Soft golden lights illuminated the unusual scene of four people sleeping comfortably in a dull room lacking in personality. Noel's eyes were hazy; the soft light awakened him.
As he stretched, a familiar girl came into view—this time, she wore a light green cloak stretching to her thighs like a skirt. Yellow flames blended with the light green from all ends—at the hem around her hips and around the sleeve cuffs on the upper arms.
The only part of the cloak that wasn't green was the dark collar—but even that had descending flames. The belt around her stomach had different phases of what seemed like eclipses, which kept it all together—underneath the cloak was a simple white blouse, making her bosom more noticeable. The pants were also the same accent as the belt and collar, with the ends tucked inside her long brown boots. But…
Am I dreaming…? Woah… Chely's a lot cuter than usual—I mean, she sure has a pretty face but is this what I'm imagining she's under the armor? Pretty face, but also delicate, slim, and feminine? Noel thought as he shook his head—Nah… she's probably a lot more muscular, considering she's a hero, he added.
"…"
"…"
I'm not dreaming… am I…? He suddenly came to his senses.
Chely's lightly shaded emerald eyes stared shakily at him; her lips pressed together, and her eyebrows furrowed—looking like she wanted to say something. As their eyes met, her expression soured; she crossed her arms and averted her eyes.
Did I do something…? Noel wondered.
His mind was still hazy. But only then did he realize what the situation looked like—Luna was sleeping comfortably with Miu hugging her. Emely was also out on the armrest opposite him, which was not a good look overall.
"…"
"…"
He remembered Luna entering Alum's room; he went to check, but it turned out Alum wasn't there. He chatted with Luna for a while, but then, Emely knocked—afterward, Miu came with a tray of sweets.
While they waited, they played card games—Luna joined after some convincing from Miu. They didn't think it would have to wait so long for Alum to return—but Luna became drowsy and jumped onto Alum's bed, instantly falling asleep.
Emely had fallen asleep on the armchair while Miu stumbled sleepily to the bed, hugging Luna, who hugged the pillow. He couldn't help but sigh and went to get blankets in his room—when he returned, he realized he was more tired than expected, and as he plumped down on the armchair, he too dozed off.
Crap…! Sitting down was a mistake! I should've just gone back to my room—wait… why is Chely here? Huh? But… if she'd catch Alum with three girls in his room, that would be bad too… ah! But then again—now it looks bad for me!
As his mind was racing, Chely sighed and went to sit on the couch. Alum followed, but he noticed him looking extremely drained.
"Hey… Al, are you okay?" Noel asked
"I'm fine. Just a little tired," Alum shrugged. "Did you guys wait for me?" he inquired, tilting his head slightly.
"Yeah… I didn't think you'd come back…" Noel looked at the clock. "—at midnight; we gotta wake up early, y'know?" he noted.
"Well…" Alum sighed. "The damned old man—I mean, Sir Rigeld had too much fun, I suppose." He frowned a little while averting his eyes.
"Aha-haha-ha," Noel chuckled softly. "I see—well, actually, we're gonna check the city out tomorrow, so I was wondering if you were free."
"…" Alum silently pictured Rigeld laughing obnoxiously in his head.
"Al?" Noel called out to him.
"…Is that so? I'm free in the morning," he answered.
Noel raised an eyebrow and figured that Alum was probably planning on seeing Amethely at one point. A playful grin surfaced on his face—but as soon as he saw Chely's frown, he froze on the spot.
"…" Chely silently crossed her arms, glaring at Noel like a watchful cat.
Noel scratched his neck—he wasn't sure how to talk to her in this situation. He could try being a little flirty, but it would only make her hate him—especially in this dilemma. But as he noticed Alum falling asleep, it became worse as it was now only Chely and himself left in the awkward situation.
"Must be nice being surrounded by beautiful girls," Chely suddenly remarked, side-eying him.
"Sure… but it's not like that, okay?" He replied as calmly as he could. "Say… are you perhaps… mad?" he reluctantly asked.
"…I'm not," Chely replied coolly.
—He knew she was but decided to play along.
"Alright," he simply said, sighing inwardly. "Y'know, it's kinda hot in here—do you want to join me for a walk?" he asked. He figured she'd say no so that he could leave, but…
"Okay…" Chely replied, pouting slithery as she frowned—but at the same time, she looked almost bashful while averting her gaze.
