Consort's Path: Dia Akedia

This is a detailed explanation for Dia's route, containing spoilers! If you want to read a more superficial synopsis, click here.

Watch Dia's Consort Path trailer below!

## Dia's Mini Game: Dia's a Real Fun-gi

**Dia's Mini Game is a short story that was released for a limited amount of time to celebrate the release of Dia's route. This also includes the introductory part that was shown as a preview to the short story when you opened up the app.**

*[Show/Hide]*

Dia walks into the common lounge in Dorm Nivalis and sees Jay, Tino, and Fenn in there. Jay greets Dia and says that he came at just the right time. Tino tells Dia that they were about to go get him, so that they could bring him to the common lounge. Fenn says that they all want Dia to try something. Dia is annoyed that he has been dragged into this. Fenn tells him that they definitely won't let him go. Dia is irritated and asks them what they want since he's quite busy. Tino explains that they made some dishes for him to taste. Dia reiterates that he's really busy and that he has a lot of other tasks to do. However, he then notices that all the dishes contain mushrooms. Jay says that they created a variety of dishes to see which one Dia likes the most. Fenn explains that the first person that comes to mind when he thinks about mushrooms is Dia. He adds that Dia also loves mushrooms, so this is perfect. Dia then agrees to try the dishes. Tino says that they are grateful that Dia is willing to try their dishes. Jay chuckles as he is glad that Dia is willing to accept their request. Jay shows him all the mushroom dishes they've made. Dia is surprised since he thought that the dishes would be more ominous-looking. Tino says that they used freshly picked mushrooms from the forest. Fenn notes that there were a lot of varieties of mushrooms that they've never seen before. After hearing that they didn't know what a lot of the mushrooms were, Dia takes back his comment about the dishes not being ominous. Jay tells Dia not to worry since they didn't use any mushrooms that were poisonous. Fenn says that he would be happy to feed Dia if he ever needs him to. Dia replies by telling Fenn to stay far away from him. Fenn says that Dia is so cruel. Jay then asks Dia which dish he wants to taste first.

* White Mushroom Soup.

Dia tastes the white mushroom soup. Tino asks how the soup is. He is surprised when Dia states that it's dull. Dia says that he would've liked to say that it was dull, but the dish is actually delicious. Jay is very happy at Dia's compliment. Dia knew that Jay had made it since the flavor felt familiar to him. Jay asks if it was that obvious that he was the one who made it. He then explains that he used snow white Neva Mushrooms for this dish. Dia tells him that he made an excellent choice. Fenn makes a remark about how the dish looks delicious and asks if he can also have a bite. Dia refuses him by telling him he can just eat the dish he prepared instead. Fenn teases Dia saying that Dia probably just wants to keep Jay's cooking all to himself. Dia denies it. Fenn says that even if he tries to deny it, it's clear that he's fond of Jay. Dia tells him not to make baseless claims and that he's just fond of this mushroom dish in particular. Tino compliments Jay saying that only he could make a dish that suits Dia's taste so well. Jay says that it's an honor.

* Blue Mushroom Sautee.

Dia tastes the blue mushroom sautee. Fenn asks if he likes the dish. Dia tells him not to talk to him like they're close friends. He adds that he also has no need to speak to Fenn. Tino tells Dia that maybe he shouldn't speak so bluntly. Dia then turns his scathing remarks towards Tino saying that he's being insolent. Tino exclaims that it wasn't his intention to be disrespectful. Fenn remarks that Dia is as formidable as ever. Jay says that Dia seems to be a bit more irritable compared to usual. Tino suggests that it might have to do with the mushrooms that he put into the dish. Fenn reassures Tino that Dia will be fine since the mushrooms aren't poisononous. Dia then asks Tino if he made this dish. Tino says he did and that it's probably best for Dia to not eat anymore of it. Dia asks Tino why he's stopping him from eating this dish when he was the one who told him to try it in the first place. Tino says that what Dia is saying is true. Dia then says that the mushrooms were sauteed fairly well for it to be Tino's work. Tino wonders if he's hearing things wrong. Dia asks him what he just said. Tino thanks Dia instead. Fenn says that it makes him feel excited when Dia behaves like a beautiful emperor on his throne.

* Red Mushroom Stew.

Dia tastes the red mushroom stew. Jay asks Dia what he thinks of the dish. Fenn says that he made the dish. He then makes a comment about how the rich red color of the dish makes it look provocative. Dia tells him that it's delicious and thanks Fenn for making it. Jay remarks that Dia's comment was rather honest of him. Fenn asks Dia if he should feed him another bite of the dish. Dia politely asks Fenn to feed him and that he would really like it if Fenn fed him. Tino says that Dia's behavior seems to be very irregular. Fenn notes that Dia seems to be acting very affectionate and that it might be due to the effect of the mushrooms he used in his dish. Dia tells Fenn to stop teasing him and to quickly come feed him. Fenn replies that he's not teasing him and that he'll happily fulfill all of Dia's wishes. He then tells Dia to open wide so that he can feed him. Dia says that it's very good and asks for more. Fenn says he will, but tells Dia that it will be even easier to feed him if he sits on his lap first. Dia agrees. Tino starts panicking out of embarassment as he feels like he's witnessing something inappropriate. Jay just chuckles while talking about how he feels happy seeing his master enjoying himself.

*[Hide section]*

## Dia's Message After Release of Consort Route: In Truth

Dia says that although he experienced some strange things due to the 3 people who made those mushrooms dishes, he won't blame the mushrooms since the mushrooms aren't at fault. He then asks MC why she's looking at him. It is implied that MC says that she is uncertain about which part of him is the real Dia. Dia just tells her to just imagine what the real him is like. Then, he says that he won't tell her just yet. Dia tells MC that she has to show him some sincerity if she wants to get to know the real him. But, he will be waiting for as long as it takes for her to show that sincerity.

# Book 1: For Whom the Songbird Sings

## Chapter 1

*[Show/Hide]*

While walking through the hallways, MC is thinking about how she's now lost in a world known as Saligia where magic is commonplace and things like electricity and technology don't exist. She considers this world to be some kind of a psuedo-Victorian fantasy world that she can't wrap her head around. MC was also enrolled into the academy and doesn't know how she's going to keep up with her lessons in the academy when it's necessary to be able to use magic. While she's lost in thought, Rio calls out to her. MC recognizes Rio as the person she met in the Refectory who told her all about the academy. She also notices a lady walking next to Rio. MC describes her as a beautiful woman who looks like she just stepped out of a movie. The beautiful lady introduces herself as "Sherry". She was really excited to finally meet MC. Sherry says that Rio and her brother have told her a lot about MC, so she's been wanting to talk to MC. MC is happy to meet Sherry as well. Since MC doesn't know what the proper etiquette is when greeting people in Saligia, she just shakes Sherry's hand. MC then asks Sherry who her brother is. Rio explains that Sherry is Roy's younger sister. MC remembers that Roy is the prince that looked like he stepped right out of a fairytale. She then realizes that Sherry is a princess. Sherry tells her that it's a bit embarassing being referred to as the princess.

She says that MC is a really interesting person and that she's never met someone like MC before. MC thinks that Sherry finds her interesting because she's from a different world, but she keeps that thought to herself. MC was told that chaos would break loose if she ever reveals that she's from a different world. Sherry then asks MC to just call her "Sherry" without any formal titles. MC also tells Sherry to call her by her name. Sherry tells MC that she's looking forward to being friends with her. MC, Rio, and Sherry start walking together through the hallways. Rio asks MC how her first lecture was. MC says that it was really confusing. She believes that she doesn't have the talent for magic. Rio and Sherry share a look. Rio then tells her that she has her own strengths and that she'll be fine if she just works on those strengths. Sherry says that everyone has something that they aren't good at. MC is touched that they're trying to comfort her even though she wasn't really bothered about it in the first place.

Several days later, MC was summoned to the Headmaster's office before her following class, so she just barely makes it in time for her next lesson. Rio remarks that MC was a bit late today. Sherry asks if she's late because the Headmaster summoned her. MC nods and says that it was something like that. She then recalls what happened in the Headmaster's office. In a flashback of MC in the Headmaster's Office, Headmaster Lou had told her that he doesn't currently know of a way to return her back to her original world. However, the fact that MC was able to travel between the worlds means that a path must exist between the two worlds. Lou tells her that she might be able to return if she learns how to use her own magic since a very strong dormant power lies within her.

Returning back to the present, MC wonders if she really has such tremendous power. Sherry's calling her name shocks her out of her thoughts. In order to steer the conversation away from them asking about her discussion with the Headmaster, MC mentions that the Headmaster said something about there being ranks. She tells them that she was deemed as a C Rank. The students in the lecture hall then all start to whisper amongst themselves. MC wonders why they all started whispering and what the deal is with ranks. She tells them that she thought ranks were just a way to section people off into groups. Rio says that it's something like that. Sherry explains that there are 4 ranks: S, A, B, and C. She says that S Ranks are special in their own right while students of other ranks mostly attend lessons together with other ranks or lessons reserved for their specific rank. MC compares the ranks to grade levels. She then asks Sherry and Rio what their ranks are. Rio says he's a B Rank and Sherry says she's an A Rank.

As MC is saying that their ranks are cool, more students start to whisper. A male student whispers that C Ranks are nothing but the bottom dwellers of the entire student body. Another student whispers that MC should be ashamed of being a C Rank. MC realizes that all the students assumed that she would be offended that she's a C Rank. However, she's not bothered by them whispering behind her back. MC shrugs and wonders if she should say anything in response to them. Sherry then tells the rest of the students that if they have something to say, then they should say it to their faces. She adds that if they can't bring themselves to do that, then they must be talking about something that's not polite to say directly to a person's face. As Sherry sharply smiles at them, MC sees Sherry has her personal hero. Silence falls over the room and nobody dares to say anything back against the princess. Rio then asks everyone what's wrong as he is oblivious to what's going on. Rio's obliviousness cuts through the tense atmosphere and it makes MC and Sherry burst into laughter. MC then thanks both Sherry and Rio. Sherry tells MC that she definitely won't let anyone talk about her friend like that. Rio still doesn't know what happened, but he says that it's a good thing as long as they're laughing. MC tells them that they're both the best. Arriving in this new realm has been bewildering to MC, but she believes that she wouldn't have been able to laugh off her troubles so easily if not for Sherry and Rio.

The day after is MC's first C Rank lecture. She steps inside the room and sees 1 male student inside. He asks if she is Miss MC. MC says yes and asks who he is. The student introduces himself as Aquia Avari and says that it's a pleasure to meet her. MC says that the pleasure is all hers and to just call her MC without any formalities. Her first impression of Aquia is that he's a really nice guy. She then wonders why the room is so empty. MC remarks that it doesn't seem like the rest of the students are here yet. Aquia tells her that there are 2 more students that are supposed to be here. MC is surprised that there are only 4 C Ranks in the entire academy. She wonders if one has to be really bad at magic to be this rank. MC believes this to be especially true since she's a C Rank and she can't use magic at all. She thinks that starting from the very bottom will be tough, but that just complaining won't help her in any way so she just has to work hard. At that moment, the door opens and Toa walks in. He looks at both Aquia and MC and sighs. Toa states that it seems like Lance Ira and Dia Akedia are absent. Based on Toa's reaction, MC speculates that those two don't normally show up to class.

After taking a few C Rank lectures, MC feels like she might be able to cast spells soon. However, she is still far from mastering magic as she can't even create enough wind magic to blow out the flames of a candle. MC is currently at another C Rank only lecture. She makes a comment about how Lance and Dia aren't in class today either. Aquia had already told her about how Lance is the Prince of Ira and how Dia is some kind of Akedian royalty. She was also shocked to learn that Aquia was a prince and that he was Guy's younger brother. MC felt like she should've realized based on the name of the academy ("The Royal Academy of Concordia") that royalty, nobles, and the strongest magic users in Saligia would be enrolled here. MC mentions how she had met Lance when Fenn dragged him to class the other day, but she hasn't met Dia yet. So, she asks Aquia to tell her about Dia. Aquia says that he's only met Dia a couple of times, so he's not sure he can give her a proper answer. Before he can continue answering her question, the Headmaster walks into the room. MC notices a beautiful person with long flowing hair trailing behind the Headmaster. That person is wearing a hood, but the way they carry themselves captivates MC. Since arriving in Saligia, MC has seen many attractive people of all genders, but this hooded person is the most stunning person she's met so far. Aquia then mutters the name "Dia". MC thinks that Dia looks like a fragile and ephemeral being. She feels like he would shatter like glass if someone reached out and touched him.

