enough people to enforce order.

"Ugh. The student council presidents from other schools will be visiting soon. How are we supposed to show them this mess?"

Lunia scratched her head furiously. The presidents of Lumene, Azonia, and Damien were arriving tomorrow. If they saw this chaos, Aru and Drianna was bound to make fun of her—no doubt about it.

"This is about the school's honor! Ah! Seriously!"

"I'm sure the students will behave when visitors arrive."

"The fact that I'm not sure they will is the problem!"

"Haha."

"It's insane lately. Do you know what Leah was reading in the corner of the library?"

Lunia placed a book on the table. A book with no title or author. Arms crossed, she shook her head.

"She was reading this vulgar thing."

Eiran flinched at the sight of the book.

"This book…?"

"Eiran, you didn't give this to her, did you?"

"N-no! Definitely not!"

"Hmm? Really?"

Though Lunia gave her a suspicious look, she quickly shrugged. She didn't believe shy, easily embarrassed Eiran would share her private hobby with anyone.

"Anyway, this novel is especially inappropriate."

Lunia clicked her tongue.

"Some human is toying with two elves or something… ugh."

"Th-that kind of indecent novel should be burned immediately! I'll take care of it!"

"…You just want to read it, don't you?"

"No! Not at all!"

"Ugh. I can't even report this to the teachers."

"For Leah's dignity, we definitely shouldn't! Let's dispose of it quickly!"

"I'll keep it as evidence for now. I'll call Leah later and ask where she got it."

With that, Lunia stood up.

"Anyway, the day's over."

Stretch— Lunia yawned and smiled.

"Let's go eat, Eiran."

"Y-yes!"

Eiran shrank back and followed Lunia.

'She mustn't find out I wrote it…'

Glancing nervously at the book in Lunia's hand, Eiran looked worried.

'If she finds out one of the characters is based on her…'

Her face turned pale.

"Eiran, are you sick? You look unwell."

"I-I'm fine!"

Eiran quickly smiled and made up her mind.

'I-I have to get that book back somehow!'