"…"
Aww man… I'm actually into her, aren't I? I mean, sure, she's totally my type—I thought that when I first saw her too, but am I actually quite easy? Just because she's shed her armor—literally and figuratively? Noel thought. His heart began to race, skipping beats while making his whole body restless.
..
As the calm night breeze caressed his cheeks, Noel watched to oceans with Chely by his side. She, too, stared at the waves—her light ash-brown hair danced in the winds as her eyes twinkled in the silver moonlight.
Neither had said a word since they left, but Noel could notice Chely subtly glance at him—she probably saw his glances, too, and he was aware. Their eyes met, and she'd averted her gaze.
"Just to be clear, we just played some card games waiting for Alum, okay?" Noel suddenly spoke.
"I could tell," Chely replied, her voice melodic and soft—but her expression almost looked indifferent. "There were cards on the table," she added.
"I see… but are you okay leaving Alum alone with the two of them?" Noel inquired—referring to Luna and Miu, the latter who had a crush on Alum.
"I trust him—he likes my sister and wouldn't look at another woman like that—even when he complimented me, calling me cute and all, he had no such intentions, and neither did I misunderstand," she said, trying not to look his way.
"He's like that; he's loyal to friends too, ahaha—wait, he called you cute?" Noel's eyes widened.
"He did," Chely replied.
She turned her body towards him, her shoulders rising subtly. But because of her crossed arms, he couldn't help but think she was accentuating her chest.
"…"
"Pervert," she murmured, pouting as she huffed.
"C'mon, it was like you were emphasizing them doing that!" Noel retorted, crossing his arms and raising his shoulders.
"…"
Chely's eyes widened as she realized what she had done unconsciously. Her cheeks heated up, and a small blush surfaced on her smooth skin.
"I… didn't mean that…" she said.
Noel scratched his neck. "Sorry for looking," he apologized, looking away.
"I… I don't mind," Chely said, sighing and calming down—
"Huh? You don't? Then…" He'd stared at her face but was now slowly lowering his gaze.
"I-Idiot?! I didn't mean it like that! It's one thing if it was accidental, so stop leering—you're not touching them any time soon!" she protested, hitting his side.
—Huh? I can touch them one day? Like…? Fondle them? Urk… Get your mind out of the ditch… Noel exclaimed inwardly.
"—Ugh…" he groaned, holding himself together. "It was… a joke…" he said.
"Hmph!" Chely crossed her arms and turned. But soon glanced back. "Hey… are you okay?" she asked, her voice softened with her eyes.
"Nah, it didn't hurt." Noel grinned playfully, hitting his chest.
"…" Chely stared at him with a blank expression. "Hmph!" she huffed, but a smile tugged her lips this time.
"But," Noel's grin widened more. "—I called you adorable before he called you cute, right? And I still think that," he teased as he elbowed her lightly.
Chely's face slowly turned beet red. She huffed yet again, turned, and began walking while looking straight down at the limestone-tiled pathway as steam reeked from her head. Noel chucked a little before he ran to catch up.
"And here I thought he wasn't just some frivolous flirtatious guy—he is! But isn't! Which is it?!" she exclaimed as she murmured.
Overhearing that, Noel cast his arm over her shoulder. "Yeah, which is it? Chely?" he teased, grinning smugly.
"Hmph."
"Hey, Chely," Noel said somewhat seriously. "It might be a little late, but you look cute in these clothes—it suits you," he nervously confessed as his eyes shifted.
"…" Beet red in the face, Chely sheepishly locked eyes with the ground. "Good… I picked them thinking you might like it…" she murmured under her breath.
Noel's heart skipped, racing crazily as Chely had torn down his guard entirely. He couldn't comment, as the words were stuck in his lungs. At the same time, it was fortunate because Chely probably didn't intend for him to hear as she was talking to herself—he wouldn't want to say something dumb to make her push him away right now, especially now when his arms were around her shoulders. He wanted to be close like this, just for a little more.
Stupid… Chely remarked in her mind with a subtle glance. She'd wanted him to say something. I guess seeing him this flustered is fine as well, she thought.
…
..