*[Hide section]*

## Chapter 2

*[Show/Hide]*

The Headmaster walks into the room with Dia behind him. He then smiles at Aquia and MC. He tells them that there's going to be special lessons for all the C Ranks, so he's here to give them an explanation about it. Aquia realizes that this was the reason why Dia came to class today. Lou then tells them that Lance will be arriving soon, so they'll wait until he gets here before he starts his explanation. He tells Aquia and MC to take a seat. Lou then gives Dia a gentle push on the back to enter the room, but Dia refuses to move. Dia just looks at the Headmaster as if he wants to say something to him. MC thinks that Dia might feel discouraged about being in the lecture hall since he doesn't normally attend classes. She also felt like that when she first starting attending lectures. MC was discouraged since she was still trying to adjust to a completely different world, but was enrolled into the academy within hours of her arrival. However, she was able to cope with the help of Sherry and Rio. She doesn't know if she will be able to comfort Dia, but she still wants to try. MC asks Dia if he wants to sit with her and Aquia. Dia is suprised at her suggestion. At that moment, she gets a glimpse of his eyes and it makes her heart skip a beat. MC feels so shy that she can't look directly into his eyes. She then says that he can sit with them if he wants to as he might be feeling uncomfortable since he's never attended any of the lessons before. Aquia calls MC's name as if to stop her from babbling anymore insensitive things. He tells her that Dia doesn't like to be around other people. MC then apologizes and says that she should've realized that some people have social anxiety. Aquia then calls her name again as if to tell her to stop talking.

Dia says "blech" in disgust. MC apologizes to him. Dia tells MC that she's loud and that he's not interested in receiving sympathy from her. He also doesn't care what she thinks of him. The inflections in his gentle voice makes his rebuke of her sting even more. Dia says that if she understands what he's saying, then she should just be quiet. MC starts to regret everything she just said. She realized that everything she said was really rude and that was the worst first impression she could make. Aquia is about to tell her something, but he's cut off by the door slamming open. The person who slammed open the door was Lance. Lance spots Dia in the room and is surprised. Dia tells him not to stare at a person's face like that and Lance clicks his tongue in response. The atmosphere is tense until the Headmaster's serene voice cuts through it. Lou tells Lance to take a seat.

He then begins to explain the special lessons that the C Ranks will be taking. Aquia asks Lou if these special lessons will be different from the lessons they normally take. Lou explains that the content of the lessons will change and they will also be adding a rule that involves collective liability in order to raise the attendance rate and to help improve magical skills. Lance asks what he means by collective liability. Lou explains that for these special lessons, they will be attending class in pairs. All of their successes, failures, and absences will affect their partner and vice versa. Dia asks Lou why they have to do that. Lou states that they had to resort to these measures because of Lance and Dia. He adds that Dia and Lance should understand this reasoning better than anyone else. Lou tells them that from an educator's perspective, they can't even instruct students that don't show up to lectures. Dia and Lance can't come up with a counterargument against Lou, so they're silent. Lou is pleased by their reaction and states that there doesn't seem to be anymore oppositions to the rule.

At that moment, MC yells out for Lou to wait to stop him from moving on to the next topic. MC asks Lou if their partner's absence will also be counted against them. Aquia is also troubled as he realized the meaning behind MC's question. The reason MC asked this question is because if they're partnered with Dia or Lance, then Dia's or Lance's absences will count as their partner's absences as well. Lou replies that they're partner's absences will also count as their absences, so they will have to make an effort to prevent that from happening. He then goes on to annouce the pairings. MC is paired with Dia and Aquia is paired with Lance. Her jaw drops in shock as she's been paired with Dia since he's always absent from class and she just had the worst first impression with him. MC glances over at Dia and notices that he's not even trying to hide his displeasure from being paired with her. She timidly tells him that she's looking forward to working with him. Dia doesn't reply and just asks Lou if he's finished with his explanation. Lou says that he's finished explaining, so Dia jumps out of his seat and heads towards the door. MC notes that it's like Dia's radiating a clear refusal to go along with this partnership.

In the Refectory, MC tells Sherry and Rio about how she was paired with Dia and how they're collectively responsible for each other. Lynt and Tino were sitting nearby, so they also overhear the conversation. Rio says that the concept of collective liability sounds interesting. Sherry is envious that MC is Dia's partner. MC asks Sherry if she's sure. Sherry says that Dia's the most charming creature she's ever seen and that she really wants to be his friend. However, she's had few chances to speak with him. Rio says that he heard that Dia rarely ever leaves his room. Lynt mentions that Dia sometimes goes to the forest. Tino adds that Dia is very fond of mushrooms. Tino also tells them that there is a lot of mushrooms in the far end of the forest. MC wonders if there are mushrooms like porcini, shiitake, or chicken of the woods in the forests of Saligia. But, she has a feeling that the mushrooms in the Magical Realm will be completely different from the ones on Earth. She also wonders if Dia is some kind of forager. MC tries to connect her image of Dia with that of mushrooms, but she can't seem to connect them in her mind. Lynt tells them that he heard that Dia collects mushrooms. Tino mentions that Dia collects the mushrooms that catch his attention the most and then uses them to decorate his room.

Then, Tino starts to mention Jay, but he realizes that MC hasn't met Jay yet. He explains that Jay is Dia's valet. Tino describes him as a very friendly and cheerful person. He tells MC to ask Jay if she wants to know more about Dia. MC thanks Tino and says that she will try to arrange a meeting with Jay. Tino tells MC that she can find Jay in Dorm Nivalis. MC is worried that it might be rude to bother Dia by visiting his room. She also doesn't want to make Dia angry again as she already made him mad once. Tino gurantees that Dia won't be angry at her. MC asks if Tino is certain. Lynt tells her that it's just Dia's nature and that everything will be fine. Tino says that Dia prefers to keep his distance from other people, so the animosity he directs towards people has little to do with MC. Rio also heard that Dia dislikes anyone who is royalty. MC asks if he dislikes most of them as well since most of the people in the group she's talking to are royalty. Sherry says it's possible, but she isn't sure because she hasn't had many chances to talk to him since Dia avoids her. MC doesn't understand how anyone could hate anyone in this group of people since they're all sweet and easy to get along with. MC realizes that trying to get to know Dia using a standard approach won't work, but she still has to try since her grades are on the line. She really needs to learn magic to return to the Human Realm, so collective liability will only prevent her from fulfilling her goals. Tino says that Dia is somewhat eccentric, but he's not a bad person. Lynt chimes in to say that Dia is a good boy. MC tells them that she also really wants to apologize to Dia. Tino tells her not to worry since Dia wouldn't have taken hear words to heart.

It's the next day and MC was trying to be enthusiastic about her classes, but Dia didn't show up. So, she's trudging down the hallways of Dorm Nivalis to find Dia. She's feeling dejected as she can't believe that Dia skipped class on the first day of their special lessons. MC was expecting him to skip, but it still sucked when he didn't show up. MC wonders how she's going to handle this ordeal, but she then realizes that she can't give up before even trying. While walking through the hallways, she observes how Dorm Nivalis seems much older than Dorm Tradis. She also notes how there's no one around her. Suddenly, she hears a voice behind her asking if she needs any help. MC jumps in surprise as the voice caught her off guard.

*[Hide section]*

## Chapter 3

*[Show/Hide]*

The person who called out to MC ends up being an older gentleman. MC wonders if he's a worker at Dorm Nivalis. She tells him that she's looking for Dia's room and asks if he knows where it is. The gentleman is excited to hear that a friend has come to visit Dia and welcomes MC to Dorm Nivalis. MC says that she doesn't know if they can be considered friends, but they do take the same classes together. The gentleman then introduces himself as Jay. MC asks if he's Dia's valet. Jay says she's well informed. He then says that he'll escort her to Dia's room. After he finishes saying that, Jay moves so quickly that he's already all the way down the hall within a second. MC then frantically yells for him to wait and runs after him. They continue down the halls until Jay stops at a specific door. He knocks and annouces that he's Jay. However, there is no response from inside, so MC assumes that Dia might have gone out. But, Jay insists that Dia is definitely inside the room. MC asks if he's sure since no one is opening the door. Jay says that he's certain since he's served as Dia's valet for a long time. Then, he takes out a ring of keys from his pocket and uses one of the keys to open the door. MC panics and asks if he's allowed to just unlock the door like that. Jay tells her not to worry and to wait outside for a minute while he enters. He enters the room and the door shuts behind him.

MC then starts to hear voices from inside the room. She realizes that Dia was in his room all along after she recognizes that one of the voices belonged to Dia. MC can hear bits and pieces of the conversation Jay is having with Dia. Jay is asking Dia if he should invite Dia's friend inside. Dia tells him that there must be some kind of mistake. From this conversation, MC realizes that Jay thought that she and Dia were good friends. MC hopes that Jay's misunderstanding doesn't make Dia hate her even more. MC can't hear everything they're saying, but she can tell Dia sounds suspicious based on the tone of his voice. She is surprised that Jay hasn't backed down yet despite Dia's personality. The door then quietly opens and Dia comes out. MC greets Dia and apologizes for showing up out of nowhere. She thanks Jay for getting Dia to talk to her. Jay says it was no problem and asks for MC's name. She introduces herself as MC and a fellow C Rank student like Dia. With eyebrows furrowed, Dia bluntly asks her why she's here. MC almost flinches at his tone, but clenches her fists in order to stand her ground against Dia. She says that she came to get Dia since it's time for their lecture. Dia asks if she came to get him because she doesn't want an absence on her record since they're subjected to the collective liability rule. MC says that is partially the reason why she came. Dia tells her that her problems have nothing to do with him. MC refutes by saying that her problems do have something to do with him in this case. MC tries to persuade him to go to class with her, but Dia tells her to stop meddling in his life and that she's a nuisance. Additionally, he tells her that her attempts at persuading him are just annoying him. Dia then goes back into his room. MC is not sure what to do next after Dia rejected her like that. She realizes that she also didn't apologize for what she said to him when they first met. Jay then apologizes to MC for Dia's attitude. He hopes that she won't come to hate him because of this. MC reassures Jay that she won't and that she'll come back again.

The following day, MC and her cat are going to the Anterior Courtyard. Her cat tries to cheer her up and MC thanks him. MC's cat flies into her arms and she hugs him. Cuddling and petting her cat helps her relieve some of her tension. Suddenly, Lou shows up and says she looks troubled. MC is startled as she wonders how long he's been standing there. Lou asks MC if she's feeling troubled because of the issue with Dia. MC sighs and asks Lou if he already knew that this situation would happen right from the start. Lou doesn't respond and just smiles. He then suggests continuing their conversation in his office instead.

In the Headmaster's Office, Lou surmises based on MC's words that Dia still has no interest in attending the special lessons. He also puts together that MC went to Dia's room to get him, but was firmly rejected. Lou then asks for her opinion of Dia. MC is not really sure as she doesn't know Dia well enough to give her opinion on him. She says that she still doesn't understand him, but she would like to get to know him better. Lou says he understands. He then decides to tell MC a little bit about Dia's circumstances since he believes she has a right to know about it. Lou asks MC if she knew that Dia was a member of the Akedian royal family. MC replies that Lynt and Tino had mentioned it to her. Lou says that it's not unusual for people of royal blood to attend this academy, but it is unusual for a 10 year old child to be enrolled at this academy. MC is confused because everyone she's met at the academy has been an adult. Since the academy has dorms, she states that sending a child that young here would be like sending them to a boarding school. Lou replies that she's correct. MC then realizes that Lou was talking about Dia. She wonders why Dia's parents sent him away when he was so young since 10 years old is around the age where parents still fawn over their child. Lou tells MC that Dia never attended any lectures despite being a student at the academy. MC is surprised that Dia hasn't taken even a single class especially since he's been here since he was 10 years old.

Lou says that when Dia was young he used to leave his room a lot more compared to how he is now. He adds that Dia often came to visit him in his office. Lou recalls how Dia once filled his office with Cantica Mushrooms. MC asks him what Cantica Mushrooms are. Lou explains that it's a type of mushroom that sings in response to a person's voice. He then asks if MC has ever seen one before and she replies that she hasn't. Lou says that the mushrooms caused quite a problem as there were so many mushrooms that it essentially became a giant chrous of singing mushrooms. MC remarks that it sounds fun. She almost bursts out laughing as she pictures a flustered Lou standing like a musical conductor amongst the sea of singing mushrooms. Lou almost bursts out laughing as well. He tells MC that Dia is a little difficult to approach, but that he's a good man. MC tells him that Lynt also called him a good boy.

She then mentions how Dia tends to avoid other people as much as possible, but Lou seems to be an exception to that. MC continues by saying that Dia must believe that Lou's attention is worth having if he actively plays pranks on Lou like that. Lou wonders if that's truly the case. He says that Dia used to do things like that, but he hasn't really been doing much of that lately. Lou states that Dia now spends the majority of his time inside his room or in the forests. MC feels like Lou is worried about Dia. She then asks Lou if he came up with the rule about having partners so that both partners could look out for each other. Lou explains that he wanted to encourage Dia to get involved with other people as well. However, he also wasn't lying when he said he wanted to improve Dia's attendance rate and increase his magical skills. Based on raw power alone, Lou says that Dia could be classified as a B Rank or higher. MC asks if Dia remained a C Rank all this time because he didn't attend lectures or take any promotion tests. Lou says she's right. He knows that it won't be easy to befriend Dia, but he wishes MC good luck. He also tells MC that this isn't only for Dia's benefit as he believes Dia's power will be useful to MC at some point. MC asks if it's because she'll have a partner that has a lot of magical power. Lou just smiles without answering her. He tells her that he believes that Dia and MC will make an excellent pair.

