Ever since my room was moved upstairs, three days had passed in the blink of an eye.
That day, after accompanying Fiollet to the morning market, I went around to several stores to take care of my original task.
With the funds I had just acquired, I was making a certain "request."
It was for the procurement of items necessary for my future research activities.
To me, these things were nothing unusual, but to them, it must have seemed like quite an eccentric order. Regardless, I had paid a hefty fee upfront, ensuring they would prioritize my request. While they couldn't guarantee a completion date, I figured today would be a good time to check on their progress.
It was around ten in the morning. I decided I would head into town in the evening to follow up on my order.
As I thought about this, I changed out of my sleepwear and into something more appropriate for the day.
---Knock, click. "Brother."
"You're quick to open the door after knocking."
"Oh, you're awake."
Turning around, I saw Johan standing there with a mischievous grin.
"Are you feeling better?"
"Yeah, still a little sluggish, but I'm okay."
"I see."
Johan had regained consciousness just as I returned from town. The entire mansion had been in an uproar, with people rushing up and down the halls. It was clear even without asking what had happened.
There were few things that could have made me leave it alone, but this time, I had to check on him myself.
After two days of unconsciousness, Johan had woken up in a daze. But as his memory returned, he started answering our parents' questions bit by bit. He admitted that he was the one who had requested a rematch against Marduk, that it was his own stubbornness that led to the duel, and that he had used water magic. Marduk, who had been silent until then, finally acknowledged it.
Dawson had a complicated expression, but in the end, they decided to leave the matter as it was. Fiollet had insisted that the Glastark family cover the repair costs, probably to maintain appearances.
After another day of rest, Johan, who had initially complained of numbness in his limbs, was now up and about. The servants kept scolding him not to overexert himself, though.
(When I was bedridden, the level of concern was noticeably different, but I won't say anything about that.)
"Fiollet is leaving soon. Do you want to see her off?"
"I see. I did get a chance to talk to her this time, so I should at least show my face."
"Yeah, Fiollet was talking about you too. She said she's glad she got to be your friend."
"I wouldn't call it friendship, but… that's all the more reason to see her off."
"Exactly! Let's go, let's go!"
"Wait a moment. I need to get dressed first."
As I spoke, I looked for a mirror and quickly adjusted my appearance.
Suddenly, Johan muttered in a small voice from behind me.
"Um… Brother, I… I'm sorry."
"Hm? What's this all of a sudden?"
"You had to move rooms because of me, right?"
Johan lowered his gaze slightly, looking around at the furniture in my new room, which had changed quite a bit.
"I already told you not to worry about it. I gained something out of it, and both of us are safe. That's all that matters."
I looked around the new room, which I had already grown accustomed to.
I had a bed, bookshelves, a desk, and a chair. Nothing was missing.
"But if you had been in your old room, you might have gotten hurt again… and all your notes got ruined."
"Don't worry about that. Those were just summaries of books with my own hypotheses added in. I've already memorized most of it."
I tapped my forehead with my finger.
"The real research starts now—or maybe, it starts today. In that sense, the timing was actually quite good."
"…? Something's happening today?"
"I won't know until I go into town, but if everything went smoothly, yes."
"Wait, you're going into town?"
Johan's eyes lit up at the mention of "town."
"Yeah, I was planning to go in the evening."
"What?! I want to go too! Take me with you!"
"Well, I don't mind… No, wait. Shouldn't you be resting instead? You just recovered."
"I'm fine! Look! I'm full of energy! Watch this! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
"Didn't you just say you were feeling sluggish?"
"I'm better now! I've been stuck inside for three days! Besides, Brother, you left me behind when you went to the shrine! Don't you think you owe me for that?"
"I didn't leave you behind… Hah, fine. I'll take you, but I won't take the blame if you get scolded."
"It's okay! As long as no one finds out, it's fine!"
"That's the exact mindset that got you bedridden in the first place, remember?"
Despite my pointed look, Johan was completely unfazed.
"Alright! Let's hurry! As soon as we see Fiollet off, we're heading straight to town! And if we have extra time, we can go shopping!"
"You really should be more respectful to your betrothed…"
But Johan had already grabbed my arm and was dragging me toward the entrance.
At the store, an elderly craftsman with a shaved head, Renolga, emerged from the back and smirked as he saw me.
"Ah, you're here."
"How's the progress?"
"Hmm… They're done, but I have no idea if they're what you wanted."
"Can I see them?"
"Come in and check for yourself."
Johan followed behind me, tilting his head in curiosity.
"A crafts shop? Why is Brother coming to a place like this?"
Inside the dimly lit workshop, my eyes landed on the glass instruments arranged on the workbench.
Flasks, beakers, test tubes, petri dishes, alcohol lamp containers, iron tripod stands, tweezers, and even a sand timer—these were laboratory instruments.
Johan gawked at them in confusion.
"What are these? I've never seen anything like them. What do you need them for?"
"For research, of course."
I picked up a test tube and held it up to the light. It was nearly identical to the ones I remembered from my past life. The craftsmanship was precise, down to the curves and dimensions I had drawn in my blueprints.
A warmth rose in my chest. After years, I was finally reunited with something familiar.
The real research begins now.