In a world cleaved in two, two young boys sat with their backs toward one another, splitting the dark crimson and grey ashen worlds. The black-crimson side rained red while the white side snowed ash. Standing between the borders, Alum closed his eyes and walked towards them.
The boy at the crimson back half turned toward him. His molten gold eyes sparkled a little as he got up on his feet, ran towards him, and hugged him.
"Alum," he called his name. "I've enjoyed all the colors—I've painted a tree, thank you," he said calmly with a faint smile.
"Mm, I promised," Alum replied, patting the boy's head. "How's Monochrome?" he asked, glancing toward the gloomy boy with white hair and blue eyes.
"You should ask him," Sinister replied. He pulled up his sleeve; his arm had red cracks that pulsated. "I'm sorry, Alum. My resistances were pushed to the limits—the weird spatial collapse tore me down, but…" he glanced at Monochrome. "He saved us," he added.
Alum nodded—I see, that's why he didn't respond, he thought.
"I'm sorry. I have to slumber for a while to repair the core… but we need to reunite to shatter and rebuild the core. Can you handle it?" Sinister touched his heart, his molten eyes sorrowful as he couldn't experience all the colors firsthand.
"I can manage—"
"But you know how stubborn Monochrome is…" Sinister cut him off, heaving a deep sigh as he looked at the dark ground. "He's injured too. I don't have the strength to knock him out—he'll die if he doesn't slumber. So… could you do that for me?" he requested.
"I'll force him if I have to," Alum replied.
Sinister closed his eyes. Slowly, his body began to vanish—molten particles started to disperse. "Tell him 'thanks' from me," his last words echoed, and all the crimson black disappeared.
"…"
Quietly, Alum gathered and absorbed the molten particles—his body screamed as he regained most of his pain tolerance. He sweats profusely as he fell to his knees—thud, moments later, he was on the ground. Tears flooded down his eyes as his past flashed before him. All the emotions, sensations, and memories that Sinister slowly gave back to him crashed his whole being—it was too much.
"—Is all that pain really worth it?" a cold voice echoed in the white space.
The white space had been altered, and Alum found himself before the white-haired boy. He looked at Alum almost indifferently with his cold sapphire eyes. Despite lying down, Alum managed to get on his knees.
"…I'm fine… really…" Alum panted as he managed to place a hand on Monochrome's head.
Monochrome's eyes shook, and his lips parted in surprise. He closed his eyes and heaved a deep sigh. "Is that idiot finally in his slumber?" he asked coolly.
"He is. He said thanks—and I share his sentiment." Alum ruffled his soft hair—it was like ash.
"I see," Monochrome replied, opening his eyes. "He said he painted a tree. Have you seen it?" he asked.
"…I haven't."
Alum couldn't help but be distracted by all the cracks all over Monochrome hands and neck—it was probably worse underneath his clothes. Alum managed to overcome the immense stored trauma, stood on his feet, and reached his hand toward Monochrome.
"Do you want to see it together?" he suggested.
Monochrome melted a little. "Okay," he replied, a faint smile tugged his still indifferent expression as he took Alum's hand.
Instantly, all the ash vanished—paintings filled the white world. There were sculptures of events, paintings of memories, and rivers of color flowing from a pond, smelling like fresh water. What followed was a refreshing breeze, yet the air carried the taste of caramel lemon, a little sour and bitter but sweet. In the middle of the colorful pond was an island. On the island was a massive tree where all the paint originated. Plenty of paintings hung from the branches stretching wide over the pond's surface.
Monochrome looked around, clasping Alum's hand. Alum couldn't help but smile as he picked up Monochrome on his shoulders, giving him a ride.
"It's beautiful…" Monochrome murmured.
"It is," Alum replied.
He walked on the pond's surface, heading toward the tree. But slowly, Monochrome became lighter—he was fading.
"Hey. Don't be irrational," Monochrome voiced, his words echoed.
"I'll try," Alum reassured.
"Don't make your friends sad. Don't be reckless. Don't be overconfident—you might die if you are. Your core will completely shatter. What good is esper abilities when you can barely use them—or do you still think you're untouchable?" he added, his voice slowly fading.
"No…" Alum replied, clenching his fists as he recalled the spar with Rigeld.