*[Hide section]*

## Chapter 4

*[Show/Hide]*

A few days after MC's discussion about Dia with Lou, there are more special C Rank lessons. Roy is teaching the class this time and he remarks on how Dia hasn't arrived yet. MC is dejected. Roy asks Lance if Dia had said anything to him. Lance unenthusiastically replies that he saw Dia leaving the dorm. He remarks that Dia probably would've arrived by now if he was intending to come to class. Lance adds that he doesn't think Dia is interested in coming to class. Roy says that it's really disappointing. MC wishes that Dia would at least be like Lance since Lance at least tries to show up. She also can't participate in these special lessons since it only consists of pair work which she can't do without a partner. MC doesn't even care if Dia's absences count on her student record, but she at least wants the opportunity to learn. At this rate, she feels like she will never be able to improve in her magical skills. If she can't use magic, then she also can't return to the Human Realm. Aquia advises MC to get some advice from Lou. MC replies that she already did. She tells Aquia that Lou just told her that it would probably be a lot of work trying to persuade Dia and that he wishes her luck. Aquia says that she can ask him for help anytime. She thanks him and says he's a good person. Then, she tells Roy that she's going to look for Dia. Roy regrets that the circumstances have led to this, but he asks her to please find Dia.

After leaving the lecture room, she tries to think about how she's going to find Dia and how she's going to persuade him to come to class. MC then recalls that Lance said that he saw Dia leaving his room. Since Dia isn't in his room, MC suspects that he went to the forest. She then remembers how Lynt and Tino said that Dia often goes to the far end of the forest to find mushrooms. So, she starts heading there.

Once she arrives at the forest, she starts walking while calling Dia's name. She continues walking until she hears someone singing. MC notes how beautiful the voice is and she wonders who is singing. She walks closer to the voice as if attracted to the song of a siren and arrives at a wide clearing filled with flowers. MC surprised that there's such a beautiful place amongst the dark forest. She then notices that the voice is coming from the center of the clearing. So, she walks closer to the sound of the voice. In the center, she spots Dia and calls out to him. He abruptly stops singing when he hears MC calling him. MC tells him that he has a magnificent voice, but Dia just looks annoyed at her arrival. She then realizes that she interrupted a private moment, so she curtsies and apologizes for interrupting.

MC tells him that she wasn't trying to interrupt him and that she just came to get him. Dia asks her what she means. MC explains that she wants him to attend lessons with her and that they can go to class together right now. Dia replies that he already told her that it's too much of a bother to attend class. He then asks her if she didn't understand what he said the first time or if she had just forgotten. MC replies that she remembered what he said, but that she can't participate in the lessons if he doesn't attend. She says that she can't stay a C Rank forever and that she has to master magic no matter what. Dia says that he already told her that her problems have nothing to do with him. MC knows he said that, but she still wanted to try and persuade him. Dia is unimpressed. He sits down and turns his back towards her. MC thinks that he's rude for turning his back to her. She then says that they're not done talking yet and asks him why he turned his back to her. Dia still refuses to turn around, so she stands in front of him to force him to meet her eyes. He freezes and just stares up at her. Dia asks MC what she's doing since he has nothing more to talk to her about. He then tells her to go away. MC insists that she will not go back without him. She tells him to come back to the lecture hall with her. Dia says that this isn't a discussion and tells her to go away after saying all she needs to say. Then, he huffs and turns his face away so that his cheek is facing MC. MC then has a sarcastic thought about one might have thought that she just asked him to dance on top of a fire ant nest together with how Dia's reacting. But, MC realizes that she also doesn't know what Dia's going through as there might be a reason for why he refuses to attend class. So, she decides to ask him why he doesn't go to lectures. But, Dia remains silent. MC's hopes are dashed since she wanted to at least know the reason why. She is feeling lost on what to do especially since she keeps getting rejected everytime she tries to talk to him. MC knows that Lou went out of his way to tell her about Dia and that she should keep trying, but she feels like this just isn't going to work.

All of a sudden, Dia starts singing which startles MC as he was glaring at her a second ago. She tries to make herself inconspicuous so that Dia will keep singing. Meanwhile, Dia is humming as if he had completely forgotten about her presence. MC finds the melody to be mesmerizing and heartrendingly beautiful, but she finds it odd that Dia isn't singing any lyrics. She wonders if he chose not to sing them or if the song originally didn't have any. Dia finishes singing and then stands up. He then asks MC why she's crying. MC didn't even realize that she was crying. She tells Dia that the song was so beautiful and sad that it made her heart ache. Dia's expression softens a little at MC's words. She then apologizes and says that she shouldn't call his song sad when she doesn't know anything about it. Dia tells her to do what she wants since her emotions belong to her and it's not up to anyone else to tell her how she should feel. MC starts to reflect on Dia's words. Dia then panics and says he overspoke. He tells MC to just forget what he just said. MC says she won't forget it. This is because this is the first time that Dia has spoken to her on his own accord, but she doesn't tell him that.

MC then notices something slithering through the flowers and the blood starts draining from her face. She frantically yells at Dia to look behind him since there's a white snake sliterhing towards him. MC then yells his name. Dia asks her if she knows how loud she is. MC tells him to run since there's a snake. Dia tells her to control her voice and to be quiet. As the snake reaches Dia's feet, MC closes her eyes as she can't bear to see what happen next. Then, she hears Dia asking whether she is the most loud creature it's ever seen. Dia then says that he also agrees that MC is nosiy. As she cautiously opens her eyes, she sees Dia petting the snake. MC notices how Dia is acting affectionate towards the snake.

*[Hide section]*

## Chapter 5

*[Show/Hide]*

MC notices that Dia seems to be fond of the white snake. She lets out the breathe she was holding as it looks like Dia knows the snake. MC didn't know that they knew each other and that Dia could make such a soft expression. The snake reminds MC of a cat as it nuzzles its head against Dia to ask for more affection. MC wonders if that snake is Dia's familiar. Dia notices her staring and asks her what she wants. MC hesitates to ask him since she's afraid he'll tell her to be quiet again. But, she builds up her courage and asks if the snake is his familiar. Dia says he is. MC is surprised that Dia actually answered her question. She then asks him for the snake's name. Dia answers that it's Linos. MC says Linos is a nice name and tells Dia that she also has a familiar that's a cat. Then, she makes a comment on how it's so comforting being around their familiars. Dia asks if she's trying to force her viewpoint on him. He asks if he also has to feel that way just because MC thinks they're comforting. MC explains that she only meant that she could tell how fond Dia was of Linos and how close their bond was based on how they interact. Dia indifferently says "hmmm" and then leaves with Linos in the direction that MC just came from. MC calls out for him to wait and asks whether he'll attend lessons, but he was already gone. She knows she failed to convince him, but she feels accomplished that she was at least able to talk to him, see him smile, and hear him sing. MC feels like it's a sign that she might be getting closer to Dia.

A few days later, MC and Aquia are talking together after class. Toa arrives and tells them that their next C Rank lesson will be an outdoors lesson. He explains that they'll be heading to the forest nearby. Toa says the goal of the class will be to observe the wild plants and to learn how they are used in the practice of magic. Aquia mentions how having a lesson in the woods nearby is unusual since usually all the materials for spellwork can be found on academy grounds. Toa explains that the ingredients they need this time can't be found within academy grounds as they are looking for plants that infants use when learning their first charm. Aquia and MC look at each other at the word "infants". Aquia then says that they should both do their best to improve their magic.

The outdoor lesson is in a couple days. The collective liability rule also applies to outdoor lessons, so MC goees to try and convince Dia to attend. MC wonders if he's in his room. She knocks on his door, but there's no response. So, MC wonders if Dia has gone out again. She tries knocking again, but there's still not answer. MC wonders if she should've looked for Jay first. As she turns away from the door, she sees Jay walking down the hallway towards her. Jay says it's a pleasure to see her again. MC says she hopes he's been well. She tells Jay that she wanted to talk to Dia, but it doesn't look like he's currently in his room. Jay apologizes and says that Dia is currently gone. MC asks if he's in the forest. Jay tells her that she might be able to find Dia near the Library Tower. MC wonders what business Dia has at the Library Tower. MC goes to the Library Tower and finds Dia outside. She inwardly thanks Jay for his tip off. MC tells Dia that she's been looking everywhere for him. She informs Dia that there's going to be a C Rank lecture in the forest soon. But, Dia walks off while she's in the middle of telling him.

There are still a few days before the special outdoors lesson. Today, Jay had informed MC that Dia went out to search for mushrooms. MC finds Dia. In her mind, she thinks about how Jay is an absolute legend for his tip offs on Dia's locations. MC runs towards Dia and tries to tell him about the upcoming outdoors lesson again. She pleads with him to come to the lecture with her, but Dia ignores her. MC tells him to stop ignoring her, but he just walks away.

The outdoors lesson is coming up soon and MC is running out of time to convince Dia. She swears that she will get Dia to hear her out today. MC finds him and tells him that she won't let him get away today. Dia is annoyed when he sees her. MC tells him to join the next lesson since Dia loves the woods and they're going to study plants. Dia says she's a pest and tells her to leave him alone. MC says that's easier said than done. But, Dia's previous remark feels like a blow to her stomach. Dia ends up escaping while MC is still reeling from his comment.

The next day, MC is in the Fields. She sighs as Dia's attitude towards her is getting chillier by the day. MC thought Dia seemed like a nice guy when he was petting Linos' head, but he's been harsh towards her since they first met. But, MC thinks he's consistent at least. She then wonders why his cold attitude towards her makes her heart hurt. MC thinks that it might be because his attitude is wearing her down. Like when you put on a jacket when you're physically suffering from the cold, she wishes she had the emotional equivalent of a jacket that she could put on to lessen her mental suffering. MC wonders if Dia resents her for seeing the soft expression he made with Linos and that his current attitude is some kind of revenge for that. She wishes that Dia would show her even one-tenth of the amount of kindness he showed Linos on that day. MC starts to despair, but she snaps herself out of it. She tells herself not take Dia's attitude to heart. MC then decides that she will just catch him and make him somehow listen to her.

Today, MC wasn't able to get Jay's guidance on where to find Dia. This is because MC kept finding him so easily, so Dia started catching on to the fact that Jay was telling MC where he was. Therefore, Dia stopped telling Jay where he was going. So, MC is now depending on her questionable sleuthing skills to find Dia. Currently, she is looking for him in the crop fields. As she is searching, Rio and Thoma appear and ask her why she's here. MC greets them. Rio says that he and Thoma have been tending to the fields and asks if she's looking for Dia. MC says he's correct. Thoma says that almost the entire academy knows that MC is trying to catch Dia. He says that he overheard Sherry and some other students were discussing MC's latest attempt at catching Dia the other day. Thoma says that she's really persistent. Rio asks MC why she's going to such lengths to catch Dia. MC replies that it's because of the collective liability rule since she can't participate in lessons if Dia doesn't attend. Thoma thinks that it's kind of crazy to have that kind of rule in the first place. He adds that it's also crazy to pair her with Dia since he last attended a lecture like 10,000 years ago. Thoma says that if he was in MC's shoes, then he would've gotten depressed by now after being ignored so mang times. He states that there's no harm in inviting someone to study. MC says that being is ignored is really bringing her down, but she has no desire to stop. Rio asks her why. As MC thinks about her answer, Dia's smile comes to mind and the way he sang. She tells Rio that it's because she wants to get to know Dia better. MC then thinks about how she never realized how interesting she found him until now. She wonders about what makes smile, scowl, and cry. She also wonders what he looks forward to. MC wouldn't mind getting closer to him one step at a time if it meant getting to know all these things about Dia. When she closes her eyes, she also pictures him singing amongst the flowers. This memory makes her heart ache. MC recalls how the song was beautiful yet sad and she wants to hear him sing it again.

*[Hide section]*

## Chapter 6

*[Show/Hide]*

While MC was running around looking for Dia, Dia was off visiting Headmaster Lou in his office. Dia's expression brightens when he sees Lou. Dia tells Lou that he finally found him. Lou remarks on how rare it is for Dia to come visit him. He then asks Dia why he's here. Dia claims that Lou knew that he was coming to see him every day, but he was purposely absent from his office every time. Lou says that Dia is just overthinking things. Dia then asks what he's scheming about. Lou asks what he means. Dia says that he means the collective liability rule. He says that he doesn't believe that Lou did it for no reason either. Lou tells Dia that he created the rule in order to encourage him and Lance to attend lectures more often and that he already explained this to all of them. Dia firmly tells him to stop with his evasive answers. He tells Lou that he's not interested in hearing the false reasons that Lou came up with to justify making that rule. While hugging Lou's arm, Dia says that Lou probably purposely paired him with MC to spite him. He then asks Lou what is so special about MC. Lou dodges the question by replying with "what indeed". Dia panics and insists that this is not what he wanted to ask. While Dia was panicking, Lou slips out of Dia grasp and heads towards the door. He tells Dia that he'll find out the answer to his question if he stays by MC's side. Lou then leaves. Dia is left behind and the smile disappears from his face. He wonders what Lou is trying to do and believes that there's a reason behind his actions. Based on Dia's personal experience, he knows that Lou never reveals his true intentions. Dia even murmurs to himself about how he still doesn't know why Lou saved him.

The day of the outdoor lesson finally arrives. In the end, MC wasn't able to convince Dia to attend. Her shoulder slump in disappointment as she walks towards the main gates where Toa, Aquia, and Lance are already waiting. She is already resigned to the fact that Dia won't be there. MC tells herself that if Dia keeps skipping class, then her absences will keep building up and she may end up failing her classes. She then realizes that Lou mentioned how their partner's attendance rate would affect their own attendance rate, but he never said anything about there being a penalty for failing classes. As she was thinking about that, she finally reaches the main gates. Aquia greets her and she greets him back. MC also greets Toa and Lance. Suddenly, Aquia cries out in surprise. Lance asks him what's wrong. Toa also looks surprised. MC then turns to where Aquia was looking and sees Dia walking towards them. She is so surprised that Dia came and yells his name in excitement. Dia tells her that he can hear her perfectly fine even if she doesn't shout at him. She apologizes and says she couldn't help herself due to her excitement. Dia then tells her to be quiet now since she finished telling him the reason behind her shouting. MC is so ecstatic that even Dia's glare doesn't affect her since she thought that it was impossible to convince him to come to class. Toa asks Dia why he suddenly had a change of heart in regards to attending class. Dia states that Lou told him to attend class. Toa just accepts that answer since it's seems plausible. MC is glad that Lou spoke with Dia for her. She then notes how Dia seems to have a special regard towards Lou. Aquia tells MC that she's lucky that Dia decided to come. MC decides that she will make the most of this lesson since she can actually participate this time.

Then, they all head to the forest. They are searching for a plant that grows in the woods that are close to the academy. It has flowers that are 3 inches high and tiny bell-shaped seeds growing along the stems. Toa explains that this plant will teach them how to make their magic flow. He says that they will use their magic like a stream to rustle the seeds on the stem and if they do it correctly, then the seeds will jingle like bells. Toa first demonstrates it. After a wave of his hand, the seeds jingle despite there being no wind. He tells them that the amount of magic they put in will also affect how loud the seeds jingle. At that moment, the seeds start jingling even louder as if in response to his words. Toa says their first task for this lesson will be to make this plant make a sound. If they succeed, then their next task will be to increase the strength of the jingle. MC crouches down and waves her hand in front of one of the plants. She wonders how she's supposed to make her magic flow. Lance asks if he really has to do this task. Toa tells him that he and Dia don't need to participate this time. Lance then notices that Aquia is having trouble with the task. He sighs and goes over to help Aquia. Lance asks him why he can't do it and if he knows how to channel his magic. Aquia apologizes for not knowing. Lance says that he should use this time to practice instead of apologizing. Then, Lance demonstrates how to do it.

MC watches from nearby and notes how Lance must have a fair amount of magic to be able to do that. She also thinks that he's surprisingly good at taking care of other people. MC knows that she should be focusing on her assignment, but she can't help but be jealous of how Lance and Aquia are actually acting like partners in contrast to how she and Dia are. MC then looks around and wonders where Dia went off to. She sees him crouching down and assumes that he's probably looking for mushrooms. MC is glad that he at least showed up to class, but it doesn't seem like he's interested in the topic they're currently studying. She is happy that he attended, so she decides to thank Lou later for convincing Dia to come. MC thinks back to how she thought she wouldn't be able to participate in the lesson today. She was prepared to tell Toa that she had failed to convince Dia to attend. MC then hopes that she and Dia will be able to get along better in the future even if only a little bit. Then, she spends some time observing Dia from afar.

*[Hide section]*

## Chapter 7

*[Show/Hide]*

Right at that moment, MC hears the sound of bells jingling. Lance congratulates Aquia for succesfully completing the task. Aquia thanks Lance for teaching him. Lance tells him that he didn't do much. MC notes how well they seem to get along. She then recalls that Dia is also good at using magic, so she wonders if he would also be willing to teach her like Lance did for Aquia. MC was staring at Dia while thinking that, so he tells her to stop staring at him. MC apologizes. She decides not to feel upset over his words since it's a miracle that he even bothered to come to class. As MC is struggling with the task by herself, Toa comes over to tell everyone that their lesson involving practicing with the plants is finished. Toa says that they'll walk through the ruins on their way back to the academy. MC asks Toa what the ruins are. Toa says he'll explain once they get there.

They arrive at the ruins which lie at the heart of the forest. MC can't even imagine how long these ruins have been here. She observes how some of the walls and roads have been worn away by wind. MC also notices that some parts of the ruins are crumbling and becoming one with nature. Toa explains that the Isle of Colde used to be part of the territory of the Kingdom of Vanum. MC asks if that kingdom no longer exists. Toa says that the Kingdom of Vanum no longer exists after the war that happened a long time ago. MC remarks that it's so tragic that it no longer exists. Upon looking closer, she notices traces of battle throughout the ruins. She thinks about how so many people must have fought and died here. Toa also tells her that the Kingdom of Tristitas was also lost in the war. Dia is also listening in on their conversation, but he doesn't say anything. Toa then says that they will now have some free time to explore the ruins. He tells them to explore the various areas in the ruins and to take note of what they see. All of them disperse at Toa's signal.

Aquia is studying the deep gouge marks in some stones with a solemn and respectful air. MC asks him if he knows what the Kingdoms of Vanum and Tristitas were like. Aquia says he only knows a few details as very little literature remains about either kingdom. The only things he knows is that the Kingdom of Vanum was taken over by Qelsum and that the Kingdom of Tristitas was merged into Akedia. Dia chimes in to say that Tristitas was also said to be a kingdom that was governed by Songbirds. MC says that sounds like a fairy tale. She then turns around and sees Dia standing way closer than she expected. Dia continues and says that the women who ruled Tristitas were said to be blessed with divine singing voices. After hearing Dia's words, she thinks it makes sense that those women were called Songbirds. While closing her eyes, she pictures a kingdom with lots of beautiful people singing in the fields and cities. She wonders what that kingdom would've been like. MC remarks on how Dia seems to know a lot of Tristitas. Dia says he doesn't know much and just got that information from a book. He then says MC on the other hand didn't know anything. MC asks if he's saying that she doesn't know anything in general. Dia says that MC didn't know about how the Isle of Colde was once part of the Kingdom of Vanum and how Vanum was destroyed by the war. He tells her that this story is well-known and that there isn't anyone is Saligia who hasn't heard it. MC frantically comes up with a reply. She just tells him that now he's met someone who hasn't heard the story. Dia studies MC for a bit and leaves without remarking on her comment.

Toa announces that they'll be returning to the academy soon. Lance says they're leaving at last. MC then asks where Dia is. She assumes that Dia must have went off somewhere again. Toa says that Dia will be fine on his own. MC replies that she wasn't trying to say that he's not capable of taking care of himself. She doesn't want him prying into why she doesn't know something that is common knowledge, but she also doesn't want to leave him alone in the forest. MC then tells everyone to go back without her and that she'll just go tell Dia that the lesson is finished.

MC goes in the direction that she last saw Dia go. She finds Dia and tells him that she was looking for him. Dia asks her what she wants. MC informs him that the lesson ended and that everyone has already returned to the academy. Dia tells her that she can leave now and to leave him be. MC tries protest, but Dia asks if she's trying to suggest that he can't return back by himself. She says that's not what she meant. Dia then starts to leave. MC shouts that she stay and wait for him. Dia is surprised. She says that she'll just wait here until Dia finishes what he needs to do and then they can go back to the academy together. Right as she steps forward to join Dia, rays of light start coming out of the ground under her feet. MC is surprised. Dia shouts that it's a conveyance spell. MC asks what kind of spell that is. Dia yells for her to get away from that spot and reaches for her in a panic. MC also tries to reach for Dia, but suddenly her surroundings turn white. She ends up somewhere that's pitch black. MC wonders what happened and where she is. She notes how the temperature, humidity, and scent of her current location are comletely different from where she was before. MC thinks it spells damp and musty. When she stands up, she notices a glow lighting up her surroundings.

Then, she hears Dia's voice who tells her to calm down. He also remarks on how she panics too much. MC then notices a ball of light floating by Dia. She presumes that it's probably magic. Dia explains that whatever MC stepped on activated conveyance magic which teleported them somewhere. MC puts together that they've been teleported to an unknown location. She then asks Dia about what triggered the spell. Dia explains that she stepped on a trap that triggers under specific conditions. She then remembers how had Dia reached out for her when she triggered the trap instead of moving away. MC realizes that Dia was trying to help her. She then apologizes since she didn't realize that stepping on some random patch of grass would trigger a trap. MC blames herself for Dia getting caught up in this mess. Dia says he is caught up in this mess, but it wasn't her fault. He tells her that he also didn't notice that there was magic embedded in the ground at that spot. Dia says that it was just bad luck that they ended up in this situation. He then says they should now focus on how they've been teleported somewhere. Dia looks around their surroundings while MC wonders where they are. MC asks if the spell was set to teleport the target to a specific location. Dia replies that she's correct.

He then notes that the air seems stagnant and puts together that they must be deep inside a cave. Dia also says that there doesn't seem to be a spell that teleports them back to their original location. MC asks what that means for their situation. Dia replies that it means it won't be easy to escape from this cave. MC is anxious and wonders if they're stuck in this cave. As she observes her surroundings, she rubs her arms while hugging herself. It's so dark that MC feels like the darkness is trying to consume them. Dia's ball of light also isn't very powerful, so it doesn't light up their surroundings much. MC feels like this place is really scary. She then asks Dia if he made the ball of light using his magic. Dia says he did. He tells her to stop making such a forlorn expression since the ball of light won't go out that easily. MC then calls his name and Dia asks what she wants this time. She asks Dia if she can move a bit closer to him.

*[Hide section]*

## Chapter 8

*[Show/Hide]*

MC already knows that Dia doesn’t like her, so she hopes that asking to move closer to him won't make him dislike her even more. Contrary to her expectations, he just tells her to do whatever she wants. MC thanks him and scoots closer to him. She finally feels like she can breathe after moving closer to the ball of light. Dia tells her to learn lucent magic since she's so scared of the dark. She tells him that she's more uncertain than she is scared. Dia teases her by saying that he should snuff out the light since she's not scared. MC then frantically changes her tune and exclaims she's scared. She pleads with him not to snuff out the light. Dia laughs and remarks that she's so frantic. MC asks what standards he's basing that off of. Dia says that if she can talk back like that, then she'll be fine. MC is surprised when she realizes that Dia was just teasing her. She is also certain that she just saw him slightly smile as well.

Thanks to Dia's teasing, MC was able to stop trembling. She also calms herself down by convincing herself that panicking won't help their situation at all. Since she is now calm, she is able to look around at their surroundings. She's frustrated that she can't see anything properly due to the lighting, but she'll take what she can get. MC observes that they're in a cave and speculates that there must be a way out since every cave has an exit. Dia says they might be able to find an exit if they go towards where the air is flowing into the cave. He then tells MC to look at some red mushrooms growing near them. At first, MC thought they were mushrooms based on their physical appearance, so she was surprised to hear that they were mushrooms. Dia explains that these red mushrooms only grow in forests, so the spores of those mushrooms must have been blown into the cave from the wind. Therefore, they must not be far from the cave exit. MC is stunned at how Dia has so much knowledge. Dia says that he's just remembering what he previously read in books. MC then recalls that Dia had read the fact abut Tristitas from a book as well. She presumes that Dia must be really fond of books. She proceeds to ask Dia what types of genres he usually reads. Dia replies that he reads "Scientia". MC is confused about what that means. Dia explains that it's a large compendium (a book that is a collection of concise but detailed information about a particular subject). He also uses his fingers to demonstrate how thick the book is. Dia then makes a comment about how it would be good for MC to do a little studying as well. He says that she will stay a C Rank forever if she doesn't even know about the Kingdoms of Vanum and Tristitas. MC refutes that Dia is also a C Rank. Dia then argues back that he can at least use magic.