"…Learn about the magic and mana. Something forcefully reconstructed your body to use mana efficiently. While it drastically slows down our ability to heal the core… leverage that massive mana reservoir. When the core fully heals, we'll have reconstructed it to work without being disrupted by mana. In the meantime, learn as many spells as possible—you've seen what they can do. Learn everything they have to offer. Use what's necessary to your advantage… perhaps we won't need to wake up."
Alum didn't say anything as he clenched his fists harder, bleeding.
"…Tell Sinister that I'm sorry if he wakes up before me. Be safe, Alum."
With his final words, Monochrome's ashes scattered with the wind, absorbing the colorful paint before slowly sinking into the pond. Alum clenched his chest as he gathered the light blue particles, pushing them into his heart. His core shattered, leaving him a residual esper with barely any abilities.
His head throbbed with information overload, leaving him utterly confused as he couldn't process it all; he didn't recognize anything anymore. As he looked around frantically, he stumbled and fell with his back toward the tree, leaning on it; he just stopped, watching the sight of colorful snowfall until the flicker of his consciousness snuffed.
…
..
As the sun was slowly rising, Alum finally opened his eyes. His vision was blurry, covered in white. But when the haze cleared, he locked eyes with a girl. Her white hair was as soft-looking as usual, and ruby eyes looked at him with worry, she had a handkerchief in her hand. Only then did he realize she was wiping his tears.
Miu panicked at the sudden awakening and jerked backward. She stumbled and fell. Alum reacted quickly and grabbed her by the hand, pulling her into his chest.
"…?!"
Miu's eyes shook in surprise. For some reason, she'd found herself in Alum's embrace. She could feel him stroke her hair, but as much as she wanted to melt into his tender embrace, she knew it was wrong to take advantage of his confusion.
But even when she tried to free herself, Alum wouldn't let go neither would he speak. She didn't know what to think—she knew that Alum barely had a concept of space between people he liked, but at the same time, she knew that the 'like' wasn't romantic.
Would anyone fault me for being hopeful…? Miu wondered, her hands shaking as she resisted the urge to return the embrace.
How can a girl not be hopeful? Her crush is hugging her—he clasped her hands when she was worried and even cupped her cheeks, looking all worried… I… Miu's thoughts became blank. Ultimately, she resigned, returning the embrace as she closed her eyes.
As moments passed, she listened to his comforting heartbeats. Steady rhythmic beats. Her heart eventually calmed down, resonating her heartbeat with his. In the back of her mind, she worried Emely and Luna would wake up to see them like this—the teasing would never end.
But somehow. She didn't mind. It was perhaps time for her to make him look her way, not as a friend—but as a romantic interest. Before long, Alum loosened his firm hold, letting her go. Their eyes met, but something was different about them.
Alum tilted his head as if curious. He spotted Emely and seemed to recognize her, but when he saw Luna, confusion flashed over his face like when he saw Miu's face just now—instantly, he pushed her off him, but as she was expecting a harsh landing, she levitated and softly landed on her buttocks.
"Who are you?" he asked, frowning.
Stunned by what happened, Miu couldn't utter a single word. Alum furrowed his brows more as he got up and glanced toward the window. But then he touched his chest.
—tsk, he clicked his tongue.
"Hey you, where are we?" he spoke harshly as he turned to Miu.
"I-in your room?" Miu replied, flustered as her mind hadn't caught up to the situation.
"My room?" Alum scoffed as he looked around. But then he looked at his hands for some reason. His eyes widened slightly as he turned to Miu again. "Sorry. Did I hurt you?" he asked calmly.
"Huh…? Oh, um… I'm okay. But… who are you?" Miu asked reluctantly as she got up on her feet.
"Alum Miller obviously—or, to be more precise, a much younger version, I suppose," he shrugged.
"…?"
"What? He hasn't told his girlfriend? What a moron," the younger Alum cursed.
"G-girlfriend?!" Miu exclaimed, but she looked around frantically as she realized she'd been yelling. But despite her loud voice, Emely and Luna were still soundly asleep.
"They won't wake up. I've isolated us in a small box," he remarked, looking smug.
"H-huh? You can use magic even with the amulet on…?"