Dia then says that he's going to go in one direction and investigate along the way. MC joins him. After walking for a bit, she asks him if he thinks they're going in the right direction. Dia says who can say and MC replies that it makes sense that he doesn't know. She then notices how the ground ahead of them is wet and slimy. As she warns Dia about being careful of slipping, she trips on the slippery floor. Dia catches her by grabbing both her arms from behind. Dia says he is amazed that she has time to worry about other people when she's so clumsy. MC says "no comment". Suddenly, she is aware of Dia's grip on her arms and takes a deep breath to calm herself. She starts to think about how the strength of Dia's grip contrasts completely with his delicate beauty that rivals anyone of any gender that MC has ever met. MC feels like the one thing she has learned about Dia is that it's to never underestimate him. Since MC was lost in thought and wasn't moving, Dia sarcastically asks her if she fainted with her eyes open. He then tells her to stop daydreaming and to stand up. MC thanks him. She then thinks about how this isn't the first time that she thought he was beautiful, but for some reason she's starting to feel flustered by his looks now. MC then thinks about how she still feels the lingering warmth of Dia's fingers after he let her go.

Afterwards, they kept walking in that direction, but they never ended up finding an exit. So, they returned to the location where they arrived when they were teleported into the cave. MC asks Dia if he wants to try investigating the opposite direction once they've rested for a but. Dia says that there's no point doing that. He explains that they weren't mistaken about the direction they went earlier based on the flow of the air. MC replies that what he says makes sense, but they have to try to do something at least. Dia thinks that the path in the opposite direction doesn't go back really far, but he says the issue is the condition of the cave floor. He tells MC that the slime on the floor will slow them down and make it difficult to proceed. Dia says it would only be a waste of their time and energy to do that. She then asks him why they didn't continue walking in the direction with air flow. MC says there's definitely a lot of space to sit down their current location, but that they should hurry and find the exit since they don't have any food or water. Dia remarks that her mind is working after all. He thought she was just following him around without thinking anything through. MC sarcastically replies that she's glad he thinks so highly of her. She tells Dia that she can't rely on him for everything after all. Dia asks if it's because he's unreliable. She tells him that she never said that. MC explains that she was the one who got them into this situation in the first place, so she thought it would be irresponsible to only rely on him to get them out of here. Dia sulkily says her method of taking responsibility is filled with mishaps and that's where the problem lies.

He then tells her that he was just checking the conditions of the path ahead of them. MC asks what the purpose of investigating the path was if they weren't trying to find the exit. Dia replies that he was just satisfying his own curiosity. He tells her that it didn't matter if they had found an exit or not. Dia says that they don't have to do anything since Lou will find them either way. MC asks Dia if he's sure that Lou will come to rescue them. Dia says he's sure and that they could even sit here and just not do anything. MC notes how Dia doesn't seem hopeful or fearful when saying that Lou is going to come rescue them, it just looks like he's stating a fact. She comments on how Dia seems to have a lot of faith in Lou since Dia believes Lou will come for them. Dia scowls and asks what she means by having faith in Lou. MC asks if she's wrong about that. Dia says he doesn't really trust Lou. He just knows Lou well enough to know that he will come to rescue them. Dia says he is someone that Lou would hate to lose. MC says that just means that Dia is special to Lou. Dia says that it also seems like MC is special to Lou as well. He even goes as far as to say that MC is probably even more special to Lou than he is. MC wonders if that's true. The first reason that comes to MC's mind is that she's from a different realm and that she has some kind of special power. When she had first arrived in the Magical Realm, she thought that she was pretty normal. But, the longer she's been in this realm, the more she feels that she's far from ordinary. MC has a feeling that some people would probably even sell their entire fortunes to get their hands on her ability to amplify magic since magic and magical energy are highly valued in this world. She then wonders if all of these things could be reasons for why Lou considers her to be special. But, she thinks her being considered special is ironic since she can't even conjure up any magic.

As she had been silent, Dia tells MC to at least say something. MC apologizes and says that she was thinking about something. She then asks Dia if Lou had ever told him anything about her. Dia says it's obvious that Lou never told him anything. He tells MC that there are too many odd things about her. MC asks him what's so odd about herself. She states that she's been trying to act normally in order to not stand out, but it doesn't seem to be working. Dia says that the term "normal" is relative and can change based on a person's thoughts. He then proceeds to say that the place she came from his also unknown. He states that it seems like she comes from Avari since her eyes are red, but it's strange that she has never even talked to her close friends about where she's from. Dia continues and says that MC also doesn't seem to be royalty or a noble, so he speculated that she must have something else that's special about her. He then sarcastically says that it doesn't look like she even has a special power since her magical skills are average compared to everyone else. Dia says that even though her magical skills are bad, he also found it odd that she had a familiar. He tells MC that if one stops to think about all these inconsistencies regarding her, then they become more obvious. Dia then tells her that she shouldn't be calling herself normal when she has all these inconsistencies about herself. MC doesn't know what to say in her defense. Dia has presented her with so many facts that she would be lying if she just replied that there's nothing different about herself. MC remarks that Dia is not only knowledgeable, but also clever. Dia replies that flattery won't get her anywhere. She sarcastically comments that he's such a charmer.

MC then sighs and decides to tell Dia the truth since he pretty much figured out everything. As MC is about to tell him the truth, Dia stops her. Dia tells her that she doesn't need to explain herself. MC replies that Dia was the one who asked her in the first place. She then wonders if he really doesn't want to know. He tells her that he wasn't trying to make her reveal her secrets. Dia believes that all secrets come with a price, so he doesn't want to know her secret. MC asks if he thought she would demand compensation for revealing her secret. Dia replies that he thinks MC might demand to know a secret about him in exchange for her secret, but he has no intention of revealing his secret to her. He says his interest in her doesn't extend that far. Dia tells her that he only wants to know what Lou is hiding from him.

*[Hide section]*

### Normal Interlude 1

*[Show/Hide]*

MC promises Dia that she won't try to find out his secret in exchange for knowing her secret. Dia doesn't believe her and turns away from her. MC can't handle the silence and tries to talk to him. Dia only turns his eyes towards her and not his entire body. MC feels relieved that he isn't ignorning her at least. Dia bluntly tells her to say something if she's going to call his name. MC asks if he's okay with her talking to him about other topics. She adds that she finds it unsettling when there's an awkward silence. Dia gives her permission, but he says he won't gurantee that he'll reply. MC says that's fine and that sometimes it's nice just to have someone listen while she talks. Dia tells her to just do whatever she wants. MC thanks Dia. She then wonders what she should ask Dia or what kind of question he would even let her ask him. MC thinks of a question and asks him for the name of the song he was singing in the forest. She tells him that the song made a deep impression on her and she's been curious about it ever since. Dia just says "who can say". MC takes it to mean that Dia is refusing to answer her, so she feels disappointed. But, Dia tells her that she misunderstood him. He says that it wasn't that he was trying to avoid answering her, but that he actually doesn't know the name of the song. Dia tells her that he only remembers the melody. MC suggests that he might have heard it when he was still living in Akedia. Dia doesn't know if he heard it in Akedia. He doesn't even remember the person who sang the song.

Dia also says that no one has ever mentioned hearing the song especially since only MC has heard him sing it. MC asks if she's really the only one who has heard him sing this song. Dia tells her not to jump to conclusions. This comes as a verbal slap to MC. He says that he didn't mean to let her hear him singing in the first place. Dia adds that she just decided to listen to him singing on her own accord. MC admits that Dia's words are true. Her mood starts to drop, but she doesn't let it completely drop. Instead, she encourages herself to be stronger in order to be able to keep talking to Dia. Currently, Dia is also willingly talking to her, so she can't miss this opportunity. MC then suggests that Dia might have heard this song when he was little. For example, he someone could've sang it to him as a lullaby. After hearing MC's words, Dia's gaze suddenly becomes distant. MC then asks if he's okay and Dia replies that he's fine. After that, Dia remains silent and lost in thought regardless of anything that MC says.

*[Hide section]*

## Chapter 9

*[Show/Hide]*

Eventually, Lou comes to rescue Dia and MC. He brings them back to where the ruins are. MC takes a breath of fresh air and comments on how great the fresh air is. Dia remarks that she's pleased by the most insignificant things. MC refutes that he also always complains about her appreciation for the little things. Lou comments that Dia and MC seem to have gotten closer to each other. He says that he was worried when he heard that both of them hadn't returned from the ruins, but he's happy to see that they get along so well now. Dia remains silent while MC thinks that Lou's words are one way of putting things. MC then thanks Lou for saving them. Lou says he only did what was necessary since she's under the care of the academy. He then says she was lucky that she didn't trigger a worse spell like one that causes a magical explosion. Lou then explains to MC that the conveyance spell that she activated was a trap that was set in place before this place became a ruin. He adds that these ruins used to be a battlefield. Having just experienced the remnants of the war herself, Toa's explanations from earlier make these ruins seem more disturbing to her. MC starts shuddering as she thinks about what that war would've been like. Suddenly, Dia remarks that he doesn't want to hear anymore of these boring stories. He then asks Lou why he took him so long to come save them. Dia proceeds to slip his arms through Lou's arms and bats his eyelashes at Lou to get his attention. This surprises MC as she wasn't expecting Dia to do that. MC wonders if she's hallucinating as she's never seen Dia act clingy before.

Lou then apologizes about taking so long to come rescue them and promises to do better next time. Dia replies that he hopes there's no next time. He also says that Lou is doing a bad job at groundskeeping since there are active magical traps still around. Lou replies that Dia will talk his ear off if he keeps nagging. MC notes how Lou is continuing this conversation like everything is normal despite having Dia hanging off his arm. She wonders if this is how Lou and Dia normally act around each other. MC feels like she kind of understands why they act like this around each other since Lou has known Dia since he was a child. However, she is confused about why Dia acts clingy towards Lou despite his comments earlier about not trusting Lou. Lou then tells Dia to stop since MC looks confused. Then, he says that they should start heading back to the acadmey. As they walk back, MC thinks about which version of Dia is truly the real him. She thought that she had started to understand his personality, but now she feels like that was just her imagination. MC feels like the more she learns about Dia, the less she understands him.

A few days after the outdoor lesson, MC is sitting on a bench in the Central Courtyard. She's reading a compendium that she borrowed from the Library Tower. MC looks up as she senses someone looking at her. She then asks who is there. However, she doesn't see anyone there when she looks around. MC then convinces herself that she probably imagined it and returns to reading. She notices that one of the pages in the compendium has information about the mushroom that she and Dia saw in the cave. The book states that this specific species of mushroom prefers to grow in the humid shade of trees and other places where they aren't in direct sunlight. It also states that the spores of the mushrooms are light and can float away even from a slight breeze. MC thinks it's fun to learn new things especially when she's in an unfamiliar place like Saligia where she barely knows anything. She wonders if Dia also finds it fun to learn. MC then wonders if his reasoning for learning would out of natural curiousity or if he dislikes not knowing something.

There are no classes on the next day, so MC and Sherry go out into town together. MC remarks on how the shop they were just in was amazing. Sherry is glad to hear that MC enjoyed going to that store as well. At the shop, they had both purchased matching brooches. Sherry suggests wearing these brooches tomorrow. MC wonders if everyone else will notice their matching brooches. Sherry hopes they will, but she feel like Rio will be oblivious to it. MC remarks that one of Rio's best qualities is that he doesn't worry about the details. Suddenly, MC feels someone watching her again. Sherry asks her if she's alright. Sherry's voice startles MC out of her thoughts. MC then replies that everything is fine. She also no longer senses the mysterious person who was watching her anymore. MC then convinces herself again that she's just imagining things.

Later that night, MC is reading the compendium while sitting on her bed. As she's focused on looking at all the pictures and descriptions in the book, she suddenly hears a tapping noise coming from her window. It turns out to be her cat who was out for a late night flight in the sky. MC welcomes him back. Her cat replies that he's glad to be back. MC then notices that her cat keeps peeking back at the window as if he senses that something is out there. MC asks if everything is okay and if anything bad happened outside. Her cat says that he saw someone strange when he was leaving the forest. He adds that this person doesn't seem like someone from the academy. Her cat also says that he senses something frightening about this strange person. He then fearfully peeks out the window again. MC feels sorry that her cat had to go through that, but reassures him that he's safe now that he's back in her room. She also tells him that she'll be here with him and that she'll definitely protect him. MC puts him on her lap and pets him to calm him down. As she pets her cat, she wonders who that strange person could be. MC wonders if that person could also be the one who keeps staring at her. She doesn't know if she's just overthinking things, but she decides that it would best to get someone else's advice about it tomorrow.

On the next day, MC is in the Refectory. She is telling Rio, Thoma, Tino, Lynt, Sherry, and Grayson about her situation. MC tells him about the scary person her cat saw and how there's been multiple times where she feels like someone watching her even though no one is there. She says that she thought she was imagining things at first, but she felt that gaze again when she left the dorm this morning. Grayson says that MC might not be mistaken if it has happened multiple times now. Rio agrees. Thoma then remarks that the entirety of the Isle of Colde is under Lou's protection though. Lynt says that Thoma is right and that there's a barrier surrounding the academy. He then says that it's rare for bad things to happen at the academy, but he's still worried. Sherry is worried as well. She says that it's best for MC to always be accompanied by someone at all times. Rio offers to accompany MC to and from the dorms. Tino also offers his help as well. Grayson says that he will patrol the forest. MC thanks everyone and says that she feels much better now. She then thinks about how there are a lot of kind people in Saligia.

Later that afternoon, Tino accompanies MC to the lecture hall for her C Rank lecture. MC thanks Tino. Tino says that it was no trouble at all. He adds that he had some free time anyway since Lynt wanted to take a nap. Then, Dia appears. Tino greets Dia. MC is also happy that Dia came to lecture. Dia says he didn't come to class for her sake. He then asks why Tino is here. Tino explains how MC's cat had seen a suspicious person and that MC has been feeling like she's being watched. Dia just makes a dimissive noise and enters the lecture hall. MC notes that Dia is as curt as ever. Tino asks MC if Dia has been regularly attending class lately. MC replies that he has and that she's proud of him. Tino thinks that MC might be the cause for that. MC doesn't think so, but she would be happy if that was the case.

*[Hide section]*

## Chapter 10

*[Show/Hide]*

After thanking Tino, MC enters the classroom and sees Dia looking her way. She asks him if he wants something from her. Dia tells her to come over to him. MC is confused since Dia has never wanted to talk to her of his own will before. Dia asks MC if she thinks that someone is targetting her. MC says she isn't sure if she's being targetted or why she might be targetted. All she knows is that there's a person that keeps watching her. She also doesn't know if that person is related to the suspicious person her cat saw either. Dia is silent. MC thinks that if someone knows that she's from the Human Realm and that she has some kind of mystical power, then those could be reasons for why she's being targetted. However, she can't tell Dia that since he refused to hear her secret when they were in the cave. So, she decides to change the subject by asking how Dia and Tino knew each other. Dia scowls at MC's deliberate attempt at changing the subject. He then asks MC what exactly she wants to know about Tino. MC remarks that he and Tino seem close. Dia asks what she means and what gave her the idea that they're close. MC explains that it's because Dia spoke to Tino of his own volition and that Tino also sometimes tells her about him. Dia asks her what Tino had said about him.

MC recalls what Tino had said in flashbacks. Tino had said that Dia is somewhat eccentric, but that he wasn't a bad person. Lynt had also said that Dia is a good boy. She tells Dia what Lynt and Tino had said about him which makes Dia's face scrunch up. Dia also says "blech" as if in disgust. MC says that Lynt and Tino are good people. Dia admits that they are kind. MC agrees and says she can tell how much they care about Dia based on how they talk about him. Dia shows indifference to MC's words. She tells him that they also worry about him. MC adds that Tino was so happy when he heard that Dia was attending lectures regularly. Dia says that's nonsense. He remarks that Tino always thinks too well of other people and he always has. Dia says that Tino and "the other one" (Dia's referring to Lynt) have always been annoyingly kind. Based on Dia's words, MC feels like Lynt and Tino have a special, but complicated place in Dia's heart. She thinks that's nice and is jealous. MC wishes that she also had a special place in his heart as well.

MC then asks if Dia has known the both of them for a long time since they're all from Akedia. Dia says that Tino mistook him for a girl when they first met. Tino also treated him too delicately due to that misunderstanding. MC asks if Dia often gets mistaken for a girl. Dia says he thinks that MC also mistook him for a girl when they first met as well. MC admits that she wasn't sure about his gender at first, but her first impression of him was that he was beautiful. She then tells him not to worry since she now knows that he's a man. Dia tells her that she's just stating the obvious. MC replies that she'll shut up now. Dia laughs and remarks that she apologizes too often. MC admits that's true. She feels happy that Dia is smiling and laughing. MC then fangirls over how pretty Dia is. While she's obsessing over his smile, Guy walks into their lecture hall. Dia's smile then instantly disappears. MC is disappointed since it took so much effort for her to make him smile. Guy tells MC to stop standing around and to take a seat. MC says "yes sir". Dia mutters under his breath that she's such a silly creature. When she glances at Dia, she notices that Dia has an amused smile on his face. MC thinks that Dia probably noticed how she had hearts in her eyes when she was looking at him. However, she's fine with that and she owns up to her feelings. MC also believes that there isn't anyone who wouldn't melt into a puddle after seeing his smile.

The lesson starts and Guy is telling them that they will now be learning how to use spells. He tells them that their task is to levitate a coin and flip it in mid-air. Guy tells the class to tell him once they finish the task. He then levitates a bunch of coins to each of their desks. MC is determined to complete her assignment today. Dia instantly finishes the task and informs Guy. The next person to finish is Lance. MC starts to panic after seeing how fast everyone is finishing the task. She looks to Aquia for support and sees that he's also having trouble with the task. MC gives him an encouraging nod and he gives her a nod in response. She then goes to start her task. MC starts by sensing the power flowing within herself. She feels a swirl of heat forming in the pit of her stomach. Next, she tries to channel her magic power into the coin. MC tries to flex her muscles, but she can't feel any magic flowing from her body to the coin. She then encourages herself that she can definitely make this coin float.

Guy asks if she's incapable of doing this task. MC says yes. Guy just tells her to quickly finish the task. MC says she's trying her best. She tries again, but it the coin doesn't float and she's feeling frazzled. MC bites her lip in frustration. She then notices that Lance is teaching Aquia how to do the task and turns to Dia who is leaning on his elbows. Their eyes meet and MC wonders how long he has been watching her. Dia remarks that she's such a pitiful C Rank. MC refutes that he's also a C Rank. Dia argues that he already finished the assignment despite being a C Rank. He then rolls his eyes and stands up. MC initially thought that Dia would leave, but he sits down in the chair right next to her instead. Dia comments on how MC has been glaring at that coin for a long time. He asks MC if she thinks that she's skilled enough to be able to perform magic by just looking at it. MC replies that the spell they have to use doesn't require any incantations. Dia understands that she's implying that some forms of magic involve incantations. He uses the ancient magic of Avari as an example. MC admits that it's true since she had experienced Avari's ancient magic first hand. Dia also explains how you can invoke magic by using a wand or cane, speaking your intentions out loud, or waving your fingers. He tells MC that magic also flows more easily when you use words or actions. MC asks if it's like mapping your intentions into something physical. Dia also tells MC that she isn't channeling her magic correctly. As a result of Dia's explanations, MC starts to get the hang of making her magic flow. She feels nervous due to how close Dia's face is, but Dia's glare is so intimadating that she is forced to focus on the assignment. By the end of the lecture, MC is able to slightly lift up the coin above the desk. However, she still can't flip it. Dia had also disappeared while Guy was giving MC extra assignments for not being able to finish the task. MC wished that she was able to thank him at least.

MC speculates that Dia has already returned back to his dorms, so she starts heading over to Dorm Nivalis. While walking down the hallway of the school building, she meets Jay. MC greets him and says it's been a long time since she's seen him. She thinks that Jay might know where Dia is, so she asks him if he knows Dia's whereabouts. MC adds that she wanted to find Dia to thank him for tutoring her during today's lecture. Jay is surprised to hear that Dia went out of his way to teach someone. MC also remarks that she's never heard him talk as much as he did today. Jay says he's proud of how far Dia has come. He then tells MC to come with him to Dorm Nivalis if she's looking for Dia. Jay says that he will summon Dia for her. Then, they both head off to Dorm Nivalis.

*[Hide section]*

## Chapter 11

*[Show/Hide]*

While Jay goes to summon Dia, MC heads towards the Dorm Nivalis Lounge. She notes how this will be her first time in the Dorm Nivalis Lounge. Once she arrives, she is surprised to see Jay, who has somehow arrived before her. Jay says that he has been waiting for her arrival. He then tells her to take a seat as he prepares a cup of tea for her. MC takes a sip and says it's excellent. Jay says he tries his best to satisfy people. MC is curious about how Jay arrived here before she did since she left the school building before he did, so she asks him. Jay replies that he also arrived not too long ago. He says that it wouldn't be good to keep a guest waiting. MC remarks that she's always amazed by how skillful all the valets are. At that moment, Dia arrives and asks what they're talking about. Dia says that Jay told him about MC's visit and asks what business she has with him. MC says that she just wants to thank him for helping her earlier during their lecture. Dia asks if she came all the way to Dorm Nivalis just for something so trivial. He remarks that she really does have a lot of free time. MC says that she doesn't consider this to be a trivial matter since she was able to get the hang out channeling magic thanks to him. She jokes that she was able to get through an entire without Guy yelling at her. Dia sighs. He says he's never met someone who doesn't know how to use magic despite having so much magic. MC asks him if he helped her since he sensed that she had a lot of magic. He then says he understands why she came to Dorm Nivalis. Dia says he thinks she came to ask him about why he decided to teach her. He then intently stares at her to the point where she feels uncomfortable. MC feels like he can see straight through her.

She then replies that it was part of the reason why she came. Dia remarks on how straightforward she's being. MC tells him that she feels like she can't like when he looks at her. Dia says that's intriguing. MC realizes that Dia is teasing her now, but she strangely doesn't hate his teasing. She then asks him why he helped her and why he suddenly decided to talk to her. MC wants to know Dia's reasons since he's not trying to find out her secret as he had previously refused to know her secret when they were trapped in the cave. She had assumed that Dia would just ignore her once they escaped from the cave. Dia insults her by saying that she's more of a dotard (a person who's old and senile) than he originally thought. He repeats what he told her in the cave about how there is no such thing as kindness without strings attached. MC doesn't think that's completely true. Dia explains that his reasons are simple and that he's just trying to expose Lou's secrets. He says that he affirmed how special MC was to Lou after the incident with the conveyance trap. Dia tells MC that it's unfair how he doesn't know any of Lou's secrets when Lou knows his secrets. MC asks Dia if he's just trying to get close to her in order to get back at Lou. Dia says yes. He also tells her that she has every right to get angry at him for his ulterior motives. MC says she hasn't decided on how she wants to react yet, but she does feel unsettled.

In an attempt to deal with how unsettled she is, MC picks up her tea cup to take a sip, but it's empty. Jay asks her if she would like another cup of tea and she answers yes. She requests some extra milk for her next cup. Jay says he will make sure to add extra milk and she thanks him. Dia tells Jay that his usual cup of tea will suffice. Jay accepts Dia's order for a strong plain brew of tea. MC thinks about how she always feels comforted when she has milky tea. The scent of MC's tea feels familiar to Dia. He then proceeds to ask her if she always drinks her tea with a lot of milk. MC says she only drinks it when she wants to relax. Dia feels like someone has said those exact words to him before. He then sets his previous cup of tea down. Jay finishes preparing their tea and thanks them for waiting. He also hopes they enjoy the tea. MC says she definitely will enjoy it and thanks him again. Afterwards, they both sit in silence and enjoy their respective teas.

Once the silence starts to become unbearable, Dia speaks up. Dia asks if he can ask her a question. MC agrees. Dia proceeds to ask her why she pays so much attention to him. MC explains that towards the beginning, she did it because of the collective liability rule, but now she wants to know more about him. Dia asks her why she wants to get to know him better. MC stops to give it some thought. She then replies that her first impression of him was of a fragile, but frigid beauty. However, after hearing him sing and seeing how he acts around his familiar Linos, she realized that there was more to him than just her first impressions of him. MC describes him as a man of contradictions. She says that the more she gets to know him, the less understands him. MC compares him to a puzzle that she's constantly trying to solve since she keeps wondering what kind of person he is. She tells him that she can't get him out of her head. Dia laughs and says she's baffling. Dia remarks that her words sound just like a confession of love. He asks if he should take her words to mean that she has completely fallen in love with him. MC is shocked as Dia pointed out something that she had never even considered. Dia states that it's clear that she's in love with him. MC then thinks about how there's a lot of things she doesn't know in this world, but none of them are as tantalizing as Dia. MC had always wondered why she only felt that way about Dia and not anyone else. But after hearing Dia's words, she realizes that it was because she had fallen in love with him. At this realization, MC starts to blush, but she tries to hide it by drinking her tea. MC then tells Dia that his analysis is right on the mark. Dia sweetly smiles at her in response. However, MC is so overwhelmed by her happiness that she can't bring herself to look at his face.