At her question, Alum frowned. "Magic? What are you, a kid?" he scoffed.
"…"
But seeing as Miu became silent at his harsh words, he sighed. "Sorry, Miss Girlfriend—I was a little harsh. Say. How's the adult me?" he asked curiously.
Miu couldn't follow but decided to answer. "The adult you…? Oh, um… he loves sweets, is nice to animals, but he does tend to be a recluse and mostly do things on his own—"
"You really like this guy?"
"Is that bad…?" Miu asked, her eyes shaking with vulnerability.
"…" he looked for a moment, his whole face glowing red as he soon averted his gaze. "I suppose I do have some luck…" he muttered but then frowned. "Urk… anyways, he's about to wake up, see ya—"
"W-wait!" Miu exclaimed. "U-um… why are you calling me… Miss Girlfriend…?" she inquired hesitantly.
The young Alum rolled his eyes. "What? You're not?" he scoffed.
"…" Miu quietly lowered her gaze.
"Tsk… despite having this much affection for you, he still hasn't asked you out? His heart is beating like crazy, and looking at you makes it go wild—seriously? He hasn't asked you out yet? Anyways, when I woke up, you were already in my arms, meaning he woke up before me but probably fell into shock, awakening me."
"…" Miu froze. She could feel her face burning up.
But then, as he blinked a few times after clenching his head, they locked eyes. Alum seemed surprised, scratching his cheek.
"M-morning…" he spoke awkwardly.
This time, it was the Alum she knew. She knew that she shouldn't, but… she managed to muster up her courage—but I'm scared… what if…he doesn't like me…?
"Do… you like me… romantically…?" she managed to utter.
"I… I…"
Alum averted his eyes before he heaved a deep breath; his expression was filled with pain. That gesture alone made her chest clench and her heart to throb in pain.
"I do…" he replied—I should be honest with her, he thought.
Instantly, Miu's eyes twinkled, her knees weakened as her heart beat out of her chest, but—
"I'm sorry… I… But I have someone else I've fallen for…" Alum said. His tone was as heavy as lead—he couldn't even look at her.
"…" His words hung over her as sharp pain coursed through her body.
"I'm sorry. I know that this is inappropriate. I even embraced you when I woke up, overwhelmed by affection—I shouldn't have… and it's not an excuse," tears formed around his eyes. "I'm sorry, Miu," he apologized, his voice hitched a little. "I'm… so… so sorry."
I see… Miu thought.
Her mind was utterly blank. But seeing him all hurt, she was struck by another sense of pain—hearing him tell her he liked her made her so happy, but… even if their feelings were mutual, Alum had prioritized someone else. Someone who was not her.
"…Thank you… for… telling me…" Miu managed to say with a shaky voice, hitching as she forced each and every word out from her lips.
Tears ran down her cheeks as her ruby eyes shook. She clenched her chest, holding back the murky emotion in her chest—it was as if she'd been stabbed, and she couldn't breathe properly. And before she realized it. She had run away.
Alum watched as she ran away. His heart ached with pain as he clenched his chest—his body was already sore from yesterday's training, but it was even worse now that he could sense more.
He might've liked her all this time; it might've been built up slowly, which was why he didn't sense it until now—but for Amethely, it exploded, just like how everything tipped over when he woke up seeing Miu's face this morning did he realize—he does like her.
..
Sigh…
I'm the worst… I just rejected her, but I want to run after her… sigh… I need to let go of these feelings—I wouldn't be able to look Ame in the eyes, and yet…Miu's face still lingers in my mind…
At the time, I grabbed her hand because she looked weak, and I wanted to protect her—it did fill me with warmth, but I thought it was just comfort… then, I cupped her cheeks. I thought to cool her down, but I just wanted to touch her… and when I hugged her… I realized I already liked her.
Even in uni, I liked teasing her—I thought her reactions were amusing… but looking back, she was adorable. I teased her because I actually wanted to know her more and to get a cute response out of her.
When I woke up just now, I was so overwhelmed by all the memories and feelings I've had for her all this time… I knew better. But… But I… I couldn't resist… I ended up embracing her once—thinking I could let her go after that one hug.
Sigh…
I'm the worst… maybe I shouldn't have told her… I shouldn't have hugged her. Was letting go always this difficult?