A few days later, MC is attending one of her C Rank-only lectures. Their professor for today is Lou. He states that their rate of attendance has improved after the introduction of the special lessons. Lou proceeds to compliment them and says that he's happy to see his students succeed. Dia then asks why Lou came today as he probably didn't come here just to praise them. Lou explains that he came here to give them an assignment that will require them to use all of the knowledge they've learned thus far in order to complete it. He says that the academy will be hosting a musical revue (a performance involving multiple acts) and that they will be in charge of it. Aquia is surprised while Lance remarks that it sounds troublesome. Lou tells them that they won't be subject to the collective liability rule anymore if they are able to complete this assignment. Dia asks if that's true. Lance says he understands why Lou gave this assignment to them now. MC realizes that if they complete this task, then she will no longer be bound to Dia. She would've been overjoyed if it was when she had just first met Dia, but now she feels sad instead of relieved. Lou then tells them that he has one last thing to say. He says that this will be especially important for Dia and Lance. Lou states that both of them will be expelled from the academy if this musical revue fails.

*[Hide section]*

## Chapter 12

*[Show/Hide]*

MC asks Lou if he's serious about that statement. Dia flares up with indignant rage and refuses to accept this. MC is surprised to see Dia so angry. Lou tells Dia to sit down since he isn't finished with his explanation. Dia refuses to sit down and asks Lou if he would really exile him from this academy. He then starts to repeat that this must all be a lie. Lou remains silent all throughout Dia's outburst. Lance remarks that being expelled from the academy is a bit too harsh of a consequence and that there should be a process for these types of things. Aquia agrees with Lance. MC then asks Lou if there was a reason why he decided to escalate things so drastically. Lou says that he technically has enough of a reason to expel them based on their previous academic performance since this academy is a place for learning magic. MC then asks why this consequence only applies to Dia and Lance. She also quickly apologizes to Aquia for dragging him into this. She comments on how she and Aquia should also be at risk for being expelled based on their grades. Lou explains that he did consider grades as part of his decision, but the biggest deciding factor was Dia's and Lance's many absences from class. He adds that Dia and Lance have missed a lot up classes up until this point. Lou then says that through this assignment, he is giving them a chance to prove how much they have improved and to lessen the impact of their past transgressions.

Dia asks Lou why he's doing this despite knowing the reason why Dia has to stay at this academy. Dia tells Lou that he has no where else to go other then this academy. A broken-looking Dia stretches his hand towards Lou to try to form a connection, but Lou gently refuses him. Lou just states that sending Dia back to his own kingdom would be an easier process than it is to send Lance back. Before leaving, Lou tells them that he'll discuss the details of the assignment in the next couple of days. After Lou leaves, Lance clicks his tongue and roughly gets out of his seat to exit the classroom. Aquia calls after Lance telling him to wait and scrambles after him.

Meanwhile, Dia remains in the classroom while still being unable to accept what just happened. MC is surprised as she didn't expect Dia to be this upset. She thinks it makes sense though since the academy has been Dia's home since he was little. MC wonders if the reason why Dia's so adamant about staying is because he doesn't want to return to Akedia or if it's for some other reason. She doesn't know how to broach the subject, so she just comfortingly puts her hand on Dia's shaking shoulders. Dia is still muttering about how he won't leave the academy under any circumstances. MC then tries to reassure him by telling him that everything will be alright and that they'll definitely pass the test. Dia lashes out at her and asks how she could possibly know that. He then keeps repeating how he hates this entire situation while shaking his head over and over. The most MC can do at the moment is safely walk him back to Dorm Nivalis.

Lance and Aquia return at the same time that Dia and MC arrive at Dorm Nivalis. It is also revealed that Aquia, Dia, and Lance all live in Dorm Nivalis. They all silently walk towards the lounge. Once they arrive, they just sit down while Jay prepares some crimson tea for all of them. There's a heavy silence and Aquia looks to MC for help. MC decides that they should talk about the musical revue. She wanted to talk about this when Dia was less upset and Lance less frustrated, but she thinks that they should discuss it now. MC thinks about how the 4 of them will have to do their best to keep 2 of the people from their group from being expelled. MC says that the only thing they can do now is to succeed or Lou won't be persuaded to rescind his decision. Lance agrees with MC while Dia remains silent. Aquia remarks that this musical revue is being hosted by the academy. Therefore, they will have to send invitations to each of the kingdoms in order to draw in guests. Aquia tells them that they have to come up with a proper plan or their chances of succeeding will be slim to none. MC thinks it's a lot of work than 4 people can handle since there are 7 kingdoms and an untold number of guests. Lance suggests that there assignment might also include asking others for help as well. MC says that makes sense since the academy is filled with students from the nobility and royalty. She then thinks about how the students at this academy definitely have a better sense for these types of things. MC contrasts that to her classmates back in the Human Realm who probably only know how to host bake sales and book fairs.

She then asks them if they need to hire an orchestra or if the performance needs to be done by the students. Aquia thinks it would be best to find students to perform since this is an event hosted by the academy itself. Dia's shoulders twitch at Aquia's remark. Suddenly, Dia realizes what Lou is trying to do. MC wonders what Dia is thinking about. Lance then says that the question is whether the guests would enjoy such a performance. Aquia agrees. He says that their best bet is to ask the crown princes of each of the kingdoms to perform. Dia asks if they're all supposed to go ask them. MC likes Aquia's idea, but Dia and Lance don't seem to keen on it. She recalls that Dia avoids the nobles and royalty like the plague and that it might also apply to Lance. MC tells Aquia that the both of them should just see how much they can manage together since they can at least try. Aquia agrees with MC's suggestion.

On the next day, MC and her cat are shopping in town. MC hopes that she bought everything she needed. Her cat reassures her that she did. MC then says that it's time for them to go back to the dorm. But, she suddenly spots Fenn amongst the crowd. MC thinks about how he stands out like a peacock amongst pigeons. Her cat also sees Fenn and asks MC if she needs something from him. MC says she needs to ask him something in regards to the musical revue. She decides that she'll just go and ask him since she spotted him. MC runs to catch up with Fenn. However, she ends up in an alleyway and has lost sight of Fenn. MC has a bad feeling and feels like she shouldn't keep going down this road since this road looks dark even in the middle of the day. She tells her cat that they should head back. But, she notices that her cat is frightened by something nearby. MC whirls around to see what's scaring her cat and notices the feeling of someone watching her again. She had been too busy chasing after Fenn and had only noticed that feeling just now. Her cat says it feels like the presence he felt in the forest the other day. Feeling the danger, MC scoops up her cat and quickly runs while retracing her steps. She still can't shake off the feeling that someone is stalking her. After running for a bit, MC ends up lost as she was only focused on running away. She starts feeling so scared that she feels like the shadows are trying to drag her into their depths.

Her cat then suggests running into the nearby forest. MC decides to take refuge amongst the trees. Her heart is beating really fast and her breathing is ragged from all the running. A bit later, she hears the sound of someone walking through the grass. She can tell that this person is trying to look for her. As the sound gets closer, MC starts to panic and wonders if someone is really out to get her. MC had completely forgotten about those incidents where she felt someone was watching her since she hadn't felt that presence for days now. But, she now realizes that she made a big mistake. MC wonders if there's any possibility of a random rescuer wandering around the forest. Suddenly, someone calls out to her which makes her jump. MC then realizes it's Dia and calls out his name. Dia remarks that he is indeed Dia and asks if his presence causes that much surprise. MC is so relieved to see him and thanks the world. Her cat calls her name in relief as well. MC says that this situation was terrifying and reassures her cat that everything is fine now.

Dia asks them what was so terrifying. MC then starts explaining what's been happening to them. After she finishes her explanation, Dia's expression gets darker and darker. Dia tells her to stand up and that he'll escort her back to the academy. MC thanks him since this whole situation has taken a lot out of her. As she stands up, her legs are still wobbly so she falls forward. Dia grabs her hand to stop her from falling and helps her stand up. He continues to hold her hand as they walk back to the academy as her cat flies along above them.

Dia tells MC that he came here to search for mushrooms. MC says that makes sense. During his search for mushrooms, he noticed that the animals were acting restless, so he went to look for the cause and ended up finding both of them. MC says that situation was really unsettling and that she's glad that Dia arrived when he did. She then insists that she's fine now. Dia tells her that she's lying. He then stops and turns around. He lifts MC's hand and puts his other hand on top of hers. Dia says that he can tell that her hands are shaking. MC apologizes and says that she was really scared. She tells him that even the thought of being caught by the person who was chasing her scares her half to death. MC says she also can't stop shaking from thinking about it. Dia tugs her hand gently making her fall towards his chest. He then hugs her. MC suddenly realizes that she's being hugged by Dia.

*[Hide section]*

## Chapter 13

*[Show/Hide]*

MC is in a daze as she calls Dia's name. Dia doesn't respond and just comfortingly pats her back. He tells her to just behave until she calms down. Dia tells her that this hug will make her feel better and make her feel safe. MC really feels like she's safe now. She can feel Dia's warmth and she can feel their hearts beating in sync. MC closes her eyes and just listens to the sound of their heartbeats. After a while, her trembling gradually stops. She then tells Dia that she's alright and pulls away from the hug. Dia comments on how she stopped trembling. MC replies that she's not scared anymore. Dia tells her that she should stay that way. He also remarks on how she doesn't look like she's lying about not being scared this time. MC's cat then calls her name. He apologizes for not being able to protect her. MC tells him that it wasn't his fault and that his presence helped her to stay strong. She says it was her fault and apologizes to her cat since he wouldn't have been targeted if he wasn't accompanying her.

Dia asks if someone is targeting her after all. MC replies that it's funny he should ask. She then wonders why he's even asking her when he didn't want to know about her before. MC recalls back to when they were trapped in the cave. Dia had refused to hear her secret since she might demand him to reveal his own secret in return for knowing hers. She also recalls how he told her that he just wanted to find out Lou's secret and that he had no interest in her. MC finds it ironic that he told her not to tell him her secret, but now he wants to know. She then thinks about how her feelings for Dia have been getting stronger every day. If he were to reject her like he did back in the cave, then she doesn't know if she will be able to recover from that. MC decides to lie since she doesn't think she'll be able to handle it if he rejects her again. MC tells Dia that there's still a lot that she doesn't know about this situation. Dia tells her that she's really bad at lying. MC replies that it wasn't a complete lie. Dia tells her that he'll listen, so she should just tell him. MC tells Dia that it's related to the secret that he didn't want to know about before. Dia's eyes widen in disbelief. He then tells her that this time it isn't about Lou and that he truly wants to know more about her. Dia also suggets that they return to the academy since this isn't a good place for them to talk. He then holds her hand and starts walking back to the academy. Due to their brisk pace, MC's cat has to fly faster to keep up with them.

Once they arrive back at the academy, MC feels relieved. She knows that the academy might not be completely safe, but she at least feels a sense of comfort here. They both bring MC's cat back to her room before heading to the Dorm Nivalis Lounge for their chat. At the Dorm Nivalis Lounge, Jay brews them some tea and then leaves to give them some privacy. Dia then asks MC to tell him her secret and MC relents. She explains how she came to the Magical Realm from the Human Realm and that she supposedly has some kind of unique power. Dia attentively listens to her entire explanation while occasionally displaying a surprised face. MC feels happy that she was finally able to tell Dia her secret. She's already attracted to him, so she feels like it's only right for her to want him to know more about her.

After she finishes her explanation, Dia remarks that she is special after all. Dia's expression remains serious as he asks her whether there are other people who know her secret. MC replies that Lou and all of the S Ranks know about her secret. However, she doesn't know if any of the princes have mentioned it to their valets or not. Dia then asks if she has told anyone else that is close to her about her secret. MC assumes that he's probably referring to Rio and Sherry. She says that other than Lou and the S Ranks, only her cat knows. MC explains that Lou told her not to tell anyone else since it might cause chaos to ensue. Dia says that makes sense. He then drinks some tea. The atmosphere then becomes lighter, so MC feels comfortable enough to eat a cookie while glancing at Dia. MC recalls how Dia had told her that wanting to know her secret had nothing to do with Lou this time and that he wanted to know more about her. She wonders if she can take this as a sign that Dia might some day reciprocate her feelings. So, she asks Dia about what he had said earlier. Dia asks if they really need to bring up that conversation again since they already finished it. MC says that it's news to her that they finished that conversation.

Instead of replying, Dia decides to change the subject to the musical revue. MC notes that he very quickly sidestepped that topic. Dia then remarks that MC couldn't have possibly forgotten about the musical revue. MC replies that she didn't forget about it. Dia then calls for Jay. A door in the back of the lounge immediately opens and Jay walks in. Jay asks them if they would like another cup of tea. Dia tells Jay that they would both like some more tea. While smirking at MC, he tells Jay that he would like some milk in his tea this time since it's nice to have some milk once in a while. Dia remarks that they need to plan their battle strategy while they are calm (referencing how MC drinks milky tea to calm down). MC thinks it's unfair how attractive Dia is since she can't bring herself to bring the conversation back to the topic from earlier. MC then tells Jay that she'll also have milk with her tea.

Next, she turns her attention to the issue of the musical revue since they need to successfully host it no matter what. Despite Dia's composed look, MC is worried about what's going on in his head. After all, he was extremely upset after hearing the consequences of failing at hosting the musical revue. MC then asks Dia what he thinks of Aquia's idea which involves asking all of the princes to perform. Dia says that he really dislikes the idea, but that it's a very good idea. MC asks Dia if he dislikes the idea because he doesn't get along witht he princes or if it's because of some other reason. Dia says that he doesn't really hate being with the princes and that they don't hate being with him either. It's just that he just hates royalty in general. Dia adds that Lance probably feels even more strongly about that than he does. So, he couldn't believe it when he saw Lance talking with Aquia. MC comments that she didn't realize that things were that complicated. She then decides that it might be better just for her and Aquia to go ask all the princes. As she is thinking about what kind of musical performance they should do, she recalls Dia's singing. She tells Dia that he can sing if he wants to and that with his incredible voice he could even carry the entire musical revue by himself. Dia sharply states that he doesn't want to. MC is taken aback by the darkness she sees in his green eyes.

*[Hide section]*

## Chapter 14

*[Show/Hide]*

The following day, MC is summoned to the Headmaster's Office. Lou apologizes for summoning MC on such short notice. MC replies that it's fine and that she wanted to ask him something as well. Lou asks MC what she wants to ask him. MC explains that it's in regards to the musical revue. She asks if there's any possibility of changing the punishment for failing the musical revue. MC knows that it will be hard to persuade Lou, but she believes the saying that you miss 100% of the shots you don't take. Since Lou had previously mentioned that
the biggest factor in his final decision was Lance and Dia's poor attendance rate, MC tells Lou that Lance and Dia started to attend lectures more after the special lessons started. She comments on how weird it is to stake their entire academic careers based on the results of a single musical revue. MC doesn't understand why Lou would ignore the progress that they've made so far in the course and in the pursuit of their own personal betterment. Lou remarks that it seems like MC has thought a lot about this despite the short amount of time she has left with the both of them. MC doesn't understand what he means. Lou explains that since she intends to return to the Human Realm, her remaining time with them is short. MC realizes that Lou is right since the whole reason she was studying magic was to return to the Human Realm. Lou also tells MC that there's no proof that Dia won't go back to his old ways in the future. He then asks MC if she has such proof.

MC can't recall the last time she had even thought about returning to the Human Realm. Lou tells her that he's not trying to rebuke her since he's happy that she's taken such a personal interest in their well-being. However, he says that he won't change his mind once he has made a decision. Lou then reiterates that Dia and Lance will be removed from the academy if the musical revue fails. MC says he can't do that. Lou tells her that she doesn't need to feel so sad since there's still a chance that they will succeed. At first it looks like Lou is smiling sweetly, but MC realizes that it only looks that way because of the curve of his lips. She then observes that Lou's eyes actually don't have any mirth in them. At that moment, she realizes that ordinary methods won't work on Lou. MC recalls how Dia had once told her that he doesn't trust Lou. She then decides that she will deal with the issue of her returning to the Human Realm later since preventing Dia and Lance from being expelled takes priority. Afterwards, she pumps herself up before looking at Lou. She assumes that he has a suggestion for her on how to make the musical revue succeed since he has implied that there's a chance of success. So, she asks Lou to share his suggestion with her. Lou tells her that this was the reason he summoned her today.

He then asks if she has ever heard Dia sing. MC replies that she has, but she gets a bad feeling about where this conversation is heading. Lou tells her that she can probably figure out what his suggestion will be based on his previous statement. MC asks if Lou wants her to convince Dia to sing at the musical revue. Lou remarks that anyone would admit that Dia has a beautiful singing voice. MC states that she won't force Dia to sing. Lou asks her why not. MC says that if they're just going to speak in riddles, then Lou already knows the reason why. She asks Lou why she should force Dia to do something that he doesn't want to do. Lou tells MC that Dia is an exceptional example of someone that has inherited the blood of the Songbirds of Tristitas. MC recalls back to the outdoor lesson. Toa had told her about how the Isle of Colde was originally part of the Kingdom of Vanum and how there was another kingdom that was lost in the war called Tristitas. MC also recalls how Dia said that Tristitas was a kingdom that was governed by Songbirds and that the Songbirds were women who were blessed with divine singing voices. Lou tells MC about how the singing voices of Tristitas are considered to be unique in the Magical Realm. He adds that this musical revue would be like no other if Dia were to sing a song from Tristitas. MC asks Lou how Dia's opinion is factored into that. Lou says he understands that MC wants to protect Dia, so it would be kinder for her to be the one to persuade him. He tells MC that the one thing Dia really doesn't want to lose is his place in the academy. Lou says that MC is the only one that can persuade Dia to save himself.

Later on, MC is outside of Dorm Tradis. She is sure that Lou is up to something fishy. MC feels like his words about being concerned about Dia's well-being match his actions, but there's something strange about how he keeps emphasizing that Dia should sing. She thought that his goal for the special C Rank lessons was to increase attendance and improve their magical abilities. However, she's starting to feel like he had intended for them to do the musical revue all along. As MC was lost in thought, Dia had been repeatedly calling out to her. MC had not noticed Dia's presence, so she jumps when she finally notices. Dia unamusedly purses his lips in response. He tells MC that he had called her name multiple times, but she was lost in thought. Dia then remarks that she always seems to be lost in thought. MC retorts that she's not always lost in thought, but it does happen often. She then decides that she needs to focus, so she shakes her head to free herself from her idle thoughts. MC thinks about how she has to go talk to all the princes today about performing in the musical revue. She had originally planned to go by herself, but Dia also volunteered to join her. MC isn't sure why he decided to join her since he doesn't want to have anything to do with royalty. She tells Dia that she will do everything she can to make this work. Dia replies that he will as well. He says that he would honestly prefer not to have anything to do with the nobles or with royalty, but he knows that asking the princes are their best chance at success. So, he made up his mind to do it. MC is determined to do her best to lighten the burden Dia has as much as possible. She then wonders if this will work out.

They start off by going to Dorm Tradis. MC asks Dia who he wants to ask first. Dia replies that they can start with anyone. He then points to Fenn who was coincidentally coming down the stairs. Fenn asks them what the occasion is for 2 beauties to appear in front of him. He tells them that if they're looking for some entertainment in the form of pleasure, then he'll happily join them. Fenn promises that he'll let them experience an unforgettable night. Dia remarks that he hates how fake Fenn's acting is. He says that Fenn should be able to tell that they're here for business. Fenn asks if they came to ask him to participate in the musical revue. He says that he's undecided about participating since there's no merit for him in doing so. Dia narrows his eyes. In an instant, Dia attitude changes completely and he puts on a seductive smile. Dia then seductively calls Fenn a "darling boy". MC is shocked by his sudden change in attitude. While still being seductive, Dia tells Fenn that he'll happily go out with him somewhere once the musical revue is successful. MC is once again shocked that Dia would agree to go on a date with Fenn. Fenn says that the suggestion sounds very enticing and agrees to participate in the musical revue. MC notes that it seems like Fenn will do anything for someone with a pretty face. She's not sure if she should be surprised or if she should just roll her eyes. MC also notes how they both changed their attitudes in an instant when it was beneficial towards them.

After they said goodbye to Fenn, they head towards the Refectory. MC spots Lynt, Rio, Thoma, and Tino inside the Refectory. She gives them a rundown of the situation regarding the musical revue. They seem bewildered that this is happening at all, but they listen seriously to her explanation. After MC finishes explaining, Lynt agrees to participate. Dia asks if it's fine for him to agree so quickly. Lynt says that he wants to do as much as he can. Dia remarks that Lynt is really too generous. Tino tells them that they can depend on him for help with the preparations. Thoma says he'll help as well. Rio adds that he'll help behind the scenes as he's not really good at playing instruments. Dia replies that he had no expectations of having Rio playing an instrument in the first place. Rio apologizes for not being able to play an instrument. Dia tells him not to apologize since it makes him feel annoyed. Rio replies that Dia shouldn't forgive him then. He then says that they can call him for help if they require anything involving physical strength. MC is glad that everything is going smoothly so far. She's starting to think that they might make it through this musical revue in one piece. Just as she lets out a sigh of relief, someone pulls on her sleeve. In order to hide his shyness, Dia quickly whispers that he was able to do all this thanks to her. MC's heart feels satisfied from Dia's thanks.

*[Hide section]*

## Chapter 15

*[Show/Hide]*

It's finally the day of the musical revue. MC decides to stop by the S Rank Lounge before heading to the concert hall. When she walks in, Fenn remarks that it's rare for her to come here. Toa asks why she's here since she's supposed to be dealing with the final preparations for the musical revue. MC replies that there's only one final thing to check, so she will be going over to the concert hall soon to help out. But, she wanted to come here to thank all of them once again for their help. It is revealed that Dia and MC had asked Toa to perform while Aquia and Lance asked Guy and Roy if they could perform. The 5 S Ranks all agreed, so all the S Ranks will be performing today. MC can't express how much it means that the S Ranks all agreed to perform. Guy says they didn't do anything that requires a thank you. Toa replies that it's just part of his role as a prince to entertain guests from foreign kingdoms. Roy says that he can't speak for all the S Ranks, but he thinks that it's a pleasure for him to be of help. Lynt tells MC to think nothing of it and to go to Dia's side. MC thanks Lynt for his consideration and curtsies before leaving the room.

When MC arrives in the concert hall, she can tell by the atmosphere that something is wrong. She observes that there are no seats for the guests at all. Aquia then calls out to her and says that there's a problem. He tells her that the decorations they prepared last night have gone missing. MC asks if all the candlesticks and tablecloths for the guests' seating are also gone. Aquia says yes and that those 2 things are not something that someone would accidentally put away. MC realizes that there is someone that is deliberately hiding them. She ponders on who would do such a thing and for what reason. MC wonders if someone is trying to sabotage the musical revue. MC then says that they can't just serve food to the guests on bare tables. Aquia informs her that Jasper is currently getting new ones for them. MC remarks that Jasper is a miracle worker and that at least one problem is solved for now.

Lance then calls Aquia over to help him. Aquia excuses himself and says that something must have happened to the stage. MC replies that she'll go with him since she has a bad feeling about this. She then recalls Lou's words about how she is the only one who can persuade Dia to save himself. MC wonders if this whole situation is some kind of joke. But, she decides to focus on making this performance a success instead of pondering on this thought. They get to the stage and MC's bad feeling turns out to be correct. One problem occurs after another which leads to them having to change their plans at the very last minute. One issue was that things they prepared would mysteriously go missing or break the moment they take their eyes off of it. So, it became very clear that someone was trying to sabotage their performance. Lance clicks his tongue. He says there's no end to these problems and that the only way they can solve this situation is to catch the culprit. Dia also says that he's had enough of this situation. He then asks what they should do to the culprit once they catch them. MC replies that whatever they do, the punishment won't be enough as this is an important moment for Dia and Lance. Aquia is exasperated that MC has also joined in on Dia and Lance's conversation about how to punish the culprit. He tells them that they should first remain calm and focus on making the performance a success. Lance tells Aquia that he's just stating the obvious. Dia tells Aquia that he's not thinking about the possible consequences if they just ignore this issue. Aquia apologizes.

MC thinks about what needs to be done in order for this musical revue to happen without any problems. She then asks Dia what he thinks they should do. Dia suggests that they should prioritize catching the person responsible for all this. He adds that they can't make any progress if someone keeps ruining their preparations every time they try to fix them. Based on the damage the culprit has done, Dia surmises that the culprit is trying to make sure that the musical revue won't happen at all. So, he thinks they should consider who would benefit the most from the cancellation of this event. If the musical revue is cancelled, then that would mean that they failed. The result of that failure would mean that Dia and Lance would be expelled. MC wonders who would benefit from those two not being at the academy. Aquia says that the academy is the one hosting the musical revue, so it would make the academy look bad if things don't happen as planned. He suggests that it might be the work of an outsider who wants to ruin the reputation of the academy. Lance remarks that this person might also be targeting one of them. He says they might have infiltrated the academy and are planning to wreak havoc while they're all confused. MC then recalls how she's been feeling like someone has been watching her and the day when she was chased through the back alleys of the town. She hopes that her issue isn't somehow related to their current problem.

While everyone is having a discussion, Dia has remained silent. He then tells MC to follow him and walks towards the exit. Dia walks deep into the forest before stopping. They arrive at a clearing full of flowers. It is the clearing that MC had previously found Dia singing in before. As the wind scatters flower petals into the air, Dia starts to hum . MC wonders how anything else could compare to how beautiful Dia's voice sounds. She then notices that it's a different than the song she previously heard him sing. MC can feel the intense emotions that Dia is trying to convey through his singing.

*[Hide section]*

(Not Finished)